English Stack Exchange
English Stack Exchange

Questions tagged [dialects]

This tag is for questions related to mutually intelligible variations within a language.

Each dialect is characteristic to a particular group and has certain phonological, lexical and grammatical features that distinguishes it from the others.

Use this tag to ask questions about dialect features, usage and geographical distributions. For the imitation of a dialect by respelling words as used in a standard one, see .

Dialect should not be confused with or the use of or . If asking about the differing use of terms in various dialects, and

Keeping in mind there is no universally agreed-upon set of English dialects, other tags for specific varieties of English include the following:

657 questions
27
votes
5 answers

In what region is "thou", etc. used in dialect?

My mother often uses words like "thou", "thy", and "thine" in everyday speech. A typical example is: "Thou art a jammy bugger!" She is from the north of England. I'm wondering whether this quirk of language is unique to her or if it's something to…
victoriah
  • 1,445
13
votes
1 answer

In what ways is Appalachian speech closer to Elizabethan English than contemporary British?

I read this question in the sample questions section. It hasn't been asked yet, now I'd like to know. I have heard that regional dialects of English are often more closely related to provincial dialects because the comparatively well-to-do Londoner…
MatthewMartin
  • 2,504
11
votes
5 answers

to "sleep" vs to "go to sleep"

I'm from the northeast US. When describing the phenomenon of going to bed at night, or falling asleep, I always formulate the verb like that, as in "I went to bed at 10" or "I didn't fall asleep until midnight." However I frequently hear the…
Ben Zotto
  • 1,151
9
votes
1 answer

What region(s) of the UK still use 'pint pot' over 'pint glass'?

I have noticed some colleagues refering to a pint glass as a 'pint pot'. No one else that I've spoke to is familar with this term. It appears to be regional, but I can't work out from google searches where in the UK it originates?
AncientSwordRage
  • 1,264
6
votes
6 answers

Using "sorry" to mean "pardon"

In British English, a common way of expressing a polite request for a person to repeat what they just said because you didn't hear (all) of it is to use the interjection, "sorry?". I was wondering how common this is outside of British English. Is…
Jez
  • 12,705
6
votes
5 answers

Good thinking, that man!

I've come across this one in Terry Pratchett's Discworld series. One character often used shouted "Good thinking, that man!" as a praise. Is this a real English regionalism?
Wojtek Kruszewski
  • 171
4
votes
2 answers

Using 'would' instead of 'will'

I know there are questions with similar titles, but I've checked and they aren't asking what I'm asking. I've recently started working with a guy from Nigeria, and in our discussions I've found myself a bit uncertain about what he means by certain…
TKoL
  • 143
  • 5
4
votes
2 answers

Where are phrases such as "my one friend" used?

I occasionally hear someone use the phrase "my one friend" to mean "one of my friends". To me it sounds like they only have one. Where is this form used most?
Dennis Williamson
  • 3,221
4
votes
1 answer

Is "you will be frowned upon" always an ominous understatement?

I am from the UK, and have always read phrases like "anyone who does this thing will be frowned upon" as ominous understatements portending heavy administrative action against violators. For example, I recently interpreted a mod saying: Further…
Dewi Morgan
  • 2,391
3
votes
3 answers

Is 'doo' a cajun term of endearment?

Paul Simon's zydeco-flavored song That Was Your Mother starts like this: A long time ago, yeah Before you was born dude When I was still single And life was great ... At least these are the lyrics that I find online. The use of "dude" strikes me…
user12263
3
votes
2 answers

Saying "gate 'ooks" instead of "gateaux"

My father-in-law will say "gate 'ooks" instead of "gateaux". He claims this is a regional/dialectal thing and that it was common in the part of Sussex where he grew up. Is that likely, or is it more plausible that it was just him and a few of his…
ClickRick
  • 235
2
votes
1 answer

Is "charge port" a regional dialect thing?

I used the phrase "charge port" to refer to an AC wall outlet and many people around me hadn't heard that expression before. We are all Californians here, but my parents are from the East Coast of the US and before that India, so I was wondering if…
k_g
  • 149
  • 3
2
votes
1 answer

a box of sweets- British / American difference

I'd like to know what "sweets" means as in "a box of sweets", particularly in American English. Does it necessarily mean "candy"? I'd appreciate your help.
Apollyon
  • 1,879
2
votes
1 answer

In which regions of the UK do children "knock on" for their friends?

As someone who has lived most of his life south of a line drawn from The Severn to The Wash - the great linguistic and cultural divide in England - I was not familiar with the expression knocking on. My grandson and his friends in Manchester will…
WS2
  • 64,657
1
vote
0 answers

Does any dialect really use 'thee' instead of 'thou'?

There's a John Wayne movie - prolly Angel and the Badman (1947) in which our injured 19th-century hero's Quaker nurse speaks what sounds like a doubly idiomatic form of English… 'Doubly idiomatic' here means she and her people use archaic 'thee' not…
Robbie Goodwin
  • 2,564
1
2 3