What's your local dialect?

[Democratic Hawk]

Mine is:

Pitmatic

Pitmatic is a dialect of English used in the counties of  Northumberland and Durham. It developed as a separate dialect from  Northumbrian and Geordie due to the specialised terms mineworkers used. An example of this is the word "Cuddy". In Northumberland and  Tyne and Wear this term is an abbreviation of the name  Cuthbert, but in Durham Pitmatic, as in Lowland  Scots, it denotes a horse, specifically a pit pony.

Traditionally, Pitmatic, together with some rural Northumbrian communities incuding  Rothbury, used a distinctive soft rolled R produced at the very back of the throat. Since the closure of the areas deep mines, and the subsequent dilution of the areas identity, this usage is now less frequently heard, with many young people speaking in a more generic " Geordie-like" way. However, it can still sometimes be detected, especially amongst elderly populations in more rural areas.

While in theory Pitmatic applies to the whole Great Northern Coalfield, from  Ashington in Northumberland to  Trimdon in County Durham, early references apply specifically to Durham

Dave

[Peter]

Where do I find a list of English dialects please?

[Democratic Hawk]

Where do I find a list of English dialects please?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_dialects_of_the_English_language

It offers descriptions of some dialects but not others

Dave

[Democratic Hawk]

For American English, check out:

http://www.geocities.com/Broadway/1906/dialects.html

Dave

[Blerpiez]

According to Wikipedia:

Western New England

I seem to be on the eastern edge of this:  I use frappe and milkshake interchangebly, but I pronounce r's at the end of words and can make distinctions between caught and cot.

[Harry]

Southern American English, but it's not as bad as that article says

But seriously, yall don't say hot water heater?

[Vasall des Midas]

No, they say water cooler.

[ilikeverin]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/American_English#Regional_differences

Why would you not call a hot water heater a hot water heater? :?

I speak a combination of Inland North, North Midland, and and North Central American English

[True Democrat]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pittsburgh-area_English

I don't really speak this, but it can get pretty damn annoying.

[Hatman]

Ottawa Valley Twang

[Jake]

I'm a mix of Southern American English and Delaware Valley English, with a touch of Baltimorese from time to time.

[Cashcow]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/American_English#Inland_North

[afleitch]

Middle Class Scottish

In other words, the middle class Scottish accent called the 'Kelvinside twang' in Glasgow and 'Morningside' in Edinburgh.

Speakers of note: The late John Smith
                             George Galloway etc

There was a habit of pronouncing 'a' as 'e' so that both 'merry and 'marry' sound the same. If it is spoken with the use of Scots words it can sound a bit odd like this;

'Ehm eff tae merry Berry this mernin'

I'm going to marry Barry this morning.

'Och away an run ye glaiket lih-kinn wee baern or ehl have yer mammy telt.'

Get away from me you 'glaiket' (sullen) looking little kid or i'll tell your mother.

Nowadays we pronouce these words with harder vowels as the Scottish custom.

[RomneyGekko Situation Hairgel]

Pure Delaware Valley English

[Beef]

General American with twinges of Northern Cities (Chicago-Detroit) and North-Central (U.P.-Wisconsin-Minnesota-North Dakota).

My parents both grew up in the military, living on bases for most of their childhood.  My dad was born in Austria, then moved to the UK, France, Italy, and Germany until finally moving to the D.C. suburbs when he was 16.  My mom lived in Connecticut and Pennslyvania before moving to the D.C. suburbs at age 17.

My parents met at the University of Maryland, and I was raised in the D.C. suburbs, exposed to accents of people from around the country, until we moved to Wisconsin when I was nearly 13.

As a result I have an "everywhere" accent, and I tend to assimilate the accents of whomever I'm speaking to.  I can put on a convincing southern American, Canadian, Californian, Yooper, and Scouse (but then only because I've seen every episode of Red Dwarf).

[AkSaber]

That Wikipedia article had every state but Alaska.

Alaska
Developed out of the Northern, Midland, and Western dialects. Also influenced by the native languages of the Alutes, Innuit, and Chinook Jargon. Some words that originated here are: bush (remote area), cabin fever, mush (to travel by dog sled), parka, stateside.

[Vasall des Midas]

That Wikipedia article had every state but Alaska.

Alaska
Developed out of the Northern, Midland, and Western dialects. Also influenced by the native languages of the Alutes, Innuit, and Chinook Jargon. Some words that originated here are: bush (remote area), cabin fever, mush (to travel by dog sled), parka, stateside.

Bush (remote area) - I'm pretty sure the Australians had that one before you guys.

[AkSaber]

That Wikipedia article had every state but Alaska.

Alaska
Developed out of the Northern, Midland, and Western dialects. Also influenced by the native languages of the Alutes, Innuit, and Chinook Jargon. Some words that originated here are: bush (remote area), cabin fever, mush (to travel by dog sled), parka, stateside.

Bush (remote area) - I'm pretty sure the Australians had that one before you guys.

Really? Wow.

[Hitchabrut]

Mine - Eastern Midland
My area - New York, but Hudson Valley or Philadelphia-ish in 1970

[Hitchabrut]

Oh boy...

The New Jersey accent

Generally, the so-called Jersey accent or North Jersey accent spoken in northern New Jersey is somewhat closer to General American than the speech of New Yorkers, but still shares enough features with it that two can be considered together as a single dialect group for sociolinguistic purposes. Most colloquial greetings and expressions used in New York are also said by New Jerseyans and with the same frequency. However, aside from the areas immediately closest to New York, north Jersey speech is free of certain New York City features which are heavily stigmatized: the Jersey accent is usually rhotic and æ-tensing is less pronounced than in New York.

This accent is found in the northeast quarter of New Jersey, and is basically the part of the state which is in New York City's metropolitan area but not the dialect region. It includes cities such as Rutherford and Rahway.

Contrary to popular belief, no one in any part of New Jersey ever refers to their state as Joisey. This word is, in fact, a mistaken attempt by non-New Jersey residents to speak with a Jersey accent.

And in Western Monmouth County because everyone here is from Brooklyn, Staten Island, and Long Island.

[12th Doctor]

For American English, check out:

http://www.geocities.com/Broadway/1906/dialects.html

Dave

That list is... less than complete.  Almost annoyingly so.

[12th Doctor]

The dialect in my area is mostly Pittsburghese, but is also influenced somewhat more by Appalachian than is pure Pittsburghese.  For instance "coulda", "woulda" and "shoulda" are common as are many of the Appalachian constructs, like "He ain't done nothin'".  However, many for the words favored in Appalichian dialect like polecat, poke and blinked are not used.

We do use many of the Pittsburghese words and pronunciations, but again, cetain setups and words are not favored against their Standard English counter parts.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Appalachian_English

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pittsburgh-area_English

[Gabu]

There doesn't appear to be any dialect specific to my region, so I'll go with Canadian English.

[© Tweed the Younger]

Everyone I meet from different parts of the country say I have an accent, but I don't notice it.  I don't have a thick accent, but I guess it's a Long Island/NYC 'dialect'.

[nini2287]

Pure Delaware Valley English

^^^^^^^^^^