What is the regional dialect/accent in the childhood scenes in the British miniseries "The Singing Detective"? Does it have a name? Does it still exist today?
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posted by Johnny Assay
on Apr 26, 2013 -
8 answers
Here is the photo with the Arabic message:
LINK
What does this say in English? I think the girl might represent me. She looks brokenhearted, too.
Thank you so much for your help!
posted by thatgirl1985
on Mar 8, 2013 -
2 answers
In my lab I was hired in part so as to have a native speaker of English on hand to improve the general knowledge of the language if only by osmosis. So, deciding to take my duties seriously, the other day I drew the
Oh Snap Flowchart on the whiteboard of our break-room where it was a big hit, what other amusing flowcharts are there floating around the internet that I could use to explain any of the various oddities of the English language?
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posted by Blasdelb
on Jan 22, 2013 -
5 answers
Despite having no ties to the community beyond a few old facebook friends and the blogs they link to, I'm fascinated by the language quirks of modern conservative Christianity. Less so the specifically theological terms (washed in the blood, new life, etc.), but more how particular words and turns of phrase mark the speaker as belonging to the community even when they are not talking about premillenialism.
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posted by heyforfour
on Jan 17, 2013 -
49 answers
How do you edit writing written in a different dialect than your own? I'm very soon going to be responsible for editing some English technical/business writing by a team in a highly multilingual south-Asian country.
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posted by TheNewWazoo
on Dec 2, 2012 -
10 answers
Eyptian Arabic Translation Needed:
انا دلوقت فى القطر لما اروح هكتبه وابعتهولك
What does this mean in English?
I tried Google translator and Bing, but it came back gobbledygook.
Thank you!
posted by thatgirl1985
on Aug 15, 2012 -
8 answers
How could I describe in a non-technical way how certain English-speakers maintain a distinction between the "w" and "wh" sound? A certain amount of technical description could help. Its for a character in a story. For example: "The beginning of his 'what' still comes from deep within his throat." I don't know if that's technically true and it sounds awesomely terrible but something like that.
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posted by pynchonesque
on Jul 13, 2012 -
19 answers
Is "I appreciate you!" (as said to a waitress, for instance) heard outside Tennessee?
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posted by fritley
on Feb 1, 2012 -
73 answers
I'd like to learn Norwegian. Caveat: I'd like to learn specifically the Bergen dialect/accent. Is that possible?
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posted by Busoni
on Aug 21, 2011 -
3 answers
Two questions about vocabulary in the American South and elsewhere: did your parents call you sugar and did they, when you were in trouble, use both your first and middle names to summon you for the reckoning?
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posted by mygothlaundry
on Jun 2, 2011 -
81 answers
I want to brush up on my Hawaiian Pidgin. Are there any movies or books that contain a *lot* of good dialogue for me to soak up?
posted by freshwater_pr0n
on May 20, 2010 -
5 answers
A question for native speakers of UK English: With formal writing, can you readily distinguish between US and UK English? If you were reading something that supposedly targeted a UK audience and an Americanism cropped up, would you find that distracting?
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posted by adamrice
on May 18, 2010 -
53 answers
I'm moving to the UK for the next three years and have some questions about my identity and language use.
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posted by iamkimiam
on May 5, 2010 -
41 answers
US English variation: 'Accent' or 'Dialect' (from a linguistics perspective)?
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posted by jjsonp
on Mar 1, 2010 -
16 answers
Is it a widespread behavior for multilingual speakers of english to get a more anglicized accent when talking to a native speaker?
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posted by Non Prosequitur
on Aug 22, 2009 -
19 answers
England and America, two countries separated by a common language. Check. What I'm looking for are resources that cover the differences in spoken English (accent, syntax, diction, catch-phrases - it's all good) between the two countries circa 1776-1815.
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posted by IndigoJones
on Apr 20, 2009 -
9 answers
What are some examples of "family jargon"?
For example, a friend's father once told a joke to his family that poked fun at the French. He concluded by saying, "Don't tell anyone from France." Now, within their family, "Don't tell anyone from France" means "Let's keep this between us"--and they say it even if the secret has nothing to do with the French.
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posted by Ms. Informed
on Nov 7, 2008 -
112 answers
There was a site of speakers around the world speaking a specific phrase in English. This was to show how regional dialects of English sounded. You could click on a map and it would pull up video of these speakers. Does anyone know what that site is? If not, perhaps a good response would include a concise phrase that can show different regional variations (cot/caught, don/dawn, pin/pen).
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posted by symbioid
on Sep 20, 2008 -
9 answers
Where can I find examples of characters in film speaking English with a Columbian accent? I'm also looking for plays in English with Columbian characters.
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posted by raygan
on Apr 9, 2008 -
14 answers
Which Chinese dialect should I learn to best survive in Shanghai, and how? Difficulty: I have 6 weeks.
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posted by 0xFCAF
on Mar 23, 2008 -
10 answers
In preparation of studying abroad in the Tohoku region of Japan next year, I am looking for useful dialect-related tools and resources.
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posted by mezamashii
on Sep 25, 2007 -
3 answers
Language/Dialect-filter: In search of "authentic" Southern (American) accents...
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posted by ibeji
on Oct 11, 2006 -
48 answers
Bookworm MeFites: I'm looking for novels, short stories, and plays by white authors where their non-white characters speak in a dialect. For instance, the slave Jim in Twain's
Huckleberry Finn.
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posted by rossination
on May 25, 2006 -
45 answers
Please help me understand why so many people pronounce Valentine's Day as ValenTIMES Day? I'm noticing this more and more and it's driving me crazy. Are these the same people who say 'libary' and 'supposibly', because those two I can almost tolerate, but Valentines Day with an M?!?! Please explain! Thanks and I hope I haven't offended anyone with my first post on here. :)
posted by camfys
on Feb 10, 2005 -
73 answers
I'm curious about a bit of (apparently) southern dialect. I'm not sure how to spell it, but it sounds like "do what?" or "du what?" or "d'what?" and seems to mean the same thing as "what?" or "huh?" or "say that again?" I'm from the Northeast, and the first time I heard this, it sounded really strange to me, like people were just adding "do" to the beginning of "what" for no reason. Does anyone know its origin, what part of the U.S. it's prevalent in, and what it means exactly? (Google was no help.)
posted by Tin Man
on Apr 14, 2004 -
29 answers
A writer's question: how does British English read (and internally, silently sound) to Americans? [
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posted by MiguelCardoso
on Feb 22, 2004 -
35 answers
