Lexical differences between dialects

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Lexical differences between dialects

• quite nice website with lots of examples
• www.bl.uk/learning/langlit/sounds/activities/lexic
  al-variation/

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Lexical differences

• Independent of accents, varieties of English
  differ in the lexicon
• By dialects we mainly refer to varieties
  associated with geographic regions
• but this course will (later) be concerned with
  other sorts of varieties, which can also be
  characterised by lexical differences
• registers related to levels of formality
• sublanguages related to different subject
  matters

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Lexical differences

• Lexical differences generally not as extensive or
  obvious as phonological differences
• Not surprising if they were too many
  differences, mutual understanding would be
  jeopardised, and wed describe them as different
  languages
• Indeed, same language status in doubt between
  dialects with extensive differences (eg British
  American)

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Lexical differences

• Tend to be dotted around the lexicon, but can be
  concentrated in areas of vocabulary
• especially high local resonance (names of flora,
  fauna, cultural significance)
• old technologies independently developed before
  globalization (eg car terms in AmE)
• vocabulary reflecting distinctly different system
  (eg legal system, education)
• Not the same as slang, though slang is (also)
  notoriously dialectal

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Lexical differences categorization

• Lexical borrowings from local (foreign) languages
• Local feature or speciality has name not found
  elsewhere
• Group of things more specifically distinguished
  locally
• Different names for the same thing
• Word or set of words exchange meanings

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Lexical borrowings

• Widespread in Scots and Irish English
• kirk (church), dreich (overcast), brae (hillside)
• taoseach (prime minister), dail (parliament),
  garda (police), craic (fun)
• Norse borrowings in NE and Cumbrian
• bairn (child), gammerstang (awkward person), lawp
  (jump), gan (go), yem (home)

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Local distinctions

• Classic Whorfian idea that language is
  conditioned by environment
• Seafarers recognize/name different types of boats
• More specific names for fish in fishing
  communities
• fish names also subject to variance same name
  different fish in different locations
• Local animal or plant names
• Terms used by farmers
• Below the level of dialect you might find special
  words used within a family or other close-knit
  group
• eg kinship words (mother, father,
  grandmother/father )
• private references

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Just different names

• Biggest category, thousands of examples
• eg Terms connected with food and drink
• barm, barm cake, bread cake, bap, batch, batch
  cake, bun, roll, muffin, cob
• Words associated with childrens games, incl.
  truce words barley, fainites, pax, scribs,
  skinchies
• Distinguish where local word is alternative, or
  replacement
• daps, pumps, plimsolls (no standard term?)
• roundabout aka islandcirclecircusrotary

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Lots of examples

• Can you think of any local dialect words in your
  dialect?
• Actually you may not know that a word is
  dialectal until you travel elsewhere
• Or, there may be some lexical differences which
  your dialect is famous for
• Some dialect words may just be the result of
  accent differences
• eg where they say kuh for cow they also say hus
  house etc

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Vocabulary merry-go-round

• BrEAmE jamjellyjello
• BrEAmE biscuitcakecookiecracker
• Scots livestay
• There seem to be specific things which are
  subject to massive variance, while other things
  are universally named
• cf bread (everyone calls it bread)

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Vocabulary globalization

• fries (and fish and chips in NAm)
• AusE chips (crisps), hot chips (chips)
• movie(s), candy, cookies

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Dialect morphology (?)

• How are diminutives formed?
• Some dialects seem to have a greater propensity
  to form diminutives
• Often in a distinctive manner
• Liverpool bickie, ciggie, footie, plazzie,
  brekkie
• Aussie garbo, ambo, this arvo, journo, muso,
  brekko
• old RP footer, rugger, preggers, shampers,
  brekker (see http//en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oxford_'
  -er')

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Dialect geography

• Just as you can map isoglosses that distinguish
  features of accents, you can map incidence of
  dialect words
• Later in this course we will look more closely at
  some of the methods involved in dialectology
• methods of collecting data
• issues in quantifying dialect difference

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Words for splinter
spell spelk speel spill splie spool splint shiver
silver source Upton, C. J. Widdowson (1996).
An Atlas of English Dialects. Oxford Oxford
University Press.