Accent and Dialect

Accent and Dialect multiple choice quiz

What is Accent?
What is Dialect?
What is the difference between them?

Your ACCENT is connected with the way you pronounce words.
For example:

• You might pronounce some letters differently from others in the country such as "a" in "bath" or "grass"
• You might not make the sound of some letters on the end or beginning of words such as "h" or "g" in "hat" "harm" "going".

But DIALECT is connected with words and groups of words which are different in different parts of the country. Many dialectal words or phrases have died out now and are only used by older people.

For example what word do you use to describe a roll of bread which you might eat for your lunch?

• A roll?
• A barm?
• A cob?
• A stottie?
• A teacake?

It might depend according to where you are eating your lunch!

Accents are linked with different areas and cities.

Accent and Dialect matching exercise

Look at this passage taken from Emily Bronte`s Wuthering Heights where Joseph, an old servant, tells off two children for misbehaving and talks with a strong Yorkshire accent. Where do you think he uses

• Accent?
• Dialect?

"T`maister nobbut just buried and Sabbath not oe`red, und t`sahnd uh` t gospel still in yer lugs, and yah darr be laiking! Shame on ye! Sit ye dahn, ill childer! They`s good books enough if ye`ll read `em. Sit ye dahn and think uh yer sowls!"

In a "translation" it would look something like this:

The master only just buried and the Sabbath not over yet and the sound of the gospel still in your ears and you dare to be be playing around! Shame on you! Sit down you bad children. They`re good enough books if you`ll read them. Sit down and think of your souls!

Can you identify accent and dialect correctly?

Accent and Dialect Multiple choice exercise