Jersey and Guernsey Accents of English

Abstract

This paper reports on the present-day vowel and consonant features of Jersey and Guernsey accents of English in comparison with previous studies such as Ramisch (1989, 2004, 2007, 2013). All the data are from original recordings made on field trips in 2022. The vowels are shown on F1-F2 vowel diagrams, and the recent developments and the preservation of the traditional accents are discussed. Broadly speaking, dedialectalization on Channel Islands is progressing more or less in the same way as Great Britain. The influence of dark /l/ on the THOUGHT vowel gives birth to the Paul-pool merger in Guernsey accent. The variable -ing [ɪn] which Ramisch (1989) pointed out is not noticed, but velar nasal plus (-ing [ɪnɡ]) is perceived in both accents.