ABSTRACT
This chapter determines how both the differences and the similarities of phonological variation in British English account within the general framework of native speaker competence. It establishes a relatively small set of phonological processes to relate different styles of speech within one variety. The chapter presents a general description of the phonetic features of the informants including vowel diagrams, followed by the transcription of the recording of the informants. The extracts have been chosen to exemplify all the characteristic features of the speaker's accent occurring in the recording. The chapter provides two informants from Stockport that represents two different generations of the same family. Inventory and distinction characteristics of the Stockport system are negative ones in comparison to several of the other accents. A labio-dental closure is a widespread feature of speakers from various parts of Lancashire and Cheshire, particularly common amongst teenagers and younger children.
