Why does the UK have so many regional accents and dialects compared to the USA?

Welcome to my new weekly blog post on LinkedIn where I will be discussing themes relevant to my career as an English Language Teacher, giving some useful tips for students plus exploring handy sites, literature and relevant topics.?

This week I am taking a look at why the UK has more regional accents than the US, plus how the status of regional accents in both countries is changing and the future developments

???????????????????????????????????????????????US Vs. UK Differences?

The famous Irish playwright, critic, writer and political activist George Bernard Shaw once said ““England and America are two countries separated by the same language.”? It is true that there are many differences between British English and American English in terms of spelling, the British “colour” v the American ”color”,? “neighbour” v “Neighbor” ? or “analyse” v “analyze” among many others, the grammar where speakers of British English generally use the present perfect tense (have/has + past participle) far more than speakers of American English and let’s not even get started on the vocabulary French Fries/fries (American) vs. chips (British), pants (American) vs. trousers (British), cookie? (American) vs. biscuit (British) again among many others.?

???Whilst Brits and Americans can understand each other there is another fundamental difference between the countries; that of the number, diversity and variation of accents of dialects. The United States with a? population of 331.9 million, a landmass of 9,147, 420Km2 (3,531,837mi2) and a GDP of 23.32 trillion USD is huge by any metric. The UK with a population of 67.33 million, a land area of ?244,376 km2 (94,354 mi2) and a GDP of 3.131 trillion USD is not so small, nor particularly poor by global standards, but as we can see it is “small fry” compared to the US’s size and economy.? However, for such a small nation the UK has a huge? number of accents and dialects compared to the US. Here we will take a look at the historical reasons behind this, what is happening now? and what the future holds for the accents and dialects.

?English is a Global Language

It is important to recognise that English is a global language, not just something divided up between the British and Americans. It is one of the most widely spoken languages in the world. It is estimated that from 1.5 billion to 2 billion speak English, although only? 400 million are native speakers. Professor David Crystal, a world renowned linguist estimated way back in 2003 that these native speakers were outnumbered by non-native speakers by a ratio of three-to-one (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/English-speaking_world). Maybe by now, if there are indeed two billion English speakers worldwide, the ratio is now five-to-one.?

????English is recognised as the official language in 67 different countries around the world as well in 27 non-sovereign entities (these are not independent sovereign countries). There are 19 countries around the world? (Antigua and Barbuda, Australia, the Bahamas, Barbados, Belize, Canada, Dominica, Grenada, Guyana, Ireland, Jamaica, Malta, New Zealand, St Kitts and Nevis, St Lucia, St Vincent and the Grenadines, Trinidad and Tobago, United Kingdom, United States of America) with a majority of English speakers who speak it as their first language although there are other countries, such as Malaysia, Singapore, Sierra Leone Ghana, Nigeria, India and Zimbabwe, Pakistan, India, Netherlands, Philippines among others who have millions who speak it extremely fluently. So all these countries have their own English with their own distinct accent and/or dialect. So how did we get here? Where did it all start and what is the story behind the UK having so many accents and dialects in such a small country?

??? The Beginning of English?

????Originally, the UK started off as a Celtic country, the Celtic people arrived from Central Europe in around 500 BC according to some historians, although some estimate they might have arrived much earlier. They were farmers who lived in small settlements around their fields. They fought with the local resident population and often with other Celts. In 43 Ad the Romans arrived in Britain (although they did not conquer Scotland) and changed its infrastructure, laws, calendars and language forever. They stayed in the UK until 410 Ad and much of the English language we use today came from the Romans as many of our words are based on Latin words.

??????Then in the 5th century Germanic tribes from the northwest of the European continent arrived in Britain. They spoke in the distinct dialects of their native Germanic languages. The Angles settled mostly in the Midlands and the East; the Jutes in Kent and along the South Coast; and the Saxons in the area south and west of the Thames. Over time, various Viking raids and invasions notwithstanding (the Vikings or Viking Danes from the late 9th century until the early 11th century controlled an area of Northern and Eastern England),? they formed a fairly distinct Anglo-Saxon culture. The varied settlement patterns during the Old English era resulted in the development of unique dialects (Northumbrian, Mercian, Kentish, and West Saxon). These distinct dialects, in turn, paved the way for diverse accents in British English, encompassing roughly Northern, Midlands, Southeastern, and West Country variations.

???There was also another invasion in 1066, this time by the Normans from Normandy, France. These invaders chose to stay and as a consequence made lasting changes to England’s economy, politics, laws and society. As an immediate result France and England were closely connected in the following years. Many French words were introduced? to the English language. The new Anglo-Norman royal court used Old French, or more especially the Old Norman dialect, as its official language.? Although it is difficult to determine exactly, it has been calculated that between 40% and 50% of English words in use today have their roots in French, a tremendous influence on English vocabulary and composition

?????????????????????????????????????????A New Language Emerging

?????????????So as you can see a lot of the changes in the English took place through large new settlements (Celts, Angles, Saxons, Jutes) and invasions (the Romans, Vikings, Normans). All of these new large groups of newcomers had brought with them different languages, and eventually over time these languages merged and grew into one that was common and identifiable. There were still different dialects that could be understood by different people, but they were still influenced by the same language. ?

????????Over the past 1500 years, the accents of Britain have continued to develop, every now and again modified by huge influxes of settlers/immigrants and social changes. Another big change happened in the richer southern areas of England in the 19th century. The upper classes desired to distinguish themselves from everyone else, so they started changing their rhotic speech (when you pronounce the r sound in a word) to a soft r sound, saying words like water as “wa-tuh” instead of “wa-ter”. This “posh” way of speaking, now commonly known as Received Pronunciation, became very strong across the south of England. This is the stereotypical “Queen’s English”.

?US Immigration Story

The first European settlers in what we now call the USA were from England, so they had an “England English” accent which was based on the rhotic speech (when you pronounce the r sound in a word). However,? it was only a generation later that this was already transformed. With an ocean separating them from their fellow natives back in their former homeland they had become isolated from “English” influences. (https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smithsonian-institution/when-did-Americans-Lose-British-accents-ask-smithsonian-180955291/) Their day-to-day contact was with Native Americans and there were also immigrants from Sweden, Spain, France, and the Netherlands to interact with, which also affected their accents. This altered Americans’ vocabulary and grammar and a new English dialect was born.?

??????So why does American English seem more standardized than the UK with all its regional variants? To start with, the language started to be codified and standardized much earlier than its counterpart “across the pond”. The early standardization of American English, driven in part by the influence of figures like Noah Webster, played a role in establishing a more consistent linguistic standard across the country. This standardization may have contributed to a perception of fewer dialectal variations. Webster compiled? “An American Dictionary of the English Language”, known as Webster's Dictionary, in 1828. This codified spellings and generated a debate about standardization. Remember 1884 was after the country had been independent for just over a hundred years. The UK equivalent, the Oxford English Dictionary, wasn't published until 1884, which as we have seen is well along the timeline of the UK’s development.?

Education and media have played a part too. In the USA, there has been a stronger emphasis on the use of a standardized form of American English in education and media. The establishment of a widespread public education system in the USA has? played a role in promoting a standardized form of English. Schools often teach a more neutral or standard pronunciation, contributing to linguistic uniformity. The UK has traditionally been more permissive of regional variations in education, allowing for the continued existence of diverse accents and dialects. The development of mass media, particularly radio and television, played a significant role in standardizing American English. As a result, a few major broadcasting networks contributed to a more uniform pronunciation and accent that was broadcast across the nation.

Also the type of immigration, its centralisation in the US,? the geography all play a part in this uniformity. The UK is a relatively small and compact geographical area compared to the vast expanse of the USA. The proximity of different regions in the UK has allowed for closer interaction and more frequent linguistic exchanges, leading to the development of varied accents and dialects.The USA being geographically much larger experienced a certain isolation between regions. This isolation limited linguistic interaction and allowed for more regional linguistic homogeneity. The more northerly states of the US, particularly those in the Northeast and Midwest underwent a rapid industrialisation process in the 19th century. Cities like New York, Chicago, and Boston drew immigrants due to the offer of work in factories, mills, mines etc. These newcomers would arrive by ship and disembark in East Coast ports such as New York. This geographical proximity facilitated their initial settlement in the northeastern states.?

?These new immigrants would want to “fit in”, learn the language and culture quickly, so they would speak the common language. This contrasts with the UK where we see the settlers arrived en masse, they didn’t need to make great strides to “belong” to the new country as they were surrounded by other settlers. There has been a historical tendency for newcomers to adopt a more standardized form of English to facilitate integration in the US. The idea of a "melting pot" or cultural assimilation has historically been strong in the American ethos. Plus the USA has always had a strong sense of national pride, the standardization helps foster a sense of national unity.

Recognition of Accents and Culture in the US

????Conversely in the US there is now a growing tendency for recognition and appreciation of traditional regional accents. Various accents, from Southern drawls to Bostonian accents, are now often celebrated as part of the rich cultural tapestry of the country. In Southern accents, for example, the vowel in words like "ride" might be pronounced with a more open sound, and the vowel in "pen" might sound closer to "pin." Many Southern accents strongly pronounce the "r" sound? at the end of words and before consonants. Variation of the pronunciation in certain consonants, such as the "g" sound in words like "running", often using a softer "n," is another characteristic of Southern accents. Also there are distinctive vocabulary and phrasing in the Southern dialect that are not as common in other parts of the country. It's important to recognize that within the Southern accent, there are further variations based on states, regions, and even urban-rural divides. For example, someone from rural Mississippi may have a different accent than someone from urban Atlanta.

United Kingdom: Dynamics of New Accents

In the UK there has also been a shift, with some new accents coming to the fore and some being modified plus some forms of standardisation taking place. For example the previously mentioned RP (Received Pronunciation), historically associated with the upper class and education, has seen its dominance lessen. The BBC, always identified with RP,? has been steadily recruiting presenters with more diversified accents since 1970’s.? Even the Queen, towards the end of her life, was noted as having changed her intonation and pronunciation to less of an RP standard.? She became “less posh”. (https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20160202-has-the-queen-become-frightfully-common)

???????????Newer accents have emerged, such as EE (Estuary English). This is considered a hybrid accent, incorporating elements of both RP and traditional regional accents. It emerged in the southeast of England, particularly around the Thames Estuary (the region of my birth incidentally), and has become associated with urban areas and younger generations. There is MLE (Multicultural London English), associated with the multicultural and multilingual environment of London. It reflects the influence of various ethnic and linguistic communities and the new migration patterns of the UK. It is commonly associated with young, working-class people from ethnic minority backgrounds.?

General Northern English (GNE) is a kind of a ‘regional standard’ accent in the North of England, and is used there mainly by middle-class speakers. It seems to indicate? a general levelling of urban and rural accents across the north in that the speaker’s origin? cannot be identified so closely. From the West Yorkshire region comes UWYE (Urban West Yorkshire English). It started in the industrialisation in the urban centres. Now with many city dwellers moving to the countryside, as a result of the UK’s deindustrialisation, this variation has spread with them.?

The Future: The New Dynamic and Evolving Perceptions

There will continue to be a big shift in the perception of accents in the UK, moving away from the prestige and reliance on RP for upward social mobility. Accents like EE and MLE will continue to grow, gaining recognition and acceptance, challenging traditional notions of linguistic hierarchy and social status.? Individuals will be able to express themselves authentically without facing societal judgment based on their accent. Both the US and the UK will increase their efforts to represent linguistic diversity in the media. Television shows, films, and advertising campaigns are featuring characters with a range of accents, providing more authentic portrayals. Regional accents will not disappear as there is a growing recognition of the importance of local identity and linguistic heritage. Accents are increasingly seen as expressions of cultural diversity and regional pride. Both countries are making efforts to address linguistic discrimination and promote inclusivity in language use. Long live accents!

New Vocabulary

Small fry = ?Insignificant people or things.

Notwithstanding = Still, anyway?

Rhotic speech = Speech where ?/r/ sound is pronounced before consonants (as in pronouncing hard and cart) and at the end of a word (as in pronouncing the r in star and car)?

Across the pond = North Atlantic Ocean between North America and Europe

##NewVocabulary

##DialectsAccents

##UK/USA

##HIstory