Introduction

Cornish English is similar to other accents in the South West of England and many cannot distinguish it from the accent found in Devon and Wiltshire. It is considered to be a rural accent even though there are several large towns and cities in this area. There is a certain stigma attached to this accent as it is considered to belong to unsophisticated country people.

Consonants and Vowels

One of the most noticeable characteristics of this accent is that it is rhotic, that is, the /r/ is pronounced after vowels. The /r/ retroflex [ɻ]. Most English accents are non-rhotic. There are no centering diphthongs where /wɛɻ/ as this is a rhotic accent. In this sense it is similar to American English.

As it is a Southern variety of English, it has the oppostion between /ʌ/ and /ʊ/ and it has diphthongs eɪ and /əʊ/ instead of monophthongs as in the North (see Yorkshire English).