english varieties. language varieties 1. regional varieties 2. social varieties 3. ethnic 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’ [fUt] [fOt]

‘meat’ [mit] [met]

‘sun’ [sön] [sUn]

‘dance’ [dans] [dæns]

Dialect of East Anglia

No agreement

I go

you go

he go

she come

that say


Old plural forms

house – housen

mouse – meece


No plural –s after measurement nouns

foot foot

three mile


Case in pronouns

I‘ll give he what for some day.

Him left.


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


6. You done it, did you.


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


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.’


Multiple negation

I couldn’t find hardly none on’em.


Subject pronouns in imperatives

Go you on!

Shut you up!


‘What’ as a relative marker

He’s the one what done it.

A book what I read.


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.


Old progressive formsI’m a-runnenyou’re a-runnenhe’s a-runnenwe’re a-runnenyou’re a-runnenthey’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.


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


6. NP-REL/PP < coordinate/collective NP < lexical NP < pronominal NP

(1) They barks(2) The dogs barks(3) People goes(4) Me and my dog likes to run(5) The dogs in the truck barks


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.


10. Was – weren‘t(1) I was I weren’t(2) You was you weren’t

11. ‘Y’all’ serves as a new plural pronoun

12. Regularization of ‘himself ’(1) He saw hisself in the mirror.


13. Comparative forms of adjectives(1) (most) beautifulest(2) (most) awfulest(3) (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 copula2. Omission of –ly3. Omission of plural –s after quantified Ns4. Omission of agreement –s


Analogical extensions/leveling

1. Loss of contrast: past and past PTC2. was – weren’t3. Plural –s for 3.person4. Hisself for himself


Expressivity

1. Double negation2. Double modals3. y’all4. more ADJ –er/-est4. ‘you’ in imperatives

British vs. American English

British American

[SEdyUl] [skEDUl]

['g{rID] [g@'ra:Z]

[lef'ten@nt]

[lu:'ten@nt]

[Et] [et]

[naID@r] [niD@r]

Gloss

schedule

garage

lieutenant

ate

neither


Gloss

leisure

tomato

missile

fertile

fragile

British American

[lEZ@r] [liZ@r]

[t@mato] [t@meto]

[mIsaIl] [mIsl]

[fErtaIl] [fErtl]

[fr{DaIl] [fr{DIl]


1. In American English, [t] has become a flap after stressed syllables, at the beginning of an unstressed syllable (e.g. butter).

2. In American English, [l] is stronger velarized at the end of a word (e.g. call).

3. In British English, [æ] has become [a] in many words.

4. Schwa is more centralized in American English (e.g. but).


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

Casual Speech

1 26 6 6

18

0

1020

3040

5060

70

lower class lower workingclass

middleworking class

upper workingclass

lower middleclass

upper middleclass

Labov 1972: rhotic varieties in NYC

Reading

510 11

17 20

30

0

1020

3040

5060

70


middleworking class

upper workingclass

lower middleclass

upper middleclass

Labov – Rhoticity in NYC

Word list

1016

24 25

60

43

0

10

20

3040

50

60

70


middleworking class

upper workingclass

lower middleclass

upper middleclass


Plural of collective nouns

BritishThe hotel make a point of insulting their guests.The government are busy.

AmericanThe hotel makes a point of insulting their guests.The government is busy.


Prepositions

British Americanbe in hospital be in the hospitalgo to university go to the universitybe in the class be in class


River names

British AmericanRiver Thames Thames river


Get - gotten

British AmericanI have got a pen. I have got a pen.

I have gotten a pen.


Future shall

British AmericanI shall be there. I will be there.


Have-questions

BritishHave you a room of your own?

AmericanDo you have a room of your own?


Subjunctive

BritishThe judge ordered that he should be held.

AmericanThe judged ordered that he be held.


Do after auxiliary

BritishHave you read the paper yet? No, but I shall do.

American Have you read the paper yet? No, but I will.


Ditransitives

British American

Give me it. Give me it.Give it me. *Give it me.


Conjunctions

BritishI’ll come immediately my class is over.

AmericanI’ll come as soon as my class is over.


British American

biscuitchipscrispsto grillmarrowmonkey nutsporridgesconesultanas


British American

biscuit cookiechips french friescrisps potato chipsto grill to broilmarrow squashmonkey nuts peanutsporridge oat mealscone muffinsultanas raisins


British American

jumperknickersnappypantsvestwaistcoat


British American

jumper sweaterknickers (woman’s) underpantsnappy diaperpants underwearvest undershirtwaistcoat vest


British American

high streetlollipop manlorrymotorwayreturn ticketroundaboutdiversion


British American

high street main streetlollipop man school crossing guardlorry truckmotorway turnpikereturn ticket round-trip ticketroundabout traffic circlediversion detour


British American

season-ticket holderno tippingvergewingzebraboot

bonnet caravan


British American

season-ticket holder commuterno tipping no dumpingverge shoulder of roadwing fenderzebra pedestrian crossingboot trunk (of car)bonnet hoodcaravan trailer


British American

cotcupboarddummydustbingarden off-license storeredundanciesslot machinesticking plasterill


British American

cot cribcupboard closetdummy pacifierdustbin trash cangarden yardoff-license store liquor storeredundancies layoffsslot machine vending machinesticking plaster bandaidIll sick

english varieties. language varieties 1. regional varieties 2. social varieties 3. ethnic varieties

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