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{{construction}}
{{Infobox language
{{Infobox language
| name=Poccasin English
| name=Poccasin English
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}}
}}
{{English language}}
{{English language}}
'''Poccasin English''' or '''Cassinglish''' is a variety of the [[English language]] native to the Poccasin Archipelago and [[Poccasin Federation]]. Today, it is primarily spoken by upper-class urbanites in Cassim Po, the capital of the Poccasin Federation, and is commonly considered the international [[w:Trade language|trade language]] of the Federation alongside the [[w:English-based creole languages|English creole language]] [[Bemé]].
'''Poccasin English''' or '''Cassinglish''' is a variety of the [[English language]] native to the Poccasin Archipelago and [[Poccasin Federation]]. It is commonly considered the international [[w:Trade language|trade language]] of the Federation alongside the [[w:English-based creole languages|English creole language]] [[Bemé]].


Poccasin English is typically considered the most [[w:Creole continuum|prestigious]] or [[Bemé#Tak vs kriyal|mesolectal]] language in the Poccasins, as it is commonly associated with the upper classes in the Federation. As such, although stable, there are actually very few monolingual speakers of Poccasin English; most speakers of Poccasin English are usually bilingual with [[Bemé]] and incorporate a [[w:Creole continuum|creole continuum]] in their speech that goes beyond the traditional [[Bemé#Tak vs kriyal|''tak'' and ''kriyal'']] distinction in Bemé.<ref>cf. the distinction between [[w:Jamaican English|Jamaican Standard English]] and [[w:Jamaican Patois|Jamaican Patois]].</ref>
Poccasin English is typically considered the most [[w:Creole continuum|prestigious]] or [[Bemé#Tak vs kriyal|acrolectal]] language in the Poccasins, as it is commonly associated with the upper classes within the Federation. Thus, similarly to the status of Bemé, there are very few monolingual speakers of Poccasin English; most speakers of Poccasin English are usually bilingual with [[Bemé]] and incorporate a [[w:Creole continuum|creole continuum]] in their speech that goes beyond the traditional [[Bemé#Tak vs kriyal|''tak'' and ''kriyal'']] distinction in Bemé.<ref>cf. the distinction between [[w:Jamaican English|Jamaican Standard English]] and [[w:Jamaican Patois|Jamaican Patois]].</ref>


Poccasin English generally follows [[w:American and British English spelling differences|British spelling conventions]], though more recent loanwords from [[w:American English|American English]] may retain their American spelling, so "[[wikt:color#English|colour/color]]" is spelt as in British English, ''colour'', but "[[wikt:of color|person of color/person of colour]]" is spelt as in American English, ''person of color'', because the term is chiefly used in the [[w:United States of America|US]]. However, various degrees of [[w:Eye dialect|eye dialect]] spellings are also common.
Poccasin English generally follows [[w:American and British English spelling differences|British spelling conventions]], though more recent loanwords from [[w:American English|American English]] may retain their American spelling, so "[[wikt:color#English|colour/color]]" is spelt as in British English, ''colour'', but "[[wikt:of color|person of color/person of colour]]" is spelt as in American English, ''person of color'', because the term is chiefly used in the [[w:United States of America|US]]. However, various degrees of [[w:Eye dialect|eye dialect]] spellings are also common.


Poccasin English also features a rather unique phonology, such as a full [[w:Trap-strut merger|{{sc|trap}}-{{sc|strut}} merger]] as well as the loss of a /[[w:Voiced labiodental fricative|v]]/ phoneme (merging into /b/), and unique vocabulary derived primarily from Bemé and other indigenous language of the Poccasin Archipelago.
Poccasin English also features a rather unique phonology, such as a full [[w:Trap-strut merger|{{sc|trap}}-{{sc|strut}} merger]] as well as the loss of a /[[w:Voiced labiodental fricative|v]]/ phoneme (merging into /b/), and unique vocabulary derived primarily from Bemé and other indigenous language of the Poccasin Archipelago.
==Phonology==
==Phonology==
===Consonants===
===Consonants===
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* Lack of aspiration: Although not phonemic in English, plosives are usually still aspirated at the beginning of words in most varieties of English. This is however altogether absent in Poccasin English apart from in very high-class dialects.  
* Lack of aspiration: Although not phonemic in English, plosives are usually still aspirated at the beginning of words in most varieties of English. This is however altogether absent in Poccasin English apart from in very high-class dialects.  
** A Poccasin English speaker who strongly aspirates their initial plosives in order to deliberately sound high class or distinguish themselves from working class speakers is called a ''puffer''.
** A Poccasin English speaker who strongly aspirates their initial plosives in order to deliberately sound high class or distinguish themselves from working class speakers is called a ''puffer''.
* V-stopping: /v/ is realized as /b/ in all positions, so ''bat'' and ''vat'' become homophones.
* [[w:Betacism|Betacism]]: /v/ is realized as /b/ in all positions, so ''bat'' and ''vat'' become homophones.
* Variability of /f/: /f/ is fairly unstable in even standard Poccasin English; the most common realizations vary from the [[w:Bilabial fricative|bilabial]] /ɸ/ to true [[w:Labiodental fricative|labiodental]] /f/, but it has also been recorded to range as far back as a [[w:Voiceless glottal fricative|glottal]] /h/ or may be omitted entirely, especially in casual, colloquial speech.
* Variability of /f/: /f/ is fairly unstable in even standard Poccasin English; the most common realizations vary from the [[w:Bilabial fricative|bilabial]] /ɸ/ to true [[w:Labiodental fricative|labiodental]] /f/, but it has also been recorded to range as far back as a [[w:Voiceless glottal fricative|glottal]] /h/ or may be omitted entirely, especially in casual, colloquial speech.
Another notable phonological feature of Poccasin English is, similarly to [[Bemé]], the lack of phonemic [[w:Voiced fricative|voiced fricatives]] such as the /z/ or /ʒ/ in ''zoo'' and ''vision''.
Another notable phonological feature of Poccasin English is, similarly to [[Bemé]], the lack of phonemic [[w:Voiced fricative|voiced fricatives]] such as the /z/ or /ʒ/ in ''zoo'' and ''vision''.
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* Affricatisation of /ʒ/: /ʒ/ is [[w:Voiced postalveolar affricate|affricatised]] to /dʒ/, so ''ager'' and ''Asia'' can become homophones.
* Affricatisation of /ʒ/: /ʒ/ is [[w:Voiced postalveolar affricate|affricatised]] to /dʒ/, so ''ager'' and ''Asia'' can become homophones.
The [[w:Rhoticity in English|rhoticity]] of Poccasin English is variable; see the [[#Rhoticity|corresponding section]] for more.
The [[w:Rhoticity in English|rhoticity]] of Poccasin English is variable; see the [[#Rhoticity|corresponding section]] for more.
===Vowels===
===Vowels===
{| class=wikitable style="text-align: center;"
{| class=wikitable style="text-align: center;"
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|-
|-
! Mid
! Mid
| ɛː || || oː
| ɛː || (ɜː) || oː
|-
|-
! Open
! Open
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|}
|}
The status of long /iː/ as a phoneme is debated; although traditionally considered distinct from short /i/ by linguists, modern scholars have found that a growing number of primarily younger, working-class speakers have begun incorporating a {{sc|kit}}-{{sc|fleece}} merger, so that {{l|en|fit}} and {{l|en|feet}} are pronounced the same. However, a lack of such a merger is still generally considered the standard pronunciation.
The status of long /iː/ as a phoneme is debated; although traditionally considered distinct from short /i/ by linguists, modern scholars have found that a growing number of primarily younger, working-class speakers have begun incorporating a {{sc|kit}}-{{sc|fleece}} merger, so that {{l|en|fit}} and {{l|en|feet}} are pronounced the same. However, a lack of such a merger is still generally considered the standard pronunciation.
/ɜː/ only occurs as an allophone of /uː/ in open coda syllables, so ''zoo'' is pronounced /ˈsɜː/. In younger speakers this may be lowered further to an elongated [[w:Schwa|schwa]] /əː/.
===Rhoticity===
===Rhoticity===
Although traditionally considered a [[w:Rhoticity in English|rhotic dialect]], rhoticity in Poccasin English is in reality incredibly variable, and often dependent on speaker.
{| class=wikitable style="text-align: center;"
|+ R-colored vowels in Poccasin English
|-
! [[w:Help:IPA/English|English diaphoneme]] !! Poccasin phoneme !! Examples
|-
| /ɑːr/ || [aɹ~aːɹ~aː] || b'''ar'''n, c'''ar''', p'''ar'''k
|-
| /ɛər/ || [ɛɹ~ɛə] || b'''are''', b'''ear''', th'''ere'''
|-
| /ɜːr/ || [ɹ̩ː~ɛː] || b'''ur'''n, f'''ir'''st, h'''er'''d
|-
| /ər/ || [əɹ~ɹ̩~ɛɹ] || bett'''er''', mart'''yr''', doct'''or'''
|-
| /ɪər/ || [iɹ~ijə~ija] || f'''ear''', p'''eer''', t'''ier'''
|-
| rowspan=2 | /ɔːr/ || [ɔɹ~oə̯~oi̯] || h'''or'''se, b'''or'''n, n'''or'''th
|-
| [uɹ] || h'''oar'''se, f'''or'''ce, p'''or'''k
|-
| /ʊər/ || [uə̯~ua̯] || p'''oor''', s'''ure''', t'''our'''
|-
| /jʊər/ || [jəɹ~juɹ] || c'''ure''', '''Eur'''ope, p'''ure'''
|}
Poccasin English is notable among most standard dialects of English for largely resisting the [[w:English-language vowel changes before historic /r/#Horse–hoarse merger|{{sc|horse}}-{{sc|hoarse}} merger]], (also called the {{sc|north}}-{{sc|force}} merger) instead pronouncing the {{sc|horse}} class as /ɔɹ/ (occasionally in some working class accents as /oə̯/ or /oi̯/) and the {{sc|hoarse}} set as /uɹ/, which is contrasted with the /ʊər/ diaphoneme that is always pronounced non-rhotically as /uə̯/ or /ua̯/. The only exception to this rule is the conjunction {{l|en|or}}, which is largely always pronounced /ɔ~o/.
==Vocabulary==
{{construction}}
Poccasin English incorporates various coinages and loanwords that are unique to the dialect or are only relevant in the context of the Poccasin Federation or Archipelago. These lexico-semantic innovations tend to have variable, unstandardised and typically eye dialect spellings.
* '''''Cassinglish''''': the endonym of Poccasin English, most commonly used among Poccasin English speakers themselves to refer to the dialect. Compound of ''(Po)ccasin'' + ''English''.
* ''[[Bemé#Beme vs Bemé|Beme]]'': the [[Poccasin Federation]]; by extension, the incumbent government of the Federation
* ''Dutchee'': a [[w:German people|German]]. In contrast, a [[w:Dutch people|Dutch person]] is called a ''Hollander''. By extension, a [[w:Pennsylvania Dutch|Pennsylvania Dutch]] person is called a ''Penndutchee'' or ''Penn-dutchee''.
* ''Creole'': [[Bemé]]
* ''pulpee'': a reference to {{pulp}} (1994), a phenomenon that is widespread in Poccasin popular culture due to the popularity of the film.
* ''Binsencha'' or ''Vincentcha'': Vincent Vega's (played by [[w:John Travolta|John Travolta]]) haircut. By extension, a [[w:Jheri curl|Jheri curl]] such as the one worn by Jules Winnfield ([[w:Samuel L. Jackson|Samuel L. Jackson]]) is called a ''Julesie'' or ''Joolsie''.
* ''caddy'': car. Borrowed from Bemé and originally derived from a clipping of {{l|en|Cadillac}} (En. ''Cadillac'' > Bm. {{l|beme|kadilak}} > {{l|beme|kadi}} > ''caddy'').
==References==
==References==
<references />
<references />


[[Category:Conlangs]] [[Category:Dialects]]
[[Category:Conlangs]] [[Category:Dialects]]
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