Northern and Southern English Dialects and Accents Compared from Geographical, Linguistic and Social Point of View by Example of the Cockney English, Estuary English, Tyneside and Yorkshire Dialects and Accents

Abstract

The aim of this bachelor thesis is to geographically, linguistically and socially compare the two southern dialects of Cockney English (CE) and Estuary English (EE) with the two northern dialects of Tyneside and Yorkshire. This thesis is structured into three major sections. The first part puts forward fundamental information concerning the history of the English language in England, including the development of English accents and dialects. In the second part, the concept of varieties and accents as well as their division will be introduced and the concept of modern English dialects will be highlighted. This encompasses a description of major pronunciation features of English dialects. The third part constitutes of a comparison of the Cockney English (CE), Estuary English (EE), Yorkshire and Tyneside dialects from a geographical, linguistic and social point of view. The goal of the thesis is to introduce and explain similarities and differences in the selected dialects and to refute or validate social assumptions with the concept of northern and southern English dialects.