![]() In the medieval period Sumer is icumen in (13th century) is a notable example of a work in the dialect. ![]() The Late West Saxon dialect was the standard literary language of later Anglo-Saxon England, and consequently the majority of Anglo-Saxon literature, including the epic poem Beowulf and the poetic Biblical paraphrase Judith, is preserved in West Saxon dialect, though not all of it was originally written in West Saxon.West Country dialects are commonly represented as " Mummerset", a kind of catchall southern rural accent invented for broadcasting. It has rarely been used for serious prose in recent times, but was used much more extensively up until the 19th century. In literary contexts, most of the usage has been in either poetry or dialogue, to add "local colour". There is some influence from the Welsh and Cornish languages depending on the specific location. The Survey of English Dialects captured manners of speech across the South West region that were just as different from Standard English as any from the far North of England. Although natives of such locations, especially in rural parts, can still have West Country influences in their speech, the increased mobility and urbanisation of the population has meant that in the more populous of those counties the dialect itself, as opposed to various local accents, is becoming increasingly rare.Īcademically the regional variations are considered to be dialectal forms. In the adjacent counties of Herefordshire, Worcestershire, Hampshire and Oxfordshire it is possible to encounter similar accents and, indeed, much the same distinct dialect but with some similarities to others in neighbouring regions. ![]() However, the northern and eastern boundaries of the area are hard to define. The West Country is often defined as encompassing the counties of Cornwall, Devon, Dorset, Somerset, Wiltshire, the City of Bristol, and Gloucestershire. West Country English is a group of English language varieties and accents used by much of the native population of South West England, the area sometimes popularly known as the West Country. Problems playing this file? See media help. ![]()
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