# Learning English - The Dialect Question **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [February 17, 2009, 1:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/learning-english-the-dialect-question/486216 "2009-02-17T01:44:35Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 5\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![ruadh](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/d2c977/32.png) [@ruadh](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ruadh)\ **Post date:** [February 18, 2009, 6:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/learning-english-the-dialect-question/486216/41 "2009-02-18T06:47:46Z")
> [@Quercus](#): > > IMHO, British English and American English are barely different dialects, if at all. The quoted definition specifically excludes accents (which only differ in pronunciation). And as far as I know, in written British vs American, there is almost no difference: maybe a couple dozen vocabulary words and a dozen or so differing uses of prepositions. It’s not like I can tell from the language alone whether a book has an English or American author, at least unless I run across one of the couple dozen words. One problem with this argument is that “British English” itself includes so many vastly diverse dialects. Try reading Irvine Welsh and tell us it’s barely different to American English! It’s true there’s often a large degree of levelling between “standard” written languages, but that doesn’t mean there aren’t strong distinctions in the dialect. Dialect has an awful lot to do with how people actually talk, not just how they write. (Also, I don’t think dialect actually _excludes_ accent, rather accent is just one of the many features that makes up dialect.) ---
**Author:** ![Wendell\_Wagner](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/8491ac/32.png) [@Wendell\_Wagner](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wendell_Wagner)\ **Post date:** [February 18, 2009, 10:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/learning-english-the-dialect-question/486216/42 "2009-02-18T10:16:50Z")
Please note that the categorization of certain languages as the hardest to learn by the Defense Language Institute, the Foreign Service Institute, the British Foreign Office, or other such government offices that are concerned with teaching them to adults for job purposes applies only to the languages that they care about. They don’t bother to categorize, say, some Australian aboriginal language with only about a hundred speakers left. ---
**Author:** ![bengangmo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/50afbb/32.png) [@bengangmo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bengangmo)\ **Post date:** [February 18, 2009, 2:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/learning-english-the-dialect-question/486216/43 "2009-02-18T14:46:00Z")
> [@jayjay](#): > > English and American each have several different accents within them. And I’m sure Queenslanders sound different from Western Australians. Hell, probably North Islanders sound different from South Islanders. You’re juggling a lot more than 8 different “dialects” there. North Islanders from South Islanders not so much, but Southlanders from the rest of the country yeah…then there’s the JAFAs, who while they don’t sound different, only another JAFA actually wants to talk to them. Speaking serioulsy though, not sure what it takes to qualify as another dialect, but definitely there are many localised usages that would not be understood outside of their respective countries. Also I KNOW (but can’t remember and don’t have to\ime to research which) Australian in particular has some participles that are different to standard “QBE” ---
**Author:** ![bengangmo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/50afbb/32.png) [@bengangmo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bengangmo)\ **Post date:** [February 18, 2009, 2:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/learning-english-the-dialect-question/486216/44 "2009-02-18T14:51:42Z")
> [@Giles](#): > > Well, of course they do. Australians and New Zealanders are like adolescent siblings, who know each others’ weaknesses too well, and regularly insult each other, without meaning any real harm (unless it’s about something of real importance, like cross-Tasman cricket or rugby). And of course Australians have that whole sibling jealousy going on - you know when the better looking, more intelligent brother gets all the girls, so Australians regularly try to make New Zealanders look bad 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Sailboat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sailboat/32/461_2.png) [@Sailboat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sailboat)\ **Post date:** [February 18, 2009, 3:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/learning-english-the-dialect-question/486216/45 "2009-02-18T15:41:59Z")
The problem I have with dialects is when they roll slowly toward me, mechanically chanting “EXTERMINATE! EXTERMINATE!” [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/learning-english-the-dialect-question/486216.md?page=2)