Re: Of accents & dialects (was: Azurian phonology)

On Mon, 20 Oct 2008 14:27:05 +0100, R A Brown
<ray@...> wrote:
>Benct Philip Jonsson wrote:
>[snip]
>Similarly, if we say someone is speaking with a certain regional accent,
>we mean that the person is speaking more or less standard English with a
>phonology characteristic of that region. That phonology will be similar
>too, tho not necessarily exactly the same as, the phonology of the
>regional dialect of that area (_if_ such a dialect still survives -
>regional accents live on after dialect has gone).
>
>But if we say someone is speaking a regional dialect, it means that not
>only is the phonology peculiar to that area but that the person is also
>using grammar (both syntax and morphology) which differs from standard
>English and that there will be differences in vocabulary also e.g.
>'bairn' instead of 'child').
>
>It may be a peculiar use of the word 'accent', but it ain't synonymous
>with 'dialect'.  The latter involves much more than a difference of accent.
>[snip]
Differences in dialect are much more commonly reflected as differences in
vocabulary than as differences in grammar.
Most dialects' grammar (especially syntax, but also morphology), are very
close to standard; variations in grammar are usually overshadowed by
variations in vocabulary.
But it is true that there are such variations.

----------

When most non-linguists say someone has "a thick Balmer accent" (the accent
of someone native to and resident in 'Balmer Merlin' (Baltimore Maryland)),
they usually mean the fewish differences in vocabulary _as_well_as_ the
manyish differences in phonology/phonetics.

Many, maybe most, of the "differences in vocabulary" are actually just regional
or local differences in popular metaphor; differences in which metaphor is most
popular, or in how popular some metaphor is.  For instance, "they're going to
beat your ass like a rented mule".  Or "Are you going to carry it that way?"
instead of "is that how you intend to spin it?".

Reply