Dialect

Dialect

Dialect is language spoken by the people of a particular place, time or social group

Do people speak differently today than they did two hundred years ago?

Do people in the North use different words than people in the South?

Do people in England or Australiaspeak differently than people in America? We all speak English, don’t we?

Examples of Dialect

Look at the following two ways someone might say “Hi” to a group of friends when they walk into a room. Which speaker is most likely from America? Which speaker is most likely from England?

Well, hey there, mates. You catch the game on the tele this evening?

Hey guys, what’s up? Did you watch the Chiefs game last night?

Examples of Dialect

Look at the following two ways someone might invite a group of friends to dinner. Which speaker is most likely from the Midwest? Which speaker is most likely from the South?

Hey, do you all want to go to dinner tonight?

Howdy there. Do y’all want to go grab some dinner?

Examples of Dialect

Look at the following two passages. Which passage was most likely written recently? Which passage was probably written hundreds of years ago?

It could have betokened nothing short of the anticipated execution of some noted culprit, on whom the sentence of a legal tribunal had but confirmed the verdict of public sentiment.

From The Scarlet Letter

The day was for the most part routine for Germany’s eighty-two million citizens. Train stations were buzzing, coffee shops busy, government offices going about their business.

From The New York Times