The different accents and uses of English grammar

[Learin]

I have read a lot of satirical stories, and one in particular caught my eye. It was, according to the author, written in his "native English". Some of the most common words were "y'all" and "this here thing belongs to so and so" and "ye fucking dumbnuts".

I'm guessing that the author belongs to the southern American region (I'm guessing) and this led me to wonder if it's possible to determine an author's native tongue by his use of English. It's is spoken in many countries, so people pouring in their own regional versions is a legitimate happening, right?

Is there any guide or online help for people who're interested in such detective work? Are there any editors here who have used their detective skills to guess an author's native place?

In a place like this, where most people are cautious about their anonymity, I'd absolutely love to have this skill.

 

[TxRad]

Read me and you'll learn Texan.

 

[Learin]

Read me and you'll learn Texan.

I have, and I think it's articulate.

 

[NotWise]

Read me and you'll learn Texan.

There are several dialects of Texan. Folks back by Houston don't sound a lot like folks from Amarillo, who don't sound a lot like folks from McAllen. Here (not in Texas) -- hell, some of us hardly speak English at all. Maybe there are different regional dialects of Spanglish?

A lot of regional dialects are fading out -- maybe because of travel and television -- so you can find people anywhere who don't have their regional accent. I've heard though, that the regional dialects in the UK are still rather strong.

Como estas, y'all?

 

[SamScribble]

My father used to maintain that not only could he tell from which part of the country a speaker came, but from which town or village. Of course, this was back in the days when it was not unusual for someone to be born and spend their entire lives within an area of perhaps only 20 or 30 square miles.

I think to some degree this also applies to writers – especially, but not exclusively, fiction writers. Laurie Lee, D H Lawrence, Virginia Wolfe, Dylan Thomas, and others, all have distinctive ‘regional voices’.

I have not only lived in four different countries, but in one of those countries I have lived in four distinctly different areas. Recently, someone said that my writing had ‘a London accent’ – and a West London accent at that. The reality is that while I lived in London (and, yes, West London) for many years, I wasn’t born there, I didn’t grow up there, and I haven’t lived there for a year or two now.

I think a literary detective would have their work cut out. (‘Have your work cut out’? Is that a Britishism – as you chaps on the other side of the pond might say?)

 

[NotWise]

(‘Have your work cut out’? Is that a Britishism – as you chaps on the other side of the pond might say?)

Widely used in my family, half from Texas and half from Nebraska.

 

[Hypoxia]

A few years back I read a prognostication that by 2050 up to 80% of humanity will think they speak Ænglish and up to 80% of those won't be able to understand each other.

I grew up near Los Angeles with parents and grandparents of Michigan Methodist and West Virginia Quaker heritage. The later Oklahoma Cherokee stepfather only influenced me slightly. My accent is mixed Midwestern-hillbilly-pachuco-surfer -- unless I invoke my DJ voice training. Then I can be anybody, anything, probably obnoxious, heh.

But to hear the Mother Tongue mangled by babblers -- oh, what pain! Which hosts the worst call centers, India or Ireland or Alabama? Remember what Prof Higgins said about where speakers leave him close to tears and where English has completely disappeared. I wish most people I must speak to were subtitled.

 

[Handley_Page]

But to hear the Mother Tongue mangled by babblers -- oh, what pain! Which hosts the worst call centers, India or Ireland or Alabama? Remember what Prof Higgins said about where speakers leave him close to tears and where English has completely disappeared. I wish most people I must speak to were subtitled.

Listen HERE

The practice of "out-sourcing" a 'Call centre' to places like India (apparently, it's cheaper that way) has given rise to some strange jokes, acid wit and plain rude replies.
The original Indian CC was quite good. The quality of the language was excellent (a gentle hint of eastern promise was often enough). One early firm had a permanent display of the UK weather so that basic small talk was possible and accurate. Accurate enough so she could comment on the brisk wind off the sea in Margate from her air-conditioned splendour in down-town Delhi.

Then Ranjit (or whoever) got taken with the idea and attempted to make it cheaper, and the quality of the language went south in a big way, giving rise to some real jokes (not that these were ever passed upwards; it stayed just as bad).
Our main Gas suppliers is famous for it (tricky when you want to debate the latest Bill), as is one or two of the ISPs (one enterprising firm brought the call centre back to the UK (Yorkshire, no less) and advertised it.

 

[geronimo_appleby]

Read me and you'll learn Texan.

why the very fuck would anyone do that?

 

[Handley_Page]

I have read a lot of satirical stories, and one in particular caught my eye. It was, according to the author, written in his "native English". Some of the most common words were "y'all" and "this here thing belongs to so and so" and "ye fucking dumbnuts".

I'm guessing that the author belongs to the southern American region (I'm guessing) and this led me to wonder if it's possible to determine an author's native tongue by his use of English. It's is spoken in many countries, so people pouring in their own regional versions is a legitimate happening, right?

Is there any guide or online help for people who're interested in such detective work? Are there any editors here who have used their detective skills to guess an author's native place?

In a place like this, where most people are cautious about their anonymity, I'd absolutely love to have this skill.

Alex De Kok has an interestin' story told in dialect.

Try here, for a pretty good North-East English.

 

[TxRad]

why the very fuck would anyone do that?

What cat dragged this slacker back in here?

Get to work. I think you're two contests behind at the very least.

 

[geronimo_appleby]

What cat dragged this slacker back in here?

Get to work. I think you're two contests behind at the very least.

i'm dealing with emotional trauma. slacker, indeed! *humph* i've never been so insulted...

except for that time in san antonio... etc.

 

[NaokoSmith]

i'm dealing with emotional trauma. slacker, indeed! *humph* i've never been so insulted...

except for that time in san antonio... etc.

Hey, slacker! Good to see ya!

Gorza's recent winner in the FAWC (Friendly Anonymous Writing Challenge) in slyc_willie's memory was a really excellent effort at dialect and general background. Everybody was amazed to learn the story had been written by a Brit. You could have a read and see if with the benefit of hindsight, you can spot any Britishisms.

Slick's Swamp Shack.

My story in the competition did seem to some people to have a couple of giveaway Britishisms, and because of other obvious Naoko-isms in it, I had a hard time keeping it anonymous.

 

[oggbashan]

I write in British English, particularly in my spelling, but I try for a mid-Atlantic version, avoiding words that have very different meanings either side of the Atlantic e.g. fanny and auto parts.

One of my recent contest entries has been slammed by Anon for not being English nor American. (ALL my April Fool entries have been slammed by anonymous!).

In speech, I try to be neutral, typical SE England, but like many people I tend to echo slightly those I am speaking to, so if I'm talking to someone from Yorkshire my accent changes minimally.

I've said it before, but my French accent is appalling because my last two teachers were from Yorkshire and Australia, and my highest level studies were in Australia. Over 50 years later I still speak French with a Strine accent, which makes people in Nord/Pas de Calais wince, even though their French accent is far from perfect.

What makes my French speaking more noticeable is that my wife, who used to be a French teacher, spent many summers with a retired Professor of French Literature from the Sorbonne. In his old age he was blind, and he wanted her to read the classics of French Literature to him. He criticised and corrected her speech so effectively that she still speaks like a highly educated Parisian - particularly when she gets annoyed.

Two occasions -
1. In a Calais Hypermarket a woman tried to jump the queue saying she was too busy to wait. My wife told her off, using her teacher's voice and cut-glass French. The woman slunk away as the queue cheered.

2. A French policeman came to her side of the car and suggested that her driving was flawed because she hadn't reacted to a hand signal from him to come on. She told him, politely, that I was driving, not her. She didn't have the steering wheel, and her husband couldn't have seen his signal from the other side of the car. The policeman apologised. he didn't realise that Madame had an English husband, driving an English car. Madame retorted that she was English too. The policeman was speechless, finally saying that Madame's French was better than his.

 

[NoJo]

It's pretty easy for me to guess to within two streets.

 

[Zeb_Carter]

Having grown up in Chicago I had one of those Midwestern neutral accents that were and are popular on U.S. television. Then I went in the service.

Since then, I have lived in the western U.S. and the southeastern U.S. In each case I picked up that regions accents. Plus, being married to a southerner, I picked up phrases like y'all and piss up a rope and howl at the moon.

Now, living in Houston, my accent is back to that neutral Midwestern accent.

 

[Lori_the_Hoosier]

. . . . .

 

[Learin]

Thanks for the enlightenment everyone!

I did a bit of research and the best way to go about doing my work is to search the origin of individual words that feel different/new. It shouldn't be difficult, but it's easier said than done. Having a greater vocabulary would help me point these out, I think.

Update: I just found that the ozzies use "mozzies" (hehe) instead of the proper word "mosquito". I'm just not sure if the word originated in Australia or if it's something that's more popular in Australia than the country of its origin.

 

[submit4pleasure]

As a teen, I moved from Pennsylvania to Washington state. I was constantly asked what country I was from. It took me years to quit saying "yuns and yuns-all" instead of you.

 

[oggbashan]

...

Update: I just found that the ozzies use "mozzies" (hehe) instead of the proper word "mosquito". I'm just not sure if the word originated in Australia or if it's something that's more popular in Australia than the country of its origin.

Australians acquired significant transfers of American words during the Pacific Campaign of WW2 when so many GIs were in Australia.

Since 1945, Australia has looked more towards the USA than to the UK. (They still haven't forgiven the UK for the surrender of so many Australian troops in Singapore.)

Add the world-wide influence of Hollywood and US TV shows - more US idioms are taken into many variants of English.

 

[Handley_Page]

It's pretty easy for me to guess to within two streets.

In which city, may one enquire ?

 

[Bramblethorn]

Update: I just found that the ozzies use "mozzies" (hehe) instead of the proper word "mosquito". I'm just not sure if the word originated in Australia or if it's something that's more popular in Australia than the country of its origin.

That's a standard Australian shortening for informal conversation. Swimming costumes become "cozzies", people named Barry or Sharon become "Bazza" or "Shazza", tradesmen are "tradies", etc. etc.

But things like that depend on the speaker and the situation. In more formal English we'd say "mosquitoes", and my speech is towards the formal end of the Australian spectrum.

 

[Hypoxia]

Does anyone around the Caribbean actually say "puss-feller" for octopus?

Or did Ian Fleming make that up?

If real, then "skit-feller" for mosquito makes sense, right?

 

[oggbashan]

Does anyone around the Caribbean actually say "puss-feller" for octopus?

Or did Ian Fleming make that up?

If real, then "skit-feller" for mosquito makes sense, right?

Since Ian Fleming lived in the Caribbean, I would expect it to be genuine - at the time in the 1950s.

 

[NOIRTRASH]

The best way to duplicate the Ozzie sound is chew on a large dog turd and speak normally. For Scottish chew on the dog turd with your mouth open (no speech is required).