The Dialects of England (review)

Largely unaltered in terms of chapter outline and content, this second edition all in all is still top of the list for introductions to English dialectology.

Ch. 1, ‘Language variety in England’ (1–19), serves as an introduction to the topic at hand, introducing most of the terms that will be important in later chapters. It also provides a basic overview of the past, present, and future of regional dialects in England, clarifying among other things old clichès (e.g. ‘the correctness of dialects’).

Ch. 2, ‘The pronunciation of traditional dialects’ (20–51), begins by identifying eight sounds as crucial in differentiating between traditional dialects. Material from the Survey of English dialects (Harold Orton et al., 4 vols., Leeds: E. J. Arnold, 1962–1971) is used to illustrate these differences with the help of maps, one for each of the eight sounds. The second part of the chapter provides a synopsis of the individual results, which cumulates in Map 9 (traditional dialect areas). The central dialect areas are then described in more detail.

Ch. 3, ‘The pronunciation of modern dialects’ (52–84), follows the same outline as Ch. 2, with now seven sounds serving to differentiate between the regions. Again one map for each sound is provided. Map 18 (modern dialect areas) then is a compilation of those maps, followed by a more detailed description of each of the major dialect areas and its subregions. Finding clear cutoff points between traditional and modern dialects is still problematic. The section on ‘Estuary English’, the variety spoken basically in the Greater London area and along the river Thames, is new. What we seem to witness here is a general tendency also observed in other urban areas (T mentions Birmingham, Liverpool, and Manchester, among others): the overall spread of something that could be classified as an urban regional standard. This trend is conveniently illustrated in a new map (Map 19, ‘possible future dialect areas’) and a partly rewritten part on the future of modern dialects.

No changes have been made in Ch. 4, ‘The grammar of English dialects’ (85–108). The chapter exemplifies a number of grammatical differences in nontechnical terms. This, however, at times may cause minor problems for the linguist. Also, many of the features mentioned are traditional ones that no longer exist in modern English. Nevertheless, the chapter gives a helpful short introduction to grammatical variation.

Ch. 5, ‘Dialect words’ (109–36), offers a glimpse at dialect lexicology. Ten words are chosen as examples of different types of processes in lexicology.

One might wish for a more extensive list of further reading; especially when considering the wealth of recent publications on dialect grammar in particular. The index is very helpful.

The main difference between this revised edition and its predecessor is the inclusion of phonetic symbols in addition to the orthographic representations of speech sounds. These were primarily intended for nonlinguists and are retained in the new edition.