Photographs by Dave Kneale - see http://www.davekneale.com/
Manx English: A Phonological Investigation into Levelling from Across the Water
Researcher: Andrew Booth
Institution: University of Westminster
Year of production: 2015 - 2019
If you have any thoughts or questions or are interested in my research, please contact me by email found on the ABOUT ME page. I would love to hear from you.
For newspaper article based on this reseacrh please see iomtoday
What is the Project about?
The project is about listening and understanding the Manx accent today. I will look at changes that are happening within an accent on three different levels. Initially, I will compare variation within the Isle of Man, from down North to up South or out West. Secondly, changes from previous pronunciation to the pronunciation in modern Manx English. And finally, comparing any changes that have happened in Manx English to changes in English across the British Isles. This is all a starting point, who knows where this project will take me....
What is a 'Phonological Investigation'?
I want to be able to record the Manx accent on paper and phonology is about the choice of sounds an accent uses. For example when I say Tuesday in my Welsh accent it may sound to you like 'Tiwsday' while a Manx person may say it differently. I am breaking down each sound within a word and compare it to other pronunciations. For more on this see ACCENT.
What is 'Levelling'?
Dialect levelling is a term created to explain how different accents are merging into one. The UK has become smaller with the advancement of technology and it's easier to listen, see or even interact with people from all over the globe. So in the future will we all be speaking the same English? (I hope not)! I want to find out accents from the UK have influenced Manx English and are taking over accents all over the British Isles.
Why the Isle of Man?
I first visited the Isle of Man 10 years ago and fell in love with the sheer beauty of it, its isolation and of course the Manx people!
The Isle of Man has a wonderful and unique accent of English. It has been influenced by neighbouring places and also through Celtic and Norse ancestry. As an island, it has clear boundaries (the Irish Sea), therefore it is interesting to see if the water is in fact acting as a boundary to external accents coming over and influencing Manx English. Like my Welsh accent, all accents carry our identity and Manx is no different.