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English language British regional dialects Public school English
The English Language: British Regional Dialects and Public School English
Figure 1.-- The upper-class spoke a less-regional dialect which came to be called public-school English, because of the standardized pronuciation promoted at the private schools the children of the upper-class attended. Many boys when they first arrived at school would be teased about their accents which they then made a point of losing. In England children as young a 7-8 years might board. The youinger children at preparatory schools. The boys here are sitting on their tuck boxes. Tuck is a word many English boys recognizes, but no American boy unless he has lived in England. (An English reader tells us that the word is now not recognized by many English boys. He writes, "Non-Public School boys only know the word 'tuck' from stories in comics about Public Schools from my generation - and they are now a thing of the past. It is never used anywhere else as a noun or adjective. In very rare cases, someone might say, 'Well, tuck in then.'")
A late as the early 20th century, the British people spoke an amazing mix of English dialects. Americans may remember Professor Higgins complaining about the cockney dialect in London. There were, however, many more regional based accents. Some such as in Yorkshire, Scotland, and Somerset were very difficult for Americans and some English people to understand. A Lancashire reader writes, "Tha's rote a reht gradely page aboot istoory ov th Inglish language. This is my my best attempt to express in the Lancashire dialect about this page being a very good one." The dialects and accents in Britain were much more pronounced than regional American accents. The upper-class spoke a less-regional dialect which came to be called public-school English, because of the standardized pronubciation promoted at the private schools the children of the upper-class attended. Many boys when they first arrived at school would be teased about their accents which they then made aoint of losing. A major shift in British English occurred with the advent of broadcast media, first radio and then television. These regional accidents are today much-less pronounced and gradually disappearing.
The formation of dialects is an interesting topic. It is especially useful in understanding early British history for which actual historical records are not available. Dialects formed because without the existence of modern mass media, transportatioin, and communcation, people had much more limited horizons. People living in small communities with few outside coontacts tended to develop dialects. We do not fully understand the process in England, but some elements of the process do stand out.
The most interesting aspect of English dialects is that they tend to conform to the boundaries of the early Anglo-Saxon kingsoms. In general, however, English dialects are divided into Nothern, Midlands and Southern. Further diversity is provided by the Celtic-based Welsh and Cornish to the West. This corrspons to rhe Anglo-Saxon settlement pattern Northumbrian, Mercia, West Saxon, and Kentish, along with the Celtic Fringe (Cornwall and Wales). As late as the early 20th century, the British people spoke an amazing mix of English dialects. Americans may remember Professor Higgins complaining about Eliza's Cockney dialect in London. There were, however, many more regional based accents. Some English speakers such as in Yorkshire, Scotland, Lancashire, and Somerset were very difficult for Americans and some English people to understand. English dialects are not only helpful in understanding English history, but they are also part of the reaon for the developmnt of regional dialects in American English.English regional dialects are not just historical anomalies. For many years they had social class connotations. Many English people did not see people with regional accents as educated as thoes with standard public school accents which of course were the affluent clasx that attended the public schools. This attitude has moderated over time, but has not disappeared. The dialects and accents in Britain were much more pronounced than regional American accents. This rather surprised me. I had assumed that America as a larger country with more diverse roots would have more pronounced regional dialects. This is not in fact the case. America does have refional dialects, but they are much less pronounced than those in England.
Public School English
The upper-class spoke a less-regional dialect which came to be called public-school English, because of the standardized pronuciation promoted at the private schools the children of the upper-class attended. Many boys when they first arrived at school would be teased about their accents which they then made a point of losing. A major shift in British English occurred with the advent of broadcast media, first radio and then television. These regional accidents are today much-less pronounced and gradually disappearing.
One observer wrote about the impact of broadcasting on 20th century Britain, "The impact of War time broadcasting changed the way the BBC presented its news. J.B. Priestly and Wilfred Pickles postscripts held to make Northern Accents acceptable. They seem to be more reassuring, warm and comfortable to listen too. It lessoned the impact of accents considered by many to be snobbish in tone and ways of speaking that might divide society rather than unite it." [Taylor]
In education it has always been considered inappropriate to teach using regional dialects. An head teacher I worked for saw language as a tool to be mastered to so that the pupils could get better jobs and escape the poverty they lived in. [Taylor]
In more wealthy education situations few objections of this sort were made. It was seen as an extension of English and learning something of the roots of the history of the English Speaking people. Such knowledge would allow these youngsters to communicate better with the people they employed.
