Talking Chester
A strand of the Cestrian English project, supported by funding from the Faculty of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences at the University of Chester, which explores the accent, dialect and identity of the people of Chester.
What would you say your accent is? What is your standard word for a bread roll? Is there anything that you say that you think is unique to Chester?
Currently, there is very little data on the accent (pronunciation) and dialect (words and phrases) of Chester, yet its unique location as a nexus between Liverpool, Manchester and Welsh English varieties provides an ideal opportunity to examine the processes of language variation and change.
Our project investigates both production (spoken) and perception data by exploring the speech sounds and phrases of Chester, and researching whether Cestrian English exists as a ‘perceptually real’ variety.
If you are from Chester or the surrounding areas, including Blacon, Saltney, Saltney Ferry, Lache, Handbridge, Huntington, Upton, Hoole and Christleton and would like to take part, we would love to hear from you! Please get in touch.