People with a common history – often due to significant geographic or social barriers – often share genetics and language. New research finds that even a dialect can act as a barrier within a group.
It came about through sustained contact with native Spanish speakers who directly translated phrases from Spanish into English, a form of linguistic borrowing called ‘calques.’
Fear of strangers extends beyond racism and discrimination against people who look like they might come from another place – it includes people who sound different, too.
Why do some people greet each other with a kiss? How does the custom vary from place to place? This article is excerpted from the forthcoming ‘Atlas of Regional Expressions.’
Do chimpanzee talk to each other? Scientists follow and record chimpanzees in the wild to find out – and to fill in details about how human language might have evolved.
The founder of the West Virginia Dialect Project hopes to debunk some of the myths about the way Appalachian people speak and instill pride in a rich, oft-maligned culture.
Shakespeare’s use of dialect is a key argument used by those who stand by the traditional author. But these so-called “Warwickshire dialect” words are nothing of the sort.
During the 20th century, English accents began to pick up traits from the capital. In the west of Scotland, though, something different has been going on.