XVI Международная студенческая научная конференция Студенческий научный форум - 2024

Manchester accent

This publication examines the geographical description of the Manchester accent, the history of its origin and development, the distinctive features of the accent of both vowels and consonants, distinctive features at the super-segmental level and stereotypes of perception of the Manchester accent.

Keywords: accent, pronounced, pronunciation, Mancunians, Manchester, Manchester accent.

The Manchester accent is mainly spoken in the city of Manchester and its surrounding areas in the North West of England. It is also commonly recognized as the Mancunian accent, derived from the demonym for the people of the city, "Mancunians." The Manchester accent has evolved from the merging of various regional dialects over the centuries. The industrial revolution and immigration have also played a significant role in shaping the accent, giving it a unique blend of influences from different communities.The dialect itself is more distinctive than many people realise. It is quite noticeably different from the accent spoken in adjacent towns such as Bolton, Oldham, Rochdale and Wigan despite them being within Greater Manchester. The Mancunian accent is less dialect-heavy than neighbouring Lancashire and Cheshire accents, although words such as owt (meaning 'anything') and nowt (meaning 'nothing') remain part of the Mancunian vocabulary. The dialect is distinguishable from other Northern English dialects. A major feature of the Mancunian accent is the over-enunciation of vowel sounds when compared to the flattened sounds of neighbouring areas. Manchester received a large number of immigrants during the Industrial Revolution, notably from Ireland, which apparently has affected the accent of the city creating a sound different to immediately neighbouring areas.

Distinctive Features of Vowels:

The unstressed vowel system of Manchester, i.e., the final vowels in words such as happY and lettER, is often commented on by outsiders. Phonetically, both vowels are lowered and backed. This means that the final vowel in happY sounds most like the vowel in DRESS (rather than the vowel in KIT, as in many other Northern accents, or the vowel in FLEECE, as in many Southern English accents), and the final vowel in lettER is often perceived as being similar to the vowel in LOT (although this has been found to be a slight exaggeration of the true pronunciation). The GOAT and GOOSE vowels show socioeconomic variation in Manchester but in different directions. A fronter GOAT vowel is positively correlated with higher social classes whereas GOOSE is stable across all social classes except before /l/, where a fronter GOOSE is correlated with lower social classes. [5]

The [a:] sound in words like "bath" and "grass" is pronounced more prominently. [4]

The pronunciation of [o] in words like "home" and "phone" sounds more like "ohm" and "fohn." [5]

The [e] sound in words like "best" and "bed" is pronounced more like "a." [5]

Distinctive Features of Consonants:

Traditionally, the Manchester area was known for glottal reinforcement of the consonants /k, t, p/, similar to modern speech in the northeast of England. More recent research has found that /t/ most often undergoes full glottal replacement, being realised as a glottal stop [ʔ] rather than as an alveolar plosive with glottal fortification [ʔt], in a process known as t-glottalisation. [1]

The city of Manchester and most other areas of Greater Manchester, such as Stockport and Wigan, are non-rhotic, meaning [r] is not pronounced unless followed by a vowel. A few parts of Greater Manchester north of the city proper, for example Rochdale and Oldham, may exhibit some residual rhoticity, though this has been continuously declining due to non-rhoticity now spanning the bulk of urban Lancashire [1]

The [Ɵ] sound is often pronounced as [f] or [v] as in "think" becoming "fink" and "this" becoming "vis." [4]

The [t] sound may be pronounced as [ch] such as in "water" becoming "wacher." [5]

H-dropping, i.e. the omission of the sound /h/ (e.g. pronouncing head as [ɛd] rather than [hɛd]), is common in speakers of Manchester English, especially among the working class population. In this case, you would pronounce ‘happy’ as ‘-appy’ and ‘-appenin’ as ‘happening.’ [5]

A further trait of Manchester English, especially among younger residents, is the pronunciation of /s/ before /tɹ, tj, tʃ/ as [ʃ] in words such as street, district, stupid, moisture and mischief. This is a phenomenon known as /s/-retraction and is also found in various other varieties of English [4].

Suprasegmental Features:

Suprasegmental features are not distinct in the Manchester accent; however, there may be variations in intonation, stress, and rhythm within different sub-dialects of the Mancunian accent.

Stereotypes of Perception:

The Manchester accent is generally associated with traits such as friendliness, warmth, and a no-nonsense attitude. It is often used in media to portray characters who are down-to-earth, genuine, and hardworking.

In conclusion, the Manchester accent is a vibrant and unique part of the rich tapestry of English dialects. Its distinct phonological features and historical evolution make it an intriguing subject for linguistic study and cultural appreciation.

Списоклитературы

1. “Bias against working-class and regional accents has not gone away, report finds”, The Guardian, 3 November 2022.

2. Cambridge online dictionary URL: https://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/ (date of access 16.12.2023).

3. Oxford online dictionary URL: https://www.oxfordlearnersdictionaries.com/ (date of access 16.12.2023).

4. Wells, John C. (1982), Accents of English, Vol. 2: The British Isles (pp. i–xx, 279–466), Cambridge University Press, ISBN 0-52128540-2

5. Turton, Danielle; Ramsammy, Michael (2012), "/ɪ, ə/-lowering in Manchest[ʌ]: contextual patterns of gradient and categorical variabilit[ɛ̈]", The 20th Manchester Phonology Meeting, Manchester: University of Manchester

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