The Cardiff accent, also known as Cardiff English,[1] is the regional accent of English, and a variety of Welsh English, as spoken in and around the city of Cardiff, and is somewhat distinctive in Wales, compared with other Welsh accents.[2] Its pitch is described as somewhat lower than that of Received Pronunciation, whereas its intonation is closer to dialects of England rather than Wales.[3]
It is estimated that around 500,000 people speak Cardiff English. The accent is generally limited to inside the city's northern boundary, rather than the nearby South Wales Valleys where the spoken variety of English is different. However, the accent area spreads east and west of the city's political borders, covering much of the former counties of South Glamorgan and south-west Gwent, including Newport and coastal Monmouthshire.[4][5]
The dialect developed distinctively as the city grew in the nineteenth century, with an influx of migrants from different parts of Britain and further afield. The Cardiff accent and vocabulary has been influenced in particular by those who moved there from the English Midlands, the West Country, other parts of Wales, and Ireland.[6] The Survey of English Dialects did not cover Cardiff but it did survey nearby Newport and six small villages in Monmouthshire.
- ^ Bolton & Kachru (2006).
- ^ BBC (August 2009). "Real Kairdiff". BBC – South East Wales Voices. BBC. Archived from the original on 19 March 2011.
- ^ Collins & Mees (1990), p. 99.
- ^ Collins & Mees (1990), p. 87.
- ^ Lewis, Jack Windsor. "The Roots of Cardiff English". Retrieved 8 April 2010.
- ^ Cite error: The named reference
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