8 Questions
What influences the pronunciation of English language?
Social factors
What are the varieties of English language spoken by a socially limited number of people in certain localities known as?
Dialects
What distinguishes the pronunciation of localities in the British Isles?
Peculiar features
What is happening to the number of local speech dialects in present-day English?
They are being reduced to fewer, more or less general, regional types
What characterizes every regional type of pronunciation?
Features that are common to all the dialects used in the region
What is the orthoepic norm of a language?
The standard pronunciation adopted by native speakers as the right and proper way of speaking
What tends to happen to the pronunciation of more educated people?
It generally tends to conform to a particular standard
What tends to happen to the dialectal differences due to increased mobility and communication media?
They become less marked
Study Notes
Influences on Pronunciation
- Geographical location, social class, education, and cultural background influence the pronunciation of the English language.
Varieties of English
- Varieties of English spoken by a socially limited number of people in certain localities are known as regional dialects.
Pronunciation in the British Isles
- Pronunciation in the British Isles is distinguished by differences in accent, vocabulary, and grammar across localities.
Local Speech Dialects
- The number of local speech dialects is decreasing in present-day English due to increased mobility and communication.
Regional Pronunciation
- Every regional type of pronunciation is characterized by distinct phonetic, lexical, and grammatical features.
Orthoepic Norm
- The orthoepic norm of a language refers to the standard pronunciation of a language, usually based on the pronunciation of the capital city or the most prestigious social group.
Educated Pronunciation
- The pronunciation of more educated people tends to approach the orthoepic norm, becoming more standardized and neutral.
Dialectal Differences
- Increased mobility and communication media tend to reduce dialectal differences, leading to a more homogeneous pronunciation across regions.
Test your knowledge of regional accents and pronunciations in the British Isles with this quiz. Explore the unique features of various English language varieties and learn about the social influences on pronunciation.
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