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Forest Dialect

Discourses of dialect, place and identity in the Forest of Dean

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  02 September 2020

Michelle Straw
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Extract

The Forest of Dean (henceforth Forest) is one of the lesser known English Royal Forests. The area is considered locally to be a special place with a distinctive dialect. The Forest lies at the intersection of three regions: South East Wales, West Country, also known as the South West, and the West Midlands. The Forest is situated between two rivers: the River Severn to the East separates it from the rest of Gloucestershire; the River Wye to the West separates it from Wales. National borders and physical boundaries seem to play an important role in identity construction. ‘Identities matter most’ (Llamas & Watt, 2010: 17) to those communities ‘at the physical margins of the nation state’ (Llamas, 2010: 225). Such communities may engage in practices that differentiate their dialect and situate it at the centre of their own region.

Type
Research Article
Information
English Today , Volume 36 , Special Issue 3: Special Issue: Language in the South of England , September 2020 , pp. 70 - 76
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Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2020

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Footnotes

Forest Dialect is part of the Forester's Forest programme funded by the Heritage Lottery Fund; see www.forestersforest.uk/projects/27/forest-dialect.

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