English Varieties Language Varieties 1 Regional varieties

English Varieties

Language Varieties 1. Regional varieties 2. Social varieties 3. Ethnic varieties

A Handbook of Varieties of English

British English dialects

Pronunciation: North vs. South Standard North ‘foot’ [f. Ut] [f. Ot] ‘meat’ ‘sun’ [mit] [sön] [met] [s. Un] ‘dance’ [dans] [dæns]

Dialect of East Anglia No agreement I go you go he go she come that say

Dialect of East Anglia Old plural forms house – housen mouse – meece

Dialect of East Anglia No plural –s after measurement nouns foot three mile

Dialect of East Anglia Case in pronouns I‘ll give he what for some day. Him left.

Dialect of East Anglia 5. He begun He has begun He broke He has broke He drunk He has drunk He done He has done He blew He has blew He come He has come He chose He has chose

Dialect of East Anglia 6. You done it, did you.

Dialect of East Anglia 7. I wuz weren’t you wuz weren’t he wuz weren’t we wuz weren’t you wuz weren’t they wuz weren’t

Dialect of East Anglia Negative in’t (cf. ain’t) I in’t a-comen. ‘I’m not coming. ’ I in’t done it yet. ‘I haven’t done it yet. ’

Dialect of East Anglia Multiple negation I couldn’t find hardly none on’em.

Dialect of East Anglia Subject pronouns in imperatives Go you on! Shut you up!

Dialect of East Anglia ‘What’ as a relative marker He’s the one what done it. A book what I read.

Dialect of East Anglia New conjunctions Go you and have a good wash time I git tea ready. There weren’t no laburnum, yet no lilac. The fruit and vegetables weren’t as big as last year, more weren’t the taters and onions.

Dialect of East Anglia Old progressive forms I’m a-runnen you’re a-runnen he’s a-runnen we’re a-runnen you’re a-runnen they’re a-runnen He wus a-hitten on it. ‘He was hitting it. ’ I’m a-taken on em. ‘I’m taking them. ’

English Varieties

British English dialects

American English dialects

South-Eastern American English 1. Inflected ‘be’ (1) That’s how it bees. (2) It bes like that. 2. Omission of ‘be’ (1) She nice. (2) They acting silly. 3. ‘Be’ perfect (1) You’re been there. (2) I’m forgot the food yesterday.

South-Eastern American English 4. A-prefixing (1) They came a-lookin’ for the possum. (2) She was a-huntin’ and a-fishin’. (3) Rex was at/on fishin’. 5. Leveling of past-past participle (1) I went – I had went (2) He done the work – He have done the work (3) They drinked the beer They have drinked the beer

South-Eastern American English 6. NP-REL/PP < coordinate/collective NP < lexical NP < pronominal NP (1) (2) (3) (4) (5) They barks The dogs barks People goes Me and my dog likes to run The dogs in the truck barks

South-Eastern American English 7. Double modals (1) He might could come. (2) He useto couldn’t count. 8. ‘Aint’ is commonly used in place of ‘haven’t’ and ‘aren’t’ (1) She ain’t there. (2) She ain’t never done no work.

South-Eastern American English 10. Was – weren‘t (1) I was (2) You was I weren’t you weren’t 11. ‘Y’all’ serves as a new plural pronoun 12. Regularization of ‘himself ’ (1) He saw hisself in the mirror.

South-Eastern American English 13. (1) (2) (3) Comparative forms of adjectives (most) beautifulest (most) awfulest (more) older 11. The –ly marker of adverbs is often omitted. (1) I was exceptional scared. (2) I’m frightful bad at that. 12. Plural of quantified measure nouns (1) I caught 200 pound of flounder. (2) It’s four mile from here.

Are the non-standard varieties more advanced or more conservative?

Mechanisms of language change Simplifications 1. Omission of copula 2. Omission of –ly 3. Omission of plural –s after quantified Ns 4. Omission of agreement –s

Mechanisms of language change Analogical extensions/leveling 1. Loss of contrast: past and past PTC 2. was – weren’t 3. Plural –s for 3. person 4. Hisself for himself

Mechanisms of language change Expressivity 1. Double negation 2. Double modals 3. y’all 4. more ADJ –er/-est 4. ‘you’ in imperatives

British vs. American English Gloss schedule British [SEdy. Ul] American [sk. EDUl] garage ['g{r. ID] lieutenant [lef'ten@nt] [lu: 'ten@nt] ate [Et] [et] neither [na. ID@r] [ni. D@r] [g@'ra: Z]

British vs. American English Gloss leisure British [l. EZ@r] American tomato [t@mato] missile [m. Isa. Il] [m. Isl] fertile [f. Erta. Il] [f. Ertl] fragile [fr{Da. Il] [li. Z@r] [t@meto] [fr{DIl]

British vs. American English 1. 2. 3. 4. In American English, [t] has become a flap after stressed syllables, at the beginning of an unstressed syllable (e. g. butter). In American English, [l] is stronger velarized at the end of a word (e. g. call). In British English, [æ] has become [a] in many words. Schwa is more centralized in American English (e. g. but).

British vs. American English 1. 2. 3. 4. In American English, [t] has become a flap after stressed syllables, at the beginning of an unstressed syllable (e. g. butter). In American English, [l] is stronger velarized at the end of a word (e. g. call). In British English, [æ] has become [a] in many words. Schwa is more centralized in American English (e. g. but).

British vs. American English 5. Most British dialects have lost postvocalic [r], while most American dialects have kept it (e. g. [ka] vs. [kar] ‘car’).

Rhotic and non-rhotic varieties in Britain

Labov 1972: rhotic varieties in NYC

Labov 1972: rhotic varieties in NYC

Labov – Rhoticity in NYC

British vs. American English Plural of collective nouns British The hotel make a point of insulting their guests. The government are busy. American The hotel makes a point of insulting their guests. The government is busy.

British vs. American English Prepositions British be in hospital go to university be in the class American be in the hospital go to the university be in class

British vs. American English River names British River Thames American Thames river

British vs. American English Get - gotten British I have got a pen. American I have got a pen. I have gotten a pen.

British vs. American English Future shall British I shall be there. American I will be there.

British vs. American English Have-questions British Have you a room of your own? American Do you have a room of your own?

British vs. American English Subjunctive British The judge ordered that he should be held. American The judged ordered that he be held.

British vs. American English Do after auxiliary British Have you read the paper yet? No, but I shall do. American Have you read the paper yet? No, but I will.

British vs. American English Ditransitives British American Give me it. Give it me. Give me it. *Give it me.

British vs. American English Conjunctions British I’ll come immediately my class is over. American I’ll come as soon as my class is over.

British vs. American English British biscuit chips crisps to grill marrow monkey nuts porridge scone sultanas American

British vs. American English British American biscuit chips crisps to grill marrow monkey nuts porridge scone sultanas cookie french fries potato chips to broil squash peanuts oat meal muffin raisins

British vs. American English British jumper knickers nappy pants vest waistcoat American

British vs. American English British American jumper knickers nappy pants vest waistcoat sweater (woman’s) underpants diaper underwear undershirt vest

British vs. American English British high street lollipop man lorry motorway return ticket roundabout diversion American

British vs. American English British American high street lollipop man lorry motorway return ticket roundabout diversion main street school crossing guard truck turnpike round-trip ticket traffic circle detour

British vs. American English British season-ticket holder no tipping verge wing zebra boot bonnet caravan American

British vs. American English British American season-ticket holder no tipping verge wing zebra boot bonnet caravan commuter no dumping shoulder of road fender pedestrian crossing trunk (of car) hood trailer

British vs. American English British cot cupboard dummy dustbin garden off-license store redundancies slot machine sticking plaster ill American

British vs. American English British American cot cupboard dummy dustbin garden off-license store redundancies slot machine sticking plaster Ill crib closet pacifier trash can yard liquor store layoffs vending machine bandaid sick