Got an IDEA of How English Dialects Sound?

The International Dialects of English Archive, IDEA, was created in 1997 as a repository of primary source recordings for actors and other artists in the performing arts. Its home is the Department of Theatre and Film at the University Of Kansas, in Lawrence, KS, USA; while associate editors form a global network.

All recordings are in English, are of native speakers, and you will find both English language dialects and English spoken in the accents of other languages. The recordings are downloadable and playable for both PC and Macintosh computers.

Visitors to the site can click to hear English dialects from all continents on the earth and even specific regional dialects.

Dialect categories include:

๏ Africa
๏ Asia
๏ Australia-Oceania
๏ Caribbean
๏ Central America
๏ Europe
๏ Middle-East
๏ North America
๏ South America
๏ Special Collections

IDEA was created in 1997 as a free, online library of primary source recordings for the performing arts. Its Founder and Director is Paul Meier, author of the best-selling Accents and Dialects for Stage and Screen, and a leading dialect coach for theatre and film.

The Technical Advisor and Founding Webmaster Emeritus for the archive is Shawn Muller.

Source: International Dialects of English Archive

Pictured: Dialect Expert Paul Meier