British dialects

[jotham]

Here's a website of five dialects in the U.K. I was amazed at how far some of them seemed to depart from standard British — more so than American dialects depart from American standard. As an American, I had considerable trouble with three of them (1, 2, and 5); they sounded like a foreign language sometimes, like Dutch or Swedish. I'm curious — do British speakers have difficulty understanding any of them, or are they used to them (as seems to be the case with the interviewers/moderators)?
http://www.collectbritain.co.uk/collections/dialects/

[metal56]

Why is it that almost all your posts sound like a swipe at things which are not of your standard, race, colour, educational background, etc?

And please tell us how a dialect that is much older than the standard dialect can "depart" from that standard?

[jotham]

You see it as a swipe? I'm sorry. I don't hold anything against those people — they sound very jolly — or against British culture. I'm just curious about it. It's the first time I heard these dialects and I just aired my first reactions to see if they turn out right or not. I just want to learn more about it — that's all. So do you understand most of what they're saying (assuming you aren't a speaker of their dialect)?

[metal56]

You see it as a swipe? I'm sorry. I don't hold anything against those people or against British culture. I'm just curious about it. It's the first time I heard these dialects and I just aired my first reactions to see if they turn out right or not. I just want to learn more about it---that's all.

Go live among the people for a time. Why would you readily expect to understand a dialect that you have never before experienced?

"Lyme, Conn.: Do regionaal dialects exist? Ayep.

Robert MacNeil: Yes, they certainly survive despite the general impression that our immersion in broadcast media is homogenizing the language. Not only do dialects survive, some are growing more distinctive, for instance in the cities around the Great Lakes, in California and among African Americans in the inner cities. Some dialects are dying out, do not to media but the movement of people. Some examples of disappearing dialects are Gullah, the "Hillbilly" dialect of Appalachia and in the Sea Islands off the Carolinas. "

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/ar ... Jan12.html

.....

I repeat:

And please tell us how a dialect that is much older than the standard dialect can "depart" from that standard?

[jotham]

Why would you readily expect to understand a dialect that you have never before experienced?

Well, let me ask: did you have difficulty understanding American dialects, like Southern, Brooklyn, or Appalachian, the first time you heard them? I thought they were understandable to anyone speaking standard whether American or British. I've had British friends telling me about their experience meeting Southerners (possibly for the first time) and they didn't relate any difficulty communicating.

And please tell us how a dialect that is much older than the standard dialect can "depart" from that standard?

I see your point that those dialects are older than standard and may be more original English, which I suspected when listening to them — unlike our ebonics, for instance, which developed from standard English

[metal56]

Well, let me ask: did you have difficulty understanding American dialects, like Southern, Brooklyn, or Appalachian, the first time you heard them?

Absolutely.

I've had British friends telling me about their experience meeting Southerners (possibly for the first time) and they didn't relate any difficulty communicating.

Someone, somewhere always has a friend who... Don't forget that such accents appear in Hollywood films throughout the world, time and time again. I don't think you can say the same for many of the British dialects you refer to. Familiarty is the key.

unlike our ebonics, for instance, which developed from standard English

Did it? Are you sure?

[jotham]

Well, you may be right. But I'm still a little skeptical — can almost every British citizen understand dialects 1, 2, and 5? I suppose after watching one or two popular British movies featuring these accents, I might understand them.

[lolwhites]

I had trouble understanding the first 15 minutes of Thelma and Louise!

[metal56]

But I'm still a little skeptical---can almost every British citizen understand dialects 1, 2, and 5?

Are you speaking for almost every American (USA) citizen when you say that all American dialects can be more readily understood?

[jotham]

I suppose people with a New York accent may have more difficulty understanding someone with a Texas accent. I have a mid-Western accent, which is considered standard in the USA because it sounds like you don't come from anywhere, not because it is the most prominent. (I'm guessing the southern accent has the largest plurality of speakers.) Since the mid-West accent seems to be a blending or ironing out of everything, I probably have a good handle on almost all the accents I hear.

[metal56]

I have a mid-Western accent, which is considered standard in the USA because it sounds like you don't come from anywhere,

What a sad state of affairs.

Since the mid-West accent seems to be a blending or ironing out of everything, I probably have a good handle on almost all the accents I hear.

What the h*ll does "an ironing out mean?

[jedimasterbooboo]

I'm an American, and once I caught an episode of "Growing Up Gotti" which is about the famous Gotti family (mafia). On that show they have subtitles, because ya can't understand a word they're saying most of the time.

I don't know if that's a dialect. A lot of it is just unclear speech. But then if a whole bunch of people all talk like that, ... then...dialect?

Anyway, I have to say that actually visiting a location where you're talking with 'the man on the street' it can be very difficult anywhere.

[eslweb]

I still cringe at the memory of being in the US and having to repeat my Glaswegian friend's every word because nobody understood him. I felt so embarrassed, but what could I do? On the other hand I had great difficulty understanding some children I met in New York, but I listened hard and they were patient and I eventually understood what was being said and it was incredibly helpful.

It's hard to know how much to teach in terms of accents, but if I know that they are planning to go somewhere I'd like to ensure that they are ready for that accent and if not we should at least try and make people aware of different accents and not just from the US and UK but also ESL speakers after all they are in fact the majority...

I'd also like to add in a Lincolnshire accent resource:
http://www.jamesabela.co.uk/advanced/li ... cswar.html

James

P.S. No problems understanding the UK accents in the link....

[Lorikeet]

What the h*ll does "an ironing out mean?

I would take that to mean "a flattening".

[metal56]

What the h*ll does "an ironing out mean?

I would take that to mean "a flattening".