Previous findings
There is no published literature on this particular case of lexical variation.
Our findings
Our investigation has uncovered clear patterns for this particular case of lexical variation. Roll is the most popular choice for speakers in the UK and is unsurprisingly widespread throughout the country, although it seems to be slightly more prominent in London and its surrounding areas. Tea cake is almost exclusive to the North West, particularly areas north of Manchester, like Leeds and Blackburn. Barm is another variant used almost exclusively in the North West, in a widespread region covering the likes of Manchester, Wigan, Preston, Liverpool and Blackpool. Muffin is another Northern lexical choice, particularly the areas just north of Manchester such as Oldham and Rochdale. Cob is only used by a small fraction of the population, but these speakers are largely concentrated in the Midlands around Nottinghamshire. Bun is another term that is used by speakers all over the UK, although interestingly it is favoured by speakers from the North East; this is the only region where bun is the most popular choice. Only 1.4% respondents use the term batch, and these speakers are mainly concentrated in both Liverpool and Coventry.
FAQs
The word dialect comes from the Ancient Greek dialektos “discourse, language, dialect,” which is derived from dialegesthai “to discourse, talk.” A dialect is chiefly distinguished from other dialects of the same language by features of linguistic structure—i.e., grammar (specifically morphology and syntax) and ...
What are the four types of dialects? ›
The term dialect can be considered a sort of umbrella term for all the different language varieties that arise due to various influential factors. The most common types of dialect include regional dialects, sociolects, idiolects, and ethnolects.
What is an example of dialect in a sentence? ›
They speak a southern dialect of French. The author uses dialect in his writing. The play was hard to understand when the characters spoke in dialect.
What is the difference between accents and dialects? ›
Alright, Sounding Board, the short answer: Accent refers to pronunciation. Dialect refers to a whole group of language features, including pronunciation, but also differences in vocabulary, grammar, and how the language gets used (like the rules of what counts as polite)
Is Ebonics a dialect? ›
Ebonics is the equivalent of Black English and is considered to be a dialect of English (Tolliver-Weddington 1979). Ebonics is the antonym of Black English and is considered to be a language other than English (Smith 1997).
What best defines dialect? ›
Linguists and sociolinguists generally define “dialects” as versions of a single language that are mutually intelligible, but that differ in systematic ways from each other. There are different degrees of difference in human language.
What is the best example of a dialect? ›
Some examples of dialects include Standard dialect, southern American dialect, African American Vernacular English, and Appalachian dialect.
What are dialects in English? ›
How many dialects are there? ›
That being said, the amount of dialects in the world is very large. To put this number in perspective, linguists hypothesize that there are about 7,000 languages in the world. English, just one of those 7,000 languages, is thought to have about 160 dialects.
What is the most commonly used dialect today? ›
Editor's note: This post was originally published in July 2021 and has been updated and revamped for accuracy and comprehensiveness as of July 2024.
- English (1,456 million speakers) ...
- Mandarin (1,138 million speakers) ...
- Hindi (610 million speakers) ...
- Spanish (559 million speakers) ...
- French (310 million speakers)
People who come from different places or have different backgrounds might say the same word in a different way. They might also use different words for the same thing. We call each of these different varieties of speaking a language a dialect.
Is dialect a way of speaking? ›
Dialect as linguistic variety of a language. The term is applied most often to regional speech patterns, but a dialect may also be defined by other factors, such as social class or ethnicity. A dialect that is associated with a particular social class can be termed a sociolect.
Does the US have dialects? ›
There are about 30 major English dialects in the United States, with Cajun Vernacular English, New England English, and Texas English being some of the most distinct types. Where is Cajun Vernacular English predominantly spoken, and what influences this dialect?
What language has the most dialects? ›
Despite the existence of thousands of languages, some languages have more dialects than others. To answer your question, the language that is spoken in the most dialects is Mandarin.
Why do people speak in different dialects? ›
There are several factors that influence dialects within a language, including: Geography — Where you live in a country or region can affect how you pronounce words as well as the words and phrases you use. Socioeconomic groups — People from the same city or area can speak different dialects based on their environment.
What is a dialect quizlet? ›
Dialect. Refers to all the difference between one variety of a language, pronunciation, word usage and syntax. Accent. Refers only to differences in pronunciation between one variety of language and another.
Why is dialect used? ›
The dialect in literature is used to determine the status of the individuals. Dialect is a helpful tool that an author may use in order to make his/her characters well-rounded.
How do you explain dialect to a child? ›
Dialect is how people speak in a particular region, or how people speak who belong to a particular group: Dialect includes grammar, pronunciation, and vocabulary. Everyone belongs to a dialect group.
