English accents & dialects

How many English languages are there? Well, it depends where you draw the line between different languages. Are American and English different? An American might say : " I dropped all my tomatoes on the sidewalk" (with the middle syllable of tomatoes pronounced mate — an Englishman would say "I dropped my tomatoes on the pavement", (with the middle of tomatoes pronounced mart).  This example has two differences: the first is just a question of accent — the second is a question of language, or dialect. Sidewalk, or pavement.  O.K. so American is different from English — we all know that: but what about the different types of English spoken in Great Britain alone ? British English is actually one of the most varied languages in Europe. The kind we usually teach is called R.P., or Oxford English, or the Queen's English — but it's just one of many varieties. Accents and dialects vary according to geographical region and social standing and there are hundreds of different varieties! Take the word garage: in the south of England people usually say garage, as in French; in the north of Britain people tend to say garridge, as if it rhymed with bridge .   Sometimes, more rarely, the intonation of a word varies: a careful speaker will probably say controversy, other people will say controversy.   A much more common feature is the way English speakers frequently "drop their Hs": a careful speaker, meeting his friend coming back from holiday might say: "Hello Henry, I Hope you Had a Happy Holiday !"  Someone speaking with a more "common" accent might say: " 'Allo 'Enry, I 'ope you 'ad an 'appy 'oliday."    The last three examples are questions of accent . But then there's the question of dialect too. We talk about dialect when it is not only the pronunciation of words that changes, but the words themselves and even the grammar. This is a common feature of regional varieties of English, but sometimes it also distinguishes between different social levels of language.   If you, as a foreigner, were in England and asked someone for change for a fifty-pound note, the person might reply: "Sorry, I haven't got any!"  No problem there: it's just what you learn in your English classes ! But what if the person you're talking to replied, "Sorry mate ! Ain't got none !" ? In this case, you'll probably understand that the reply is negative, because of the word sorry, but the rest of the sentence may be incomprehensible. Mate, is a slang word (in this context) meaning friend; the word I has disappeared from the answer; ain't is a general negative form that can replace most negative auxiliaries (haven't, isn't, etc.), and any has become none, a double negative. Sorry mate, ain't got none ! is the kind of sentence you might hear anywhere in Britain.