Tag Archives: stigmatized accents

Singapore English (Vs. “Singlish”)

Posted on June 23, 2013 by Ben

If I could nominate a “dialect of the 21st Century,” I would probably go with Singapore English, a native English dialect spectrum spoken in a region with few competitors (for nearly 1/3 of Singaporeans, English is the primary language spoken at … Continue reading →

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Posted in Miscellaneous Accents and Dialects | Tagged , , , | 8 Comments

“You is Smart:” Dialect Gripes About “The Help”

Posted on November 14, 2012 by Ben

The other day, a Twitter pal mentioned a certain discomfort while reading Kathryn Stockett’s The Help. Apropos of this blog, it seems there are a number of complaints about the author’s (arguably) shaky command of African American Vernacular English, a … Continue reading →

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Posted in American English | Tagged , , , | 10 Comments

Dialects and Registers

Posted on December 3, 2011 by Ben

One afternoon some years ago, an overheard conversation on the subway piqued my interest. A few train stops before my apartment, a pair of young men got on the car and sat across from me.  After exchanging a few friendly greetings … Continue reading →

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Posted in American English | Tagged , , | 19 Comments

Do Southerners Speak Slowly?

Posted on October 22, 2011 by Ben

One of the most commonly held assumptions about American accents is one with arguably negative connotations.  That would be the pernicious rumor that Southern people speak ‘slower’ than Northerners.  I put this assumption in quotation marks, of course, because it … Continue reading →

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Posted in American English | Tagged , , | 15 Comments

Is the glottal stop bad for you?

Posted on April 1, 2011 by Ben

You may not know what a glottal stop is, but you’ve probably heard one. Already baffled? Let me explain. Ever talk to someone from London who pronounced butter something like “bu’uh?” With the t becoming a kind of “grunt?” The t … Continue reading →

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Posted in English Phonetics | Tagged , , , , | 47 Comments

Pahk Yuh Cah: Non-Rhotic in New England

Posted on March 4, 2011 by Ben

A few years back, I was sitting in a restaurant in my hometown of Willimantic, Connecticut*. A few booths over, a late-middle-aged man was talking to a young woman paying at the counter. Here is my paraphrasing of the conversation: … Continue reading →

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Posted in American English | Tagged , | 2 Comments

Cheryl Cole’s Accent: You Decide

Posted on March 3, 2011 by Ben

I don’t want this to turn into a pop culture site, but it is hard to ignore the recent hubbub surrounding Cheryl Cole. As I mentioned a few days back, Ms. Cole is a pretty pop singer from the UK … Continue reading →

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Posted in British English, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , | 3 Comments

Why There are Less New York Accents in Movies

Posted on February 24, 2011 by Ben

I hate how the mainstream media discusses dialects and accents. Journalists routinely fudge basic linguistic terminology, misquote experts, and indulge in all kinds of classist and/or racist assumptions. Case in point is this article Academy Award filmmakers need to make … Continue reading →

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Posted in American English | Tagged , , , , | 9 Comments

Americans: Intolerant of Regional Accents?

Posted on February 23, 2011 by Ben

I often assume that the British are more accent-conscious than we Americans are. Let me put that more bluntly: I assume the British are more accent-intolerant than we are. There is a good bit of evidence to support this. Brits … Continue reading →

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Posted in Accent Reduction | Tagged , , , , | 25 Comments

Dialect Profile: The Cork Accent

Posted on February 21, 2011 by Ben

(In this series, we discuss different dialects using actual video or audio samples.  This page uses the International Phonetic Alphabet (IPA). For information about this notation, please visit my page of IPA Resources.) In Ireland, Cork means something more than the … Continue reading →

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Posted in Irish English | Tagged | 9 Comments