Saturday Cursing in Arabic This post is about all the bad words that you're unlikely to learn in a language class.
Messenger Where we come from matters. Our origins form an important part of a distinctive personality, which can become a group identity when we share these origins. More often than not, our use of language, especially our dialect, is an expression of that distinctiveness.
In addition to distinctive words and grammatical patterns, which may not follow the rules of Standard Englishpeople have accents — many English language ones available to listen to here — related to their pronunciation when they speak which can articulate their identity. Dialects and accents developed historically when groups of language users lived in relative isolation, without regular contact with other people using the same language.
This was more pronounced in the past due to the lack of fast transport and mass media.
People tended to hear only the language used in their own location, and when their language use changed as language by its nature always evolves their dialect and accent adopted a particular character, leading to national, regional and local variation.
Invasion and migration also helped to influence dialect development at a regional level. Just take the Midlands, for example. The East Midlands were ruled by the Danes in the ninth century.
The Danes, however, did not rule the West Midlands, where the Saxons continued to hold sway, and words of Danish origin are largely absent from that region. Shutterstock Who am I? Dialects and accents are not restricted to UK English, of course.
In the US, Australia and New Zealand, where English has been spoken for a much shorter period of time than in the UK, you would expect less variation as English has been spoken there for a shorter period of time.
But even there, dialects and accents occur and the linguistic influence of settlers who came from certain parts of the UK such as Scotland or Lancashire helped to determine local varieties.
A similar phenomenon appears in the UK. During the s, Corby in Northamptonshire received a big influx of Scottish steelworkers. Other factors influence language use, too. One of them is social class.
Very many local accents are now associated with working-class speakers, while middle and upper-class speakers tend to use a more standardised English. But this is a relatively recent development. Indeed, until the standardisation of English from the 16th century — when one variety of English came to be used in official situations and by printing presses for the wider publication of books — it was acceptable for speakers of different social classes to speak and write in their own dialects.
Then, Latin and French were regarded as prestigious languages, applied by the elite in education, law and literature. Dialects and accents are changing and will continue to change. After all, language never stands still. Some traditional dialects are disappearing, but new urban and multicultural varieties continue to arise.
This can be influenced by music. In addition, people change the language they use depending on who they are talking to, and why they are talking, for example formally in a job interview or casually to friends and family at home.
People also change the way they speak to make themselves understood more easily, a phenomenon called linguistic accommodation.
Ethnicity, class, gender, sexuality and age can all affect language usage. And there are also personal reasons for using dialects and accents to identify yourself.
I have lived in England for 16 years, but you can still hear my Scottish accent and that is unlikely to change. And as the modern world becomes increasingly connected, linguists have wondered whether dialects and accents in general are bound to disappear. But while there is much discussion about the disappearance of dialects and accents, public interest in the subject is growing.
Shutterstock A consensus has not yet been reached. But differences persistand speakers in Liverpool still sound very different to speakers in Plymouth.
In my opinion, dialects and accents are here to stay.Stay ahead of the curve with the latest news and scoops about your favorite TV shows and movies. Poetry (the term derives from a variant of the Greek term, poiesis, "making") is a form of literature that uses aesthetic and rhythmic qualities of language—such as phonaesthetics, sound symbolism, and metre—to evoke meanings in addition to, or in place of, the prosaic ostensible meaning..
Poetry has a long history, dating back to prehistorical times with the creation of hunting poetry in.
It’s time once again to review those nasty errors that damage our credibility when we write. Not normally a fun task, but absolutely necessary. I promise to keep you amused to diminish the pain (or at least I’ll give it a shot).
As with the last time we explored grammatical errors, I feel. About Mark Zolo Mark Zolo is a hardcore adventurer and travel writer. He has been to over 90 countries, including Antarctica and a few self proclaimed republics—and a few war zones dressed as a .
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In a friendly, human, and often irreverent manner, it focuses on the needs of the beginning Word user, offering clear and simple. The world is becoming increasingly connected, but local accents still define who we are.