Regional voices:

Source: http://www.bl.uk/learning/langlit/sounds/regional-voices/


Dialects:

A specific variety of English that differs from other varieties in three specific ways: Lexis (vocabulary), grammar (structure) and phonology (accent and pronouciation). 


- A speaker from Newcastle-upon-Tyne, for instance, might pepper his speech with localised vocabulary, such as gan for “to go” or clarts for “mud”.
- He may often use regional grammatical constructions, such as the past tense constructions I’ve went and I’ve drank or the reflexive pronouns mysel, yoursel, hissel etc


Accents:

Accent, on the other hand, refers only to differences in the sound patterns of a specific dialect.


-Dialect is the umbrella term for a variety of linguistic features, one of which is accent. True dialect speakers are relatively rare, but despite popular belief we all speak with an accent.


Attitudes to language variety:
For many years, certain English dialects have been viewed more positively than others. Many of us make assumptions based on the way people speak — judging certain dialects or accents as too posh, harsh, aggressive, unfriendly, ‘unintelligent’ or ‘common.


-A source of great pride and an important expression of cultural identity.


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Lexical:
Lexical variation is differences in vocabularly, when a word or phrase has a different meaning depending on region. An example of this is 'happen' - in Yorkshire / Lancashire or The East Midlands - 'happen' means maybe or perhaps.

" The popular image of dialect speech tends to focus almost exclusively on dialect vocabulary and although there was at one time greater regional variation in vocabulary across the UK, there remains a great deal of lexical diversity."

Observing Lexical variation.

All languages change over time and vary according to place and social setting. We can observe lexical variation - differences in words and phrases - by comparing the way English is spoken in different places and among different social groups.

This is demonstrated, for instance, by the variety of words used for 'bread roll' in different parts of the country. If you live in Lancashire you might buy a barm cake, whilst people over The Pennines in Leeds would probably ask for a bread cake. At a baker’s in Derby you might be offered a cob and on a visit to Coventry you might eat a batch, although each of these words refers pretty much to the same item.

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Phonological variation:

A well-known difference in British accents is the distinction between speakers in the north and south. Those in the north generally pronounce words such as bath, grass and dance with a short vowel — rather like the vowel in the word cat. Those in the south use a long vowel, rather like the sound you make when the doctor examines your throat. So you can immediately deduce something about a person who pronounces baths to rhyme with maths or pass to rhyme with mass.

Phonological variation — differences between accents — comes in a variety of forms. Some speakers might be difficult to place geographically, while others who speak with a broader accent might use a number of localised pronunciation features. This might include the articulation of certain consonant or vowel sounds. It might be apparent in so-called connected speech processes — the way certain sounds are pronounced in particular combinations of words or phrases. Or it might be revealed in characteristic intonation patterns.

In most cases, an accent enables others to place you in a large geographic area, so the terms northern accent or Welsh accent are reasonably useful descriptors. In a small number of cases a speaker might have an accent that enables listeners to be even more specific, such as Liverpool accent (aka Scouse) or Rhondda Valleys accent.

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Grammatical variaton:

Grammar is the structure of a language or dialect. It describes the way individual words change their form, such as when play becomes played, to indicate an event in past time. It also refers to the way words are combined to form phrases or sentences.

The construction she were wearing a mask might sound unusual to some ears, but in some dialects in northern England and the Midlands, many speakers indicate the past tense of ‘to be’ by saying I were, you were, he, she and it were, we were and they were.

This means the verb is unmarked for person, while speakers of Standard English differentiate by using I was and he, she and it was. Some dialects, perhaps particularly those in the South East of England, favour a similarly unmarked version using the singular form of the verb I was, you was, he, she and it was, we was and they was.

Observing grammatical variation:

We can observe grammatical variation - differences in the structure of words, phrases or sentences - by comparing the way English is spoken in different places and among different social groups. One of the most common differences between dialects is the way in which past tenses are formed.

Most English verbs have a simple past tense that is unmarked for person, such as played, went, saw, did. In other words we simply say I played, you played, he/she/it played, we played and they played and make no adjustment to the ending of the verb.

The verb 'to be' on the other hand has two simple past forms in Standard English - I/he/she/it was and you/we/they were. Apart from the special case of you, the distinction is, therefore, between singular was and plural were. In some regional dialects, however, this pattern is not observed.

In some parts of the country, speakers use was throughout, while speakers elsewhere use were exclusively. There are also dialects where the two different forms are used for the opposite function - singular were and plural was.

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Social Variation:

"Maybe she was wearing a cap." - This phrase alone doesn't reveal much about the speaker but the pronounciation of the final consonant in the word wearing might reveal  a great deal about a speaker’s social background or the context in which he is speaking.

Most people either use the <n> sound in finger, or they use the <n> sound in fin. In popular writing, the latter pronunciation is often transcribed as wearin’ and this usually conveys the sense that the speaker is either from a lower socio-economic group or is speaking in an informal situation.

Making speech fit the situation:

All native speakers adjust their speech patterns depending on context: from relaxed conversation in familiar surroundings to a more formal setting. Most of us have been accused of having a ‘telephone voice’.

We all have a range of different voices — for talking to children, talking to friends in the pub, making a presentation or talking to a foreigner and we modify our speech accordingly.

 In most cases, the changes we make are extremely subtle but nonetheless noticeable, and a perfectly natural way of making the people we are talking to feel at ease.

Often this process is subconscious and we are simply expressing a shared identity or group solidarity or attempting to present a certain image. However, the range of any given speaker’s repertoire is defined by who he or she is. People from different geographical places speak differently, but even within the same small community, people might speak differently according to their age, gender, ethnicity and social or educational background.