These scattered indications, with others which mentioned, show that in every stage of our lang dialectical varieties have been recognised. Before entering upon the dialect of our own would call attention briefly to the peculiarities of tl of the other divisions, as now existing. Beginning south, let us glance at the Dorsetshire dialect, so a trated by Mr. Barnes. The countryman has been c the town with the pleasures of rural life, and thus con "Zoo teäke vor me the town a-drown'd An' leaves that I mid sit an' hear The dialect of Devonshire is very characteristic West Saxon, which usually substitutes the soft med the sonant letters of the north; "I was wan neart reding a story book about spirits, that and draw'd back the curtains at the bed's voot. The clo beat wan, when an owl screeched 'pon the top o' the chiml made my blood rin cold. I zim'd (thought) the cat zeed zu the door creaked, and the wind huldered (howled) in the c like thunder. I prick'd up my ears, and presently zummo hurrisome went dump, dump, dump! I would 'a geed n vor a varden. Up I sprung, drow'd doun my candle douted (extinguished) 'en, and hadn't a blunk o' fire to te again. What could es do? I was afeeard to budge. At took heart, and went up steears backward, that nort mert cate by the heels. I didn't unray (undress) myself vor the neart teen'd (shut) my eyes, but healed (covered) up my head in quilt, and my heart bumpt zo, ye could hear en, and zo I panking (panting) till peep o'day." † * Barnes's Hwomely Rhymes. Second Series, 1859. The following is a slight shred of the South Saxon speech- "We went big St. Paul's and Westminster to see, Which maw friend ca'd the pearl o' the city; And if on St. Nich'las ye once cas an e'e Ye'd crack on 't as lang as ye 're livin! 'Bout Lunnun then divent ye myck sic a rout, The following is a fair specimen of the Cumberland speech- way ?' 'I've summut to leaav,' sed I. cart?' sed they. 'Woo,' sed I. 'Woo,' sed they, and wi' that they com aboot it. I naw began to be freeten'd; yan on em tewk haud o' ma, and sweaar I sud drink wi' em." We will next turn to the North Riding of Yorkshire. The following is from a letter written by a Yorkshireman who had paid a visit to London * W. D. Cooper, Sussex Gloss. 1836. + Westmoreland and Cumberland Dialect, p. 27. "I send to let te kna tat I got galy endwaies, but tired. I fand it a faul long muckky griselee wey toot, huge reeky blac spot, wen ye cum at it, bud it houd fouks, nit yan at I ken. First seet I sa was a lile ou we a mandful (baskétful) of barn lakens (children presents). Wa, sed I, what's tat? Nesht seet I sa, hugh kirk, waud about wi' iron; it lukt like ony girt crag met a girt clunterlee fello wi' a bottil (bundle) of besom his back; tey were mead o' woo garn; he caud um sp Then I mop't up into a mirk ginnel (dark passage), an I sa man wi his back up ogeean a wo: he beg'd hopenies."t But it is time to enter upon the proper subje discussion. The first edition of Collier's Tim Bob published in 1746. The following extract may ther taken as a fair specimen of the South Lancashire about a hundred and twenty years since : "A tealier e Crummel's time wur thrunk pooing turmi pingot (croft), on fund en urchon ith' had-loont-reean ( gutter); he glendurt (glowered, stared) at 't lung, boh cou nowt on 't. He whoav't (heaved, threw) his whisket oer whoam, an tells his neighbours he thowt in his guts ot he'd think at God newer mede eawt; for it had nother heeod n hont nor hough, midst nor eend. Loath to believe this, duzz'n on um would geawt see if they coudn mey shift t' (understand) it, boh it capp'd um aw, for they never o won e'er saigh th' like afore. Then theyd'n a keawnsil; an th ont wur ot tedyn fotch a lawm fawse (false, Lanc. for acut felly, het on elder (called an elder), ot cou'd tell oytch thin they look'nt on him as th' hammil-scoance (village-lamp) thowt he 'r fuller o' leet thin a glow-worm. When theyd'n him th' kese, he stroakt his beeart, sowght (sighed), an orde wheelbarrow with spon-new trindle t' be fotcht. 'Twur du they beawlt'nt him away to th' urchon in a crack. He glood *"Gregorius ascende eac Augustine halige lac." Anglo-Saxon Homily on St. Grego + Dialect of Craven. 2 vols. 1828. Vol. ii. p. 36. it a good while; droyd his beeart down, an wawtit (turned) it o'er wi' his crutch. 'Wheel meh obeawt ogen oth' tother side,' sed he, for it sturs, and be that it shou'd be whick.' Then he dons his spectacles, steart at it ogen, an sowghing sed, Breether, its summot; boh feather Adam nother did nor cou'd kersun it; wheel me whoam again.' During the century which has elapsed since Collier published his book, the Lancashire dialect has undergone considerable changes. Many of the expressions introduced by him were becoming obsolete even in his time, and with the advance of education, and, of late years particularly, by the constant intercourse with other parts of the country, a great approximation has been made to the standard English of the day. The open broad rough pronunciation, and the propensity to contractions, still continue. This will be seen in the following extract from the "Okeawnt oth' Greyt Eggshibishun," by "O Felley fro' Rachde," which may be considered as the popular dialect of the present day. The "Felley" is sight-seeing at the Exhibition, when he relates the following occurrence :— "O mon coom un keawrt hissel osoide o' me, un aw sed, 'This is o grand consarn, Maistur, isn't it?' E sed, 'It's grandest seet us evur aw seed e maw loife.' E sed, Dun yo fizzus op-aw meyn th' krystil fountain?' see weer that wattur Aw sed, 'Ah, aw doo.' 'Wel,' e sed, 'that owd chap us stons theere, we leet-culurt 'Well then,' 'Heaw the Aw say;' un e sed, 'Wat dus t' sa ?' 'Waw,' aw sed, 'awl bet thee sixpennurth o' veyle pye us aw con guess weere bwoth thee un thee fatthur comn fro.' 'Dun we thee,' e sed. aw sed, 'to come to th' point, yo'r Bowtun trotters.' dickons cou'd you foind that eawt?' e sed, un e stayrt at meh loike o stickt sheep. 'Waw,' aw sed, 'I know'd in o minute when aw yerd thee tauk obeawt wattur and fatthur.' Aw sed, 'Awme o Rachde felley, un we 're meeterly fawse theere, aw'l warrunt te. Neaw,' aw sed, 'aw'l tell thee heaw fnr't foind eawt Bury folk Wh un that 's noan so far far fro Bowtun, theaw knows. talkin obeawt o chap gooin ony wheere, they olis sen fut t' goo; un they axen him i' this road, Wheere are t' t' goo ?'" It will be observed that, whilst in the extract from many words require explanation, in the latter scarcely one which is not ordinary current Eng variation being merely in the pronunciation. We have next to consider what is the Lancashire in what respect does it differ from the standard lang the country? what are its peculiar characteristics? did they originate? and how have they been dev The first step in the inquiry is to clear the ground b taining what the dialect is not. It is not mere vulga coarseness; these may exist in every dialect and i speech. Being the language of the common ped expresses plainly, and it may be occasionally son coarsely, their every-day thoughts and mode of life there is no essential vulgarity connected with these, an than with the broad Scots dialect of Burns or Scott. Some persons, in their attempts to write the dialect, it principally to consist in mis-spelling common words. modern books in our 'Leod-cwyde' exaggerate its diffic by purposeless mis-spelling; thus kole, blak, saime, f noboddi, minnit, notis, forin kuntry, and endless divergences from the conventional mode of writing, wi affecting the pronunciation, are to be deprecated.”* is no greater transgressor in this respect than the "Ra Felley," though in other ways his work is much to commended. п The leading characteristics of the South Lancashire dia may be comprised under the following heads:-1. Obso and peculiar words and phraseology. 2. Peculiar grammat *T. Heywood On the South Lanc. Dialect, Chetham Society's Papers, vol. 57,] |