Cumbria: The Land and Language

Abstract

All scholars of English as a foreign 1anguage must be we11 aware of the great diversity between the written and spoken word. Years of carefu1 study and perseverance should undoubtedly 1ead to an exce1lent command of vocabulary and grammar, but when the scholar turns traveller and visits various parts of the United Kingdom, he is often utterly bewildered by what he hears if the native speakers he encounters do not speak what is generally accepted in the text books as Standard English. The fact is, that the phonetic systems so carefully illustrated in the language books, do not reflect the English spoken by the majority which comprises a whole range of local accents and dialects stretching from the southern coasts and plains to the northern Highlands and far isles. This shows that the students are not concerned or even aware of the existence of the many varieties of spoken English. This is obvious enough as the majority of Italians who required a knowledge of English for their work use the written language and are not concerned with the spoken word unless they travel far and wide. It is in this short paper that I have chosen to discuss Cumbria, little known beyond the British Isles, in the hope of generating some interest and the wish to visit the area and learn a little about its culture and heritage.