There are a lot of regional accents in every country as we all know but on occasion the accents are so pronounced that it's easy to feel that you're in a foreign country. I wonder, does this enormous variation in regional accents imply that apart from the 'accepted' Webster differences between British English and American English there isn't really much of a difference between the two? And does anyone really write as they speak anyway? Not often in my experience. Quickly, pass me the thesaurus will you Ah divvent want ahl me readahs tuh think ah'm daft an' unedicated, me like. I was born (during WWII) and raised by working class parents in a small mining town in the north east of England, an area known colloquially as Geordieland. That part of the UK had been isolated and insulated from the rest of the UK for many years and apart from the strange speech that that I heard on the radio (all from the BBC of course and so cultured) I was about ten years old before I even realized that I spoke in a manner that the majority of English speaking visitors to 'my town' would believe was a foreign language. The Geordie dialect has been watered down over the years as the mobility of the people in the region increased but, even today, if you were to find yourself lost and asking directions in some of the more insulated areas you'd still be lost and probably left wondering if you'd somehow unwittingly taken the ferry across the channel. You might enjoy trying out one of the online English to Geordie translators. B-E, A-E or a different language entirely? And would anyone actually write a book in Geordie if it was meant to be read by a wide audience? They might, but only if they wanted to limit their readership to a select few. So what do writers do. We loose the esoteric words and phrases that wouldn't be easily understood by our intended audience and often adopt a 'phony' written language that so easily looses the verbal punch that we know we were looking to achieve. I'd equate this to the mid-Atlantic speaking voice used by movie actors in the 40's through the (what?) 70's possibly. It really wasn't too easy to understand The Bowery Boys but I surely still enjoyed them Thankfully it's not so much of a problem these days when it's 'OK' to give our characters regional accents without relegating them to a literary what-the-heck marginally acceptable category. There is so much beautiful music in some if not most regional dialects that it would be a pity to repress it and not celebrate it. All just IMHO of course. http://www.whoohoo.co.uk/geordie-translator.asp http://www.geordie.org.uk/translate.htm Now you can see what your writing looks like in Geordie . . . and the best of luck
My East Midlands staccato routinely bewilders Americans (and Brits, though not quite as often). This is something I enjoy profusely and take full advantage of.
Yes, you're on the right lines. Since the Norman Conquest we have 'cow' and also 'beef' - from boeuf - and this characterises our language throughout the lexicon, [if I've said that right & is on the web somewhere] - supposedly why 'English is so rich...' as some people say. For writing stories, and because the new language was resisted, or an immersive process over 1000 years, you might have Robin Hood [Saxon] using Old English/Saxon phrase v Sheriff of Nottingham's Norman. I love Robin Hood, think there should be a Robin Hood writing contest, my two penneth
I lived in Sherwood, Nottingham for a couple of years. Always wondered if I'd see a robin or two Never did though Did hear plenty of 'Ay up me duck' however. Almost as baffling as Geordie
Glottals stops everywhere. For 't's, 'k's, occasional 'p's, the word 'to'... And I just talk very fast in general.
You need to break it to them a little more gently. As far as they are concerned all other places are owned by Disney, and are there for their amusement
