The longer I have been in England and the more British people I have met, the more I have realized them saying what in America people would consider "southern" words and phrases. For example, I have heard many British people say "reckon", which in America is used primarily by very Southern people.
While walking around looking for somewhere to eat with my friend I saw a sign outside a restaurant called Zizzis that said "ZIZZIS IN THE HOUSE, YALL". Seeing that, I wasn't sure if the restaurant was making fun of Americans or if it was ever used ove here.
At a pub a few nights ago, I was speaking with some newly acquired British friends and the word y'all slipped from my mouth. They started busting out laughing saying how "cute" it was to hear someone say y'all. This lead me to realize the sign outside of Zizzis had to mean something else. It is just very interesting that although both countries speak English, how different it really can be.
What I find most interesting is how specific some British dialects are. It seems in America that we only have a few different ones, but every city in England appears to have its own style. I was in Liverpool last weekend and it was near impossible to understand what they were saying. Around London though it is pretty easy to distinguish what the English are saying.
ReplyDeleteFor me, traveling has further made me realize that how you speak truly indicates not only what country you are from, but also where in your country you are from and also possibly your economic status. In Germany, for example, you can easily distinguish the “country” German tongue. German people told me that type of accent connotes not only where they are from but also that they are of a lower economic status. I have heard similar comments from British people about accents signaling they are from Liverpool. I noticed the sign outside Zizzis too, Bonnie, and I wonder if they purposefully are trying to display a “country” connotation. Dialect is a significant part of communication that definitely leaks into advertising/ PR.
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