Telford accent
Encyclopedia
The accent that is spoken in Telford
, England is unique but not dissimilar to accents of the surrounding regions.
Telford speech could essentially be described as a mixture between that of the rest of Shropshire and that of the nearby Black Country region. It can also be described as a variety of Northern English. For those who do not come from or have much background with that part of England, Telford people are often considered to have a Birmingham ('Brummie') accent. However, those from a radius of approximately 30 miles around Telford can usually hear the difference between a Telford and a Birmingham accent.
A characteristic of the Telford accent is the use of ʊ for standard English /ʌ/ in words such as 'butter' and 'cup'. This is also a typical trait of the Black Country accent and can be contrasted with most of Shropshire, where the standard /ʌ/ is either pronounced in the standard way or more like /ə/ (a characteristic of the Welsh accent, Shropshire being next to Wales). Another trait of the Telford accent is the modification of phrases involving the verbs 'to be' or 'to do' + 'not', e.g. standard English 'It isn't worth it' becomes 'It inner worth it'; 'Don't bother' becomes 'Dunner bother'. Other characteristics common to Telford speech are the loss of initial /h/ in words such as 'have' and 'hot', and the use of the glottal stop ʔ for intermedial and final /t/ in words such as 'better' and 'start'. However these two latter traits are common in British English speech as a whole and also depend to some extent on factors on social background.
Some factors easily distinguish Telford speech from that of the nearby Black Country. One of the most obvious is that the diphthong /eɪ/ in words such as 'plate' and 'straight' remains as in standard English [eɪ] in Telford, whereas in the Black Country it is pronounced as [aɪ]. Another factor is the plural formation 'ies', e.g. 'pennies', 'poneys'. This is pronounced as a short [ɪz] in Telford, whereas in the Black Country it is usually pronounced long, as [iːz] or even [əiːz]. In Telford, the short /ɪ/ in words such as 'big' and 'lid' is pronounced as standard, whereas in Black Country English, it is generally pronounced more like an [i] and with the bottom lip raised slightly more.
Telford
Telford is a large new town in the borough of Telford and Wrekin and ceremonial county of Shropshire, England, approximately east of Shrewsbury, and west of Birmingham...
, England is unique but not dissimilar to accents of the surrounding regions.
Telford speech could essentially be described as a mixture between that of the rest of Shropshire and that of the nearby Black Country region. It can also be described as a variety of Northern English. For those who do not come from or have much background with that part of England, Telford people are often considered to have a Birmingham ('Brummie') accent. However, those from a radius of approximately 30 miles around Telford can usually hear the difference between a Telford and a Birmingham accent.
A characteristic of the Telford accent is the use of ʊ for standard English /ʌ/ in words such as 'butter' and 'cup'. This is also a typical trait of the Black Country accent and can be contrasted with most of Shropshire, where the standard /ʌ/ is either pronounced in the standard way or more like /ə/ (a characteristic of the Welsh accent, Shropshire being next to Wales). Another trait of the Telford accent is the modification of phrases involving the verbs 'to be' or 'to do' + 'not', e.g. standard English 'It isn't worth it' becomes 'It inner worth it'; 'Don't bother' becomes 'Dunner bother'. Other characteristics common to Telford speech are the loss of initial /h/ in words such as 'have' and 'hot', and the use of the glottal stop ʔ for intermedial and final /t/ in words such as 'better' and 'start'. However these two latter traits are common in British English speech as a whole and also depend to some extent on factors on social background.
Some factors easily distinguish Telford speech from that of the nearby Black Country. One of the most obvious is that the diphthong /eɪ/ in words such as 'plate' and 'straight' remains as in standard English [eɪ] in Telford, whereas in the Black Country it is pronounced as [aɪ]. Another factor is the plural formation 'ies', e.g. 'pennies', 'poneys'. This is pronounced as a short [ɪz] in Telford, whereas in the Black Country it is usually pronounced long, as [iːz] or even [əiːz]. In Telford, the short /ɪ/ in words such as 'big' and 'lid' is pronounced as standard, whereas in Black Country English, it is generally pronounced more like an [i] and with the bottom lip raised slightly more.