Liverpool Dialect

Scouse

the liverpool accent

Presented by: Tania Zaveriukha, Yuliana Filatova

Scouse dialect

The Scouse accent is highly distinctive; having been influenced heavily by Irish, Norwegian, and Welsh immigrants who arrived via the Liverpool docks, it has little in common with the accents of its neighbouring regions or the rest of England. The accent is named after scouse, a stew eaten by sailors and locals. Liverpool English likely emerged around the mid-19th century after a period of much immigration. A swell of mass migration came to the city post-WWII leading to an influx of Welsh and Irish people, and a big expansion of the Liverpool influence into its hinterland, beginning the city’s close ties with the countries. It won’t come as a surprise to many that the Liverpudlian accent and dialect has been heavily influenced by Irish immigration. An Irish academic in Liverpool recently suggested the city should join Ireland after a survey revealed a vast majority of its residents would willingly leave the UK following Brexit, with the city also sharing close linguistic and cultural ties with the republic.

Scouse dialect

Liverpool English likely emerged around the mid-19th Liverpool was an American port, and with it came a lot of American influences. A lot of Liverpudlian seamen brought the music back with them after they travelled to the States, which influenced the cultural offerings at the time. We can see that of course with The Beatles, among many othersafter a period of much immigration.More often than not, Liverpudlian English is referred to as Scouse, an affectionate nickname for the accent and dialect in and outside the city’s boundaries. As a port city, people might often draw links between the area and Scandinavia, but the word used to define Liverpudlian English had Baltic beginnings

Consonant Sounds

A Scouse accent has three very distinctive consonants: ‘t’s (TAKE WHAT?), ‘k’s (BACKTRACK) and ‘r’s (RARITY). You’ll also find – g-dropping (NOTHIN’ DOIN’), h-dropping (HARD HAT) and plosive ‘th’ sounds (THOSE THINGS).

Consonant Sounds

/θ/ [t̪] /ð/ [d̪]

/k/ [x]

/t/ [h]

/r/ [ɾ]

/t/ [t͡s]

When you say a Scouse ‘r’ it’s pronounced as a voiced tap [ɾ] RING, ARROW, FERRY, RIVAL – the tongue-tip touches the roof of the mouth behind the teeth very quickly

When /k/ appears in the end of a syllable in Scouse, it can be pronounced as a fricative [x] KICK, ROCK, BACKGROUND, BLOKE.

The ‘th’ sounds can be pronounced as a dental [t̪] and [d̪] in Scouse,: THINK, THEATRE, THOSE, BOTHER instead of dental fricatives /θ/ and /ð/

In short words ending /t/ like IT, THAT, NOT the final /t/ can be [h]:

/t/ is pronounced with /s/ to make an affricate [t͡s] in Scouse: TEA, TALK, PART, WITTY.

Vowel Sounds

The clearest feature of Scouse vowel sounds is the front tongue position in BIT, SIR, NO, BAR and WHY. As with other northern accents, there’s no /ʌ/ – so LOVE is made with /ʊ/, and words like BATH have a short /a/.

Vowel Sounds

/əʊ/ [ɒʊ,ɛʊ]

/ʌɪ/ [aɪ], [aː]

/iː/ [ɪi]

/ɪ/

/ɑː/ [aː]

/əː/ [œː]

The vowel sound in BIT, WITH, BUSY is made with the tongue further forward in Scouse. It’s a subtle difference from GB, but it’s a very common vowel sound, so it’s pretty noticeable

In Scouse, this diphthong starts at the front of the mouth FLY, BUY, TIGHT, though if the word ends in a voiced consonant it can also be pronounced [aː] MINE, SIDE, TIMING

Some scousers make this sound starting with the tongue to the back [ɒʊ]: GO, NO, BOAT, ALONE. Others start with the tongue to the front [ɛʊ]: GO, NO, BOAT, ALONE

The vowel sound in BIT, WITH, BUSY is made with the tongue further forward in Scouse. It’s a subtle difference from GB, but it’s a very common vowel sound, so it’s pretty noticeable

In Scouse the long open vowel sound is made with the tongue forward [aː] in HARD, CAR, FATHER, PALM

The vowel sound in BIRD is made with the tongue further forward and the lips a bit rounded in Scouse [œː]: SHIRT, SIR, TURN, WORLD

Scouse sayings and phrases

Busy

Woman

Man

Scouse saying - Lad, la, lid, sconner, fella, kidda, auld fella, our kid, mateAlright, lad, you goin the game (football) later, with your auld fella?

Scouse saying: chocka, chocka block, rammed'Went down The Asda earlier with me bird, proper gutted it was chocka - took us ages to get served, gutted.'

Scouse saying: bird, queen, me ma', mam, me nan, me gran'I'm taking me bird out later for some scran'

Scouse sayings and phrases

Beer

Cigarettes

Avoid

Scouse saying: ale, bevvie, a few scoops, jar'Get the ale in lad, I'm dying for a bevvie.'

Scouse saying: swerve'No fella, swerve The Asda, me mate told us it's chocka.'

Scouse saying: ciggy, bifterHey fella, gotta ciggy?'

Scouse sayings and phrases

Old fashioned

Food

Shoes

Scouse saying: scran.Off to me ma's for tea - she does proper boss scran, y'know.'

Scouse saying: antwacky'Our kid's clobber is proper antwacky.'

Scouse saying: trabs, trainees, webbs. 'Got these boss new trabs off me ma' for Christmas.'

Comma gets a cure

Well, here's a story for you: Sarah was a nurse who had been working in a deserted district of the territory, so she was very happy to start a new job at a superb private practice in North Square near the Duke Street Tower. On her first morning she washed her face, put on a plain white dress and a fleece jacket, picked up her kit and headed for work. When she got there, there was a woman with a goose waiting for her. The woman gave Sarah an official letter from the vet. The letter implied that the animal could be suffering from a rare form of foot and mouth disease, which was surprising, because normally you would only expect to see it in a goat. Sarah was sentimental, so this made her feel sorry for the bird. The goose began to strut around the office like a lunatic, which made an unsanitary mess. The goose's owner, Mary Harrison, kept calling, "Comma, Comma," which Sarah thought was an odd choice for a name. Comma was strong and huge, so it would take some force to trap her, but Sarah managed by gently stroking the goose's lower back with her palm,and singing to her. All efforts were not futile. Very soon Comma began to tire, so Sarah gave her a relaxing bath. Almost immediately Sarah, remembered an effective treatment that required her to measure out a lot of medicine. The treatment was very expensive, but Mrs. Harrison—a millionaire lawyer— thought it was a fair price for a cure.

Speak like a Scouser

Gobshite – Big mouth, talking a lot of nonsense Boss – Good stuff, amazing, that’s the best thing I’ve ever seen (depending on intonation) La – Love, a term of affection Gegging – Getting involved when you’re not invited; eavesdropping Sound – See “Boss” Devvoed – Devastated, gutted Chocka – Packed Cob on – Moody, mardy

Scouse dialect

The Scouse dialect is still developing, teenagers speak very differently to their grandparents, in part taking bits of Estuary English prevalent on television and radio, and in some ways mimicking the Brookside sound.

Test

When did the dialect appear?

mid-17th century

mid-18th century

VS

mid-19th century

20th century

How many distinctive consanants does Scouse accent have?

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Which position of the tongue is used in Scouse accent?

Middle

Front

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Back

Scouse's synonims of "man"

bird, queen,me ma'

Lad, la,lid,sconner, fella

VS

choka,rammed,

ale, bevvie, a few scoops, jar

Who influenced the development of the accent?

immigrants from Canada and Australia

immigrants from Ireland, Wales and Norway

travelling sailors

American tourists

Thank you!