Dialect Worksheets

Related ELA Standard: L.5.3.B

Core Standard
Answer Keys Here

At last count, there were just over 7,000 spoken languages across the world. Our culture and the people that immersed in it tend to influence how we do things. It stands to reason that our spoken language would be influenced by this same culture. When a particular form of a language can be attributed to geographic region or social group, we call this a dialect. In North America, we can easily identify the English and Australian dialects as being different from American English. Dialects are not just how pronunciate the words, but also includes different vocabulary words and grammatical choices. It is estimated that there are 160 different dialects of spoken English across the world. These worksheets will help students learn to identify dialects and the choice of words that can be used.

Dialect Worksheets To Print:

Pros and Cons - What are the benefits and risks of of writing in this way?

Ethan Frome - What are some examples of words or phrases in the passage above that may be regional in nature?

Confusion In the Air - Differentiate between these commonly confused concepts.

Is it True? - Answer this series of true or false questions on this topic.

Complete Thoughts... - You will use a word bank to complete all of your thoughts.

Jim and Huck - Find an example of focused vernacular use in the assigned text and write it below. Then rewrite the selected passage in standard English.

Accent? - The sentences are from Thomas Hardy's novel Tess of D'Urbervilles. Read each sentence and see what you recognize.

What a Character! - Choose one of the characters and describe them. Use text evidence to support your description.

Be the Interpreter - Fill out the rest of the table for each word or phrase you enter. The first one has been done for you.

Using It For Characterization - Choose one of the situations and write a brief dialogue in which one of the characters speaks in dialect.

Use the Novels - You will choose a novel and describe how the use of cultural focused words and phrases contributes to the overall effect.

A Clockwork Orange - You will breakdown several uses and how the story takes a twist.

Appropriate? - When it is NOT appropriate or effective?

Dialect vs. Vernacular - We compare and contrast the uses of these concepts.

Examples - You can use this to pick apart just about any text.

What Are the Dialects of English?

Dialect is one of those terms that nearly everyone believes they understand, but it's more difficult to comprehend in reality. Starting with a basic definition, a dialect is any language variation distinguished from others by specific linguistic characteristics. Interestingly, such a variation may be connected with a certain location and area or associated with a specific social group. In simple words, it is a form of language spoken in a certain region of the country or by a specific group of people.

 

Dialect vs. Accent

Accent and dialect are the most distinct elements of the English language, with some overlaps between the two. When speaking English, it is possible to hear an American, British, or Australian accent—an inflection that occurs with word pronunciation. However, the term "dialect" refers to more than just pronunciation. It is a set of words or methods of speaking that are wholly distinct from one another. Here are some examples to clear any doubts.

 

Dialect: A Northern American might use the word "hello" to greet fellows or strangers, while a Southern American might just say, "howdy."

 

Accent: A Native American would say the word "hello" by making the "h" sound prominent; however, a Britisher might say "hello" without using the "h" sound.

 

Most Common Dialects in the English Language

With approximately 350 million native speakers, English is the third most widely spoken language globally-determined by the number of individuals who speak English as a second or third language, which is estimated to be around 700 million people - more than double the number of native speakers. However, English is far more than simply the language used in Britain and the United States: it is spoken in dozens of other significant dialects worldwide. Some of the more regular ones are listed below in alphabetical order.

 

- American (Americas)
- Australian (Oceania)
- British (Europe)
- Canadian (Americas)
- Irish (Europe)
- Indian (Asia)
- New Zealand (Oceania)
- South African (Africa)

 

Dialects in Literature

For some authors, it is important to make their characters seem authentic; therefore, they use dialect to compose dialogue particular to the character's geographical location. Pygmalion, by George Bernard Shaw, is a good example of this. A Cockney girl is "adopted" by a gentleman who attempts to alter her speech to conform to Standard British English. Some people find this play difficult to understand due to the unfamiliarity with the Cockney dialect. However, this dialect is the soul of Pygmalion, and it would be completely useless if the playwork had not been written in Cockney.

 

This huge spectrum of dialects spoken throughout the globe is expected to emerge due to increased global exposure and the use of digital resources to learn more about the world. From London to New York, Cape Town, Sydney, and Mumbai, unique English dialects may be found worldwide. However, regardless of whatever dialect you choose to study, taking lessons from a native English speaker is your best bet if you want to push your language proficiency to the next level.