Accents : Why do people speak the same words differently. What is the physical mechanism, how do accents start

Question

We hear different ways of speaking English every day..Yorkshire poeple speak differently from Hampshire people or Lancashire people. How does that happen. What are the actual social and physical mechanisms that define what an accent actually is and how does it start and then develop.

Answer 1

I think that different accents originated from the days when communities were isolated from each other. Yorkshire dialect, apparently, has quite a few Viking words in it. Just to be clear 'Accent' relates to the way that a word is pronounced, whereas, 'dialect' can also include different words, or corruptions of words, as well as accent. In the past, invaders often settled in particular parts of the country. Danish vikings settled Yorkshire, so, Yorkshire dialect includes some old viking words.

Also climate, in the past, had an effect on the way words were pronounced. In the colder north, words would be forshortened and delivered with a sharper accent. Also, words could be fused together. If it was cold, you would want to say, what you had to say, quickly, so that you could get back indoors. In Yorkshire, the term "Sethy" was common. It was short for "see here". Or, " ata-0lreet" - "are you alright". In the warmer south you tend to get the southern drawl, words are drawn out, as they bask in the sun.

It is a complex subject, and I have told you what I know.

Answer 2

This is a very interesting question, and the truth is I don't have any idea, but I don't believe it is a physical mechanism that causes it. I think it is just a result of isolation, which is why the accents and variations in vocabulary vary so much more in England than they do within any former English colony. The history of English in England is so much longer and existed before the modern era when transport was easier and mass communication was developed. But it's a fascinating thought. As for foreign accents, there is something mechanical to them. That is also a fascinating topic, but another one all together.

Answer 3

There must definitively be something to do also with some parts of the brain. Only a few days ago on the news there was this geordie lady who, after waking up from a coma, started speaking with a west indies accent. She couldn't recognise herself!!!
I speak with an accent completely different from the one used where I live, and used by my parents, friends and relatives. I've always spoke like this, without even realising it, and cannot explain why.

Answer 4

Very interesting question because it is true for the English language and for all the other languages. For example, take Latin America. It is formed by many countries and they all speak Spanish (except for Brazil). And each and every one of these countries has a different accent! If you are from Latin America, you can tell "this person is from Venezuela, this person is from Argentina, etc.". Why? I think it has to do with the native people and how they learned to speak the language that was taught to them by colonizers. Maybe the indiginous people had different dialects/languages already, and when they learned English, Spanish, or whatever language, they introduced their own original accent. Also, accents have to do with education, culture, sub-cultures, etc.

Answer 5

This is down to the learning process.

When we are born as in other species, we learn from our peers, manorisms, speech, and culture ect, ect.

We are constantly learning skills from our peers, and learn how to communicate with each other.

Differnt species, over the period of evolusion have learnt to communicate in different ways, ie: dogs bark and have different sounds of alert as do other animals in the world.

Humans ie:contemporary (homoerectus) have more developed brains and have a more complex way of communicating such as speech.

Whille the world was evolving homoerectus were restricted in the travel market, the land mass was breaking up into continents.

being cut off from each other they evolved in different ways and found different ways to communicate, thus different languages and so on.

Well in Britain we all speek the same language today but years ago we were invaded by god knows how many different countries and have picked up different pronounciations for the same meaning in different parts of the country and they stuck to this day, same word just pronounced in a different way.

Answer 6

Not just the pronunciation, the style and atmosphere, too.
Very different even for a foreigner like me where English is my 2nd language. I lived in Southcoast, Greater London, West Midlands; been to Scotland and have a friend from Liverpool....

Listening to the different radio stations at different regions can also tell the difference...

~~affected by parents & teachers.

~~affected by mass media & pop culture, esp,TV & radio

~~Physical limit (eg. mouth/throat/tongue/teeth issue:
eg. L & R for genetic tongue problem )

~~Extreme weather, and maybe Food & Drinks, too
eg. cannot/prefer not to open mouth wide.
eg. hot spicy curry lovers in hotter place might prefer open mouth more?

~~other tough living conditions: [ tight lips / grunting ] ^_^

~~National / regional characteristic caused by unknown reasons. (god's will??!!?)

Answer 7

They learn from their parents. They pick up the same tendencies from those around them as they are learning to speak. This changes little by little over time in different area's in different ways.

Answer 8

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Now, this is fine, training does involve teaching dogs specific behaviors with a step-by-step approach. This week, though, I’m going to discuss three mental habits that will not only enable you train more effectively but also make life pleasant for both you and your dog.

Answer 9

thoith das not know

ha ha ha I do not really know how it starts or when just the start of when people first spoke english or old viking or you name it LOL


hoot mon!

Answer 10

Not sure aboot this one. I'll have to have a wee fink