Accents of English 2: The British Isles

Accents of English is about the way English is pronounced by different
people in different places. Volume 1 provides a synthesizing
introduction, which shows how accents vary not only geographically, but
also with social class, formality, sex and age; and in volumes 2 and 3
the author examines in greater depth the various accents used by people
who speak English as their mother tongue: the accents of the regions of
England, Wales, Scotland and Ireland (volume 2), and of the USA, Canada,
the West Indies, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, India, Black
Africa and the Far East (volume 3). Each volume can be read
independently, and together they form a major scholarly survey, of
considerable originality, which not only includes descriptions of
hitherto neglected accents, but also examines the implications for
phonological theory. Readers will find the answers to many questions:
Who makes 'good' rhyme with 'mood'? Which accents have no voiced
sibilants? How is a Canadian accent different from an American one, a
New Zealand one from an Australian one, a Jamaican one from a Barbadian
one? What are the historical reasons for British-American pronunciation
differences? What sound changes are currently in progress in New York,
in London, in Edinburgh? Dr Wells his written principally for students
of linguistics, phonetics and English language, but the motivated
general reader will also find the study both fascinating and rewarding.