Somerset [ˈSʌmərsɛt] (Cornish Gwlas to Hâv) is a county in the southwest England. The capital is Taunton.
Regions
The county is divided into the following administrative districts. The two districts of Bath and North East Somerset and North Somerset are independent and only assigned to the county for ceremonial reasons.
- South Somerset
- Taunton Deane
- West Somerset
- Sedgemoor
- Mendip
- Bath and North East Somerset
- North Somerset
places
The county has two towns with town charter, Bath and Wells, the latter one of the smallest towns in England.
The following cities and towns are in the county of Somerset:
- Abbas Combe, Adsborough, Alcombe, Alhampton, All, Alford, Angersleigh, Ansford, Appley, Ash, Ash Priors, Ashbrittle, Ashcott, Ashill, Ashington, Ashwick, Athelney, Axbridge
- Bath, Bishops Lydeard, Blue anchor, Bridgwater, Bristol, Broomfield, Burnham-on-Sea
- Carhampton, Castle Cary, Chard, Cheddar, Chinnock, Crowcombe, Compton Dundon, Crew cores
- dean, Donniford, Drayton, Dunster, Dulverton
- Easton
- Fulford
- Glastonbury
- Henley, Highbridge, Horton, Hurst
- Ilchester, Ilminster
- Kingsbridge
- Laverton, Luxborough
- Maperton, Marston Magna, Maundown, Meare, Mells, Merriott, Minehead
- Nether Stowey, North Petherton
- Porlock
- Shepton Mallet, Somerton, Street
- Taunton
- Washford, Watchet, Wellington, Wells, Weston-super-Mare, West Onzoyland, Williton
- Yeovil
Other goals
- Exmoor National Park (About half of the park is in Devon)
- Cheddar Gorge
- Mendip Hills AONB
- Quantock Hills AONB
background
Somerset borders to the northeast Gloucestershire, in the east Wiltshire, in the southeast Dorset and in the southwest Devon. To the north, the Bristol Channel coast represents most of the boundary. The previous natural boundary was the River Avon. However, the border shifted due to the expansion of the city Bristol in several steps to the south.
The county is known as England's orchard.
language
The variety of English one encounters in Somerset depends on which part of Somerset one is visiting. For example, when visiting Bath, one is more likely to encounter a type of standard pronunciation (the so-called Received Pronunciation (RP)), whereas if you visit Yeovil, you will most likely meet West Country English (WCE), the variety of English spoken mainly in Somerset, Bristol, Devon and Cornwall, as well as in Dorset, Wiltshire and Gloucestershire.
The difference between RP and WCE shows in the word Bath himself. RP spokesman will Bath pronounce with / ɑː / (like German B.ad) while becoming WCE spokesman Bath pronounce with a / æː / (like English bad, glad).
Another clear difference between RP and WCE can be seen in the word cider (Apple cider). RP spokespersons speak this r not in this word (it becomes like German silk pronounced, only with that S. like a spicy one s), while from WCE speakers the / ɹ / is always pronounced after a vowel (like North American English (Surname) approxr (Automobile)).
In Somerset, as in other English counties, non-native speakers are found alongside speakers of the local and standard varieties, especially in the larger cities of Bath, Weston-super-Mare, Taunton, Yeovil and Bridgewater.
getting there
mobility
Tourist Attractions
- Roman baths in Bath
- Bath Abbey
- Glastonbury Abbey
- Wells Cathedral
- Clifton Suspension Bridge. The bridge over the Avon Gorge, between Somerset and Bristol.
- Naval Aviation Museum, at the Yeovilton base.
activities
kitchen
- With B&B ***
