Comments on: Accent And Dialect

By: venqax

venqax — Mon, 27 Jun 2011 23:31:54 +0000

So can ebonics be considered a dialect? No. For what it’s worth. Some will argue it is, but there is a difference between a dialect and simply speech badly learned. Others, of course, will disagree with that and say there is no difference and anything a group of “peoples says is a-ight”. Here is the distinction I would make: A dialect is a variation on a standard language typology (even if that standard is constructed), a sub-dialect is a variation on THAT. So General American English is a dialect of Language of English. British English is a different dialect of the English Language. Likewise Australian English, etc.

New Enlgand, Dixie, etc are large, general sub-dialects or regional dialects, of American English. A dialect has an established grammar, vocabulary, syntax, etc. of its own that in a literary and advanced language like English should have a literary history of its own. Dialects will be observably different in writing because of grammatical and word differences; as opposed to “accents” which are simply differences in pronunciation.

Sub-standard speech is simply that. A sub-standard form of a language or dialect that may have its own conventions, but has no literary existence and so no ability to communicate sophisticated concepts due its lack of sophisticated vocabulary or constructions. Its source is not different education– like US vs UK– but a lack of education. Anyways…

By: Paul

Paul — Thu, 23 Jun 2011 18:47:22 +0000

So can ebonics be considered a dialect? if someone speaks with ‘incorrect’ grammar, and mispronounces many words but lives in the same area as other people who do not speak that way, would that just be an accent or a dialect? axe=ask, i be, you be, he/she/it be.

By: sasik

sasik — Thu, 23 Jun 2011 11:53:48 +0000

Your ACCENT is connected with the way you pronounce words.

But DIALECT is connected with words and groups of words which are different in different parts of the country. Many dialectal words or phrases have died out now and are only used by older people.

Ref: http://www.neutralaccent.com

By: christianah

christianah — Tue, 07 Jun 2011 09:25:05 +0000

In Nigeria also, there are various languages but taking the yoruba language for example, there are many dialects like the ijesha, ekiti, ondo and the rest. accent deals with sounds while dialect deals with the varieties in the vocabulary of a language. I am staying in the north now and i have to learn their language, but i discover that my accent is still there…

By: Daniel

Daniel — Sat, 04 Jun 2011 06:47:54 +0000

Dialects and accents alike are not tolerated in the U.S.. I speak the ‘Appalachian English’ Dialect but I am in the military so I travel around the country (and world for that matter) and no matter where I go, I am teased and poorly imitated. I noticed when working with some British folks that our dialect is more similar to ‘British English’ than ‘Standard American English’ though its not very apparent based on accent alone. Most non-Americans do not know that everyone in America does not sound like the actors and actresses you hear on your favorite Hollywood films. Just for everyone’s knowledge here are some vocabulary words you will find in an Appalachian mans . dictionary that’s not Standard AmE.

Buggy = Grocery Cart/Shopping Cart
Wasper = Wasp
Heared = Heard
Seed = Saw
Knowed = Knew
Airish = Windy or Chilly
Sigoglin (sigh-gog-lin) = Crooked/Leaning (not strait)
Boomer = Red Squirrel
Coke/Dope = Soda/Pop
Holler = Hollow (Small Valley)
Bottoms = Flat Lowlands
Far = Fire
Yonder = A loosely defined place
Yay = So (As in holding hand horizontally and saying “He’s about yay tall”
Reckon = Figure/Calculate
Yuns = Y’all/Yous/You Guys (Plural You)

Of course there are many more but here is a sample of the more common ones.