Borders and boundaries in the North of England
-
Chris Montgomery
Abstract
This chapter uses data gathered in two perceptual dialectology studies in the North of England to investigate the perception of the North-South divide. The importance of this divide is evident in the large amount of commentary in numerous discourses. The chapter uses non-linguist respondents’ additions to ‘draw-a-map’ tasks as part of which they were asked to place a North-South line. Most respondents completed this element of the task, and an analysis of their placements reveals that these are largely conditioned by respondent location. In general, respondents from further south in England demonstrated more agreement about the placement of the line, whilst respondents from further north showed less agreement. It is claimed that respondents from further south have ‘more to lose’ by being considered Southern, whereas those from further north are safely Northern, explaining the difference in line-placement.
Abstract
This chapter uses data gathered in two perceptual dialectology studies in the North of England to investigate the perception of the North-South divide. The importance of this divide is evident in the large amount of commentary in numerous discourses. The chapter uses non-linguist respondents’ additions to ‘draw-a-map’ tasks as part of which they were asked to place a North-South line. Most respondents completed this element of the task, and an analysis of their placements reveals that these are largely conditioned by respondent location. In general, respondents from further south in England demonstrated more agreement about the placement of the line, whilst respondents from further north showed less agreement. It is claimed that respondents from further south have ‘more to lose’ by being considered Southern, whereas those from further north are safely Northern, explaining the difference in line-placement.
Chapters in this book
- Prelim pages i
- Table of contents v
- Preface vii
- List of contributors ix
- The North of England and Northern English 1
-
The North of England
- The enregisterment of Northern English 27
- The Great Vowel Shift in the North of England 51
- Morphosyntactic features of Northern English 71
- The history of present indicative morphosyntax from a northern perspective 99
- Northern English 131
-
Locations within the North
- Tyneside 161
- Sunderland 183
- Carlisle and Cumbria 205
- Sheffield 227
- Middlesbrough 251
- Lancashire 271
- Manchester English 293
- Language attitudes and divergence on the Merseyside/Lancashire border 317
-
The North
- Borders and boundaries in the North of England 345
- The East Midlands 369
- The West Midlands 393
- Between North and South: The Fenland 417
- The north above the North 437
- Non-native northern English 459
- Index 479
Chapters in this book
- Prelim pages i
- Table of contents v
- Preface vii
- List of contributors ix
- The North of England and Northern English 1
-
The North of England
- The enregisterment of Northern English 27
- The Great Vowel Shift in the North of England 51
- Morphosyntactic features of Northern English 71
- The history of present indicative morphosyntax from a northern perspective 99
- Northern English 131
-
Locations within the North
- Tyneside 161
- Sunderland 183
- Carlisle and Cumbria 205
- Sheffield 227
- Middlesbrough 251
- Lancashire 271
- Manchester English 293
- Language attitudes and divergence on the Merseyside/Lancashire border 317
-
The North
- Borders and boundaries in the North of England 345
- The East Midlands 369
- The West Midlands 393
- Between North and South: The Fenland 417
- The north above the North 437
- Non-native northern English 459
- Index 479
