Kvitka-Osnovianenko Ukrainian Language and Literature Faculty
Department of Practice of English Oral and Written Speech
Year 3
Independent Study. Term II
Module 6. English in the World
Reading
Before reading the text, study the information below:
*English pronunciation is divided into two main accent groups, the rhotic (pronounced /roʊtɪk/) and non-rhotic, depending on when the sound typically represented in spelling with the letter R is pronounced. Rhotic speakers pronounce written /r/ in all positions, while non-rhotic speakers pronounce /r/ only if it is followed by a vowel sound, and not always even then.
**A stative verb describes a state rather than an action or event, and is not usually used in progressive forms, for example 'belong' in the sentence 'this book belongs to me'.
Scottish English
The type of English spoken in Scotland is more difficult to define than elsewhere in the UK. From the time of the Union of Parliaments in 1707, the official written language of Scotland became aligned with that of England. As such, Standard English has been used as the language of religion, education and government and so it became the socially prestigious form adopted by the aspiring middle classes. Unlike in England, however, Standard English continued to be spoken with a variety of local accents. RP has a negligible presence in Scotland (unlike Wales, for example, where it retains a certain degree of prestige in some areas). This means that even the most socially prestigious forms of English spoken in Scotland contain elements that are characteristically Scottish.
Alongside Standard Scottish English, the local vernacular language, Scots, a dialect descended from Old English and closely related to Northumbrian dialects has maintained a strong presence, especially in rural communities. There has been heated debate among linguists for many years as to whether Scots constitutes a dialect or a distinct language in its own right. It has recently been officially classified as a ‘traditional language’ by the Scottish Executive and recognized by the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages, but even in Scotland experts remain divided over the issue. Whatever its status — language or dialect — large numbers of speakers would certainly claim to speak Scots, not English. Indeed Scots boasts a literary tradition dating back long before Robert Burns in the eighteenth century and still thriving today, as demonstrated by contemporary authors such as Irvine Welsh.
Vocabulary. Scottish English has a number of lexical items which are rare in Southern British English (and possibly other forms of Standard English). General items are outwith, meaning "outside of"; wee, the Scots word for small; pinkie for little finger and janitor for caretaker. Examples of culturally specific items are caber, haggis, and landward for rural.
There is a wide range of (often anglicized) legal and administrative vocabulary inherited from Scots, e.g., depute /ˈdɛpjut/ for deputy, proven /ˈproːvən/ for proved, and sheriff substitute for acting sheriff.
Often, lexical differences between Scottish English and Southern Standard English are simply differences in the distribution of shared lexis, such as stay for "live" (as in: where do you stay?); doubt for "think the worst" (I doubt it will rain meaning "I fear that it will rain" instead of the standard English meaning "I think it unlikely that it will rain"). Correct is often preferred to right (meaning "morally right" or "just") when the speaker means "factually accurate".
Phonology. While pronunciation features vary among speakers (depending on region and social status), there are a number of phonological aspects characteristic of Scottish English:
Scottish English is a rhotic accent.
While other dialects have merged /ɛ/, /ɪ/, /ʌ/ before /r/, Scottish English makes a distinction between the vowels in herd, bird, and curd.
Many varieties contrast /o/ and /ɔ/ before /r/ so that hoarse and horse are pronounced differently.
Cot and caught are not differentiated as in some other dialects.
In most varieties, there is no /æ/:/ɑ:/ distinction; therefore, bath, trap, and palm have the same vowel; cat and cart are distinguished only by means of the r; and marry rhymes with starry.
/θs/ is often used in plural nouns where southern English has /ðz/ (baths, youths, etc); with and booth are pronounced with θ.
Grammar. Syntactical differences are few though the progressive verb forms are used rather more frequently than in other varieties of Standard English, for example with some stative verbs (I'm wanting a drink). The future progressive frequently implies an assumption (You'll be coming from Glasgow). “I’ve not heard” is often used for “I haven’t heard”. Prepositions are used differently. The compound preposition off of is often used parallel to English into (Take that off of the table).