PAXTON BRADY // SPEECH
Paxton was born and raised in the village South Barrow, in the South Somerset district of Somerset, England. It is about 14 mi (22 km) from Glastonbury, and 9.5 ml (15 km) from Yeovil (hi, Lana). The dialect of Somerset is Anglo-Saxon in origin, dating back to the days of the early Britons and the Roman occupation. Unlike the eastern regions of England, the now region of Somerset was not influenced much by the Danes (Vikings). In central-southern Somerset, the language is practically Anglo-Saxon entirely. It is the remains of the court language of King Alfred the Great. In general, the two main varieties of Somerset English are regarded as belonging to the West and the East. Paxtonâs English would be regarded, then, as East Somerset English.Â
The âbroadâ dialect maintains distinct linguistic markers that differentiate it from âproperâ (lol) speech. For example, a noticeable difference is in the use of the verbs: to be, to go, and to see.
Verbs that look past participle in form are used as true past forms. For example: âI saw him yesterdayâ and âI seen him yesterdayâ are interchangeable forms indicating the past tense.Â
The past tense of the verb âto doâ can be formed similarly, for example: âI did the sameâ and âI done the same.â (As a full verb, âto doâ appears as done. However, as an auxiliary verb, it appears as did, for example: âHe did have to finish his potions essay before he done any other work.â meaning âHe did have to finish his potions essay before he did any other work.â)
In present tense, the verb âto beâ is often still used in its original form: I be, he be, we be, etc.
After six years at Hogwarts, Paxton has been somewhat successful at acculturating and refining his grammar. Still, listen and you can catch fragments of his origin when he slips. For example, his comparative clauses  are often introduced by âthan whatâ or âwhatâ rather than simply âthan,â as in: âHeâs smarter than what I am.â Paxton actively to suppress other notable characteristics-- namely, his pronunciation. As a first year, he tired of hearing the inevitable jokes about âZummerzet Zyder.â Paxtonâs natural rhotic speech often adds an -R to the end vowel soundsâ a good idea becomes a good idee-yer, when Paxton has it in Somerset. And because S often becomes a Z, and F sounds as a V, Paxton is sometimes âvrom Zummerzet.â
In recent years, feeling the effects of globalization, the Somerset dialect has been softened and flattened out in younger generations. It is common for the younger locals, like Paxton, to be able to code-switchâ that is, to alternate between two language varieties. Paxton has learned that words such as âdimpseyâ or âgurtâ must be replaced by other, understandable words. When Paxton is at school, his âbroadâ accent becomes significantly flattened, and his brother Kieran has likewise acculturated to certain elements of a London accent. When they return for the holidays, they drop into their Somerset dialect.
