A few weeks ago, our friend Steve posted about a great, map-filled website called Worldmapper. Well, Wordmap isn't quite as visually interesting or far-reaching, but it is fascinating! Wordmap is an interactive mapping of various word usages in spoken English made as part of BBC's Voices project. Also part of the project is a large compilation of voice recordings from around the country. From the thousands of audio clips, you can choose which ones to listen to based on speaker, location, topic...It's great fun to explore, especially if you've been trying to put your finger on what makes that Geordie accent so Geordie (and amusing to see how many of the words show up red only in the Newcastle area)! Some English we've met complain that Americans always use the same "posh" accent when trying to imitate British English. So here's your chance- listen, copy, and then impress your friends with your Yorkshire Tyke or Liverpool Scouse!
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