AH Challenge: British Colony With Northern or Midland English Influenced Accent.

[Mark-ITSOT]

Despite the fact that many thousands of people from north of the Watford Gap also emigrated to the UK's various colonies throughout history, it's hard to think of a single one where there's any trace of a non southern English accent, whether it be the modified West Country twang of the North Americans or the Cockneyesque of the Antiipodeans. The only exceptions seem to be Scottish and Irish accents.

So. The challenge is simple. A colony that grows into a state where the people sound vaguely like they're from Yorkshire, Lancashire, the North East or the West or East Midlands.

It doesn't necessarily have to be a separate country.

[Lugal]

It's difficult because London, as the capital, will give the southern dialects prestige that the Northern ones don't have.

The colonists will imitate the "proper" speech of London, which the people of the US did even after the revolution. Which is why in the east coast US cities, all of them except Philadelphia, dropped their R's.

[Mark-ITSOT]

I think you've just asked Thande to beat you up



Run. While there's still time

[Lugal]

Originally Posted by Mark-ITSOT

I think you've just asked Thande to beat you up



Run. While there's still time

Crap! I knew I should ahve put quotes around that "proper speech" line.

[Mark-ITSOT]

I think you may have saved yourself

[Jord839]

Originally Posted by Lugal

It's difficult because London, as the capital, will give the southern dialects prestige that the Northern ones don't have.

The colonists will imitate the "proper" speech of London, which the people of the US did even after the revolution. Which is why in the east coast US cities, all of them except Philadelphia, dropped their R's.

What "All of them" are you talking now? Because I've not run into anything remotely like a British accent on the east coast, well maybe Boston. Although, even Boston doesn't really drop their r's that much, or at least not as much as we like to mock them for.

Unless you're talking about earlier times, and I'm being overly literal, then yes, the east coast had a very british-y accent(eg, FDR)

[Lugal]

Originally Posted by Jord839

What "All of them" are you talking now? Because I've not run into anything remotely like a British accent on the east coast, well maybe Boston. Although, even Boston doesn't really drop their r's that much, or at least not as much as we like to mock them for.

Unless you're talking about earlier times, and I'm being overly literal, then yes, the east coast had a very british-y accent(eg, FDR)

I am talking about earlier times, probably the first 50 years or so after the Revolution. And it's not a British accent, just a dropping of Rs (Non-rhotic if you want to get technical). Think of how they say "Hahvahd", "Noo Yawk" and the old stereotypical Southerner pronouncing "Sir" as "suh". (And I know this is a generalization and not everyone in those areas talks like that)

Nowadays, the general trend in American English however is rhotic (New England being an exception), while in England (except the West Country) is non-rhotic.

[Nugax]

Well the North had far less people up until the industrial age, and when the industrial age does role around the North booms and no one will be that keen on leaving. Weight of numbers favours the southern coastal regions as accent origin points.

However its still easy enough - just have them institute a policy whereby convicts from certain ports/regions are sent to certain destinations in Australia rather than the jumbling together that occured in the OTL. Thus you'll probably end up with one of the Australian provinces having distinctly Northern (Liverpudlian more likely than not) influnences in their accents. The more isolated the better, so make it a penal colony in West Australia or Tasmania.

[Melvin Loh]

I think the closest you get to northern English-influenced accents would be in the US South, with the Scots-infused Appalachian dialects due to the large Highlander emmigration to NC et al- maybe if somehow there was also a commensurate large Geordie or Scouse or Yorkie outflow to that region, too ?