Questions tagged [dialect]
This tag is for questions related to mutually intelligible variations within a language.
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Appending -ed to irregular verbs, obscure dialect?
Some examples (born->borned, saw->sawed):
Interview with Celia Black, Tyler, Texas, October 11, 1974 (audio, transcript)
Elmer Sparks (04:30): ...back when you were borned...
Elmer Sparks (04:...
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0
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Public transport in the US
I have learned "public transport" is often used in the UK, while "public transportation" is mainly used in the US.
References
https://grammarist.com/usage/transport-transportation/...
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the painting was glazed
In the following passge, is "glazed" a US usage?
The two young women from the campaign group Just Stop Oil threw the contents of two tins of Heinz tomato soup over the painting, which, the ...
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3
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baker's and barber's in British English
The Longman Dictionary says "baker's" and "barber's" could mean their respective establishments in British English. If so, is the following OK?
There is a two-storey barber's ...
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1
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"besides" and "except for" in British English
Can "besides" and "except for" have the same meaning in the following in British English?
The house is clean, besides/except for the kitchen.
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"Black Cab Driver" sketch
Youtube link
Hale and Pace. Scottish comedy duo. Sometimes even the locals don't get it when they do dialect, what shall poor German me say. Sometimes Czech subtitles help :-)
The linked sketch is ...
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1
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Do native speakers pronounce "z" as or close to "s"?
Sometimes I hear English speakers pronounce "z" very close to "s" in some words. I wonder if it's common, from a dialect, mispronounced, or just I misheard it. For example, "...
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1
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54
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Is it normal to reverse the placement of (adjective/noun) with (subject + verb)?
I've seen this type of sentences in Harry Potter books. I've made these up, but I'm sure Rubeus Hagrid or whoever talks like this:
Tiring, those blokes are.
Such a great man, Dumblodre is.
Why do ...
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1
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1
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Perr/pɛr/ means peer/pɪə/, pair/peə/, or something else?
What do you mean by 'perr'/pɛr/? 'Peer'/pɪə/, pair/peə/ or something else? You know where that comes from? Is it a throaty pronunciation of the ‘r’ sound, characteristic of the Glaswegian accent of ...
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Is the word "conjure" used as dialect?
Malcolm's team trying to keep Alliance from River:
Simon: Did he say anything about a Miranda?
Inara: What is that?
Zoe: Don't know who or what, but it's on River's mind.
Malcolm: Conjure it might be ...
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2
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Use of The Invariant Be
Recently the habitual be has gained wider recognition* among many English speakers as in Max and them boys are drinking way too much. (Montgomery and Mishoe 1999).
(*Edit: By ''recognition,'' I do not ...
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Is it natural to say 'non-standard dialects'? [closed]
Does 'non-standard dialects' sound normal(natural)? Aren't all dialects non-standard?
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2
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460
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What does "ter" mean?
I couldn't find the meaning of "ter" in any dictionaries. Here's the context:
"What about that tea then, eh?" He said, rubbing his hands together.
"I'd not say no ter summat ...
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2
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1
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Omitting "to be": "I want left alone." versus "I want to be left alone."
I have been reading an internet serial for about a year, that is written by someone I believe to be a native or near-native English speaker (like myself), but I have noticed a recurring pattern of ...
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Up (with) the workers!
Here are a few questions about expressions like:
Up (with) the workers!"
Are they old-fashioned?
Do they mean the same as "Viva . . ."? Could we say, e.g., "Viva the workers!&...
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Charlie Williams' bit about the Pygmie tribe
Would somebody be so kind to translate Yorkshire into English. Suppose the comedian is popular enough that a review will be appreciated by some: https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=7WucumXbAsk&t=240s (...
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"whatever" as an adverb in American English
Is "whatever" in the following sentences correct in American English? I only saw such use in British dictionaries.
a. He will finish the project by himself whatever.
b. He will back us ...
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1
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When do we use "I says"?
In "A Jury of Her Peers" by Susan Glaspell, there is a usage of "I says" in several sentences. Is it a kind of talk of villagers or what?
Two examples are:
"I got up, with ...
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2
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Why did the writer write a singular verb after "they"?
From Alice's Adventures in Wonderland:
'Why, she,' said the Gryphon. 'It's all her fancy, that: they never executes nobody, you know. Come on!'
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'Me' vs 'my' [pronunciation] in British English
I noticed that British people sometimes use me instead of my. For example, Liam Gallagher does it quite often.
Example:
The wind was strong I have nearly lost me pants
What is a story behind this ...
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2
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Supermarket (bill / check)
I need to know what you normally call these pieces of paper which you receive from cashier at any supermarket when you quit there:
A) Bill
B) Check
With a simple search on the Internet you can ...
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1
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She don't love you no more! (Toy Story 3)
Why did Lotso say
She don't love you no more!
instead of "She doesn't love you anymore" in Toy Story 3?
Does he speak unusual English?
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How to understand "No she bludgering well won't!"
"She's only Stunned," said Professor McGonagall impatiently, who had stooped down to examine Alecto. "She'll be perfectly all right."
"No she bludgering well won't!" bellowed Amycus. "Not after ...
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except for=but for in British English?
The following is taken from Merriam-Webster's Advanced Learner's English Dictionary, an American dictionary. I'd like to know whether it's also correct in British English.
They would all have died ...
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grocery store in American English [closed]
Many dictionaries say "grocery store" means "supermarket" in American English. I'd like to verify if that's the case. Could this term refer to a shop that is not so big as a supermarket, somewhat like ...
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Does "off" mean "from" in this context?
In this report, the man said:
Who's making the most money off the deal.
Does off in this context mean from? and is this use common or just dialectal?
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American English - what is the most precise term for that kind of division? [closed]
Is it a dialect? Sub-dialect? Something else?
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363
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"I done [past verb]" or "I done [present verb]" grammar
So I came across these two weird sentences in some Hip-hop songs and I couldn't figure out in any way that what grammar they're following and the meanings were also really confusing for me.
The first ...
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Where does "day" sound like "die"?
I've seen that words like "day" sound like "die", "pray" sounds like "pry" and so on. I just googled where does day sound like die but didn't get anything.
So, are day and die homephones in some ...
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Why did they use "didn't XXX nobody" rather than "anybody"?
https://newsday.co.tt/2018/11/29/suspect-i-didnt-kill-nobody/
Suspect: ‘I didn’t kill nobody’
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What is the difference between International English and other dialects of English? [closed]
What makes International English worthy of the "International" title, and not, say, British English, or American English?
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5
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What does "Scary-lookin' fing, inee" mean?
... Harry had never met a vampire, but he had seen pictures of them in his Defence Against the Dark Arts classes, and Black, with his waxy white skin, looked just like one.
'Scary-lookin' fing, ...
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Why do the British use the word "flipping" for emphasis?
In the English (British) TV drama, Coronation Street, the word "flipping" is often used to stress a situation, so much so that it feels like a swear word to me to some degree:
I've got a flipping ...
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Is there another verb for "stitch someone up"? What is the American alternative for this verb?
Stitch someone up as in he is gonna stitch her up for the murder.
Here is an entry from the Cambridge Dictionary:
stitch sb up
UK slang
— phrasal verb with stitch uk /stɪtʃ/ us /stɪtʃ/ ...
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I would like to know when to use have and has in a sentence talking about a country
Jamaica has or have snakes?
Which is correct?
Explain
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What does aye mean in Australia and New Zealand?
In my previous job I heard many Australian speakers using aye like sorry and pardon to ask for repeating what other person said. I also heard one kiwi guy using aye in the same way. But, now I work ...
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Negative numbers: "minus" or "negative"?
I noticed that when negative number are used in speech, there are two dominant patterns. Taking "-10" as an example, in some cases it is pronounced "negative ten", while in others it is "minus ten".
...
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institution with a plural verb in British English
I'm wondering whether it's common for a subject referring to a business to go with a plural verb in British English.
For example, would it be natural to say "QuickStart Inc. are planning to expand ...
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What type of English uses the words/pronunciations "yer", "ter", "ernly", "der" and "don'"?
The words "yer", "ter", "ernly", "der" and so on, are they Irish? Also the way the contractions are contracted, "don't" to "don'". Hagrid ...
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720
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Is it ok to use "what's" instead of "what does"?
Actually is this construction common in NY English?
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Usage of word "In future" or "In the future"
Is it correct to use the word "In Future" or "In the future" in below statement:
In future, will bring into practice using ABC Report directly from the system as soon as all balances will match ...
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Future Pluperfect Tense
I was reading this question Future pluperfect and was really interested in how real is the Future Pluperfect tense.
I found this information:
This is from "The Future Pluperfect: Double Tenses in ...
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2
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Is Canadian English considered more as American En or as British English?
Is Canadian English considered more as American English or as British English or neither? I always thought that there are only British English and American English but recently I realized that there ...
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Pronunciation of "vial"
According to my dictionary, the word vial should be pronounced /vaiəl/. But I've heard the pronunciation /faiəl/. Is that a mistake or merely a dialect?
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Does this pronunciation of "consent form" sound strange?
Does this sound wrong or just a different way of saying
"consent form"? Almost like a dialect of some sort?
https://soundcloud.com/sunshine-sunflower-ken
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How common is the usage of "yous" as a plural of "you"?
Yesterday I was exposed to the fact the "yous" is a plural form of the pronoun you. while historically I know that "you" is actually the second person plural pronoun while the singular form is "thou".
...
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What this person is saying in "American English" accent?
Video
At 1:02: He says
Human beings should be ..... from each other.
Also a little bit confusion between 0:02 and 0:10. I believe it is:
Went through .......
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2
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The use of "how would you be knowing that?"
I ran into "how would you be knowing that?" when reading a novel. I did a search in Google Books.
It seems to be a fairly productive use:
“And how would you be knowing that?” “Billy's your brother ...
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Is "you was" correct to say?
I've always learnt at school that we have to say: "You were + (add something)" either if the "you" is actually one person or more. But sometimes I heard or read "You was + (add something)" especially ...
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But may be you might of heard tell 'bout the price on her head
Well, she ain't no John Wilkes Booth. But may be you might of heard tell 'bout the price on her head.
This is a quote from QT's movie the Hateful Eight. I am aware that this is not supposed to be a ...
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