Tag Archives: phonetics

Is the Welsh Accent “Foreign?”

Posted on June 2, 2011 by Ben

The Welsh accent is a mystery on American shores.  Numerous Welsh celebrities have made the US their home: your Hopkinses, Burtonses, Zeta-Joneses, and just plain Joneses.  Yet Americans have few of the preconceptions about Welsh English that we do for … Continue reading →

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Posted in British English | Tagged , , | 25 Comments

The “Trubbow” with L-Vocalization

Posted on May 26, 2011 by Ben

Listen to a three-year-old say “doll,” and it will probably sound like “dow.”  Along the same lines, a young child’s “trouble” becomes “trubbow,” “fall” becomes “foe,” “bell” becomes “bew.”  Or so it sounds to the average listener.  This  is what is … Continue reading →

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Posted in English Phonetics | Tagged , , , | 83 Comments

Literary Dialect Transcription

Posted on May 18, 2011 by Ben

We normally discuss spoken accents or dialects. But what about how they are written? Phonetic transcription isn’t so common in English-language literature these days. And that’s probably for the best. As a reader, I hate it when old novels spell … Continue reading →

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Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , | 31 Comments

A Question about Foreign Accent Syndrome

Posted on May 3, 2011 by Ben

I would be remiss not to mention this week’s news story about an Oregon woman who woke up from surgery speaking a different accent (Check out the stunning video clip of her speaking). This lady suffers from a rare condition … Continue reading →

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Posted in English Phonetics | Tagged , | 5 Comments

The Rise of Creaky Voice

Posted on April 29, 2011 by Ben

Sometimes when I’m writing a post, I stumble upon something intriguing enough that it makes me change topic mid-stream. Today is one of those days. I was going to look at the differences between General American accents among younger vs. … Continue reading →

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Posted in American English | Tagged , | 25 Comments

“Um” in Different Accents

Posted on April 22, 2011 by Ben

All dialects of English have “filler” words. Just to name a few: er, ah, um, eh, or the increasingly common like* and you know. We humans are a hesitant bunch, and these words offer brief moments of reflection. What’s interesting … Continue reading →

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Posted in English Phonetics | Tagged , , , | 26 Comments

The Pin-Pen Merger

Posted on April 17, 2011 by Ben

I used Ancestry.com for a few months, before it got a bit too expensive. One of the main family branches that I researched were (was?) the Kendricks, a family in Kentucky that has been in that state for several generations. … Continue reading →

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Posted in American English | Tagged , , , | 34 Comments

Swallowed ‘r’ in Glasgow

Posted on April 13, 2011 by Ben

I have a very quick request, for you budding amateur phoneticians out there. After yesterday’s conversation touched on Glasgow English, I looked for a few samples of this accent on YouTube. Glasgow is perhaps the only city in the English-speaking … Continue reading →

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Posted in British English | Tagged , , | 6 Comments

Dem and Dose: “Th” in City Accents

Posted on April 12, 2011 by Ben

I’ve lived in New York City for thirteen years.  In that time, I’ve learned that living in such an intense urban area has a palpable effect on how one communicates.  You have to talk faster, talk louder, talk more frequently, … Continue reading →

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Posted in English Phonetics | Tagged , , , | 52 Comments

“Rod” or “Ride?” Glide Deletion in the American South

Posted on April 6, 2011 by Ben

When my mother was a teenager, she spent a summer in Scotland. Since she was staying as a guest in a family’s home, she shared a telephone with the other residents. In jest, a Scottish friend of hers often answered … Continue reading →

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Posted in American English | Tagged , | 23 Comments