From: Clive Freeman
Date: Tue, 22 Feb 94 13:39:27 -0800

A Devonshire accent is not available at present in Biosym, as far
as I know. It sort of sounds like modern Hollywood's view of a
pirate's accent.

From: Clive Freeman
Date: Mon, 28 Feb 94 20:16:26 -0800

The devon accent has an open 'r' sound. [As in 'Ah harrrr, Jim Lad'].

Impossible to believe that Coleridge spoke like that!

From: Trevor
Date: Wed,  9 Mar 94 08:35:29 EST

Marj,

  I had to laugh. I was stumped. |-)

  I finally decided to cheat and quote from a small book called "West
Country Stories" by Lewis Wilshire. This book is a collection of
short stories and one called "Will Brewer and the Boots" by Albert J.
Coles is written phonetically in the local Devonshire dialect.  It's
best if you try and read it out loud.

 "If ever you 'ap'm to be in company with Will Brewer daun't
mentioned the subjec' of boots. 'Tid'n kind to the poor feller. It
takes his mind back to the time --- But I'll tell 'ee the whole
rigmarole, and you'll be abble to jidge fer yerzelf. 

 "Will was the saxon up to the church. Stiddy-gwain old chap, he was,
as ever you'd meet again. He jis' jogged along in his ole-vashin way,
year een year out, and hardly ever went outzide his awn parrish. 'e
said the risponses when the baabies was crissened, cheemed the volks
into church all the time they was alive; and when they was daid he
putt 'em to be with a shovel and tolled their zauls into heaven.
 
 "At laiste, he hoped zo, even when he had his doubts. Nobody's life
cude'n go along more suant than what Will's did. One day same's
another and Zunday once a wik.

 "But fer once per ole Will got a shock which purt' near putt and end
to 'en bevore his time "  ......

  This turned out to be harder than I thought. Hope you get some
idea.

  Best regards,

          Trevor W.

From: Clive Freeman
Date: Wed, 9 Mar 94 10:28:17 -0800

Yes, just a guess, but I expect he had a slight accent, enough to
be interesting like errrr, Anthony Hopkin's Welsh accent, and not a
BBC 'no accent' (like an anomymous world service newsreader). 

From: Trevor
Date: Tue, 31 May 94 10:16:24 EDT

    ...BTW, there are many people in England who pride themselves on being 
able to pick up even the most subtle English accents from native Englishman. 
It may have been that Coleridge had a very, very slight Devonshire accent and 
not really noticeable to the untrained ear.   In addition, Devon was (is?) 
considered a relatively backward part of England (full of uneducated farmers, 
and crusty old fisherman) and it may have been that someone "detected" a 
Devonshire accent in Coleridge as a joke or harmless insult. 

     Good luck on the project,

                 Trevor

mtiefert@mindspring.com, last modified 5/10/99; standard disclaimer; copyright information.