List of dialects of English explained
Dialects are linguistic varieties that may differ in pronunciation, vocabulary, spelling, and other aspects of grammar. For the classification of varieties of English only in of pronunciation, see regional accents of English.
Overview
Dialects can be defined as "sub-forms of languages which are, in general, mutually comprehensible." English speakers from different countries and regions use a variety of different accents (systems of pronunciation) as well as various localized words and grammatical constructions. Many different dialects can be identified based on these factors. Dialects can be classified at broader or narrower levels: within a broad national or regional dialect, various more localised sub-dialects can be identified, and so on. The combination of differences in pronunciation and use of local words may make some English dialects almost unintelligible to speakers from other regions without any prior exposure.
The major native dialects of English are often divided by linguists into three general categories: the British Isles dialects, those of North America, and those of Australasia.[1] Dialects can be associated not only with place but also with particular social groups. Within a given English-speaking country, there is a form of the language considered to be Standard English: the Standard Englishes of different countries differ and can themselves be considered dialects. Standard English is often associated with the more educated layers of society as well as more formal registers.
British and American English are the reference norms for English as spoken, written, and taught in the rest of the world, excluding countries in which English is spoken natively such as Australia, Canada, Ireland, and New Zealand. In many former British Empire countries in which English is not spoken natively, British English forms are closely followed, alongside numerous American English usages that have become widespread throughout the English-speaking world.[2] Conversely, a number of countries with historical ties to the United States tend to follow American English conventions. Many of these countries, while retaining strong British English or American English influences, have developed their own unique dialects, which include Indian English and Philippine English.
Chief among other native English dialects are Canadian English and Australian English, which rank third and fourth in the number of native speakers.[3] For the most part, Canadian English, while featuring numerous British forms, alongside indigenous Canadianisms, shares vocabulary, phonology and syntax with American English, which leads many to recognise North American English as an organic grouping of dialects.[4] Australian English, likewise, shares many American and British English usages, alongside plentiful features unique to Australia and retains a significantly higher degree of distinctiveness from both larger varieties than does Canadian English. South African English, New Zealand English and Irish English are also distinctive and rank fifth, sixth, and seventh in the number of native speakers.
Europe
European English
United Kingdom
England
English language in England
Scotland
Wales
Non-geographic based English
British dependencies and territories
Ireland
European Union
Eastern Europe
Mediterranean
North America
United States
Map of American English.
American English
- Cultural and ethnic American English
- Regional and local American English
- Northern American English
- Metropolitan New York English
- Southeast Super-Regional English
- Midland American English
- North Midland English: Iowa City, Omaha, Lincoln, Columbia, Springfield, Muncie, Columbus, etc.
- South Midland English: Oklahoma City, Tulsa, Topeka, Wichita, Kansas City, St. Louis (in transition), Decatur, Indianapolis, Cincinnati, Dayton, etc.
- "Hoi Toider" English: traditional dialect of the Chesapeake Bay, Tangier, Ocracoke, the Outer Banks, Virginia Barrier Islands, etc.
- New Orleans English
- Philadelphia English
- Southern American English
- Western American English
- Western Pennsylvania (Pittsburgh) English
- Extinct or near-extinct American English
- American English-based hybrid languages (creoles or pidgins)
Canada
Map of Canadian English.
Canadian English
Caribbean
The Bahamas
Barbados
Belize
Bermuda
Cayman Islands
Colombia
Costa Rica
Dominican Republic
Falkland Islands
Guyana
Honduras
Jamaica
Nicaragua
Panama
Puerto Rico
Saba
Saint Vincent and the Grenadines
Trinidad and Tobago
Turks and Caicos Islands
Virgin Islands
Asia
Bangladesh
Brunei
Myanmar (Burma)
Hong Kong
China and Taiwan
India
Indian English:
the "standard" English used by government administration, it derives from the British Indian Empire.
(also Bearer English or Kitchen English), once an occupational dialect, now a social dialect.
a growing macaronic hybrid use of English and Indian languages.
- Regional and local Indian English
- East Region: Oriya English, Maithili English, Assamese/Bengali English, North-East Indian English etc.
- West Region: Gujarati English, Maharashtrian English etc.
- North Region: Hindustani English, Delhi/Punjabi English, UP/Bihari English, Rajasthani English etc.
- South Region: Telugu English, Kannada English, Kanglish, Tenglish, Tanglish, Tamil English, Malayali English etc.
Japan
South Korea
Malaysia
Middle East
Nepal
Pakistan
Philippines
Singapore
Sri Lanka
Africa
Cameroon
The Gambia
Ghana
Kenya
Liberia
Malawi
Namibia
Nigeria
Sierra Leone
South Africa
- South African English: Black South African English, White South African English, Indian South African English etc.
South Atlantic
Uganda
Zambia
Zimbabwe
Oceania
Australia
Australian English
Fiji
Fiji English
New Zealand
New Zealand English
Māori English, Pasifika English, Southland accent, West Coast Irish Catholic accent, Taranaki accent etc.
Palau
Palauan English
South Atlantic
World Global English
These dialects are used in everyday conversation almost all over the world, and are used as lingua francas and to determine grammar rules and guidelines.
Antarctica
See also
Further reading
- Book: Hickey, Raymond . A Dictionary of Varieties of English . Wiley-Blackwell . 2014 . Malden, MA . 978-0-470-65641-9 .
- .
- .
- Book: Hickey . Raymond . Varieties of English in Writing. The Written Word as Linguistic Evidence . John Benjamins . 2010 . Amsterdam . 978-90-272-4901-2 .
- Book: Hickey . Raymond . Legacies of Colonial English. Studies in Transported Dialects. Cambridge University Press . 2004 . Cambridge . 978-0-521-17507-4 .
- .
- Book: Crystal, David . David Crystal . The Cambridge Encyclopedia of the English Language . 2003 . Second . Cambridge University Press . Cambridge, UK . 978-0-521-53033-0 . 109 .
- .
- .
External links
Notes and References
- Crystal, David. The Cambridge Encyclopedia of the English Language, Cambridge University Press, 2003
- 2013-12-16 . Filppula . Markku . Klemola . Juhani . Sharma . Devyani . The Oxford Handbook of World Englishes . Oxford Handbooks Online . 10.1093/oxfordhb/9780199777716.001.0001. 978-0-19-977771-6 .
- Book: 1999-01-28 . The Cambridge History of the English Language . Cambridge University Press . 10.1017/chol9780521264778.011. 978-1-139-05365-5 .
- Trudgill and Hannah, 2002
- Book: Hickey, Raymond. Dublin English: Evolution and Change. 2005. John Benjamins Publishing. 90-272-4895-8 . 196–198.
- Book: Hickey, Raymond. A Source Book for Irish English. 2002. John Benjamins Publishing. Amsterdam. 90-272-3753-0. (US). 28–29.
- Daniel Schreier, Peter Trudgill. The Lesser-Known Varieties of English: An Introduction. Cambridge University Press, Mar 4, 2010 pg. 10
