This fascinating record of how English is spoken in England is now being reprinted. Over 400 maps detail differences in phonology, lexicon, morphology and syntax. The Atlas provides a unique survey of the linguistic geography of England. This volume was inspired by the English Dialect Survey which set out to elicit information about the current dialectical usages of the older members of the farming communities throughout rural England. The Survey secondly mapped this information to illustrate the regional distributions of those features of their speech which persisted from ancient times. Published after Orton's death, the publication of this volume testified to the sustained interest in the lingusitic geography of England.

The results of the dialect surveys of Great Britain have been published in the form of hundreds of single and collected maps, but so far there has been no actual handbook to the charted material. The Index to Dialect Maps of Great Britain, containing a full introduction, an alphabetical word-list and a comprehensive bibliography, fills this gap. As a compendious directory to mapped words it provides not only a lexical compass in a cartographic jungle, but serves as a guide to the major dialect surveys (Survey of English Dialects, Survey of Anglo-Welsh Dialects, Linguistic Survey of Scotland) and the numerous publications they have spawned. All atlases as well as the maps in the many individual studies and scattered articles are fully documented. Each of the over 2000 lexical entries identifies the original survey by questionnaire number and gives a detailed list of all the references to printed maps in which these words and phrases are contained. The present volume will prove an indispensable guide for all researchers in the field of dialectology and linguistic variation, enabling its users to gain quick access to the various sources of maps. In this way the Index — while still a simple work of reference — may also furnish the materials for more thorough studies of map-making and its implications.

This thoroughly revised and updated volume offers comprehensive coverage of the major and subsiduary fields of linguistic study.

These first two volumes of "The Linguistic Atlas of Scotland" cover the Scots dialect, devoted to word-geographical material. The data is presented cartographically because no other method makes as powerful and effective an impact, and the maps are an analysis of a kind which dialectologists can carry out. These investigations will hopefully remain ongoing, as much remains to be done. The data presented belong to the hundreds of people all over Scotland, Northern Ireland, Northumberland, Cumberland, and the Isle of Man who gave of their unique knowledge freely, with real sensitivity and interest. A language belongs to the people who use it.

Comprehensive textbook on phonetics, with examples from over 500 languages.

This book provides an accessible yet comprehensive introduction to the study of the dialects of English as they are spoken around the world, from the earliest dialect dictionaries of the sixteenth century to contemporary research emerging from the field of geolinguistics. Organised into ten thematic chapters, it explores and evaluates the methods and purposes of each approach to the study of dialectal variation, with full explanations of technical terms throughout. Illuminating one of the most productive fields of interest in language study, this compelling book is essential reading for students of dialect and regional difference in English.

The publication in the past ten years of linguistic atlases of England and Scotland has not only advanced our knowledge of the lexical and morphological variety inherent in the English language, but has made it possible to establish a number of methodological principles for the study of language both in its contemporary distribution and in its historical evolution. The essays in this volume, by contributors to the linguistic atlases and other dialectologists, describe some of the problems that bedevil the study of dialect and the methodological solutions employed to minimise them. They also survey the contributions that linguistic cartography can make to the study of English and of language in general. The considerations it embodies are of major importance for the student of language and, in addition, the book is an invaluable companion to the Atlases.

The Handbook of Dialectology provides an authoritative, up-to-date and unusually broad account of the study of dialect, in one volume. Each chapter reviews essential research, and offers a critical discussion of the past, present and future development of the area. The volume is based on state-of-the-art research in dialectology around the world, providing the most current work available with an unusually broad scope of topics Provides a practical guide to the many methodological and statistical issues surrounding the collection and analysis of dialect data Offers summaries of dialect variation in the world's most widely spoken and commonly studied languages, including several non-European languages that have traditionally received less attention in general discussions of dialectology Reviews the intellectual development of the field, including its main theoretical schools of thought and research traditions, both academic and applied The editors are well known and highly respected, with a deep knowledge of this vast field of inquiry

A Dictionary of Varieties of English presents a comprehensive listing of the distinctive dialects and forms of English spoken throughout the contemporary world. Provides an invaluable introduction and guide to current research trends in the field Includes definitions both for the varieties of English and regions they feature, and for terms and concepts derived from a linguistic analysis of these varieties Explores important research issues including the transportation of dialects of English, the rise of ‘New Englishes’, sociolinguistic investigations of various English-speaking locales, and the study of language contact and change. Reflects our increased awareness of global forms of English, and the advances made in the study of varieties of the language in recent decades Creates an invaluable, informative resource for students and scholars alike, spanning the rich and diverse linguistic varieties of the most widely accepted language of international communication