List of dialects of English
Dialectsarelinguistic varietiesthat may differ inpronunciation,vocabulary,spelling,and other aspects ofgrammar.For the classification of varieties ofEnglishonly in of pronunciation, seeregional accents of English.
Overview[edit]
Dialects can be defined as "sub-forms of languages which are, in general,mutually comprehensible."[1]English speakers from different countries and regions use a variety of differentaccents(systems of pronunciation) as well as various localized words and grammatical constructions. Many different dialects can be identified based on these factors. Dialects can be classified at broader or narrower levels: within a broad national or regional dialect, various more localised sub-dialects can be identified, and so on. The combination of differences in pronunciation and use of local words may make some English dialects almost unintelligible to speakers from other regions without any prior exposure.
The major native dialects of English are often divided by linguists into three general categories: theBritish Islesdialects, those ofNorth America,and those ofAustralasia.[2]Dialects can be associated not only with place but also with particular social groups. Within a given English-speaking country, there is a form of the language considered to beStandard English:the Standard Englishes of different countries differ and can themselves be considered dialects. Standard English is often associated with the moreeducatedlayers of society as well as more formalregisters.
British and American English are the reference norms for English as spoken, written, and taught in the rest of the world, excluding countries in which English is spoken natively such asAustralia,Canada,Ireland,andNew Zealand.In many formerBritish Empirecountries in which English is not spoken natively, British English forms are closely followed, alongside numerous American English usages that have become widespread throughout theEnglish-speaking world.[3]Conversely, a number of countries with historical ties to the United States tend to follow American English conventions. Many of these countries, while retaining strong British English or American English influences, have developed their own unique dialects, which includeIndian EnglishandPhilippine English.
Chief among other native English dialects areCanadian EnglishandAustralian English,which rank third and fourth in thenumber of native speakers.[4]For the most part, Canadian English, while featuring numerous British forms, alongside indigenous Canadianisms, shares vocabulary, phonology and syntax with American English, which leads many to recogniseNorth American Englishas an organic grouping of dialects.[5]Australian English, likewise, shares many American and British English usages, alongside plentiful features unique to Australia and retains a significantly higher degree of distinctiveness from both larger varieties than does Canadian English.South African English,New Zealand EnglishandIrish Englishare also distinctive and rank fifth, sixth, and seventh in the number of native speakers.
Europe[edit]
Great Britain[edit]
England[edit]
- Standard English(Not to be confused with the accentReceived Pronunciation)
- Northern
- East Midlands
- West Midlands
- East Anglian
- Southern
- Cockney(working-classLondonand surrounding areas)
- Estuary
- Received Pronunciation(middle-classLondon,Home CountiesandHampshire)
- Multicultural London(London)
- Sussex
- West Country
- Cornwall
- Bristolian
- Dorset
- Janner(Plymouth)
Scotland[edit]
- Scottish Englishcomprising varieties based on the Standard English of England.
Wales[edit]
Non-geographic based English[edit]
British dependencies and territories[edit]
- Channel Islands:Channel Island English
- Isle of Man:Manx English
- Gibraltar:Gibraltarian English
Ireland[edit]
- Hiberno-English(Irish English)
- Extinct
- Yola language(also known as Forth and Bargy dialect), thought to have been a descendant ofMiddle English,spoken inCounty Wexford[6][7]
- Fingallian,another presumed descendant of Middle English, spoken inFingal[6]
Continental Europe[edit]
Eastern Europe[edit]
Mediterranean[edit]
North America[edit]
United States[edit]
- Cultural and ethnic American English
- African American English
- Cajun Vernacular English
- General American:the "standard" or "mainstream" spectrum of American English
- Latino (Hispanic) Vernacular Englishes
- Chicano English(Mexican-American English)
- Miami English
- New York Latino English
- Pennsylvania Dutch English
- Yeshiva English
- American Indian English
- Regional and local American English
- Northern American English
- Inland Northern English:Chicago,Cleveland,Detroit,Milwaukee,Western New York,theLower Peninsula of Michigan,and most of the U.S.Great Lakes region
- New England English
- Eastern New England English(includingBostonandMaine English)
- Western New England English:Connecticut, Hudson Valley, western Massachusetts, and Vermont
- North-Central (Upper Midwestern) English:northern Wisconsin, northern Minnesota, North Dakota, Montana
- Metropolitan New York English
- Southeast Super-Regional English
- Midland American English
- North Midland English: Iowa City, Omaha, Lincoln, Columbia, Springfield, Muncie, Columbus, etc.
- South Midland English: Oklahoma City, Tulsa, Topeka, Wichita, Kansas City, St. Louis (in transition), Decatur, Indianapolis, Cincinnati, Dayton, etc.
- "Hoi Toider" English:traditional dialect of the Chesapeake Bay, Tangier, Ocracoke, the Outer Banks, Virginia Barrier Islands, etc.
- New Orleans English
- Philadelphia English
- Southern American English
- Southern Appalachian English:Linden, Birmingham, Chattanooga, Knoxville, Asheville, and Greenville
- Texan English:Lubbock, Odessa, and Dallas
- Tennessean English: Nashville, Murfreesboro, Memphis
- Midland American English
- Western American English
- Western Pennsylvania (Pittsburgh) English
- Northern American English
- Extinct or near-extinct American English
- American English-based hybrid languages (creoles orpidgins)
- Afro-Seminole Creole
- Gullah language/Sea Island Creole English, South-East US related to Bahamian creole
- Hawaiian Pidgin
Canada[edit]
- Aboriginal English in Canada
- Atlantic Canadian English
- Greater Toronto English
- Ottawa Valley English
- Quebec English
- Standard Canadian English
Caribbean, Central, and South America[edit]
Caribbean[edit]
The Bahamas[edit]
Barbados[edit]
Belize[edit]
Bermuda[edit]
Cayman Islands[edit]
Colombia[edit]
Costa Rica[edit]
Dominican Republic[edit]
Falkland Islands[edit]
Guyana[edit]
Honduras[edit]
Jamaica[edit]
Nicaragua[edit]
Panama[edit]
Puerto Rico[edit]
Saba[edit]
Saint Vincent and the Grenadines[edit]
- Vincentian English
Trinidad and Tobago[edit]
Turks and Caicos Islands[edit]
Virgin Islands[edit]
Asia[edit]
Bangladesh[edit]
- Bangladeshi English(BenglishorBanglish)
Brunei[edit]
Myanmar (Burma)[edit]
Hong Kong[edit]
China and Taiwan[edit]
- Chinese Pidgin English(Extinct[citation needed])
- Chinglish
India[edit]
Indian English:
- Standard Indian English
- Indian English:the "standard" English used by government administration, it derives from theBritish Indian Empire.
- Butler English:(also Bearer English or Kitchen English), once an occupational dialect, now a social dialect.
- Hinglish:a growing macaronic hybrid use of English and Indian languages.
- Regional and local Indian English
- East Region: Oriya English, Maithili English, Assamese/Bengali English, North-East Indian English etc.
- West Region: Gujarati English, Maharashtrian English etc.
- North Region: Hindustani English, Delhi/Punjabi English, UP/Bihari English, Rajasthani English etc.
- South Region: Telugu English, Kannada English,Kanglish,Tenglish,Tanglish,Tamil English, Malayali English etc.
Japan[edit]
South Korea[edit]
Malaysia[edit]
Middle East[edit]
Nepal[edit]
Pakistan[edit]
Philippines[edit]
Singapore[edit]
Sri Lanka[edit]
Africa[edit]
Cameroon[edit]
The Gambia[edit]
Ghana[edit]
Kenya[edit]
Liberia[edit]
Malawi[edit]
Namibia[edit]
Nigeria[edit]
Sierra Leone[edit]
South Africa[edit]
- South African English:Black South African English, White South African English, Indian South African English etc.
South Atlantic[edit]
Uganda[edit]
Zambia[edit]
Zimbabwe[edit]
Oceania[edit]
Australia[edit]
- General Australian:Broad Australian, Cultivated Australian, Mediterranean accent etc.
Fiji[edit]
New Zealand[edit]
New Zealand English:Māori English,Pasifika English,Southland accent, West Coast Irish Catholic accent, Taranaki accent etc.
Palau[edit]
South Atlantic[edit]
World Global English[edit]
These dialects are used in everyday conversation almost all over the world, and are used aslingua francasand to determine grammar rules and guidelines.
- Standard English
- Learning English
- International English
- English as a lingua franca
- Simplified Technical English
Antarctica[edit]
See also[edit]
- American English regional vocabulary
- English-based creole languages
- History of the English language
- Linguistic purism in English
- List of English-based pidgins
- Macaronic language
- Regional accents of English
- Schneider's dynamic model
- Survey of English Dialects
- World Englishes
References[edit]
- ^Wakelin, Martyn Francis (2008).Discovering English Dialects.Oxford: Shire Publications. p. 4.ISBN978-0-7478-0176-4.
- ^Crystal, David.The Cambridge Encyclopedia of the English Language,Cambridge University Press, 2003
- ^Filppula, Markku; Klemola, Juhani; Sharma, Devyani, eds. (2013-12-16)."The Oxford Handbook of World Englishes".Oxford Handbooks Online.doi:10.1093/oxfordhb/9780199777716.001.0001.ISBN978-0-19-977771-6.
- ^The Cambridge History of the English Language.Cambridge University Press. 1999-01-28.doi:10.1017/chol9780521264778.011.ISBN978-1-139-05365-5.
- ^Trudgill and Hannah, 2002
- ^abHickey, Raymond (2005).Dublin English: Evolution and Change.John Benjamins Publishing. pp. 196–198.ISBN90-272-4895-8.
- ^Hickey, Raymond (2002).A Source Book for Irish English(PDF).Amsterdam: John Benjamins Publishing. pp. 28–29.ISBN90-272-3753-0.
ISBN1-58811-209-8(US)
- ^Daniel Schreier, Peter Trudgill.The Lesser-Known Varieties of English: An Introduction.Cambridge University Press, Mar 4, 2010 pg. 10
Further reading[edit]
- Hickey, Raymond (2014).A Dictionary of Varieties of English.Malden, MA: Wiley-Blackwell.ISBN978-0-470-65641-9.
- Nunan, David (2012),What Is This Thing Called Language?,Palgrave Macmillan,ISBN978-1-137-28499-0.
- Okrent, A. (2010),In the Land of Invented Languages: A Celebration of Linguistic Creativity, Madness, and Genius,Spiegel & Grau Trade Paperbacks,ISBN978-0-8129-8089-9.
- Hickey, Raymond, ed. (2010).Varieties of English in Writing. The Written Word as Linguistic Evidence.Amsterdam: John Benjamins.ISBN978-90-272-4901-2.
- Hickey, Raymond, ed. (2004).Legacies of Colonial English. Studies in Transported Dialects.Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.ISBN978-0-521-17507-4.
- Fischer, Steven Roger (2004),History of Language,Reaktion Books,ISBN978-1-86189-594-3.
- Crystal, David(2003).The Cambridge Encyclopedia of the English Language(Second ed.). Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press. p. 109.ISBN978-0-521-53033-0.
- Bolton, K. (2002),Hong Kong English: Autonomy and Creativity,Asian Englishes Today, Hong Kong University Press,ISBN978-962-209-553-3,retrieved2015-10-22.
- "English Language § Varieties of English",Encyclopædia Britannica,vol. 6 (Earth–Everglades) (Fifth ed.), 1974, pp. 883–886.
External links[edit]
- Sounds Familiar?Listen to examples of regional accents and dialects from across the UK on the British Library's 'Sounds Familiar?' website
- A national map of the regional dialects of American English
- IDEAArchived2006-09-01 at theWayback Machine– International Dialects of English Archive
- English Dialects– English Dialects around the world
- Dialect poetry from the English regions
- American Languages: Our Nation's Many Voices- An online audio resource presenting interviews with speakers of German-American and American English dialects from across the United States
- electronic World Atlas of Varieties of English (eWAVE)