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Kentish

Kentish

9.9
A dialect of English that people spoke in Kent
  • noun
  • Archaic
: kentiano
  • The Kentish dialect features unique vocabulary that distinguishes it from other regional variations of English.

Examples

  • The one-block street in Kentish Town is one of the only intact Georgian thoroughfares left in the vast metropolis.

    Blog text (21)
  • She studied the Kentish dialect to understand how it influenced local literature during the medieval period.

  • I want to go to Kentish Town.

  • He was very popular among the Black residents living in that part of Kentish Town at the time.

    Fiction book (1990)
  • We commune... at the coaching inn, Kentish Town... most evenings.

  • Little Green Street off Highgate Road in Kentish Town is one of only a few intact Georgian streets in London.

    Blog text (2)
  • Kentish Nightingale.

  • On the other hand, there is Cornish (not commonly seen as a country, though there are Cornish nationalists) and Kentish (definitely not a country).

    Blog text (18)
  • Many linguistic researchers are interested in the Kentish dialect because of its historical significance in English language evolution.

Synonyms

Jutish
vsKentish
  • Specialized
1 9.9

A southern form of Old English spoken in Kent

is broader historically covering later regional forms not only the Old English variety

Surface Forms

Kentish singular
Kentishes plural

Morphology

Kentish = Kentish (semi-transparent) = Kent + ish

The noun sense is a straightforward conversion from the adjective 'Kentish', but the specific meaning as a historical dialect is a specialized extension.

Etymology

The word Kentish comes from the place name Kent plus the ending -ish meaning 'belonging to', like in English or Spanish. So a Kentish dialect is simply the way of speaking 'from Kent'.