Language reflects the diversity of human culture and society. Among its most fascinating parts are dialects, regional or social varieties of a language distinguished by pronunciation, grammar and vocabulary. Dialects are the heartbeat of a language, pulsing with the rich stories, traditions and identities of those who speak them.

Understanding a language and dialect, and its significance, can enrich the learning experience for language learners, offering a deeper appreciation of a language and its speakers. Dialects are not just variations within a language; they are often considered separate entities, each with its own rich history and cultural significance, highlighting the complexity and diversity of linguistic expression.

What exactly is a regional dialect?

At its core, a dialect is a variation of a language spoken by a particular group of people. However, the distinction between dialects and a different language can often be subjective. These variations can occur due to geographical, social class, ethnic, or historical reasons. While all speakers of a language share the same basic grammar rules and vocabulary, those speaking different dialects might use unique words and slang or have distinct pronunciations, highlighting the lack of an objective difference between dialects and languages.

For instance, British and American English are two dialects of the English language that are mutually intelligible, meaning speakers of either dialect can understand, and be understood, by the other. They share the same foundational grammar and most of the core vocabulary but differ in pronunciation, spelling, and some aspects of vocabulary and idioms. Similarly, within Britain or the United States, there are numerous regional dialects (e.g., Yorkshire English, Southern American English) that further showcase the diversity within a single language. Some of these dialects are considered by their speakers to be distinct languages, emphasizing the complex nature of linguistic identity and classification.

What is an example of a dialect?

An example of dialect variation can be seen in the Italian language, which boasts a wide range of regional dialects, showcasing linguistic diversity with multiple dialects spoken across Italy.

For example, the Tuscan dialect has historically been recognized as the basis for standard Italian, largely due to its use in influential literature. However, other dialects from regions like Sicily or Lombardy vary significantly from Tuscan Italian in terms of pronunciation, vocabulary and syntax, reflecting the diverse cultural landscapes and histories of Italy’s regions.

Another example of this variation of dialect within a single language is found in the United Kingdom. For instance, the Cockney dialect, originating from London’s East End, is renowned for its rhyming slang and distinct vowel sounds, serving as a prime example of spoken dialects that emphasize the importance of oral tradition. Contrastingly, the Geordie dialect, native to Newcastle and the surrounding areas, boasts an entirely different set of vocabulary, pronunciation patterns, and even grammatical structures, further highlighting the diverse range of spoken dialects within the standard English language.

What is the difference between a dialect and an accent?

The distinction between a dialect and an accent is subtle yet significant. An accent relates solely to differences in pronunciation - the distinct manner in which people say words, often influenced by unique speech patterns that can vary significantly across different languages and regions.

In contrast, a dialect encompasses not only pronunciation and accent but also includes specific grammar and vocabulary. Accents can be a component of a dialect, but dialects offer a broader spectrum of linguistic variety, including lexical and grammatical differences.

For instance, someone might speak English with a Scottish accent but use the same grammatical structures and vocabulary as an English speaker from London; however, Scots, a variety spoken in Scotland, is considered a dialect (or even a separate, distinct language, by some) because it possesses unique grammar, vocabulary and pronunciation.

Why are different dialects important?

Dialects are more than just linguistic variations; they are windows into communities' cultural and social fabric. They carry with them histories, traditions and the identity of their speakers. Some dialects are even considered 'distinct languages' by their speakers, highlighting the deep cultural significance of these linguistic forms. Learning about dialects, including regional dialects, can thus offer insights into:

• Cultural contexts: Understanding the dialects of a language, especially regional dialects, can provide language learners with a richer cultural understanding and a more nuanced perspective of the language’s speakers. This exploration into regional dialects reveals the arbitrary distinction between 'standard' and 'nonstandard' dialects, which is often based on social, political, cultural, or historical considerations.
• Social dynamics: Dialects can reflect social distinctions, historical migrations and contact with other languages, offering clues about social hierarchies, historical conflicts and integrations.
• Language evolution: Studying dialects reveals how languages change over time, adapting to societies' needs, migrations and innovations.

A large number of well-known writers have often created or coined words that are used in everyday English. When you think of authors, prominent figures like Shakespeare may come to mind. He enriched the English language with words like "amazement," "bedazzled," and "fashionable." Charles Dickens introduced "boredom," showcasing his talent for capturing profound human emotions and societal issues in a single word. Lewis Carroll added whimsical words to our lexicon, including "chortle," a delightful mix of 'chuckle' and 'snort.'

But Tolkien is another one of those authors who has added to the English language's colorful dictionary. Tolkien did not just create worlds; he also enriched our language, adding a lexicon that elicits the smell of mead in crowded halls and the sight of smoky mountains veiled in mystery. Language enthusiasts and fantasy fans alike join us on this philological adventure as we uncover the words that J.R.R. Tolkien, the mastermind behind Middle-earth, either coined or brought into the limelight.

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As technology and AI translation tools continue to advance, it's becoming increasingly tempting to rely on them for language-related tasks. However, this can potentially undermine motivation to learn a new language when technology seems to offer a shortcut. While machine translation can be helpful, it also has its limitations. 

Learning a language goes beyond just communication; it opens the door to different cultures, mindsets, and perspectives of the world. Machine translation, despite its efficiency, cannot replicate the cultural immersion that comes with learning a language. Spoken language nuances, idiomatic expressions, cultural references, and implicit rules that are second nature to native speakers are often lost in translation. Let's delve deeper into why learning a language is better than solely relying on machine translation.

It's incredible to know that there are thousands of languages spoken across the world, each with its unique set of challenges for learners. A question that often pops up is: "Which language is the hardest to learn?". Today we take a closer look at this question and consider different factors that make learning a language challenging.

Cryptids are creatures that are often unseen and mysterious. They are shrouded in legends and stories that have been passed down for generations, making them a fascination for humans for centuries. If you're looking to add a little more creativity to your story writing, learning about these elusive beings can be a great way to do so. In today's post, we'll take a closer look at some examples of cryptids, to get your imagination racing.

What are cryptids?

Cryptids are mythical creatures or beings whose existence cannot be proven by science. Some may claim to have seen them but there's usually no solid proof of the encounter. They exist in folklore, mythology and urban legends. Cryptids can be found in cultures all around the world, from the Loch Ness Monster in Scotland to the Chupacabra in Latin America.

Here are ten cryptids you'll want to learn about this Halloween:

Barghest

The Barghest is a ghostly black dog cryptid that appears in the folklore of Yorkshire and Lancashire. It is often associated with misfortune, and sightings of this ominous creature continue to be reported.

Owlman

The Owlman is a humanoid creature with owl-like features such as red eyes, wings and feathers. Sightings of this mysterious creature have been reported around the village of Mawnan Smith in Cornwall, adding an eerie twist to local legend.

The Kraken

The Kraken is a legendary sea monster of gigantic size and octopus-like appearance, said to dwell in the deep sea and feasting on ships that are unfortunate enough to come across it. 

Language is not only a tool for communication but also a means to explore and comprehend diverse cultures, traditions, and perspectives. Europe, with its vast array of languages, is a prime example of this linguistic diversity. Each year on September 26th, Europe observes the European Day of Languages, which is a day solely dedicated to celebrating and embracing this linguistic richness.

Europe is a magnificent tapestry of languages, with over 200 spoken throughout the continent. This diversity is a symbol of the rich cultural heritage of each nation and reminds us of the intricate historical, social, and linguistic elements that mold our identities. The European Day of Languages inspires people to cherish and honor this linguistic heritage.

Why September 26th?

September 26th marks an important date for celebrating linguistic diversity and promoting multilingualism. This day commemorates the adoption of the "European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages" by the Council of Europe in 1992, a crucial document that recognizes and safeguards the linguistic rights of minority languages spoken within European countries. By celebrating the European Day of Languages on this date, it renews our commitment to supporting the rich diversity of languages and cultures that make our world a more vibrant and fascinating place.

What type of events happen?

Language Exchanges

The European Day of Languages offers language learners a chance to participate in language exchanges, which is an exciting opportunity. During such exchanges, learners from diverse backgrounds partner up and teach each other their native languages. This not only helps improve language skills but also promotes intercultural understanding.

Language Workshops

Various European cities offer language workshops led by enthusiasts and experts, providing an introduction to different languages.

Multilingual Storytelling

Storytelling is an incredibly effective tool for learning languages. Libraries, schools, and cultural centers hold multilingual storytelling sessions, where stories from different cultures are shared in their original languages. This helps both children and adults to better understand and appreciate the beauty of linguistic diversity.

Film Screenings

Cinema provides a wonderful opportunity to explore different languages and cultures. Throughout Europe, foreign films are often shown with subtitles, enabling viewers to fully immerse themselves in new linguistic worlds.

Cultural Exhibitions

Museums often showcase exhibitions highlighting the linguistic and cultural heritage of various regions, providing insight into the history and traditions of different languages.

Language Cafés

Cafés and restaurants might offer special menus featuring diverse cuisines and multilingual staff – a delightfully tasty way to explore languages and cultures.

Games and Competitions

Language-based games and competitions, such as crossword puzzles and spelling bees, are organized in schools and communities to provide a fun and educational way to celebrate language.

If you are a teacher hoping to celebrate this occasion make sure to check here for ideas on what to do.

Check out what events are happening near you here.

Just like the European day of Languages, we at Pearson Languages are fully committed to empowering and celebrating language learners and educators alike. That's why we are now supporting French, Italian, and Spanish language learning with the Global Scale of Languages (GSL). With these new language learning frameworks at your fingertips, you can confidently design curriculums and personalize learning pathways to help fast-track your learners’ progress and help your learners be themselves in French, Italian and Spanish.

Whether you're a teacher, a language learner, or simply someone who appreciates the beauty of languages, the European Day of Languages and the GSL provide exciting opportunities to explore, learn, and enjoy the rich tapestry of Europe's linguistic heritage.

Find out more about the Global Scale of Languages

Food is not just a means of nutrition; it can be a vibrant part of a culture's identity. English cuisine, influenced by its history, boasts a range of interesting and sometimes puzzling food names (some even puzzling fluent English speakers). Let's explore the stories behind some of the most well-known English food names.

Learning a new language can be daunting, requiring time, effort, and consistent practice to master. One learning tool that’s been researched and examined over the years for its effectiveness, is music and sound.
Music is sometimes overlooked or forgotten about, but it can be a beneficial tool when learning a new language. Today we will explore how music can aid language learning and what benefits it can provide. Here’s how:

Recollection and memory

Song is a powerful tool that can help us memorize new words and phrases. When listening to a song, recollecting the lyrics and melody long after it's finished can often happen. This is because our brains retain information better when associated with a melody/rhythm.

Research has found that exposure to a language's rhythm leaves a lasting impact on a person's ability to segment speech patterns^[1]. Listening to songs in a foreign language can help learners memorize new words, patterns and phrases more easily.

Pronunciation and tone

Music can improve our pronunciation and tone. When singing along to music, listeners may mimic the singer's pronunciation and cadence when listening to a song. This can help us develop a more natural and authentic accent when speaking the language.

Additionally, it can broaden our knowledge and comprehension of diverse dialects and accents. Exposure to different accents and pronunciations can make real-world interactions with a foreign language less daunting or confusing.

Two people may speak the same language but pronounce words very differently due to accents, a great example of this is in the UK and how the English language varies throughout areas.

In the UK, someone from the north may sound completely different to someone from the south, despite speaking the same language. So if you were trying to learn English with music and listened to English songs from different parts of the country, you'd be exposing yourself to different accents. Making yourself more familiar with the varied pronunciation.

Cultural understanding

It can expose us to the culture of the language we are learning. Music can be a deep-rooted part of a culture, and hearing music in a different language can provide insight into that culture's beliefs, practices, and heritage. This can give us a deeper understanding of the language and help us communicate more effectively with fluent speakers.

Often, songs use informal language and slang words we may not otherwise know or make us aware of a culture's situation or troubles. Academics Mark Gant & Dr. Carmen Fonseca-Mora discuss how although no one type of music works the best, foreign protest songs are a good example.

They're typically motivational, clear, and repetitive and give an insight into a country's culture without causing problems for the learners. Listeners may even feel inclined to discuss or research that situation – which could be a good learning opportunity.

Listening skills

In addition, music can improve our listening skills. When we listen to a song in a foreign language, we’re often compelled to pay close attention to the lyrics, melody, and rhythm. This can help us develop our listening skills and train our ears to distinguish different sounds and accents in the language.

Being exposed to foreign languages in any output can be beneficial; having the added layers of music adds that little extra challenge for your ears and brain. It’s almost like immersing yourself in the language without the need for traveling.

An enjoyable way to learn

Finally, music can make language learning more enjoyable. Learning a new language can be challenging and sometimes even frustrating. However, listening to music in a foreign language can make learning more enjoyable and engaging.

Singing along with the lyrics can be a fun way to practice the language and boost motivation and confidence. Pairing those with interesting and engaging music videos can also make it more enjoyable. Check out some examples in our post 11 great English language song lyrics. 

So when you find yourself taking on a new linguistic challenge, give music some 'airtime' – and watch how it helps you expand your vocabulary and improve your language skills.

All living languages change. It’s a fact of life that some people find uncomfortable, but that no one can prevent. The only languages that don’t change are dead ones.

How does change happen? The chief way is through mutual influence, when languages – which means people – come into contact with each other. An immediate effect is that words and phrases begin to be exchanged.

Origins of English

The history of English shows this taking place from the very beginning. When the Germanic tribes first arrived in Britain, bringing with them the dialects that would become English, their vocabulary already contained words and phrases borrowed from Latin, a consequence of the interaction with the soldiers of the Roman Empire.

Today we think of such words as 'butter', 'cup', 'kitchen', 'mile', and 'street' as true English words, but they are all Latin in origin ('butyrum', 'cuppa', 'coquina', 'mille', 'strata'), taken into Germanic while the tribes were still on the European mainland.

The process continued over the centuries. An everyday word like 'take' reminds us of the Viking invasions, for this came from Old Norse 'tacan'. So did 'knife' (from 'knifr'). Even basic grammatical items were affected: 'they', 'them', and 'their' are all from Old Norse.

When the French arrived, in the eleventh century, the borrowing became a flood, with thousands of French words expanding the vocabulary to an unprecedented size, in such domains as law, religion, politics, food, and the arts – 'duke', 'abbot', 'war', 'peace', 'pork' and 'beauty'. During the Renaissance, Latin added tens of thousands more.

In all cases, the words traveled because cultural contact – in its broadest sense – made them do so.

The history of contact

This history of contact is one of the reasons that English has so many near-synonyms: we can 'ask' (from Old English), 'question' (from French), and 'interrogate' (from Latin). We can talk about a 'fire', 'flame', and 'conflagration'; 'kingly', 'royal', and 'regal'. But although French and Latin are the dominant voices, they are put in the shade by the accumulated impact of the many languages that English has since encountered as its speakers moved around the globe, especially in the days of the British Empire.

Today, a search through the files of any major dictionary shows the presence of hundreds of languages, from 'aardvark' (Afrikaans) to 'zygote' (Greek).

It’s been estimated that around 80 percent of present-day English vocabulary comes from languages other than the original Anglo-Saxon Germanic. English seems to always be a vacuum cleaner of a language, sucking in words from whichever culture it was in contact with. The process continues. In recent years, dictionary writers have been considering such new borrowings of words from other languages.

But not everything in language change is due to borrowing. When we look at recent lists of updates in the dictionary world, we find hundreds of phrasal expressions, such as 'solar farm', 'travel card', 'skill set', 'cold caller', 'air punch', and 'set menu'.

Blends of existing words form an increasingly large component of modern vocabulary, such as 'glamping' (glamorous + camping) and 'Pokemon' (pocket + monster), as do internet abbreviations, such as 'GTG' (got to go) and 'BRB' (be right back).

And it’s here that we see the most noticeable phenomenon of the last few decades: the impact of English on other languages. The traveling is now going in both directions.

Over a decade ago, Manfred Görlach published his Dictionary of European Anglicisms, showing English to be "the world’s biggest lexical exporter”. The book lists hundreds of words and phrases that have entered the languages of Europe. A small selection from letter 'A' shows 'ace' (from tennis), 'aerobics', 'aftershave', and 'aqualung', as well as phrases such as 'acid house' and 'air bag'.

The factors are exactly the same as those that brought foreign words into English in the first place, such as business, culture, medicine, sport, the arts, popular music, science and technology. The difference is that these expressions come from all over the English-speaking world, with American English the primary supplier, thanks chiefly to its presence in the media.

The impact of media

It is the media that provides the main answer to the question “How?”. In the old days, face-to-face contact caused expressions to be shared, and it would take time for words to travel – a generation before a word would become widely used. Today, the use of English in film, television, and especially the internet allows 'word travel' to take place at a faster rate than ever before.

A new word or phrase invented today can be around the globe by tomorrow, and if it appeals it will spread on social media and become part of daily use in no time at all. Even an everyday phrase can receive a new lease of life in this way.

Many countries try to resist the borrowing process, thinking that an uncontrolled influx of English expressions will destroy their language.

The evidence from the history of English shows that this does not happen. Because of its global spread, English has borrowed more words than any other language – and has this caused its destruction? On the contrary, in terms of numbers of users, English is the most successful language the world has ever seen.

Borrowing does change the character of a language, and this too is something that causes concern. But again, I ask: is this inevitably a bad thing? Shakespeare would have been unable to write his characters in such an effective way without all those borrowings from French and Latin.

Much of his linguistic playfulness and creativity relies on how everyday words are contrasted with their scholarly or aristocratic counterparts. In Love’s Labour’s Lost, Don Armado gives Costard a coin as a tip, calling it a "remuneration".

Costard has no idea what the word means, but when he looks at his coin he realizes he’s been given a tiny amount. “Oh, that’s the Latin word for three farthings”, he reflects. “I will never buy and sell out of this word”. It always gets a laugh from an audience.

Today's challenges

Keeping up-to-date with language change is probably the greatest challenge facing foreign language learners because there is so much of it.

Textbooks and teachers face a daily risk of falling behind the times. But the risk can be reduced if we build an awareness of change into the way we present a language. And understanding the natural processes that underlie linguistic change is the essential first step.