I'm sure Elizabethan England had many local dialects, just as it does today. But most countries have something that's considered the nominal standard dialect. IIRC, she was referring specifically to the accent that would have been used by by the "sophisticated" levels of society (the court, the upper end of the merchant class, etc.), something like BBC English is the nominal standard today.
Guy ----- Original Message ----- From: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To: <[email protected]> Sent: Thursday, January 12, 2006 5:24 PM Subject: [LUTE] Re: Surviving in Eliz. England. > > Given the multiplicity of 'English' accents in modern england, is there > any reason to suppose Elizabethan England would have had but one dialect? > London had a significant immigrant population as well as itinerants from > wales, scotland, ireland, various areas of france, islands off scotland > more norse than scots, frisia - not to mention the midlands, > northumberland, cornwall etc. > -- > Dana Emery > > > > > To get on or off this list see list information at > http://www.cs.dartmouth.edu/~wbc/lute-admin/index.html >
