Did you know that Yorkshire dialect is different from that of London as Texan is to New Jersey? That lovely phrase is from Elizabeth Ellen Carter, good friend and wonderful writer of romance. Obviously this post is aimed at those of us in the USA. Even those in the Antipodes like Ms. Carter are more likely to be tuned into Brit Speak than we are, though we love our historical romance set in England.
I did know suspect that actually. Accents and dialect in Britain are much more varied and local than those in the U.S. That’s why I tend to avoid writing in dialect. It is bound to come off fake, and besides, I find too much of it in a book to be extremely annoying.
In the off chance we might need to use a phrase or two, however, Elizabeth pointed some of us to this marvelous site: http://britishslang.co.uk/ The local collections in the right side menu are particularly fun.
ar, reckon thass a good’un, mor, du thass in moi nat’v. [Suffolk; yes, that is well done, ma’am, because it’s in my native dialect]
I pester friends from different parts of Europe to speak to me, and correct me, so I can use other dialects. having a quick ear is handy; I was teased unmercifully when I came back from four days in Florence for having a Tuscan accent. And remember, class matters too- a wealthy Parisienne aristo is not going to speak in the truncated, grunting tones of the sans-culotte common still in Paris, which my son does so beautifully and which I don’t even try.
When we were stationed at RAF Alconbury in the UK, my husband’s secretary was from Yorkshire. He called his office when we landed in the country to report that we would be there soon. When he joined me in the passenger lounge, I asked if he had been able to get a call through (before cell phones). He said, “I think so. Her accent was pretty thick. Scottish, I think.”