The first use of the term ''brogue'' ( ) originated in 1463-1529? to refer to an

Irish accent Irish may refer to: Common meanings * Someone or something of, from, or related to: ** Ireland, an island situated off the north-western coast of continental Europe ***Éire, Irish language name for the isle ** Northern Ireland, a constituent unit ...

John Skelton John Skelton may refer to: *John Skelton (poet) (c.1460–1529), English poet. * John de Skelton, MP for Cumberland (UK Parliament constituency) *John Skelton (died 1439), MP for Cumberland (UK Parliament constituency) *John Skelton (American footb ...

. It still generally refers to a Southern

. Less commonly, it may also refer to any other regional forms of English today, in particular those of

American English American English, sometimes called United States English or U.S. English, is the set of variety (linguistics), varieties of the English language native to the United States. English is the Languages of the United States, most widely spoken lan ...

"Ocracoke Brogue,"

Scotland Scotland (, ) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain, mainland Scotland has a border with England to the southeast and is otherwise surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean to the ...

or the English

West Country The West Country (occasionally Westcountry) is a loosely defined area of South West England, usually taken to include all, some, or parts of the counties of Cornwall, Devon, Dorset, Somerset, Bristol, and, less commonly, Wiltshire, Gloucesters ...

. Although historically Scottish accents were referred to as Burrs, due to scottish accents rolling Rs. Multiple

etymologies Etymology ()The New Oxford Dictionary of English (1998) – p. 633 "Etymology /ˌɛtɪˈmɒlədʒi/ the study of the class in words and the way their meanings have changed throughout time". is the study of the history of the form of words and ...

have been proposed: it may derive from the

Irish Irish may refer to: Common meanings * Someone or something of, from, or related to: ** Ireland, an island situated off the north-western coast of continental Europe ***Éire, Irish language name for the isle ** Northern Ireland, a constituent unit ...

''bróg'' ("shoe"), the type of shoe traditionally worn by the people of Ireland hence possibly originally meant "the speech of those who call a shoe a 'brogue.' Alternatively it may originate as an Irish-English word. The word was recorded in the 1500s to refer to an Irish accent by John Skelton. There is also a recording of it in 1689. Multiple

have been proposed: it may derive from the

''bróg'' ("shoe"), the type of shoe traditionally worn by the people of Ireland and the

Scottish Highlands The Highlands ( sco, the Hielands; gd, a’ Ghàidhealtachd , 'the place of the Gaels') is a historical region of Scotland. Culturally, the Highlands and the Lowlands diverged from the Late Middle Ages into the modern period, when Lowland Sco ...

, and hence possibly originally meant "the speech of those who call a shoe a 'brogue.'" It is debated that the term comes from the

word ''barróg,'' meaning "a hold (on the tongue)," thus "accent" or "speech impediment." A famous

false etymology A false etymology (fake etymology, popular etymology, etymythology, pseudo-etymology, or par(a)etymology) is a popular but false belief about the origin or derivation of a specific word. It is sometimes called a folk etymology, but this is also a ...

states that the word stems from the supposed perception that the Irish spoke English so peculiarly that it was as if they did so "with a shoe in their mouths."

References

Irish culture English phonology Language varieties and styles {{phonology-stub

See also

References