Kentish dialect-Cedar Herald Index

The Kentish dialect is a dialect of English spoken in and around the county of Kent in southeast England. Kentish dialect combines many features of other speech patterns, particularly those of East Anglia, the Southern Counties and London.

Description

There are audio examples available on the British Library website and BBC sources, As with many traditional dialects in England, the Kentish dialect has been receding in recent decades. In the 1980s and 1990s, the popular media discussed the spread of so-called Estuary English throughout Kent, as a London-based dialect that was replacing the traditional Kentish speech.

Kentish dialect

The dialect of Kent has had a greater influence on the modern language than many others. When William Caxton invented the printing press, he began the standardisation of the English language; the county had more than its fair share of presses. Consequently, many of the first books to be published were by Kentish writers, and this helped spread Kent dialectal words (e.g. 'abide', 'ruck') to the rest of the country. Printed books also helped standardise spellings; those of writers in the South East often became favoured, which is why the Kentish 'left' superseded other Middle English alternatives for the word, such as 'lift' and 'luft''.

Kentish dialect

Pronunciation

Modern Kentish dialect shares many features with other areas of southeastern England, sometimes collectively called "Estuary English". Other characteristic features are more localised. For instance, some parts of Kent, particularly in the northwest of the county, share many features with broader Cockney.

Kentish dialect

Typical Kentish pronunciation features include the following: Yod-coalescence, the use of the affricates and for the clusters and in words like dune and Tuesday. Thus, the words sound like June and choose day, respectively. Diphthong shifts, the use of open or rounded for in words like pie or the use of for in words like take. A lengthened appears often before voiced consonants, such as in ladder. H-dropping, deleting in stressed words: for hat. It is thought to have first started by Londoners some 300–400 years ago. Vowel shortening in certain words: becomes in words like seen (but not scene, which regularly uses the shifted diphthong ).

Regional variations

Kent is a large county that for centuries was administered as East Kent (men of Kent) from Canterbury and West Kent (Kentish men), parts have become London boroughs.

The dialect varies from rural Rainham to industrial Gillingham, from that of the fishermen of Dungeness to the rural High Weald and Sevenoaks.

The pattern of speech in some of Charles Dickens' books pertain to Kentish dialect, as the author lived at Higham was familiar with the mudflats near Rochester and created a comic character Sam Weller who spoke the local accent, principally Kentish but with strong London influences.

The area around Aylesham in Kent has a completely different dialect, as most of the residents of the area moved from other coalfields to work at the new collieries sunk in Kent during a period when employment in mining had been falling nationally. As the miners came from areas of Scotland, Wales, and Northern and Central England, the dialect in this area has many features from the districts that the miners migrated from.

Dialect words and phrases

Alleycumfee - a non-existent place. Better-most - the best, something superior Cheesy bug - woodlouse Dabster, a dab hand - somebody very skilled at something Fanteeg - to be flustered Ha'ant - "Haven't." For example, "Ha'ant yew sin 'im yet?" Jawsy - a chatterbox March-men - people from the borders of two counties 'Od Rabbit It! - a minced oath Ringle - to put a ring in a pig's nose Scithers - scissors (clippers may have been "clithers.") Tutt - clutter (noun) Twinge - an earwig Wrongtake - to misunderstand Yarping - to complain, applied to children

The following are Kentish words and phrases that will be more familiar to English speakers elsewhere: Addle - to be dazed or confused Allow - to think of, consider or regard Dumbledore - bumblebee Dunes - sand hills or hillocks near the sea Heft - weight Oast - kiln for drying hops Peaky - unwell, ill-looking Pikey - traveller on the turnpike, i.e. a vagabond or ruffian Radical - a troublemaker or rebel.