No Cover Image

E-Thesis 39 views 34 downloads

Dialect mapping on the English/Welsh border / BRIAN KELLY

Swansea University Author: BRIAN KELLY

  • Parsonage-Kelly_Brian_MRes_Thesis_Final_Cronfa.pdf

    PDF | E-Thesis – open access

    Copyright: The Author, Brian Parsonage-Kelly, 2024. Licensed under the terms of a Creative Commons Attribution-Non-Commercial No–Derivatives (CC-BY-NC-ND) license. Third party content is excluded for use under the license terms.

    Download (3.47MB)

Abstract

Many dialect maps are limited by terminating at political borders. The Survey of English Dialects (Orton, 1962) and the Survey of Anglo-Welsh Dialects (Parry, 1999) hardly ventured far over the English/Welsh border. Subsequent studies have crossed this border, but none has specifically focused on th...

Full description

Published: Swansea, Wales, UK 2024
Institution: Swansea University
Degree level: Master of Research
Degree name: MRes
Supervisor: Lorenzo Dus, Nuria
URI: https://cronfa.swan.ac.uk/Record/cronfa69228
Abstract: Many dialect maps are limited by terminating at political borders. The Survey of English Dialects (Orton, 1962) and the Survey of Anglo-Welsh Dialects (Parry, 1999) hardly ventured far over the English/Welsh border. Subsequent studies have crossed this border, but none has specifically focused on the entire course of it, as defined by Kings Offa and Henry VIII. This study connects data from previous research, and opens up new topics, by presenting a series of 9 dialect maps, illustrating the phonology and isoglosses which cross the English/Welsh border. The Wells (1982) lexical-set vowels mapped are: FOOT/STRUT, TRAP/BATH, CURE (as <pure>), GOOSE (as <tooth>), along with Northern <us> /s/ vocalisation, rhoticity, and three Welsh phonemes, /r̥/, /ð/ and /ɬ/. Participants were 460 survey respondents, categorised according to age, gender, social class, and residence history. To observe linguistic diffusion, population movement across the border is analysed. Additionally, Welsh-language knowledge is tested, and cross-border local lexis is mapped. Results show that FOOT/STRUT and TRAP/BATH are stable, CURE is a Welsh and English Midlands di- or tri- syllabic, and a short GOOSE is found in Mid and South Wales. Northern <us> /s/ vocalisation is found in Cheshire northwards, rhoticity may still be a feature of Midlands speech, and Welsh phoneme awareness is limited outside Wales. Border-crossing motivation is for entertainment for the English, but for essential services for the Welsh. Only 17% of Welsh residents appear fluent in Welsh, and they are more likely to be older and middle-class. Phonological findings largely align with those of previous similar studies, but this work demonstrates the urgent need for investment in infrastructure and greater educational support for the Welsh language.
Keywords: Linguistics, Sociolinguistics, Dialectology, Wales, Cymru, Welsh Marches, Isoglosses, Dialect areas, Dialect mapping, Welsh language, Phonology, Dialect diffusion, Borders, Cross-border relationships, Local lexis, Online questionnaire
College: Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences

Similar Items