BBN-ANG 271 Cultural Studies UK – Language Rachel Appleby 1

1. History of English Use  the  space(s)  on  

these  pages  to  add  
A) ORIGINS AND OLD ENGLISH details  from  the  
lecture,  and  
449: Germanic tribes arrive in Britain (Angles, Saxons, Jutes) – ‘the three most powerpoint  slides!  
formidable races of Germany’ (Bede *, The Ecclesiastical History of the English
Nation. c.730).
Britain at the time:
-­‐ total population: approx. half a million / 500,000
-­‐ heterogeneous society – people of mixed ethnic origins living in scattered small communities
-­‐ many local dialects.

The Germanic tribes (Angles, Saxons and Jutes), which were each ethnically mixed, moved
westwards; the developing relationships between the British and the Anglo-Saxons is detectable in
place names, mostly in the west but there is a presence of Celtic names in the east as well (Thames,
London, Dover, Kent).
Celtic place names: Avon, Leeds, Exe, Severn
Celtic compounds in place names, relating to geographical features (farm, hill, lake, village)
lin- = “………..”, e.g. Lincoln -ham = “………….”, e.g. Weaverham
pen- = “…….……”, e.g. Penzance -ton = “……………..”, e.g. Luton

By 700AD: seven ’kingdoms’, a ‘heptarchy’:

Kent
Sussex
Wessex
Essex
East Anglia
Mercia
Bernicia (= Northumberland)

… and 4 main OLD ENGLISH DIALECTS:

West Saxon (aka “………………..…” )
Kentish
Mercian
Northumbrian

Each of those dialects was associated with an independent kingdom on the island. Of these, all of
Northumbria and most of Mercia were overrun by the Vikings during the 9th century.
From the Jutes are descended the people of Kent and the Isle of Wight and those in the province
of the West Saxons opposite the Isle of Wight who are called the Jutes to this day. From the
Saxons - that is, the country now known as the land of the Old Saxons – came the East, South
and West Saxons. And from the Angles – that is, the country known as Angulus, which lies
between the provinces of the Jutes and Saxons and is said to remain unpopulated to this day –
are descended the East and Middle Angles, the Mercians, all the Northumbrian stock (that is,
those peoples living north of the river Humber), and the other English peoples. (Bede - § below)

Key events c. 600-700 AD:

• Augustine – monk from Rome
• Texts:
o Lindisfarne Gospels; Book of Kells
o Bede: Ecclesiastical History of the English Nation
o Beowulf: “first great epic poem written in the English language” - between 8thC - early 11th.
• The Vikings: invaded approx. 790 AD – bringing with them new languages.
(PTO: Viking words)
BBN-ANG 271 Cultural Studies UK – Language Rachel Appleby 2

New words from the Vikings / ‘Old Norse’

–by (= farm): Rugby –son (= son) e.g. Robinson, Watson
‘sk’ words, e.g. sky, score, skin: (word pairings, e.g. ill / sick, skill / craft / skin / hide)
Despite influx of the invaders’ new words, the most common 100 words in current English are from Old
English (in total, 50%). Three words are from Old Norse: they, their, them. The first listed French word
is at #76: ‘number’

878 AD: unification of the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms by Alfred the Great, - led to a marked decline in the
importance of regional dialects.

B) MIDDLE ENGLISH

1066: Norman invasion: At this time, most people were monolingual, but the invasion had key impacts
on language, with three independent languages in use, and pressure on the French to learn English.
Did William the Conqueror, from Normandy, speak English? ………

With the invasion: the culture of France; the impact of French in new domains, new functions (e.g. law,
architecture, estate management, music, literature): vocabulary, pronunciation, spelling.
What languages were used in these environments? (English, French, Latin)
-­‐ court, aristocracy, clergy, language of the government: …………
-­‐ the church, law, administration, literature: …………..
-­‐ regarded as a second-class language of the subdued, but with a strong oral tradition: …………..

Considerable written literature, e.g. the Anglo-Saxon Chronicles, written in ……………(language)

There were also a small number of Normans in England (approx. 10,000-15,000 Norman soldiers vs.
approx. 1,5 million locals. Led to William the Conqueror’s Doomsday Book] (written in ………….)(lang.)

What was the impact of the following, and why?

(a) The Black Death ………………………………………………………………………
(b) The Printing Press ………………………………………………………………………

How was English promoted by the following?

(a) Henry IV? ………………………………………………………………………
(b) Henry V? ………………………………………………………………………
(c) Chaucer’s The Reeve’s Tale? ……………………………………………………………………

The relationship of the three languages was complex and changing. By the 16th century trilingualism
was restricted to a specialised elite; English began appearing in earlier domains of Latin and French
(e.g. legal, medical, philosophical, literary, parliamentary English).

The population growth at this time led to dialects and regional variations.
In Old English, these had been: which, in Middle English, became:
West Saxon South Western/Southern
Kentish South Eastern
Mercian è East Midlands and West Midlands
Northumbrian Northern

Linguistic fluidity: 25% of the vocabulary at this time is from the French, much of it being brought over
by Eleanor of Aquitaine. All function words were from Old English. The spelling of words was still
undergoing change, and new words were still being brought into the language.
Chaucer chose and tailored his language to suit every story and its teller. In ’The Reeve’s Tale’, the
characters from the South cannot understand easily those from the North.

Key texts in English at this time:

Shakespeare’s plays (with, in total, of some 10,000 new words*), the King James Bible (1611)
* e.g. ‘accommodation’ (Othello), ‘belongings’ (Measure for Measure), ‘drug’ (vb) (Macbeth)
BBN-ANG 271 Cultural Studies UK – Language Rachel Appleby 3

C) STANDARD ENGLISH (18TH CENTURY)

• population growth (in 1550: about 2.5 million; by 1700: about 6 million)
• continuous immigration to London (in 1700: 575,000 people – the largest city in W. Europe)
• urban growth outside London as well
• improved roads and methods of transportation – increasing number of journeys
• different social groups meeting – realisation of different accents/dialects.

Pronunciation
1. There was a growing reliance on English, but still too many variations (even in London);
pronunciation showed a great variety:
Not only the several Towns and Countries of England, have a different way of Pronouncing, but
even here in London, they clip their Words after one Manner about the Court, another in the
City, and a third in the Suburbs. (Jonathan Swift, 1667-1746, Anglo-Irish Essayist, Satirist)

2. Regional varieties (accents, dialects) were, at this time, regarded as inferior:

…the vulgar pronunciation of London, though not half so erroneous as that of Scotland, Ireland,
or any of the provinces, is, to a person of correct taste, a thousand times more offensive and
disgusting. (John Walker, in his ‘Preface’; see below *)

There was a need for some ’standard’; there was also considerable emphasis on social hierarchy
(emergence of the ‘gentry’) in the 18th century: ‘the Age of Learning and Politeness’ (Swift):
My Lord; I do here in the Name of all the Learned and Polite Persons of the Nation, complain to
your Lordship, as First Minister, the our Language is extremely imperfect; that its daily
Improvements are by no means in proportion to its daily Corruptions; and the Pretenders to polish
and refine it, have chiefly multiplied Abuses and Absurdities; and, that in many Instances, it
offends against every Part of Grammar. But lest Your Lordship should think my Censure to be too
severe, I shall take leave to be more particular.
Proposal for Correcting, Improving, & Ascertaining the English Tongue,
In a Letter to the Most Honourable Robert Earl of Oxford and Mortimer, Lord High Treasurer of Great
Britain, Printed from Benjamin Tooke, at the Middle Temple Gate, Fleetstreet, 1712 by Jonathan Swift

’politeness’ was needed in language as well:

I cannot help thinking it a sort of disgrace to our nation, that hitherto we have had no such
standard of our language…The time for discrimination seems to be now come. Toleration,
adoption and naturalization have run their lengths. Good order and authority are now necessary.
(Lord Chesterfield)

Progress towards language standardisation – 3 equally important areas:

VOCABULARY: Dr Johnson, Dictionary of the English Language (1747) (incl literary quotations)
GRAMMAR: Robert Lowth, Short Introduction to English Grammar (1762)
Lindley, Murray, English Grammar, adapted to the different classes of learners; with an
Appendix, containing Rules and Observations for Promoting Perspicuity in Speaking and
Writing (1795)
PRONUNCIATION: John Walker *, A Critical Pronouncing Dictionary and Expositor of the English
Language: to which are prefixed, Principles of English Pronunciation: Rules to be Observed by the
Natives of Scotland, Ireland, and London, for Avoiding their Respective Peculiarities; and Directions to
Foreigners for Acquiring a Knowledge of the Use of this Dictionary. The Whole Interspersed with
Observations Etymological, Critical, and Grammatical (1791)

D) MODERN ENGLISH (19TH CENTURY)

by 1800: Britain was the world’s leading industrial and trading nation
Industrial Revolution – most innovations were of British origin
Linguistic consequences: huge vocabulary expansion
grammar (less conspicuous)
pronunciation – ’RP’ was born (Alexander Ellis, On Early English Pronunciation [1868-89] )
BBN-ANG 271 Cultural Studies UK – Language Rachel Appleby 4

E) TODAY
• constant change
• ’lingua franca’ – endless varieties
• immigrants’ influence
• variations ‘within’ the individual
• RP spoken by 2-3% only, and also changing: RP also changing: 1960s: ’conservative’,
’general/mainstream’, ’advanced’ RP’; later ’modified’ RP (= regional colouring);
RP now is regarded as ’posh’ and ’distant’, but is still alive and well!.

Food for thought (recent phenomena):

• emails (’Netspeak’): § David Lodge, Thinks
• blogs (Sarah Boxer: Ultimate Blogs)
• text messages (e.g. imnsho; cul8r; missing punctuation; deliberate misspellings etc.)

2. Varieties of English Dialect vs accent (which is which?!)

Dialect = differences in pronunciation
Accent = differences in words and grammar, as well as pronunciation

When analysing spoken English, the following can be considered:

WHERE regional
WHEN register (field, mode, tenor)
HOW written vs oral; formal vs informal
WHO profession
ethnic background
age (see Henry James, The Awkward Age (1899))
gender (see compulsory reading!)
cultural background (e.g. business)
class

3. CLASS ’Us’ and ’Them’ Britain – is often regarded as a ‘class-ridden society’:

Usual indicators of class:
• address / occupation
• education (school tie!)
• accent (unchanging aspect)

but, …
Malcolm Bradbury (1932-2000): English author and academic; satirist
A gentleman either is, or is not. And one does not show it by display but
by lack of it. It is only the socially uneasy – the nouveau riche, and
Americans – who need such trumpery, for a gentleman may live in a hovel
but everyone knows from his cultivation (centuries of training) and his
manners (centuries of personal relationships, an important point because,
up to the nineteenth century, only the upper classes had personal
relationships) and his accent (centuries of pronouncing things) that he was
a gentleman. (Malcolm Bradbury, All Dressed Up and Nowhere to Go,
1982) [RA: my bold / underlining]
So – according to Malcolm Bradbury, can you tell from someone’s address
what class they belong to? …..

The middle classes

upper
- higher professionals (e.g. …………………, ………………, architects, business executives)
- salaried professionals - ’the Salatariat’ (e.g. ………………, local government officials,
…………….…..)
lower
- routine white collar workers (e.g. ……………………. )
- the self-employed (small businessmen, shopkeepers)
BBN-ANG 271 Cultural Studies UK – Language Rachel Appleby 5

The working class: The representation of work used to be taboo, but here Silitoe makes working life /
the working classes the subject of his novel. (The film, dir. Karel Reisz, is a very good watch).

Extract: Alan Sillitoe, Saturday Night and Sunday Morning (1958)

’Mostly I’m lucky and all. But sometimes I get a smack between my eyes. Not often though. So I’m
superstitious and I believe in luck.’
’You was only telling me you believed in communism the other week,’ Jack said reproachfully, ’and now you
talk about luck and superstition. The comrades wouldn’t like that,’ he ended with a dry laugh.
’I said I was as good as anybody else in the world, din’t I…And I mean it. Do you think if I won the football
pools I’d gi’ yo’ a penny on it? Or gi’ anybody else owt? Not likely. I’d keep it all mysen, except for seeing my
family right. I’d buy ’em a house and set ’em up for life, but anybody else could whistle for it. I’ve ’eard that
blokes as win football pools get thousands o’ beggin’ letters, but yer know what I’d do if I got ’em? I’ll tell yer
what I’d do: I’d mek a bonfire of ’em.’ (p.35)

(=Northern Accent .. more on accents later)

4. Beauties and subtleties

a. polite indirectness
b. understatement
c. euphemisms, based on:
body and bodily functions death
nudity sex
drinking politics/bureaucracy
illness crime/punishment
..... and the seven deadly sins: avarice, envy, gluttony, lust, pride, sloth, wrath
d. idioms

a. Political indirectness / correctness

Task: Match the ‘politically’ correct phrase with its literal meaning

‘politically’ correct phrase literal meaning

1 To be economic with the truth a unemployed
2 To be between jobs b short, i.e. not tall
3 Financially embarrassed c without money
4 Vertically challenged d a rubbish collector
5 A waste disposal expert e to lie

b. Understatement - is a form of speech which contains an expression of less strength than would be
expected; typical of many in Britain, e.g. saying:

• "We've had a little rain," when the neighborhood is flooded.

• "It's just a scratch," when there is a huge dent in the car.
• “Yeah, I had a pretty good day, considering I won the lottery.”

c. Task: Match the euphemism to its meaning:

Euphemism Meaning
1 the economically disadvantaged a able to eat large quantities
2 a French letter b mean; not generous
3 to have hollow legs c poor people
4 (to be) a scrooge d (slang for) a condom / contraceptive

d. Idiom ’a phrase/sentence whose meaning is not clear from the meaning of its individual words and
which must be learnt as a whole unit’ (Oxford English Dictionary)
BBN-ANG 271 Cultural Studies UK – Language Rachel Appleby 6

Task: Match these Shakespearean idioms to their meanings.

1. All that glitters is not gold (Merchant of Venice) ………
2. It’s all Greek to me (Julius Caesar) ………
3. To play fast (= tight) and loose (King John / Love’s Labour’s Lost) ………
a. I don’t understand anything
b. a showy article may not necessarily be valuable
c. to act or live without care or thought

SPORTS IDIOMS: Tasks:

(i) Decide if the following idioms relate to tennis (T), football (F), cricket (C) or boxing (B) (2 for each).
(ii) Then decide what each means. The first is done for you.
1. It’s not cricket (C) = It’s not fair
2. Saved by the bell– ( … ); …….
3. The ball’s in your court ( … ); …….
4. Throw in the towel ( … ); …….
5. To be on a sticky wicket ( … ); …….
6. To keep your eye on the ball ( … ); ..
7. To kick off ( … ); …….
8. To move the goalposts ( … ); …….
a. It's up to you to decide or take the next step.
b. It’s not fair. √
c. Saved by the timely intervention of someone or something
d. Stay focused
e. Surrender, admit defeat
f. The situation is difficult.
g. To change the rules in a situation in a way that is not fair, usually in order to make it more
difficult for someone to achieve something
h. To start

Contemporary vocabulary items:

• defriend (vb) – ‘drop’ a contact on facebook (2010)
• staycation – money-saving holiday at home
• word of finger – word of mouth, digital age
• group hug – people gathering to hug each other for support (2012)
• selfie – a self-taken picture of oneself (2013)
• twerking – sexually provocative dancing
• WDYT – what do you think? (2014)
• YOLO – you only live once
• second-screening – using a mobile device while watching TV apps

Conclusions
The more linguistic choice we command, the more we find ourselves able to act appropriately as
we move from one social occasion to another. It is obvious that anyone who lacks the ability to
express English formally, with control and precision, is at a serious disadvantage in modern
society. But the opposite also applies: anyone who lacks the ability to handle the informal range
of English usage is seriously disadvantaged, too. (David Crystal)

COMPULSORY READING:
Montgomery, M. & H. Reid-Thomas (1994). Language and Social Life. The British Council. (pp. 28-36)

Recommended reading: Crystal, David (2005). The Stories of English. London: Penguin.
Boxer, Sarah (2008). ’Blogs’ The New York Review of Books, Volume 55, Number 2
Personal recommendations: Bill Bryson: Mother Tongue (1990). Penguin
Melvyn Bragg: The Adventures of English (2003). Sceptre Publishing
Robert McCrum: How English became the World’s Language. (2010). Viking
The 21st Century Flux – Disraeli – youtube link
For fun: http://www.brightonsbm.com/infographic-english-language-history.html
BBN-ANG 271 Cultural Studies UK – Language Rachel Appleby 7

ACCENTS / DIALECTS

Cockneys: …………………., ……………………., ………………………, …………………….,

Typical features of COCKNEY
• The last syllable of words like comma, letter cheetah - pronounced [ɐ]
• ‘th’ /θ/ can become /f/ /mɛfs/ maths ; /ð/ = /v/ anywhere exc. word-initially (brother)
• no ‘h’-s / “ ’Arry ‘asn’t got any ‘elp ”
• ‘o’ to ‘a’ /ae/ London
• coat /au/
• town /au e/ ‘out’
• saw / diphthong /ɔ:/ = /ɔ:e/
• /l/ Millwall = dark ‘L’
• salt + sort / like + light = homophones (?)
• my Äme e.g. “It’s me book you got ‘ere.”
• double negatives: “I don’t see nothing.”
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Uz9_YfIQaz4 01:02 Heineken ad.; MyFairLady – Cockney

Michael Caine: ‘The Dark Knight’ (Inception / Batman Begins / The Quiet American / Educating Rita)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JRmDb6Txrtw&feature=PlayList&p=1F110E356094AE57&playnext_f
rom=PL&playnext=1&index=6 01:48 – 02:58 “ALFRED: Did you get mauled by a tiger? …”
script at http://warnerbros2008.warnerbros.com/assets/images/TheDarkKnight_Script.pdf

David Beckham context: Interview - Manchester United vs AC Milan (4-0) 10 3 2010

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U1TD7jYyCrA 00:00 – 01.27

I: David, give us the Milan perspective on the game, please.

DB: Um I think you know we played really well in the first half, and I think obviously, going .. we had
three really good chances, and if we’d‘ve put them away, obviously it would have been a different
game, but you have to put those chances away, especially a team like Manchester United, and a
player, you know, like Wazza (= Wayne Rooney; after Gazza = Paul Gascoigne) …
Second ‘alf, obviously … the game opened up, and they created a few more chances, and obviously
they put them away. But obviously Clarence getting the goal doesn’t finish the tie-off, so hopefully, you
know, we’ll go to Manchester, it’s going to be a tough game, we know that, but, um, at the end of the
day, it was always going to be a tough game tonight.
I: You said you thought it was likely to be weird and emotional for you. How was it?
DB: It was all right actually. I enjoyed it. You know. The fans were obviously great to me, and a full
house here, it’s always great to play in front of a full stadium. And, er, you know, I enjoyed it, I must
admit.
I: Was it difficult not to celebrate?
DB: No. I think, you know, obviously, I let Ronnie celebrate his goal, and er, you know, but, I knew the
game wasn’t over after obviously the first goal, so, yeah, it’s just one of those things. I enjoyed the
game personally, because you know I was playing in a more mid-field position tonight which I enjoyed,
and er, but disappointing result.

Dizzee Rascal http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tM1XrVVVBAk&feature=related (00.29 – 1.11)

Newsnight Jeremy Paxman: on Obama being elected; Nov 8,’08, the eve of the US Elections

JP: How does it seem to you?

DR: It’s positive. I think. It’s positive because he’s mixed race as well. So he’s an immediate symbol of
unity. And I think, you know what, hip-hop played a big part in this as well. I don’t think he could’ve won
it without hip-hop. Hip-hop is what encouraged the youth to get involved, in making the place better.
And he’s the first president to embrace it.
JP: Specifically, could you see this happening in Britain?
DR: Yeah, in time.
JP: You’re quite positive.
DR: Yeah, man. Why not, man? First time for everything, innit. Everything just takes time, man. If you
believe, you can achieve, innit?
BBN-ANG 271 Cultural Studies UK – Language Rachel Appleby 8

from Liverpool: …………………., ……………………., …………………, …………………….,

LIVERPOOL features of accent

RP English Scouse/ʊ/ as in book /uː/
/ɛəә/ as in square /ɜː/
/bʌtəә/ as in butter /bʊtəә/
/wɝd/ as in word /wɛːd/
The use of the glottal stop e.g. shou(!)ing / out / NB Below “Rita” (!)
The use of me instead of my, - also attributed to Irish English influence.
The use of 'giz' instead of 'give'.
/θ/ becomes /f/ in all places. [θɪnk] becomes [fɪnk] for "think."
/ð/ becomes /v/ in all places except word-initially, in which case it becomes /d/: [ðəәʊ] becomes [dəәʊ] for
though

Julie Walters (Billy Elliott / Harry Potter / Mamma Mia / …)

‘Educating Rita’ http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=smKTxgQp8S0 from … (03:30) ….04:15 – 06:05
http://www.script-o-rama.com/movie_scripts/e/educating-rita-script-transcript-caine.html
Er, come in. / Come in! / For God's sake, come in!
I'm comin' in, aren't I? It’s that stupid bleedin’ handle on the door, you wanna get it fixed.
Er, yes, yes, I meant to.
That’s no good is it, always meaning to, you wanna get on with it, because one of these days you'll be
shouting, "Come in," and it'll go on forever cos the poor sod on the other side won't be able to get in
and you won't be able to get out.
And you are...?
I'm a what?
What?
And you are...? / What is your name?
Me first name?
Well, that would at least constitute some sort of start, wouldn’t it.
Rita.
Rita. Ah. Here we are. Rita? It says here Mrs S White.
Oh, yes, that's S for Susan. That's just me real name.
But I'm not a Susan any more, I've changed me name to Rita. You know, after Rita Mae Brown?
No.
Rita Mae Brown, who wrote Rubyfruit Jungle.
Haven't you read it? It's a fantastic book, you know. Do you wanna lend* it?
Yes, yes. Well, thank you very much.
OK. And what do they call you round here?
Sir. But you may call me Frank.
OK. Frank. // * grammatically incorrect; should be ‘borrow’

Steven Gerrard England Captain; plays for Liverpool; (England out 4-1 against Germany) SG =
captain as Rio Ferdinand = injured; pre England-Hungary match 9 August 2010 (11 Aug: 2-1 to
England) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fgjWhAic-u4&feature=fvst

I: Yday, FC was suggesting he wasn’t quite sure what to do about the mindset of the England players at
the World Cup. As one of the players …... How do you feel about that?
SG: Well, you know, Fabio’s the manager, so erm, I think all the players are going to listen very
carefully to what he’s got to say over the next couple of days and moving forward and taking on board. I
think it was obvious to everyone that it never worked out for us over in the World Cup. So we have to
listen to the man who’s got the experience in these situations and follow his lead.
I: Do you feel he can get England back on track?
SG: Yeah, definitely do. Erm I’ve got big faith in this manager, as I’ve said all along. I mean it’d be very
stupid and naïve not to still have that confidence in moving forward. He’s a fantastic manager. You
know, you can’t just shift all the blame towards the manager in these situations. The players go out
there and cross the white line to perform. So we have to share the blame around, the coaching staff
and the players and take it on the chin together. (= capture / grasp)
BBN-ANG 271 Cultural Studies UK – Language Rachel Appleby 9

Famous Scots: …………………., ……………………., …………………, ……………….,

Typical features of the Scottish accent: Basic /u/ = ü

/ai/ = /ei/
/ei/ = /e/
/i/ = /e/
/əәʊ/ = /ɔ:/
/r/ = pronounced
‘t’ = often a glottal stop
‘wh’ = /hw/

Trainspotting, by Irvine Welsh, based in Edinburgh – drugs and violent crime in Edinburgh; various
incidents in its characters lives
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TG38w9ZUyz8&feature=related
Irvine Welsh reads from TRAINSPOTTING on Prague Writer’s Festival

http://www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice/specials/133_wbc_archive_new/page6.shtml
BBC World Book Club Irvine Welsh, 2:30-3.43 (audio only)

‘Trainspotting’ – FILM: (Danny Boyle – dir.)

Ewan McGregor (Star Wars / The Men Who Stare at Goats / Angles and Demons / …)
brief version 37”: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G1tJJO_pVvQ
Japanese version with subtitles 2’20”:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e0nPXOAREU0&feature=related

EXT. STATION. DAY

SICK BOY Now what?

TOMMY We go for a walk.
SPUD What?
TOMMY A walk.
SPUD But where?
TOMMY There.
SICK BOY Are you serious?
TOMMY Well, what are you waiting for?
SPUD I don't know, Tommy. I don't know if it's... normal.
TOMMY It's the great outdoors.
SICK BOY It's really nice, Tommy. Can we go home now?
TOMMY It's fresh air.
SICK BOY Look, Tommy, we know you're getting a hard time off Lizzy, but there's no need to take it
out on us.
TOMMY Doesn't it make you proud to be Scottish?
RENTON I hate being Scottish. We're the lowest of the f…..g low, the scum of the earth, the most
wretched, servile, miserable, pathetic trash that was ever shat into civilization. Some people hate the
English, but I don't. They're just wankers. We, on the other hand, are colonized by wankers. We can't
even pick a decent culture to be colonized by. We are ruled by effete arseholes. It's a shite state of
affairs and all the fresh air in the world will not make any f……g difference.

***

A BBC website with a map and areas where you can listen to accents from all over the UK:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/voices/recordings/index.shtml
Check some out! Try to find something you can understand and is interesting. Each one is only
about a minute or two, and focuses on a group of people discussing words, accents etc.