An ongoing project which aims to record the dialect of Devon and Somerset in particular, but also venturing into Cornwall and Dorset in the future. Regional accents and dialects are gradually being lost over the years, and certain phrases and words peculiar to a region are heard less and less. Having been born and raised in Devon, I grew up listening to my grandparents and other relatives speak with broad Devon accents, accepting it as the norm. Now it’s a rarity to hear such rich and broad accents.
So, I’m on a mission to interview ordinary people, and capture their stories on video as an oral history, and preserve a record of the way they speak. Hoping to get funding in order to really apply myself to the project over the coming years, and build up an archive that can be passed on to future generations to study.