View source for Regional accents of English

{{Use dmy dates|date=August 2023}}
{{Short description|none}}
{{Redirect|English accent|the accent of England|English language in England}}
{{IPA notice}}
{{Sociolinguistics|United States 
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Spoken [[English language|English]] shows great variation across regions where it is the predominant language. The [[United Kingdom]] has a wide variety of accents, and no single "British accent" exists. This article provides an overview of the numerous identifiable variations in [[English pronunciation|pronunciation]] of English, which shows various '''regional accents''' and the UK and Ireland. Such distinctions usually derive from the [[Phonology|phonetic]] inventory of local [[dialects]], as well as from broader differences in the [[Standard English]] of different primary-speaking populations.

[[Accent (sociolinguistics)|Accent]] is the part of dialect concerning local pronunciation. [[Vocabulary]] and [[grammar]] are described elsewhere; see the [[list of dialects of the English language]]. Secondary English speakers tend to carry over the [[intonation (linguistics)|intonation]] and [[phoneme|phonetics]] of their [[mother tongue]] in English speech. For more details on this, see [[non-native pronunciations of English]].

Primary English speakers show great variability in terms of regional accents. Examples such as [[Pennsylvania Dutch English]] are easily identified by key characteristics, but others are more obscure or easily confused. Broad regions can possess subforms. For instance, towns located less than {{convert|10|mi|km}} from the city of [[Manchester]], such as [[Bolton]], [[Oldham]], [[Rochdale]], and [[City of Salford|Salford]] each have distinct accents, all of which are grouped together under the broader [[Lancashire accent]]. These sub-dialects are very similar to each other, but non-local listeners can identify firm differences. On the other side of the spectrum, Australia has a [[Variation in Australian English|General Australian]] accent which remains almost unchanged over thousands of miles.

English accents can differ enough to create room for misunderstandings. For example, the pronunciation of "pearl" in some variants of [[Scottish English]] can sound like the entirely unrelated word "petal" to an American. For a summary of the differences between accents, see [[Sound correspondences between English accents]].

==Overview==
{| class="wikitable mw-collapsible" style="min-width: 40em; text-align: center;"
|+ class="nowrap" | Varieties of Standard English and their features<ref>{{cite book|last1=Trudgill |first1=Peter |author1-link =Peter Trudgill |last2=Hannah |first2=Jean |year=2002 |title=International English: A Guide to the Varieties of Standard English |edition=4th |location=London |publisher=Arnold |pages=4–6}}</ref>
! rowspan="2" |Phonological<br />features
! rowspan="2" |[[American English|United<br />States]] {{flagicon|United States}}
! rowspan="2" |[[Canadian English|Canada]] {{flagicon|Canada}}
! rowspan="2" |[[Hiberno-English|Republic<br />of Ireland]] {{flagicon|Ireland}}
! colspan="4" |[[British English|United Kingdom]] {{Flagicon|United Kingdom}}
! rowspan="2" |[[South African English|South<br />Africa]] {{flagicon|South Africa}}
! rowspan="2" |[[Australian English|Australia]] {{flagicon|Australia}}
! rowspan="2" |[[New Zealand English|New<br />Zealand]] {{flagicon|New Zealand}}
|-
! [[Ulster English|Northern<br />Ireland]] !! [[Scottish English|Scotland]] {{flagicon|Scotland}} !! [[English language in England|England]] {{flagicon|England}} !! [[Welsh English|Wales]] {{flagicon|Wales}} 
|-
! {{IPA|/æ/}} rather than {{IPA|/ɑː/}}<br />in ''can't''
| Yes || Yes || Yes ||Yes || style="background-color: lightgray;" | || style="background-color: lightgray;" | || style="background-color: lightgray;" | || style="background-color: lightgray;" | || style="background-color: lightgray;" | || style="background-color: lightgray;" |
|-
! ''father''–''bother'' merger
| Yes || Yes || style="background-color: lightgray;" | || style="background-color: lightgray;" | || style="background-color: lightgray;" | || style="background-color: lightgray;" | || style="background-color: lightgray;" | || style="background-color: lightgray;" | || style="background-color: lightgray;" | || style="background-color: lightgray;" |
|-
! consistent intervocalic<br />alveolar-flapping
| Yes || Yes || style="background-color: lightgray;" | || style="background-color: lightgray;" | || style="background-color: lightgray;" | || style="background-color: lightgray;" | || style="background-color: lightgray;" | || style="background-color: lightgray;" | || style="background-color: lightgray;" | || style="background-color: lightgray;" |
|-
! unrounded {{IPA|[ɑ]}}<br />in ''pot''
| Yes || Yes || Yes || style="background-color: lightgray;" | || style="background-color: lightgray;" | || style="background-color: lightgray;" | || style="background-color: lightgray;" | || style="background-color: lightgray;" | || style="background-color: lightgray;" | || style="background-color: lightgray;" |
|-
! syllabic {{IPA|[ɝ]}}<br />in ''bird''
| Yes{{verification needed|date=April 2017}}|| Yes || Yes ||Yes || style="background-color: lightgray;" | || style="background-color: lightgray;" | || style="background-color: lightgray;" | || style="background-color: lightgray;" | || style="background-color: lightgray;" | || style="background-color: lightgray;" |
|-
! ''cot''-''caught'' merger
| Variable || Yes || style="background-color: lightgray;" | || Yes || Yes || style="background-color: lightgray;" | || style="background-color: lightgray;" | || style="background-color: lightgray;" | || style="background-color: lightgray;" | || style="background-color: lightgray;" |
|-
! {{sc2|FOOT}}–{{sc2|GOOSE}} merger
| style="background-color: lightgray;" | || style="background-color: lightgray;" | || style="background-color: lightgray;" | || Yes || Yes || style="background-color: lightgray;" | || style="background-color: lightgray;" | || style="background-color: lightgray;" | || style="background-color: lightgray;" | || style="background-color: lightgray;" |
|-
! ''trap''-''bath'' split
| style="background-color: lightgray;" | || style="background-color: lightgray;" | || Variable || style="background-color: lightgray;" | || style="background-color: lightgray;" | || Variable{{efn|Yes in Southern England, No in Northern England and most of the Midlands.}} || Variable || Yes || Partial{{efn|Yes before fricatives: /-f/, /-s/, /-θ/; Variable before nasals: /-mpəl/, /-nd/, /-nt/, /-ntʃ/, /-ns/.}} || Yes
|-
! rhotic or non-rhotic
| Mostly rhotic || Rhotic || Rhotic || Rhotic || Rhotic || Mostly non-rhotic || Non-rhotic || Non-rhotic || Non-rhotic || Non-rhotic
|-
! monophthongal {{IPA|/aɪ, aʊ/}},<br />close vowels for {{IPA|/æ, ɛ/}}
| style="background-color: lightgray;" | || style="background-color: lightgray;" | || style="background-color: lightgray;" | || style="background-color: lightgray;" | || style="background-color: lightgray;" | || style="background-color: lightgray;" | || style="background-color: lightgray;" | || Yes || Mostly{{Efn|Many younger [[Australian English]] speakers have more open pronunciations.}}|| Yes
|-
! front {{IPA|[aː]}}<br />for {{IPA|/ɑːr/}}
| style="background-color: lightgray;" | || style="background-color: lightgray;" | || Yes || style="background-color: lightgray;" | || style="background-color: lightgray;" | || Variable || Variable || style="background-color: lightgray;" | || Yes || Yes
|}
{|class="wikitable" style="float: right;" 
|+ Dialects and open vowels 
! word !! RP || GA !! Can !! sound change
|-
! {{sc2|THOUGHT}}
| {{IPA|/ɔ/}} || rowspan="2" | {{IPA|/ɔ/}} || rowspan="4" | {{IPA|/ɑ/}} || [[Phonological history of English low back vowels#Cot–caught merger|''cot''–''caught'' merger]]
|-
! {{sc2|CLOTH}}
| rowspan="2" | {{IPA|/ɒ/}} || [[Phonological history of English low back vowels#Lot–cloth split|''lot''–''cloth'' split]]
|-
! {{sc2|LOT}}
| rowspan="2" | {{IPA|/ɑ/}} || rowspan="2" | [[Phonological history of English low back vowels#Father–bother merger|''father''–''bother'' merger]]
|-
! {{sc2|PALM}}
| rowspan="3" | {{IPA|/ɑː/}}
|-
! {{sc2|PLANT}}
| rowspan="3" | {{IPA|/æ/}} || rowspan="3" | {{IPA|/æ/}} || rowspan="3" | [[Trap–bath split|''trap''–''bath'' split]]
|-
! {{sc2|BATH}}
|-
! {{sc2|TRAP}}
| {{IPA|/æ/}}
|}
English dialects differ greatly in their pronunciation of open vowels. In [[Received Pronunciation]], there are four open back vowels, {{IPA|/æ ɑː ɒ ɔː/}}, but in General American there are only three, {{IPA|/æ ɑ ɔ/}}, and in most dialects of Canadian English only two, {{IPA|/æ ɒ/}}. Which words have which vowel varies between dialects. Words like ''bath'' and ''cloth'' have the vowels {{IPA|/ɑː ɒ/}} in Received Pronunciation, but {{IPA|/æ ɔ/}} in General American. The table above shows some of these dialectal differences.

==Britain and Ireland==
{{Main|British English|Hiberno-English}}

Accents and dialects vary widely across Great Britain, Ireland and nearby smaller islands. The UK has the most local accents of any English-speaking country.{{Citation needed|date=September 2023}} As such, a single "British accent" does not exist. Someone could be said to have an English, Scottish, Welsh, or Irish accent, although these all have many different subtypes.

===England===
{{main|English language in England#Overview of regional accents}}
====Southern England====
{{+rs|date=February 2025}}
There are considerable variations within the accents of English across England, one of the most obvious being the [[trap–bath split]] of the southern half of the country.

Two main sets of accents are spoken in the [[West Country]], namely [[Cornish dialect|Cornish]] and [[West Country dialects|West Country]], spoken primarily in the counties of [[Devon]], [[Somerset]], [[Gloucestershire]], [[Bristol]], [[Dorset]] (not as common in Dorset), and [[Wiltshire]] (again, less common in eastern Wiltshire). A range of variations can be heard within different parts of the West Country: The [[Bristolian dialect]] is distinctive from the accent heard in [[Gloucestershire]] (especially south of [[Cheltenham]]), for example.

The [[Cornwall|Cornish]] accent has an east–west variation, with the east of the county having influences from West Country English and the west of the county having direct influences from the [[Cornish language]].

There is great variation within Greater [[London]], with various accents such as [[Cockney]], [[Estuary English]], [[Multicultural London English]], and [[Received Pronunciation]] being found all throughout the region and the [[Home Counties]].

Other accents are those of
* the [[East Midlands English|East Midlands]] ([[Derby]], [[Leicester]] and [[Rutland]], [[Lincoln, England|Lincoln]], [[Northampton]], and [[Nottingham]])
* [[East Anglian English|East Anglia]] ([[Norfolk]], [[Suffolk]], and [[Cambridgeshire]]) 
* the [[Home Counties]] (typically [[Buckinghamshire]], [[Essex]], [[Hertfordshire]], [[Berkshire]], [[Surrey]], [[Sussex]], [[Kent]], and [[Hampshire]]). The [[Essex]] accent has an east–west variation, with the county's west having Estuary English speech features and the county's east having the traditional [[Essex dialect|Essaxon]]/[[East Anglian English|East Anglian]] features.
* A range of accents are spoken in the [[West Midlands English|West Midlands]] (in the major towns and conurbations ([[The Black Country]], [[Birmingham]], [[Coventry]], [[Stoke-on-Trent]] (considered by many to have tones of [[scouse]]), and [[Wolverhampton]]) and in rural areas (such as in Herefordshire and south Worcestershire).

In February 2019, the ''[[The New York Times|New York Times]]'' published a quiz that maps the geographical differences between British and Irish dialects.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2019/02/15/upshot/british-irish-dialect-quiz.html|title=The British-Irish Dialect Quiz|last=Katz|first=Josh|date=2019-02-15|work=The New York Times|access-date=2019-02-20|language=en-US|issn=0362-4331}}</ref>

====Northern England====
The accents of [[English in northern England|Northern England]] have a range of regional variations.

[[Cumbrian dialect|Cumbria]] has regional variants in Western Cumbria ([[Workington]]), Southern Cumbria ([[Barrow-in-Furness]]), and [[Carlisle]].

[[Northumbrian dialect|Modern Northumbrian]] has local variants in Northern Northumberland ([[Berwick-upon-Tweed]]), Eastern Northumberland ([[Ashington]]) and [[Geordie|Newcastle]], [[Mackem|Sunderland]], and mid- and southern [[County Durham]]. A specialist dialect called [[Pitmatic]] is within this group, found across the region. It includes terms specific to coal mining.

[[Yorkshire dialect|Yorkshire]] is distinctive, having regional variants around [[Leeds]], [[Bradford]], [[Kingston upon Hull|Hull]], [[Middlesbrough]], [[Sheffield]], and [[York]]. Although many Yorkshire accents sound similar, accents in areas around Hull and Middlesbrough are markedly different. Due to this, the Middlesbrough accent is sometimes grouped, with modern Northumbrian accents being a midway between the two regions.

The Hull accent's rhythm is more like that of northern Lincolnshire than that of the rural East Riding, perhaps due to migration from Lincolnshire to the city during its industrial growth. One feature that it shares with the surrounding rural area is that an /aɪ/ sound in the middle of a word often becomes an /ɑː/, for example, "five" may sound like "fahve", and "time" like "tahme"; this way of pronouncing the "i" sound (only when followed by a voiced consonant) is shared with the Middlesbrough accent, as is the distinctive pronunciation of words like 'work' ("wairk") or 'shirt' ("shairt").

[[Lancashire dialect|Historic Lancashire]], with regional variants in [[Bolton]], [[Burnley]], [[Blackburn]], [[Manchester dialect|Manchester]], [[Preston, Lancashire|Preston]], [[Blackpool]], [[Scouse|Liverpool]], and [[Wigan]]. Many of the Lancashire accents may sound similar to outsiders, with the exception of Manchester and Wigan, where an older dialect has been maintained.<ref>{{cite web|title = Speyk Wiganese: How the town of Wigan preserved its language through mining, pies and Facebook weather forecasts|website = inews.co.uk|url = https://inews.co.uk/news/uk/speyk-wiganese-how-the-town-of-wigan-preserved-its-language-through-mining-pies-and-facebook-weather-forecasts-399054|first = Jasmine |last=Andersson |date = 24 February 2020}}</ref>

The [[Liverpool]] accent, known as [[Scouse]], is an exception to the Lancashire regional variant of English. It has spread to some of the surrounding towns. Before the 1840s, Liverpool's accent was similar to others in Lancashire, though with some distinct features due to the city's proximity to [[Wales]]. The city's population of around 60,000 was swelled in the 1840s by the arrival of around 300,000 Irish refugees escaping the [[Great Famine (Ireland)|Great Famine]], as Liverpool was England's [[Port of Liverpool|main Atlantic port]] and a popular departure point for people leaving for a new life in the [[United States]]. While many of the Irish refugees moved away, a vast number remained in Liverpool and permanently influenced the local accent.<ref>[https://www.bbc.co.uk/liverpool/content/articles/2005/01/11/voices_liverpoolaccent_feature.shtml  Paul Coslett, ''The origins of Scouse'', BBC Liverpool, 11 January 2005]. Retrieved 13 August 2018</ref>

===Scotland===
{{Main|Scottish English}}
The regional accents of [[Scottish English]] generally draw on the [[Phoneme|phoneme inventory]] of the dialects of [[Modern Scots]], a language spoken by around 30% of the Scottish population<ref>{{cite book |editor=Mairi Robinson |title=The Concise Scots Dictionary |publisher=Aberdeen University Press |year=1985 |page=xxxi}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.dsl.ac.uk/about-scots/the-scots-language/#sl11 |title=Phonetic characteristics of dialect districts |publisher=[[Dictionary of the Scots Language]] |website=Dsl.ac.uk |access-date=8 October 2015}}</ref> with characteristic vowel realisations due to the [[Scottish vowel length rule]].
[[Highland English]] accents are more strongly influenced by [[Scottish Gaelic]] than other forms of Scottish English.

===Wales===
{{Main|Welsh English}}
The [[Welsh language]] heavily influences the use of English in Wales, which is characterised by unique grammatical conventions and a distinctive lexicon not found in other dialects of English. As in Welsh, the placement of the subject and the verb after the [[Predicate (grammar)|predicate]] allow the speaker to add greater emphasis at the start of a declaration, such as {{lang|en-GB|italic=yes|"Fed up, I am"}} or {{lang|en-GB|italic=yes|"Running on Friday, he is"}}. In [[south Wales]] the use of the [[tag question]] {{lang|en-GB|italic=yes|"isn't it?"}} is common irrespective of the [[Subject–verb–object word order]], while the word ''where'' in a question is often followed by the [[English auxiliary verbs|auxiliary]] "to", as in "{{lang|en-GB|italic=yes|Where to are we going?}}"<ref>{{cite book |title=The British Isles |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=EeXI43AwwiEC&q=north+west+wales+accent++%2Fz%2F&pg=PA117 |publisher=Bernd Kortmann and Clive Upton |access-date=7 September 2025|isbn=9783110208399 |page=335 |date=2008-12-10 }}</ref>

Aside from lexical borrowings from Welsh such as {{lang|en-GB|italic=yes|[[cwtch]]}} and {{lang|en-GB|italic=yes|[[eisteddfod]]}} (which are used consistently throughout Wales), colloquial English terms such as {{lang|en-GB|italic=yes|butty}} ({{langx|cy|byti}}) and {{lang|en-GB|italic=yes|tidy}} are largely limited to the [[South Wales Valleys]]. Despite the varieties of English spoken in Wales, the features of English in the South Wales valleys are commonly recognisable as "Welsh English" to people from [[Countries of the United Kingdom|the rest of the UK]].<ref>{{cite journal | doi = 10.1075/eww.00001.lam | title = A multitude of "lishes" | year = 2018 | last1 = Lambert | first1 = James | journal = English World-Wide. A Journal of Varieties of English | volume = 39 | pages = 1–33 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Why butty rarely leaves Wales |url=https://www.walesonline.co.uk/news/wales-news/why-butty-rarely-leaves-wales-2302834|work=Wales Online |date=2 October 2006 |orig-year=updated: 30 Mar 2013 |access-date=22 February 2015}}</ref>

The [[Cardiff dialect]] and accent is quite distinctive from that of the [[South Wales Valleys]], primarily:
*Rounding of the second element of {{IPA|/ɪə/}} to {{IPA|[jøː]}}<ref name="Phonetics"/><ref name="Cardiff accent"/>
**''here'' {{IPA|/hɪə/}} pronounced {{IPA|[hjøː]}} or {{IPA|[jøː]}} in broader accents
*A closer pronunciation of {{IPAc-en|ʌ}} as in ''love'' and ''other''<ref name="Cardiff accent"/>
*{{IPA|/ɑː/}} is widely realised as {{IPAblink|aː}}, giving a pronunciation of ''Cardiff'' {{IPA|/ˈkɑːdɪf/}} as {{IPA|[ˈkaːdɪf]}}

In many bilingual areas Welsh words are often used in English conversations. As such, the term "Wenglish" has been in use since the 1980s to refer to this mixing of both languages.<ref>{{Cite book|last=Edwards|first=John|title=Talk Tidy|publisher=D Brown & Sons Ltd|year=1985|isbn=0905928458|location=Bridgend, Wales, UK|pages=39}}</ref>

===Isle of Man===
[[Manx English]] has its own distinctive accent, influenced to some extent by the Lancashire dialect and to a lesser extent by some variant of Irish English.

===Ireland===
{{Main|Hiberno-English}}
[[Ireland]] has several main groups of accents, including (1) the accents of Ulster, with a strong influence from Scotland as well as the underlying Gaelic linguistic stratum, which in that province approaches the Gaelic of Scotland, (2) those of Dublin and surrounding areas on the east coast where English has been spoken since the earliest period of colonisation from Britain, and (3) the various accents of west, midlands, and south.

====Ulster====

The [[Ulster]] accent has two main sub accents, namely [[Mid Ulster English]] and [[Ulster Scots dialects|Ulster Scots]]. The language is spoken throughout the nine counties of Ulster and in some northern areas of bordering counties such as [[County Louth|Louth]] and [[County Leitrim|Leitrim]]. It bears many similarities to Scottish English through influence from the [[Ulster Scots dialects|Ulster varieties]] of [[Scots language|Scots]].
Some characteristics of the Ulster accent include:

* As in Scotland, the vowels {{IPA|/ʊ/}} and {{IPA|/u/}} are merged, so that ''look'' and ''Luke'' are homophonous. The vowel is a [[high central rounded vowel]], {{IPA|[ʉ]}}.
* The diphthong {{IPA|/aʊ/}} is pronounced approximately {{IPA|[əʉ]}}, but wide variation exists, especially between [[social class]]es in [[Belfast]].
* In Belfast, {{IPA|/eɪ/}} is a monophthong in open syllables (e.g. ''day'' {{IPA|[dɛː]}}) but an ingliding diphthong in closed syllables (e.g. ''daze'' {{IPA|[deəz]}}). But the monophthong remains when inflectional endings are added, thus ''daze'' contrasts with ''days'' {{IPA|[dɛːz]}}.
* The [[alveolar consonant|alveolar stops]] {{IPA|/t, d/}} become [[dental consonant|dental]] before {{IPA|/r, ər/}}, e.g. '''''t'''ree'' and ''spi'''d'''er''.
* {{IPA|/t/}} often undergoes [[flapping]] to {{IPA|[ɾ]}} before an [[lexical stress|unstressed]] syllable, e.g. ''eighty'' {{IPA|[ˈeəɾi]}}

====Connacht, Leinster, and Munster====
{{Unreferenced section|date=February 2025}}
The accent of these three [[Provinces of Ireland|provinces]] fluctuates greatly from the flat tone of the midlands counties of Laois, Kildare, and Offaly to the perceived [[Intonation (linguistics)|sing-song]] of Cork and Kerry to the soft accents of Mayo and Galway.

Historically, the Dublin City and county area, parts of Wicklow and Louth, came under heavy exclusive influence from the first English settlements, known as ''The Pale''. It remained until Independence from Britain as the biggest concentration of English influence on the whole island.

Some Cork accents have a unique lyrical intonation. Every sentence typically ends in the trademark elongated tail-off on the last word. In Cork, heavier emphasis yet is put on the "brrr" sound to the letter "R." This is usually the dialect in northern parts of Cork City.

Similar to the Cork accent but without the same intonation, Kerry puts even heavier emphasis on the "brrr" sound to the letter "R.", for example, the word "forty". Throughout the south, this word is pronounced whereby the "r" exhibits the typified Irish "brrr". In Kerry, especially in rural areas, the roll on the "r" is enforced with vibrations from the tongue, not unlike Scottish here. 

"Are you?" becomes a cojoined "A-rrou?" single tongue flutter, especially in rural areas. This extra emphasis on "R" is also seen in varying measures through parts of West Limerick and West Cork in closer proximity to Kerry.

Another feature in the Kerry accent is the "S" before the consonant. True to its Gaelic origins in a manner similar to parts of Connacht, "s" maintains the "shh" sound as in "shop" or "sheep". The word "start" becomes "shtart", and "stop" becomes "shtop".

====Irish Travellers====

{{Unreferenced section|date=November 2006}}
[[Irish Traveller]]s have a very distinct accent closely related to a rural [[Hiberno-English]], particularly the English of south-eastern Ireland. Many Irish Travellers who were born in parts of Dublin or Britain have the accent in spite of it being strikingly different from the local accents in those regions. They have their own language, [[Shelta]], which strongly links in with their dialect/accent of English.

==North America==
{{Main|North American English regional phonology|North American English|American English|Canadian English}}
''North American English'' is a collective term for the dialects of the United States and Canada. It does not include the varieties of [[Caribbean English]] spoken in the West Indies.

* Rhoticity: Most North American English accents differ from Received Pronunciation and some other British dialects by being [[Rhoticity in English|rhotic]]. The rhotic consonant {{IPA|/r/}} is pronounced before consonants and at the end of syllables, and the [[r-colored vowel]] {{IPA|[ɚ]}} is used as a syllable nucleus. For example, while the words "hard" and "singer" would be pronounced {{IPA|[hɑːd]}} and {{IPA|[ˈsɪŋə]}} in [[Received Pronunciation]], they would be pronounced {{IPA|[hɑɹd]}} and {{IPA|[ˈsɪŋɚ]}} in [[General American]].  Exceptions are certain traditional accents found in [[New England English|eastern New England]], [[New York City English|New York City]], and the [[Southern American English|Southern United States]], plus [[African-American English]].
*  Mergers before {{IPA|/r/}}: ''R''-coloring has led to some [[English-language vowel changes before historic /r/|vowel mergers before historic {{IPA|/r/|cat=no}}]] that do not happen in most other native dialects. In many North American accents, "Mary", "merry", and "marry" sound the same ([[English-language vowel changes before historic /r/#Mary–marry–merry merger|''Mary''–''marry''–''merry'' merger]]), but they have the vowels {{IPA|/ɛə/}}, {{IPA|/æ/}}, {{IPA|/ɛ/}}, respectively, in RP. Similarly, "nearer" rhymes with "mirror" ([[English-language vowel changes before historic /r/#Mirror–nearer merger|''mirror''–''nearer'' merger]]), though the two have different vowels in RP: {{IPA|/iː/}} and {{IPA|/ɪ/}}. Other mergers before {{IPA|/r/}} occur in various North American dialects.
* Mergers of the low back vowels: Other North American mergers that are absent in Received Pronunciation are the merger of the vowels of [[cot–caught merger|"caught" and "cot"]] ({{IPA|[kɔːt]}} and {{IPA|[kɒt]}} in RP) in many accents, and the merger of "father" (RP {{IPA|[ˈfɑːðə]}}) and "bother" (RP {{IPA|[ˈbɒðə]}}) in almost all.
* Flat ''a'': Most North American accents lack the so-called [[trap–bath split]] found in Southern England: Words like "ask", "answer", "grass", "bath", "staff", and "dance" are pronounced with the short-a {{IPA|/æ/}} of "trap", not with the broad "A" {{IPA|/ɑ/}} of "father" heard in Southern England as well as in most of the Southern Hemisphere. In North America, the vowel of "father" has merged with that of "lot" and "bother" (see above).  Related to the [[trap–bath split]], North American dialects have a feature known as [[/æ/ tensing]].  This results in /æ/ in some environments, particularly nasals to be raised and even diphthongized, typically transcribed as {{IPA|[eə]}}.  Thus, "answer" is typically pronounced as {{IPA|[eənsɚ]}} rather than {{IPA|[ænsɚ]}}.<!--I'll add in the citation later.-->
* [[Intervocalic alveolar flapping|Flapping of {{IPA|/t/|cat=no}} and {{IPA|/d/|cat=no}}]]: In North American English, {{IPA|/t/}} and {{IPA|/d/}} both become the [[alveolar flap]] {{IPA|[ɾ]}} after a stressed syllable and between vowels or syllabic consonants, making the words "latter" and "ladder" homophones, either as {{IPA|[ˈlædɚ]}} or {{IPA|[ˈlæɾɚ]}}.

The United States does not have a concrete "standard" accent in the same way that Britain has [[Received Pronunciation]]. A form of speech known to linguists as General American is perceived by many Americans to be "accent-less", meaning a person who speaks in such a manner does not appear to be ''from'' anywhere in particular. The region of the United States that most resembles this is the central Midwest, specifically eastern Nebraska, including Omaha and Lincoln; southern and central Iowa, including Des Moines; and parts of Missouri, Indiana, Ohio, and western Illinois, including Peoria and the Quad Cities but not the Chicago area.{{Original research inline|date=February 2013}}

===Canada===
{{Main|Canadian English}}
Three major dialect areas can be found in Canada: Western/Central Canada, the Maritimes, and [[Newfoundland English|Newfoundland]].

The phonology of [[West/Central Canadian English]], also called ''General Canadian'', is broadly similar to that of the Western US, except for the following features:
* The diphthongs {{IPA|/aɪ/}} and {{IPA|/aʊ/}} are raised to approximately {{IPA|[ʌɪ]}} and {{IPA|[ʌʊ]}}<ref name="AutoZC-1"/> before voiceless consonants. For example, the vowel sound of "out" {{IPA|[ʌʊt]}} is different from that of "loud" {{IPA|[laʊd]}}. This feature is known as [[Canadian raising]]. The {{IPA|/ʌʊ/}} is even more raised in Atlantic Canada, closer to {{IPA|/ɛʊ/}}.
* The short "a" of "bat" is more open than almost everywhere else in North America {{IPA|[æ̞ ~ a]}}. The other front lax vowels {{IPA|/ɛ/}} and {{IPA|/ɪ/}}, too, can be lowered and/or retracted. This phenomenon has been labelled the [[Canadian Shift]].
The pronunciation of certain words shows a British influence. For instance, "shone" is {{IPA|/ʃɒn/}}, "been" is often {{IPA|/biːn/}}, "lieutenant" is {{IPA|/lɛfˈtɛnənt/}}, "process" can be {{IPA|/ˈproʊsɛs/}}, etc.

Words like "drama", "pajamas"/"pyjamas", and "pasta" tend to have {{IPA|/æ/}} rather than {{IPA|/ɑ/}}~{{IPA|/ɒ/}}. Words like "sorrow", "Florida", and "orange" have {{IPA|/ɔr/}} rather than {{IPA|/ɑr/}}; therefore, "sorry" rhymes with "story" rather than with "starry".

===United States===
{{Main|North American English regional phonology|North American English|American English|General American English}}

===West Indies and Bermuda===
For discussion, see:
*[[Bahamian English]]
*[[English in Barbados|Barbadian English]]
*[[Bequia English]]
*[[Bermudian English]]
*[[Caribbean English]]
*[[Jamaican English]]
*[[Saban English]]
*[[Trinidadian English]]

==Oceania==

===Australia===
{{Main|Australian English}}

Australian English is relatively homogeneous when compared to [[British English|British]] and [[American English|American]] English. There is some regional variation between the [[States and territories of Australia|states]], particularly [[South Australia]], [[Victoria (state)|Victoria]], [[Queensland]], [[Northern Territory]], and [[Western Australia]].

Three main varieties of Australian English are spoken according to linguists: ''[[Strine|Broad Australian]]'', ''[[General Australian]]'' and ''[[Australian English#Sociocultural variation|Cultivated Australian]]''.<ref name="mannell"/> They are part of a continuum, reflecting variations in accent. They tend to reflect the [[social class]], education, and urban or rural background of the speaker.<ref name="macquarie"/>

* [[Australian Aboriginal English]] refers to the different varieties of the English language used by Indigenous Australians. These varieties, which developed differently in different parts of Australia, vary along a continuum, from forms close to General Australian to more nonstandard forms. There are distinctive features of accent, grammar, words, and meanings, as well as language use.
* The furthest extent of the Aboriginal dialect is [[Australian Kriol]] language, which is not [[mutual intelligibility|mutually intelligible]] with General Australian English.
* On the [[Torres Strait Islands]], a distinctive dialect known as [[Torres Strait English]] is spoken.
* In Australian English, pronunciations vary regionally according to the type of vowel that occurs before the sounds {{IPAc-en|n|d}}, {{IPAc-en|n|s}}, {{IPAc-en|n|t}}, {{IPAc-en|n|tʃ}}, and {{IPAc-en|m|p}}. In words like "chance", "plant", "branch", "sample", and "demand", the vast majority of Australians use the short /æ/ vowel from the word "cat". In [[South Australian English]], there is a high proportion of people who use the broad /aː/ vowel from the word "cart" in these words.
* Centring [[diphthong]]s are the vowels that occur in words like "ear", "beard", "air", and "sheer". In [[Western Australian English]], there is a tendency for centring diphthongs to be pronounced as full diphthongs. Those in the eastern states will tend to pronounce "fear" and "sheer" without any jaw movement, while the westerners would pronounce them like "fia" and "shia", respectively, which slightly resembles [[South African English]] but in a dialect different from [[New Zealand English]].<ref name="ozvoices"/>

===New Zealand===
{{Main|New Zealand English}}
{{Unreferenced section|date=July 2012}}

The New Zealand accent is most similar to Australian accents, particularly those of Victoria, Tasmania, New South Wales, and South Australia, but is distinguished from these accents by the presence of three "clipped" vowels, slightly resembling [[South African English]]. Phonetically, these are centralised or raised versions of the short "i", "e", and "a" vowels, which in New Zealand are close to {{IPA|[ɨ]}}, {{IPA|[ɪ]}}, and {{IPA|[ɛ]}}, respectively, rather than {{IPA|[ɪ]}}, {{IPA|[ɛ]}}, and {{IPA|[æ]}}. New Zealand pronunciations are often popularly represented outside New Zealand by writing "fish and chips" as "fush and chups", "yes" as "yiss", and "sixty-six" as "suxty-sux". 

Scottish English influence is most evident in the southern regions of New Zealand, notably in [[Dunedin]]. Another difference between New Zealand and Australian English is the length of the vowel in words such as "dog" and "job", which are longer than in Australian English, which shares the short and staccato pronunciation with British English. There is a tendency in New Zealand English, found in some but not all Australian English, to add a [[schwa]] between some grouped consonants in words, such that — for example — "shown" and "thrown" may be pronounced "showun" and "throwun".

Geographical variations appear slight and are mainly confined to individual special local words. One group of speakers holds a recognised place as "talking differently": The regions of [[Otago]] and especially [[Southland, New Zealand|Southland]], both in the south of the South Island, harbour a "Celtic fringe" of people speaking with what is known as the "Southland burr" in which "R" is pronounced with a soft burr, particularly in words that rhyme with "nurse".<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.rnz.co.nz/national/programmes/ourchangingworld/audio/2018696216/the-southland-accent-a-rolling-change|title = The Southland accent - a rolling change|website = [[Radio New Zealand]]|date = 22 May 2019 |first1=Alison |last1=Ballance |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240216041439/https://www.rnz.co.nz/national/programmes/ourchangingworld/audio/2018696216/the-southland-accent-a-rolling-change |archive-date= Feb 16, 2024 }}</ref> The area formed a traditional repository of immigration from Scotland. 

Some sections of the main urban areas of Auckland and Wellington show a stronger influence of Māori and Pacific island (e.g., Samoan) pronunciations and speech patterns than most of the country. 

The trilled "r" is used by some Māori, who may pronounce "t" and "k" sounds without aspiration, striking other English speakers as similar to "d" and "g". This is also encountered in South African English, especially among [[Afrikaans]] speakers.

===Norfolk Island and Pitcairn===
The English spoken on the isolated Pacific islands of Norfolk and Pitcairn shows evidence of their long isolation from the world. Pitcairn's local creole, [[Pitkern]], shows strong evidence of its rural English 19th-century origins, with an accent that has traces of both the English southwest and [[Geordie]]. The Norfolk Island equivalent, [[Norfuk]], was greatly influenced in its development by Pitkern. 

The accents heard on the islands when English is used are similarly influenced but in a much milder way. In the case of Norfolk Island, Australian English is the primary influence, producing something like a softened version of an Australian accent. The Pitcairn accent is for the most part largely indistinguishable from the New Zealand accent.

==Africa and the Atlantic==
===South Atlantic===
{{More citations needed|date=October 2007}}

====Falkland Islands====
{{Main|Falkland Islands English}}

The [[Falkland Islands]] have a large non-native-born population, mainly from Britain but also from [[Saint Helena]]. In rural areas, the Falkland accent tends to be stronger. The accent has resemblances to both Australia-NZ English and that of [[Norfolk]] in England and contains a number of Spanish loanwords.

====Saint Helena====
"Saints", as Saint Helenan islanders are called, have a variety of different influences on their accent. To outsiders, the accent has resemblances to the accents of South Africa, Australia, and New Zealand.

"Saint" is not just a different pronunciation of English; it also has its own distinct words. So "bite" means "spicy, as in full of chillies"; "us" is used instead of "we" ("us has been shopping"); and "done" is used to generate a past tense, hence "I done gorn fishing" ("I have been fishing").<ref name=speaksaint>{{Cite web|url=http://sainthelenaisland.info/speaksaint.htm|title = Speak Saint |website=Saint Helena Island Info |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240104043906/https://sainthelenaisland.info/speaksaint.htm |archive-date= Jan 4, 2024 }}</ref>

Television is a reasonably recent arrival there and is only just beginning to have an effect. American terms are becoming more common, e.g. "chips" for crisps.<ref name=speaksaint/>

===Southern Africa===

====South Africa====
{{Main|South African English}}

[[South Africa]] has 12 official languages, one of which is English. Accents vary significantly between ethnic and language groups. Home-language English speakers, Black, White, Indian, and [[Coloured]], in South Africa have an accent that generally resembles British [[Received Pronunciation]], modified with varying degrees of Germanic inflection due to Afrikaans.<ref>{{cite book |title=Census 2011: Census in brief |url=http://www.statssa.gov.za/census/census_2011/census_products/Census_2011_Census_in_brief.pdf |publisher=Statistics South Africa |location=Pretoria |year=2012 |isbn=9780621413885 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150513171240/http://www.statssa.gov.za/census/census_2011/census_products/Census_2011_Census_in_brief.pdf |archive-date=13 May 2015 |url-status=live}}</ref>

The Coloured community is generally bilingual. English accents are strongly influenced by one's primary mother tongue, Afrikaans, or English. A range of accents can be seen, with the majority of Coloureds showing a strong Afrikaans inflection.  Similarly, [[Afrikaner]]s and Cape Coloureds, both descendants of mainly Dutch settlers, tend to pronounce English phonemes with a strong Afrikaans inflection. The English accents of both related groups are significantly different and easily distinguishable, primarily because of prevalent [[code-switching]] among the majority of Coloured English speakers, particularly in the [[Western Cape]] of South Africa. The range of accents found among English-speaking Coloureds, from the distinctive "Cape Flats or Coloured English"<ref name="saculture"/>  to the standard "colloquial" South African English accent, are of special interest. Geography and education levels play major roles therein.

Black [[Ethnic groups of Africa|Africans]] generally speak English as a second language. One's accent is strongly influenced by one's mother tongue, particularly Bantu languages. Urban [[middle-class]] Black Africans have developed an English accent, with similar inflection as first-language English speakers.  Within this ethnic group, variations exist: Most [[Nguni languages|Nguni]] (Xhosa, Zulu, Swazi, and Ndebele) speakers have a distinct accent, with the pronunciation of words like "the" and "that" as would "devil" and "dust", respectively, and words like "rice" as "lice". 

This may be a result of the inadequacy of "r" in the languages. [[Sotho–Tswana languages|Sotho]] (Tswana, Northern Sotho, and Southern Sotho) speakers have a similar accent, with slight variations. Tsonga and Venda speakers have very similar accents with far less intonation than Ngunis and Sothos. Some Black speakers have no distinction between the "i" in "determine" and the one in "decline", pronouncing it similarly to the one in "mine".

Black, Indian, and Coloured students educated in former Model C schools or at formerly White tertiary institutions will generally adopt a similar accent to their White English-home-language speaking classmates.<ref name="varsity186"/> Code-switching and the "Cape Flats" accent are becoming popular among White learners in public schools within Cape Town.{{Citation needed|date=April 2011}}

South African accents vary between major cities, particularly Cape Town, Durban, and Johannesburg, and provinces (regions).<ref name="Schneider"/> Accent variation is observed within respective cities{{mdash}}for instance, Johannesburg, where the northern suburbs (Parkview, Parkwood, Parktown North, Saxonwold, etc.) tend to be less strongly influenced by Afrikaans. These suburbs are more affluent and populated by individuals with tertiary education and higher incomes. 

The accents of native English speakers from the southern suburbs (Rosettenville, Turffontein, etc.) tend to be more strongly influenced by Afrikaans. These suburbs are populated by tradesmen and factory workers, with lower incomes. The extent of Afrikaans influence is explained by the fact that Afrikaans urbanisation would historically have been from failed marginal farms or failing economies in rural towns, into the southern and western suburbs of Johannesburg. 

The western suburbs of Johannesburg (Newlands, Triomf, which has now reverted to its old name [[Sophiatown]], Westdene, etc.) are predominantly Afrikaans-speaking. In a similar fashion, people from predominantly or traditionally Jewish areas in the Johannesburg area (such as Sandton, Linksfield, and Victory Park) may have accents influenced by Yiddish or Hebrew ancestry.

South African English accents, across the spectrum, are [[Rhotic and non-rhotic accents|non-rhotic]].

Examples of South African accents ''(obtained from [http://accent.gmu.edu/ http://accent.gmu.edu])''
*[http://accent.gmu.edu/searchsaa.php?function=detail&speakerid=903 Native English: Male (Cape Town)]
*[http://accent.gmu.edu/searchsaa.php?function=detail&speakerid=904 Native English: Female (Cape Town)]
*[http://accent.gmu.edu/searchsaa.php?function=detail&speakerid=496 Native English: Male (Port Elizabeth)]
*[http://accent.gmu.edu/searchsaa.php?function=detail&speakerid=102 Native English: Male (Nigel)]
*[http://accent.gmu.edu/searchsaa.php?function=detail&speakerid=1 Afrikaans (Primary): Female (Pretoria)]
*[http://accent.gmu.edu/searchsaa.php?function=detail&speakerid=2 Afrikaans (Primary): Male (Pretoria)]
*[http://accent.gmu.edu/searchsaa.php?function=detail&speakerid=418 Afrikaans (Primary): Male (Pretoria)]
*[http://accent.gmu.edu/searchsaa.php?function=detail&speakerid=1213 Northern Sotho (Primary): Female (Polokwane)]

Additional samples of South African accents and dialects can be found at [http://web.ku.edu/~idea/africa/southafrica/southafrica.htm http://web.ku.edu/~idea/africa/southafrica/southafrica.htm] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120416043924/http://web.ku.edu/~idea/africa/southafrica/southafrica.htm |date=16 April 2012 }}.

Regardless of regional and ethnic differences (in accents), South African English accents are sometimes confused with Australian (or New Zealand) English by British and American English speakers.<ref name="Hopwood"/><ref name="webspace"/>

====Zimbabwe====
{{main| Zimbabwean English}}
{{Unreferenced section|date=November 2006}}
In [[Zimbabwe]], formerly [[Southern Rhodesia|Rhodesia]], native English speakers, mainly the White and Coloured minority, have a similar speech pattern to that of South Africa. Those with high degrees of Germanic inflection pronounce "Zimbabwe" as ''zim-'''bah'''-bwi'', as opposed to the African pronunciation ''zeem-'''bah'''-bweh''. 

Zimbabwean accents vastly vary, with some Black Africans sounding British while others will have a much stronger accent influenced by their mother tongues. Usually, this distinction is brought about by where speakers grew up and the school attended. For example, most people who grew up in and around Harare have a British-sounding accent, while those in the rural areas have a more "pidgin-english" sort of accent.

Example of a Zimbabwean English accent ''(obtained from [http://accent.gmu.edu/ http://accent.gmu.edu])''
*[http://accent.gmu.edu/searchsaa.php?function=detail&speakerid=599 Shona (Primary): Female (Bulawayo)]

====Namibia====
{{Main|Namlish}}

[[Namibia]]n English tends to be strongly influenced by [[South African English]]. Most Namibians who grew up in and around the capital city, Windhoek, have developed an English accent. Those in rural areas have an accent strongly influenced by their mother tongue, particularly [[Bantu languages]].

====Nigeria====
[[Nigerian English]] varies by constituent units. The accents are influenced by the various mother tongues of the Nigerian constituent units.

==Asia==

===India and South Asia===
{{Main|Indian English|Pakistani English|Bangladeshi English|Sri Lankan English|Nepalese English}}

A number of distinct dialects of English are spoken in South Asia. There are many languages spoken in South Asia like [[Nepali language|Nepali]], [[Hindi]], [[Punjabi language|Punjabi]], [[Rajasthani language|Rajasthani]], [[Sindhi language|Sindhi]], [[Balochi language|Balochi]], [[Pashto language|Pashto]], [[Assamese language|Assamese]], [[Bengali language|Bengali]], [[Bhojpuri language|Bhojpuri]], [[Gujarati language|Gujarati]], [[Kannada language|Kannada]], [[Kashmiri language|Kashmiri]], [[Marathi language|Marathi]], [[Odia language|Odia]], [[Maithili Language|Maithili]], [[Malayalam language|Malayalam]], [[Sinhala language|Sinhala]], [[Tamil language|Tamil]], [[Telugu language|Telugu]], [[Tulu language|Tulu]], [[Urdu]] and many more, creating a variety of accents of English. Accents originating in this part of the world tend to display several distinctive features, including:
* [[timing (linguistics)|syllable-timing]], in which a roughly equal time is allocated to each syllable, akin to the English of Singapore and Malaysia. Elsewhere, English speech timing is based predominantly on stress.
* "sing-song" pitch, somewhat reminiscent of those of [[Welsh English]]
* retroflexion of "t" and "d"

===Philippines===
{{Main|Philippine English}}

Philippine English employs a rhotic accent that originated from the time it was first introduced by Americans during the colonization period in an attempt to replace Spanish as the dominant political language. As there are no /f/ or /v/ sounds in most native languages in the Philippines, [p] is used as an alternative to /f/ as [b] is to /v/. The words "fifty" and "five" are often pronounced as {{not a typo|"pipty"}} and {{not a typo|"pibe"}} by many Filipinos. Similarly, /θ/ is often changed to [t] and /ð/ to [d].<ref>{{cite book |last=Tayao |first=Ma. Lourdes |editor-last1=Bautista |editor-first1=Ma. Lourdes |editor-last2=Bolton |editor-first2=Kingsley |title=Philippine English: Linguistic and Literary |publisher=Hong Kong University Press |date=2008 |pages=157–174 |chapter= A lectal description of the phonological features of Philippine English}}</ref>

"Three" becomes /tri/ while "that" becomes /dat/. This feature is consistent with many other Malayo-Polynesian languages. /z/ is often devoiced to [s], whereas [ʒ] is often devoiced to [ʃ] or affricated to [dʒ], so words like "zoo", "measure", and "beige" may be pronounced [su], [ˈmɛʃoɾ], and [beɪdʒ].<ref>{{cite book |last=Tayao |first=Ma. Lourdes |editor-last1=Bautista |editor-first1=Ma. Lourdes |editor-last2=Bolton |editor-first2=Kingsley |title=Philippine English: Linguistic and Literary |publisher=Hong Kong University Press |date=2008 |pages=157–174 |chapter= A lectal description of the phonological features of Philippine English}}</ref>

Apart from the frequent inability to pronounce certain fricatives (e.g., [f], [v], [θ], [ð], [z], [ʒ]), in reality, there is no single Philippine English accent. This is because native languages influence spoken English in different ways throughout the archipelago. For instance, those from [[Visayas]] usually interchange the sounds /e/ and /i/ as well as /o/ and /u/ because the distinction between those phonemes is not very pronounced in Visayan languages.

People from the northern Philippines may pronounce /r/ as a strong trill instead of a tap, which is more commonly used in the rest of the Philippines, as the trill is a feature of the [[Ilocano language]]. Ilocano people generally pronounce the schwa sound /ə/ better than other Filipinos because they use a similar sound in their native language that is missing from many other Philippine languages.

===Hong Kong===
{{Main|Hong Kong English}}

The accent of English spoken in [[Hong Kong]] follows mainly British, with rather strong influence from [[Cantonese]] on the [[pronunciation]]s of a few consonants and vowels, sentence grammar, and structure.

===Malaysia===
{{Main|Malaysian English}}
{{See also|Manglish}}

Malay is the [[lingua franca]] of [[Malaysia]], a federation of former British colonies and similar dependencies. English is a foreign language with no official status, but it is commonly learnt as a second or third language.

The Malaysian accent appears to be a melding of British, Chinese, Tamil, and Malay influences.

Many Malaysians adopt different accents and usages depending on the situation. For example, an office worker may speak with less colloquialism and with a more British accent on the job than with friends or while out shopping.

*[[timing (linguistics)|Syllable-timing]], where speech is timed according to syllable, akin to the English of the Indian Subcontinent. Elsewhere, speech is usually timed to stress.
* A quick, staccato style, with "puncturing" syllables and well-defined, drawn-out tones
* [[Non-rhotic]]ity, like most varieties of [[English language in England]]. Hence, "caught" and "court" are homophonous as {{IPA|/kɔːt/}} (in actuality, {{IPA|[kɔːʔ]}} or {{IPA|[koːʔ]}}), "can't" rhymes with "aren't", etc.
* The "ay" and "ow" sounds in "raid" and "road" ({{IPA|/eɪ/}} and {{IPA|/oʊ/}}, respectively) are pronounced as [[monophthong]]s, i.e. with no "glide": {{IPA|[red]}} and {{IPA|[rod]}}.
* {{IPA|/θ/}} is pronounced as [t] and {{IPA|/ð/}} as [d]; hence, "thin" is {{IPA|[tɪn]}} and "then" is {{IPA|[dɛn]}}.
* Depending on how colloquial the situation is: many [[discourse particle]]s, or words inserted at the end of sentences that indicate the role of the sentence in discourse and the mood it conveys, like "lah", "leh", "mah", "hor", etc.

===Singapore===
{{Main|Singapore English}}
{{See also|Singlish}}

Singapore is effectively a multilingual nation. The [[Government of Singapore|Singapore government]] recognises four [[official language]]s: English, [[Malay language|Malay]], [[Standard Chinese|Mandarin Chinese]], and [[Tamil language|Tamil]].

Students in primary and secondary schools learning English as the language of instruction also learn a second language called their "Mother Tongue" by the Ministry of Education, where they are taught Mandarin Chinese, Malay, or Tamil. A main point to note is while "Mother Tongue" generally refers to the first language (L1) overseas, in Singapore, it is used by the Ministry of Education to denote the traditional language of one's [[ethnic group]], which sometimes can be their second language (L2).

There are two main types of English spoken in Singapore: [[Standard Singapore English]] and [[Singlish]]. Singlish is more widely spoken than Standard English. It has a very distinctive [[Tone (linguistics)|tone]] and sentence structure, which are both strongly influenced by Malay and the many [[varieties of Chinese]] spoken in the city.

A 2005 census showed that around 30% of Singaporeans speak English as their main language at home.<ref name="singstatch2"/>

There are many foreigners working in Singapore. 36% of the population in Singapore are foreigners, and foreigners make up 50% of the service sector.<ref name="singstat2009"/> Therefore, it is very common to encounter service staff who are not fluent in English. Most of these staff speak Mandarin Chinese. Those who do not speak Mandarin Chinese tend to speak either broken English or Singlish, which they have learnt from the locals.

==Antarctica==
Phonetic change in the English spoken at a [[Research stations in Antarctica|base]] in [[Antarctica]] has been registered.<ref>[https://asa.scitation.org/doi/10.1121/1.5130709 Phonetic change in an Antarctic winter] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220518105902/https://asa.scitation.org/doi/10.1121/1.5130709 |date=2022-05-18 }}.</ref> This has been referred to as the start of a new accent called [[Antarctic English]].<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.scientificamerican.com/podcast/episode/linguists-hear-an-accent-begin/|title=Linguists hear an accent begin|first=Susanne|last=Bard|journal=[[Scientific American]]|date=11 December 2019}}</ref>

==See also==
* [[American English]]
* [[British English]]
* [[American and British English spelling differences]]
* [[English phonology]]
* [[Survey of English Dialects]]
* [[List of dialects of English]]
* [[International Dialects of English Archive]]
* [[Sound correspondences between English accents]]
* [[Koiné language]]

==Notes==
{{notelist}}

==References==
<references>

<ref name="Phonetics">{{cite book
 | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=tPwYt3gVbu4C&q=cardiff+accent&pg=PA87 
 | title=Google Books &#124; The phonetics of Cardiff English 
 | isbn=9781853590313 
 | access-date=2012-06-08| last1=Coupland 
 | first1=Nikolas 
 | last2=Thomas 
 | first2=Alan Richard 
 | year=1990 
 | publisher=Multilingual Matters 
 }}</ref>

<ref name="Cardiff accent">{{cite web 
 | url=http://www.bl.uk/learning/langlit/sounds/text-only/wales/cardiff/ 
 | title=Accents and dialects of the UK: Cardiff 
 | publisher=Bl.uk 
 | date=1935-12-15 
 | access-date=2012-06-08 
 | archive-date=5 August 2011 
 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110805064351/http://www.bl.uk/learning/langlit/sounds/text-only/wales/cardiff/ 
 | url-status=dead 
 }}</ref>

<ref name="AutoZC-1" >Wells, p. 494</ref>

<ref name="mannell">{{cite web
 | author=Robert Mannell 
 | url=http://www.ling.mq.edu.au/speech/phonetics/phonetics/ausenglish/impressionistic.html 
 | title=Robert Mannell, "Impressionistic Studies of Australian English Phonetics" 
 | publisher=Ling.mq.edu.au 
 | date=2009-08-14 
 | access-date=2012-06-08}}</ref>

<ref name="macquarie">{{cite web
 |url          = http://www.international.mq.edu.au/globe/default.aspx?id=244&EditionID=162
 |title        = The Macquarie Globe ::
 |publisher    = International.mq.edu.au
 |date         = 2007-08-23
 |access-date   = 2012-06-08
 |archive-url  = https://web.archive.org/web/20090927000652/http://www.international.mq.edu.au/globe/default.aspx?id=244&EditionID=162
 |archive-date = 2009-09-27
 |url-status     = dead
}}</ref>

<ref name="ozvoices">{{cite web
 | url=http://clas.mq.edu.au/australian-voices/regional-accents 
 | title=regional accents&nbsp;— Australian Voices 
 | publisher=Clas.mq.edu.au 
 | access-date=2012-06-08}}</ref>

<ref name="saculture">{{Cite web |url=http://www.sacultures.org.za/nemisa_29.htm |title=nemisa_29 |access-date=29 September 2009 |archive-date=28 March 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220328043839/http://www.sacultures.org.za/nemisa_29.htm |url-status=dead }}</ref>

<ref name="varsity186">{{cite web
 |url          = http://varsitynewspaper.co.za/?p=186
 |title        = Varsity Newspaper Online
 |publisher    = Varsitynewspaper.co.za
 |access-date   = 2012-06-08
 |archive-url  = https://web.archive.org/web/20120313050444/http://varsitynewspaper.co.za/?p=186
 |archive-date = 2012-03-13
 |url-status     = dead
}}</ref>

<ref name="Schneider">Schneider, ''E.W. Post-colonial English: Varieties around the world'', Cambridge Press.(2007)</ref>

<ref name="Hopwood">Hopwood, D. ''South African English pronunciation'', McGrath Pub. Co (1970)</ref>

<ref name="webspace">{{cite web
 | url=http://webspace.ship.edu/cgboer/dialectsofenglish.html 
 | title=Dialects of English 
 | publisher=Webspace.ship.edu 
 | access-date=2012-06-08}}</ref>

<ref name="singstatch2">{{cite web|url=http://www.singstat.gov.sg/pubn/popn/ghsr1/chap2.pdf |title=Education and Language |access-date=2012-06-08 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101113153652/http://www.singstat.gov.sg/pubn/popn/ghsr1/chap2.pdf |archive-date=November 13, 2010 }}</ref>

<ref name="singstat2009">{{cite web|url=http://www.singstat.gov.sg/pubn/popn/population2009.pdf |title=Population Trends 2009 |access-date=2012-06-08 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120321143755/http://www.singstat.gov.sg/pubn/popn/population2009.pdf |archive-date=March 21, 2012 }}</ref>

</references>

==Bibliography==
*{{Cite book
|isbn=0-521-28541-0
|first=J C
|last=Wells
|title=Accents of English 3: Beyond the British Isles
|publisher=Cambridge University Press
|year=1982
}}

==External links==
*[http://accent.gmu.edu/ The Speech Accent Archive] 1254 audio samples of people with various accents reading the same paragraph.
*[http://www.bl.uk/soundsfamiliar Sounds Familiar?]&nbsp;— Listen to examples of regional accents and dialects from across the UK on the British Library's 'Sounds Familiar' website
*[http://www.soundcomparisons.com/ 'Hover & Hear' Accents of English from Around the World] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110429190515/http://www.soundcomparisons.com/ |date=2011-04-29 }}, listen and compare side by side instantaneously.
*[http://www.dialectsarchive.com/ International Dialects of English Archive]
*[http://sounds.bl.uk/BrowseCategory.aspx?category=Accents-and-dialects English Accents and Dialects] Searchable free-access archive of 681 speech samples, England only, wma format with linguistic commentary
*[http://www.phon.ucl.ac.uk/home/estuary/ascherson.htm Britain's crumbling ruling class is losing the accent of authority] An article on the connection of class and accent in the UK, its decline, and the spread of Estuary English
*[http://www.ling.upenn.edu/phonoatlas The Telsur Project] Homepage of the telephone survey of North American English accents
*[http://english.cmu.edu/pittsburghspeech/ Pittsburgh Speech & Society] A site for non-linguists, by [[Barbara Johnstone]] of [[Carnegie Mellon University]]
*[http://www.evolpub.com/Americandialects/PennaDialMap.html Linguistic Geography of Pennsylvania] by Claudio Salvucci
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20150721021703/http://citypaper.net/articles/081497/article008.shtml Phillyspeak] A newspaper article on Philadelphia speech
*[http://www.phon.ucl.ac.uk/home/wells/x202info.htm J.C. Wells' English Accents course] Includes class handouts describing Cockney, Scottish, Australian, and Scouse, among other things.
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20050407232736/http://www.otago.ac.nz/anthropology/Linguistic/Accents.html Evaluating English Accents Worldwide]
*[https://www.pbs.org/speak/ Do You Speak American?] A series of web pages by PBS that attempts to discuss the differences between dialects in the United States
*[http://www.languagebyvideo.com/course.php?level=Advanced&languageId=2 Language by Video] Short videos demonstrating differences in English accents around the world.
*[https://archive.org/details/dialects-english-scots Internet Archive collection on dialects of English and Scots]

{{English dialects by continent}}

[[Category:Dialects of English| Regional accents of English]]
[[Category:English phonology]]
[[Category:Shibboleths]]