Will you understand the British if you learn English? Scottish dialect, or What are scotticisms

Every country has its own linguistic diversity. In a multinational state, different languages ​​​​are used, and in any other there are dialects and accents. Take, for example, Russia, where the language is simply replete with territorial differences. For example, the other day I made my Muscovite colleague laugh with the normal word for my hometown “swarmed” (this is absent-minded, inattentive, if someone doesn’t know either). 🙂

What amazes me about the UK is that there are different accents even within the same city!

But before moving on to a discussion of English dialects, just in case, let's deal with important concepts:

Dialect- a kind of language common in one territory (its own “words”, grammar rules that differ from the norm, etc.). My “scarred example” is just from this opera.

Accent- a feature of pronunciation, speech (the same words, but they will sound differently, with distorted sounds). In Russia, someone “okoks” or “poops”, or maybe “g-kayet” - all these are different accents.

What is considered the norm? Against the background of what dialect can you see “distortions”? In Russia, this is the Moscow pronunciation (yes, the word [come out] absolutely correct). In the UK, the norm is called Received Pronunciation (RP for short). This pronunciation is usually referred to as listening to BBC announcers. And in real life, only about 3% of the inhabitants of England say so.

RP- non-rhoticity (that is, -r- is not pronounced at the end); words like bath, can't and dance are pronounced with a wide -a-; the pronunciation of vowels is generally very conservative, in accordance with the rules of reading.

As an example, let's listen to the beautiful Margaret Thatcher

Now let's deal with English dialects and accents. Let's go in the following order:

• first we will discuss the full languages ​​that are in the UK,
• then dialects,
• and then we will describe some accents.

not english single

Great Britain consists of administrative and political parts: England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland. In this regard, in the UK, in addition to English, other languages ​​\u200b\u200bthat are part of the Celtic group are used: Scottish, Welsh, Irish, Gaelic and Cornish.

At the same time, the main language, of course, is English: only 10-20% of the population know their “native” NOT English, and even a smaller part of it actively uses it. However, they have a lot of influence on English. We find traces of this influence in dialects.

Scottish dialect, or What are scotticisms

I’ll clarify right away that here we will talk about dialect words / grammatical features, and about a specific dialect. In one source about Scottish English they said this: “more than a dialect; less than a full language.”

Here are some features that distinguish Scottish English from "classical“.

1. The Scots have a plural for the personal pronoun of the 2nd person - yous. That is: you = you, and you = this yous.

2. They use the continuous tense of verbs more often: I'm wanting some milk (instead of "I want some milk")

3. Can use prepositions differently: I was waiting on you (instead of “I was waiting for you”).

4. Of course, the Scots have their own “words” and expressions:

outside= outside of

Wee= small

Pinkie= little finger

Janitor= caretaker

Aye= yes

Whaur dae ye bide?= Where do you live?

Caw canny= Go easy

Write!= Hi!

Am tint= Im lost

5. Let's talk about the peculiarities of pronunciation. In total, the Scots “lost” 5 vowels. For example, they do not use the “schwa” [ə] sound at all. Therefore, in the word "the" [ðə] the same sound will be pronounced as in the word bit.

The pronunciation of consonants is also different.

• [r] always pronounced ( car will not sound a );
• sound [h] pronounced not on the exhale, but with more tension (almost like in German)
• sound [t] often "swallowed" in the position between vowels: compute r the Scot will say "computer"(the same feature in the cockney accent, which we will talk about later).

An interesting video about how difficult it is for the British themselves to understand each other

Melodious intonations of Wales

Here, too, English is heavily influenced by the local Welsh language.

1. This can be seen in grammatical constructions using not even double negation (forbidden in English), but rather triple: I haven't done nothin' to nobody, see?(often colloquially);

2. Them can be used as a possessive pronoun: them things - their things;

3. Non-standard forms of the verb are used: She caught it(instead of caught);

4. A more free attitude to the order of words in a sentence: there's cold it is instead of it's cold(changing the order of words for expressive purposes);

5. Isn't it used very often? after questions: You're a teacher, isn't it?(may be replaced by a clarification - yes?)

6. There are words that are used in a different way from the “usual” English meaning. For example, now is rather soon, a again can be used as later(later, another time). Tidy - not neat, but the exclamation "Great!"(and a number of other slang meanings).

7. There are also local words:

Clennig= gift of money,

Eisteddfod= cultural festival,

Chopsing= Arguing and others.

By the way, we can isolate two more words from the well-known breed of Welsh Corgi dogs: cor(dwarf) and ci(dog).

There are a lot of Welsh words that people in Wales think just don't translate into English: hwyl(a mixture of excitement, enthusiasm and energy), hiraeth(a kind of longing and nostalgia, which, according to the Welsh themselves, only they experience). Other words such as bach(“dear”), have alternatives in English, but are too ingrained, so they are still used today.

8. The pronunciation is also different from RP, but not as “catastrophically” as the Scottish version. Pay attention to the melodious intonation (up and down).

This is well covered in the video.

Diverse Ireland

It would not be entirely correct to talk about a single “Irish dialect”, since within Northern Ireland alone we can find a huge number of varieties of the language. However, we will try to find some common features.

1. The Irish do not answer yes or no questions. Instead, they repeat the verb of the question: Are you going to Jane's party tonight? – I am.

2. Often the inhabitants of Northern Ireland use the “doubling” construction: I've no time at all at all.

3. There are also dialect words, for example: runners- sneakers, jumper- pullover, ride- a very attractive person of any gender, etc.

For more details on the varieties of Irish accents, see this excellent article.

4. Features of pronunciation:

• [r] always pronounced;
• turns into , that's why dew/due, duke and duty sound like "jew", "jook" and "jooty";
• turns into , that is tube sounds like “choob”, a tune how "choon";
• in some Irish accents think and that turns into "tink" and date respectively;
• in Dublin, final consonants are often “lost”: sound pronounced soun.

Cool video about Irish and Scottish accents

Cockney and more

Now let's talk about accents. Perhaps the most famous British accent is Cockney., common in parts of London. You can read about it in different sources, so I’ll just talk about some of the features:

1. Sounds [θ] and [ð] turn into [f] or even [v]

think is pronounced “fink” (or vink); together - "togever", etc.

2. Sound [t] swallowed between vowels (we already talked about this, “being in Scotland”).

matter - "maer"

3. Instead of sound [l] pronounced [w]

milk is pronounced “miwk” (miuk)

4. No sound [h].

have is pronounced “ave”

Interview with Cockney Owner Steve Harris, Bassist of Iron Maiden

Now let's talk about the Midlands accent, common north of London. What is its difference? At the beginning of the article, I wrote that in RP, in words like bath, a long -a- is pronounced. So in Midlands the sound will be short. Another interesting pronunciation of words like cup, mug. They will be pronounced more like “coop” and “moog” (koop and muug).

By the way, in order not to “overload” you with text, I would advise you to just watch the video from the beautiful Jill from engvid (to be honest, I took many examples from her lesson). By the way, it is also in ours.

Finally…

It turns out that even knowing English perfectly well, we may not understand the British if we are not “prepared” for his accent (or even worse, dialect). Therefore, knowing such things is simply vital. So more often we watch videos of various dialects (preferably with subtitles), and we will be happy 🙂

The territorial coverage of the English language is so great that it would be strange if different English-speaking countries did not have their own distinctive features in the linguistic composition. To the least extent this concerns grammar and to the greatest extent - pronunciation, that is, accent. Let's try to highlight the most common accents of the English language and their distinctive features in comparison with the rest. There are English and American pronunciation standards.

English

• British (Scottish, Welsh, Northern Irish and English)
• Irish
• New Zealand
• Australian

American pronunciation standard includes:

• American (divided into basic American, Eastern type and Southern type)
• Canadian

1. British the accent is considered a reference point, therefore it is studied in schools and most universities in our country. But we must not forget that in the UK itself, depending on the region, there are a large number of different accents, not to mention other countries that are part of the United Kingdom. In general, the British accent is characterized by a clear pronunciation of all sounds without exception and even intonation. In general, many people associate it with aristocracy and beauty. On the lexical side, the difference is made by some words and phrases that are characteristic only for the British, for example the word “indeed”, or idioms like “a drop in the ocean” (the Russian equivalent is “a drop in the ocean”).

2. American pronunciation is becoming more and more popular these days. Even for many Britons, it is associated with successful business. It differs from the British accent in the difference in the pronunciation of some sounds.

1) The sound [r] is pronounced clearly at the end of words or after vowels (car, park, farm).

2) The sound [t] is slightly voiced when it is between two vowels. It is pronounced as a cross between [t] and [d] (butter, letter, pretty).

3) If in a word the letter t follows the letter n, then the sound [t] is not pronounced (twenty, plenty).

4) The sound [j] is weakened or ignored between the consonant and the sound [u] (student, news).

5) In most cases, when the letter a precedes a consonant (except r), it is pronounced as [æ] (glass, dance, aunt).

3. Generally, Canadian pronunciation is slightly different from American. Of course, Canada is a big country and there are several common accents within it. Many notice the difference in the pronunciation of the combination of sounds (about). In Canadians, it sounds something like. There are also peculiarities in the lexical composition. For example, a one-dollar coin is called a loonie by Canadians, and a two-dollar coin is called a toonie.

4. Concerning Australian accent, the vocabulary and spelling are mostly British. There are admixtures of American words and Australian aboriginal words. Also in Australian pronunciation, it is customary to abbreviate common words (brekkie - breakfast, arvo - afternoon).

Due to the existence of a large number of accents in English, even native speakers sometimes have problems with the perception of a different version from their own.

English tutor Otradnoe presentsposh accent - the accent of the upper classes of English society. Various video illustrations are provided.

Strictly speaking, no one knows what exactly it is - posh accent in English, but everyone has heard about it. It is very close to Received Pronunciation - the accent of educated people, acquired in the process of obtaining higher education. We will write a separate article about this important phenomenon of modern English.

An Internet search for posh accent leads us to an unequivocal conclusion - there is no complete agreement on the question of what it is. Probably the shortest way to say this is - posh accent - this is such a part of Received Pronunciation, which is typical for graduates of English elite schools such as Eton and Harrow. And you can say so - posh accent - the way members of the House of Lords of the English Parliament, their families and their circle speak.

Here are some examples. In this video, the presenter reveals some of the secrets of this English pronunciation, which is typical for the upper classes of English society:

And here is a video with a transcript (that is, you see the text), which shows how British children are taught. This is not a pure posh accent, but the video is interesting, and I decided to bring it here.

My opinion on posh accent is, of course, the opinion of an outsider. But sometimes you can see it from the outside, you know. I do not want to say that the details are more visible, but the overall picture is quite possible. This general picture is as follows - posh accent - English with a touch of pretentiousness and pretentiousness. An attempt to stand out by means of the English language. An attempt to stand out from the crowd of not just Englishmen, but educated Englishmen.

How is this achieved? I think the best example of this is Bertie Wooster in Jeeves & Wooster. Hugh Laurie, known to many as Dr. House, quite copes with the role linguistically. Again, in my opinion an outside observer, of course, unable to appreciate the nuances.

In the above video, only one person - the servant of Wooster Jeeves, does not use a posh accent - he is not supposed to by status. This is valet's posh accent, that is, a chic servant accent. But the other four - Bertie, two girls and a lady - give us an idea of ​​the posh accent and its variations.

On the technical side, or phonetically if you like, some approximation to the posh accent is achieved by exaggerated articulation, and the use of characteristic expressions such as I say.

And, of course, a very good illustration of posh accent is a film based on Pygmalion by Bernard Shaw. Here is his 6 minute review.

Apart from the grammatical errors that the reviewers made in their texts, the review is quite nice. Most importantly, it gives an idea of ​​the posh accent and how it can be learned.

In conclusion, we note that I personally would not set the task of bringing my English accent closer to a posh accent. I would say that one should strive for proximity to Received Pronunciation.

Today, it is no exaggeration to say that almost the whole world speaks English, its dialects have appeared in many parts of the world. We offer to consider some accents of English from around the world.

Normal pronunciation ( Received Pronunciation or RP) is considered the standard accent of literary English ( Standard English). Received pronunciation- Southern accent of England. It is often used by speakers BBC. In the US, the common American ( General American) is considered a standard accent. It is similar to a Midwestern accent and is used by news anchors. However, it should be remembered that none of these accents is an official English accent. In fact, they are on par with other English accents and dialects, including Canadian English, New Zealand English, South African English, Australian English, Cockney, Scottish English, Irish English, and more.

Recall that a dialect is a variety of a language that differs from its other varieties in grammar, pronunciation and spelling, vocabulary. Dialects are used in a certain locality.

An accent is a special way of pronunciation that is characteristic of a group of people in a particular area. Regional accents are part of regional dialects. As a rule, the name of an accent is the same as the name of the dialect to which it belongs.

aristocratic accent. The posh English accent

Its name speaks for itself, because the word posh translated as "elite", "pretentious". It is the language of the upper classes, a prestigious pronunciation. It has become defining in education and the media. It is distinguished by clarity and purity, all consonants are pronounced slowly and pretentiously, as if you have a plum in your mouth. Of course speaking with an accent posh, you need to conduct a conversation with a touch of arrogance, because you are better and more important than others.

Welsh English accent. The Welsh English accent

Welsh English refers to the dialects of the English language spoken by the inhabitants of the Principality of Wales. This dialect is heavily influenced by Welsh grammar and often includes words coined by the locals. In general, this type of accent is melodic, like a song that flows up and down. It is not surprising, because the Welsh themselves are not somewhere in the middle in their temperament, they either fly up or strive down. Such is the language of this people, in contrast to the normative, standard English, which is more even.

Scottish English accent. The Scottish English accent

This is a broad definition of the English spoken in Scotland. But Scottish accents vary by region. For example, the sentence " I "m going to take the baby to the river for a picnic” (“I will take the child to the river for a picnic”) in the west will sound like “ Um gunny tak the wee"un ta the ruvur fe a pucnic", and in the east -" Ah "m gonny teak the wee bairn te the riv" r f "r a pucnuc". The Scots, of course, have their own slang, including the words aye(Yes), bonnie(beautiful), lassie(girl) wee(tiny), etc. The Scottish dialect is known to everyone because the sound / r/ in it is firm and longer than in standard English.

Liverpool English accent. The Liverpudlian English accent or Scouse

Liverpool has become known to the whole world thanks to its boundless popularity. The Beatles in the 60s of the last century. In general, over the centuries, the attitude towards Liverpool in the UK has developed not entirely positive, the Liverpool accent was considered something low-grade. But thanks to the popularity of the famous group, public opinion softened slightly towards Scouse. This is another name for Liverpool, because the inhabitants of Liverpool are called Liverpool ( Liverpudlian or Scouse). This accent is the most recognizable in the country. It is famous for its harsh nasal tones and, despite some similarities, differs significantly from the accents of nearby areas. The famous linguist Fritz Spiel ( Fritz Spiel) described it as "one-third Irish, one-third Welsh and one-third cold". Liverpool is distinguished by its rapidity and ascending-descending tonality. The influence of Irish was expressed in the fact that the name of the letter H pronounced like / heɪtʃ/, and the words at the end of which - ch are pronounced firmly.

Cockney accent. The Cockney English accent

This is the accent of the working class of the English society of East London, which is considered non-prestigious. One of the most notable features of this accent is the rounding of the diphthong / ai/, it looks more like / oi/, i.e. I pronounced like / oi/, find – /found/ etc. And here is the diphthong / ei/ sounds like / ai/ in words face, rain. Another feature is to pronounce the sound / h/ at the beginning of words before vowels and omit in those words where there is a letter h, i.e. ham pronounced like / aem/, a egg – /heg/. And, of course, interdental / ð / and / θ / in letter combination th pronounced like / v/ /f/, i.e. three will sound like / fri:/, a that – /væt/.

Irish English accent. The Irish English accent

English came to Ireland in the 16th and 17th centuries, when the Irish lands were gradually settled by the British. The Irish English accent has developed under the influence of the Irish language itself (Gaelic), the English accent of immigrants from the west and, to a lesser extent, the Scottish dialect.

In Irish English the sound is / r/ is clearly pronounced in all positions, for example: car – /ka:r/, corner – /corner/, far – /fa:r/. Sound th /θ,ð /replaced by deaf/ t/, /d/: that – /date/, thirty – /tɜːtɪ/. Diphthong / ai/pronounced like/ ɔi/, for example like – /lɔik/, Irish – /ɔirɪʃ/. Irish English is musical and melodious.

It is a well-known feature of the Irish not to say "yes" ( yes) or not" ( no). In response, they simply repeat the verb of the question:

Do you drive? – I do. Can you sing? – I can't.

American English accent. The American English accent

The most characteristic and most distinctive feature of American English is, of course, the sound / r/. It is pronounced much more distinctly than in the British version and is pronounced in all positions. That is first – /fərst/, hard – /ha:rd/, snore – /snɔːr/. Another feature is the sound æ / in words like ask, class, dance, demand(after all, in British English in words of this type this sound is pronounced / a:/). Also in words like bother, hot, gone, rob, want sound / o/pronounced like/ a:/. And finally the sound ju:/, which is pronounced as / u:/ after letters d, n, s, t (duplicate, student, tune).

South American English. The southern US accent

South American dialects are known to everyone under the general name "South American English". It was formed for the most part under the influence of immigrants from the British Isles, who moved to the south of the States in the XVII-XVIII. Today it is spoken by the population of the southeast and south-central United States. In general, South American English is distinguished by the color of local idioms, the much longer pronunciation of sounds and its own special abbreviations.

One of the most famous of them is the expression y"all(short for you all- "you all"). Greetings hey means "hello". A real southerner will never greet friends with phrases Hello, you all or Hey you guys!. ("Hi all!"). He will simply say: Hey, y'all("Hi all!"). In the US South you will definitely hear Howdy? = How do you do? (colloquial "Hi!") or wassup? = What's up? ("How are you?").

New York accent (The NY English accent)

The New York accent or New York dialect is one of the most recognizable American accents. It is spoken in New York and most of the state, with the exception of its northern part, where its own accent prevails.

Its main difference from American English is non-standard pronunciation: a longer pronunciation of vowel sounds, as, for example, in the word talk – /tawk/, dropping consonants at the end of a word, e.g. want – /wan/, "swallowing" the sound / r/ in words like morning – /mawning/ and, surprisingly, on the contrary, adding sound / r/ in words, for example: soda – /soder/, ideas – /idear/. Also New Yorkers replace the sounds th /ð , θ / on the / d/ and / t/, for example in the word those – /deuz/, three – /tri:/. This accent is also known for its heaviness, nasality and speed.

Australian English. The Australian English accent

Australian English has evolved from many United Kingdom accents. Like many other cultures, the Australian has developed its own unique accent. And no wonder: think how far Australia is from the country that gave it its language. Australian English is considered the most difficult of all dialects in the world, and it differs depending on the region. Australian is rich in a variety of local words and expressions, such as abbreviations like bikkie for biscuit("cookie"), truckie for truck driver("truck driver"). What can I say, when the Australians shortened the name of their own country to Oz instead of Australia("Australia"), and they call themselves aussies instead of Australians("Australians").

Canadian English. The Canadian English accent

This is the dialect of English spoken in Canada. The pronunciation of this dialect is a mixture of American and British English, but Canadian is still closer in pronunciation to American with some influence from French.

One of the most characteristic features of Canadian is the use eh. Its purpose is varied: from an interjection, an emotional amplifier to a word at the end of a sentence, the purpose of which is to receive confirmation (as tag in divisive questions). There are many jokes on this topic, and Canadians themselves admit that they use eh often.

So now you know how 11 English accents sound. Pick whichever you like and go for it. And to sound like a native speaker, watch an informative video:

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