English in the Southwest of England

The dialects of Southwest England subsume the varieties spoken in Cornwall, Devon, Dorset, Somerset and Wiltshire, plus parts of bordering counties. Traditionally, these dialects were highly distinctive. Cornwall historically presents an interesting case of language shift, with recent attempts at Cornish revival implying a sense of local pride and identity. Data from popular sources indicate that modern Southwest English is enregistering traditional dialect features such as rhoticity or pronoun exchange to serve as markers of indexicality for younger and urban speakers. Dialect levelling has resulted in less pronounced differences between regions being preferred, but local identities within the Southwest remain clearly distinct through the maintenance of vernacular features. Features of urban varieties are often highlighted as salient nowadays, paralleling developments elsewhere in the world, moving away from a more area-based description of dialects. The historical influence of what is still widely known as West Country English beyond the Southwest was noticeable in South-East Ireland and in Newfoundland.