Part III. Peculiarities of South-Western Dialects.

Vocalisation.

Devonshire

Somersetshire

Wiltshire

“a” after “w”

is realized as [a:]: wasp [wa:sp] watch [wa:t∫] want [wa:nt] wander [wa:nd ]

is realized as [æ]:

warm [wærm]

warn [wærn]

wart [wært]

 

“asp”, “ass”, “ast”, “a” → [æ]: grass [græs], glass [glæs], fast [fæst]

“al + a consonant”

  “l” is realized as [a:] or                       [:]: talk [ta:k] walk [wa:k] chalk [t∫a:k] balk [ba:k]

 

a + l, a + ll

in the open syllable “a” → [æ]: crane [kræn] frame [fræm] lame [læm] make [mæk] name [næm]  

in the open syllable

“a” → [æ]:

crane [kræn]

frame [fræm]

lame [læm]

make [mæk]

name [næm]

The first sound is vowel

acre [jakr]

ale [jal]

acorn [’jak∂rn]

hare [hja:r]

ache [jek]

acorn [jek∂rn]

behave [bı’hjev]

“e” in the closed syllables → “a”

Nothern Western

egg [ag], fetch [fat∫], step [stap],

wretch [rat∫], stretch [strat∫]

“e” in the closed syllables → [eı]

Eastern Southern

 

egg [eıg], stretch [streıt∫]

 

“e” in the closed syllables → [e:]

South-Western Western

Middle/Eastern

Leg [le:g], bed [be:d], hedge [he:dz]

 

if “e” follows “w” → [:]

  Western

 

  well [w:l] twelve [tw:lv] wench [w:nt∫]

 

“i” in the closed syllable

North-Western Western

 

→ [e]: big [beg] bid [bed] flitch [fletch] sit [set] spit [spet] → [ ]: bill [b l] little [’l tl] children [’t∫ ldr n] cliff [kl f] hill [h l] drift [dr ft] shrimp [∫r mp] fit [f t] ship [∫ p] pig [p g] fish [f ∫]

 

“ight” → [e]

North-Western Western

 

flight, right

 

if a nasal consonant follows “i”

→ [e]: sing [seŋ] cling [kleŋ]  

→ [e]:

sing [seŋ]

cling [kleŋ]

“i” before “nd”

North-Western  

 

→ [e]: bind [ben] blind [blen] find [ven] grind [gren]  

 

“i” before “ld”

  Eastern

 

  → [i:]: mild [mi:ld] wild [wi:ld] child [t∫ıld]

 

“i” in the open syllable

South-Western Southern

 

→ [eı]: fly [fleı] lie [leı] thigh [θeı] → [eı]: bide [beıd] wide [weıd] time [teım]

 

Eastern  

 

→ [ ı]: fly [fl ı] lie [l ı]  

 

“o” in the closed syllable followed by a consonant

South-Western  

Eastern

→ [a:]: dog [da:g] cross [kra:s]  

→ [ ]:

cot [k t]

bottom [b tm]

dog [d g]

cross [kr s]

   

Western

   

→ [a:]:

dog [da:g]

cross [kra:s]

“o” + a nasal consonant

North-Western Western

Western

→ [æ]: among [∂’mæŋ] long [læŋ] wrong [ræŋ] → [æ]: among [∂’mæŋ] long [læŋ] wrong [ræŋ]

 

among [∂’mæŋ]

long [læŋ]

wrong [ræŋ]

“ol” + a consonant

  Western

Western

  → [u∂]: gold [gv∂ld] old [u∂ld]

→ [u∂]:

gold [gv∂ld]

old [u∂ld]

“o” in the open syllable and “oa”

  Western

 

  → [ ]: bone [b n] broad [br d] rope [r p] load [l d]

 

  “oi”

 

   

→ [aı]:

choice [t∫aıs]

join [dzaın]

moil [maıl]

point [paınt]

spoil [spaıl]

voice [vaıs]

“u” in the closed syllable

Southern  

 

→ [e]: but [bet] dust [dest]  

 

“ou” / ”ow”

   

Easter

   

→ [av]:

low [lav]

owe [au]

“oo”

North-Western Western

Middle/Eastern

→ [ı]: good [gıd] hood [hıd] foot [fıt] blood [blıd] stood [stıd] bloom [blım] broom [brım] moon [mın] loom [lım] → [ö]: book [bök] cook [kök] crook [krök] look [lök] took [tök] good [göd] foot [föt] stood [stöd]  

→ [ ]:

book [b k]

brook [br k]

crook [kr k]

look [l k]

took [t k]

good [g d]

foot [f t]

soot [s t]

flood [fl d]

Eastern  

 

→ [ ]: book [b k] brook [br k] crook [kr k]    

 

 

“i” in the open syllable

South-western Southern

 

→ [eı]: fly [fleı] lie [leı] thigh [θeı] → [eı]: bide [beıd] wide [weıd] time [teım]

 

 

Eastern  

 

→ [ ı]: fly [fl ı] lie [l ı]  

 

“o” in the closed syllable followed by a consonant

South-western  

Eastern

→ [a:]: dog [da:g] cross [kra:s]  

→ [ ]:

cot [k t]

bottom [b tm]

dog [d g]

cross [kr s]

   

Western

   

→ [a:]:

dog [da:g]

cross [kra:s]

Devonshire Somersetshire

Wiltshire

“o” + a nasal consonant

North-western Western

Western

→ [æ]: among [∂’mæŋ], long [læŋ], wrong [wræŋ]

“ol” + a consonant

  Western

Western

 

→ [u∂l]: gold [gv∂ld], old [u∂ld]

“oa”

  Western

 

  → [ ]: bone [b n] broad [br d] rope [r p] load [l d]

 

  “oi”

 

   

→ [aı]:

choice [t∫aıs]

join [dzaın]

moil [maıl]

point [paınt]

spoil [spaıl]

voice [vaıs]

“u” in the closed syllable

Southern  

 

→ [e]: but [bet] dust [dest]  

 

“ou”/“ow”

   

Easter

   

→ [av]:

low [lav]

owe [au]

“oo”

North-Western Western

Middle/Eastern

→ [ı]: good [gıd] hood [hıd] foot [fıt] blood [blıd] stood [stıd] bloom [blım] broom [brım] moon [mın] loom [lım] root [rıt] spoon [spın] → [ö]: book [bök] cook [kök] crook [krök] look [lök] took [tök] good [göd] foot [föt] stood [stöd]  

→ [ ]:

book [b k]

brook [br k]

crook [kr k]

look [l k]

took [t k]

good [g d]

foot [f t]

soot [s t]

flood [fl d]

Eastern  

 

→ [ ]: book [b k] brook [br k] crook [kr k] look [l k]    

 

 

“er”, “ir”, “ur”

  Southern

 

  → [a:]: learn [la:n] earth [a:θ] bird [ba:d] birch [ba:t∫] merchant [’ma:t∫∂nt] herb [ha:b] work [wa:k]

 

“or”

 

→ [a:]: fork [fa:k], horse [ha:s], horn [ha:n], short [∫a:t],

 

       Morning [’ma:nıŋ], word [wa:d]

“ew”

Eastern  

Northern

→ [ü:]: dew [dü:] few [fü:]  

→ [jav]:

dew [djau]

few [fjau]

new [njau]

Consonantism

[w] in the beginning of the word or before “h”

old [w l] oak [w k] hot [w t] home [w m] orchard [wurt∫∂t] hole [hwul] hope [hwup] open [’wupen]  

[w] is not pronounced:

week [ouk]

swick [su:k]

“w” before “r”

is not pronounced Western

is not pronounced

  → [vr]: wreck, wren, wrench, wrap, write, wrong e.g. Ye vratch, ye’ve vrutten that a’vrang. (= You wretch, you’ve written that all wrong.)

 

“wh” at the beginning of a word is [w], [u:], [u∂]

in the middle of a word [w] is pronounced

boy [bwo], moist [mw ıst], toad [twud], cool [kwul], country [’kwıntrı]

“f”, “th”, “s”, “sh” are voiced

Friday [’vræ:dı], friends [vrınz], fleas [vle:z], and in the these words: foe, father, fair, fear, find, fish, foal, full, follow, filth, fist, fire, fond, fault, feast, force, forge, fool.

[θ]: thought [ð:t], thick [ðık], thigh [ðaı], and in the words: from, freeze, fresh, free, friend, frost, frog, froth, flesh, fly flock, flood, fleece, fling, flower, fail.

“t” at the beginning of the word before a vowel

Nothern  

 

→ [t∫]: team [t∫em], tune [t∫un], Tuesday [’t∫uzde] East D “t” in the middle of the word is voiced: bottle [’b dl], kettle [’kedl], little [’lıdl], nettle [’nedl], bottom [’b dm], matter [’med∂], cattle [’k dl], kittens [kıdnz]  

 

“t” in the middle of the word is voiced

   

Western

   

bottle [’b dl],

kettle [’kedl],

little [’lıdl],

nettle [’nedl],

bottom [’b dm],

matter [’med∂],

cattle [’k dl],

kittens [kıdnz]

The consonant [t] in (the French borrowings) hasn’t become [t∫] as it is in RP:

picture [’pıkt∂r], nature [’net∂r], feature [’fı∂t∂r]

the middle [t] sometimes disappears in the positions before “m…l”, “n…l”, “m…r”

  Western

 

  brimstone [’brımsn] empty [’empı] The same happens to the middle [b]: chamber > chimmer, embers > emmers, brambles > brimmels

 

between “l” and “r”; “r” and “l”; “n” and “r” a parasitic [d] has developed

parlour [’pa:ld∂r], tailor [’taıld∂r], smaller [’sm:ld∂r], curls [’ka:dlz], hurl [’a:dl], marl [’ma:dl], quarrel [’kw:dl], world [’wa:dl], corner [’ka:nd∂r]

   

Western

   

a parasitic [d] appeared after [l, n, r]:

feel [fi:ld]

school [sku:ld]

idle [aıdld]

mile [maıdl]

born [ba∂nd]

soul [s:ld]

soon [zu:nd]

gown [gaund]

swoon [zaund]

wine [waınd]

miller [’mıl∂d]

scholar [’sk l∂d]

the middle [d] in the word “needle” comes after [l]: [ni:ld]

  Eastern

 

  In the word “disturb” [b] is pronounced as [v] - [dis, t∂:v]

 

the first [θ] is pronounced as [ð]

thank [ðæŋk] and in other words: thatch, thaw, thigh, thin, thing, think, third, thistle, thong, thought, thousand, thumb, thunder, Thursday

  Sometimes [θ] is pronounced as [t] at the end of the word: lath [lat]

 

   

Western

   

In some words [s] at the beginning of the word is pronounced as [∫]:

suet [∫uıt].

The same happens when [s] is in the middle of the word:

first [fer∫t]

breast [brı∫t]

next [nı∫t]

   

North-West W: [s] is sometimes pronounced as [z]: sure [zu∂r]

“sh”, “sk” at the end of the word

  Western

 

  → [s]: cask [k s] flask [fl s] leash [li:s] tusk [tus] Sometimes instead of [k] [t∫] is heard: back [b t∫] wark [wa:t∫]