On the north, it came in contact with the Scotch-Gaelic. II. Cornwall and Devonshire. Traces of the Celtic of Cornwall, which was spoken in that country within a century. III. Galloway, the Lothians, and the whole line of the Wall of Severus. This was the latest locality of the Picts. IV. The neighborhood of Melrose, in Scotland. V. The neighborhood of Haverfordwest, in Wales. In each of these places was introduced, in the reign of Henry I., a colony of Flemings. VI. The county of Wexford. In the Irish county of Wexford there is a very peculiar English dialect. In the reign of Richard II. there were transplanted thither a number of English families. These families still keep themselves distinct from the Irish Gaels, and are said to preserve the language as it was spoken in the time of Chaucer.

Of the Jutes we seek traces, if any where, in Hampshire and the Isle of Wight; of the Frisians, in Kent; of the Saxons, in Berks, Wilts, and Somerset; of the Angles, in Norfolk and Suffolk; of the Scandinavians, in Lincolnshire, Yorkshire, and Northumberland.

In the provincial dialects, among many others, there are the following old forms :

1. An infinitive form in ie; as, to sowie, to reapie: Wiltshire.

2. The participial form in -and; as, go-and, step-and: Lincolnshire, Northumberland, Scotland.

3. The common use of the termination -th, in the third person present; goeth, hath, speaketh: Devonshire.

4. Plural forms in en; as, housen: Leicestershire and elsewhere.

5. Old preterit forms of certain verbs; as,

Clomb from Climb, Hereford and elsewhere.

The following changes, a few out of many, are matters not of Grammar, but of Pronunciation:

F

Ooy for

Ui for oo; as, cuil, bluid, for cool, blood: Cumberland, Scotland. Oy for i; as, foyne, twoyne, for fine, twine: Cheshire, Cambridgeshire, Suffolk. Oy for oo; as, foyt for foot: Halifax. Oi for o; as, noite, foil, for note, foal: Halifax. Oy for a; as, loyne for lane: Halifax. oo; as, novyn, pooyl, for noon, pool: Halifax. W inserted; as, spwort, scworn, for sport, scorn: Cumberland, West Riding of Yorkshire. Ew for oo or yoo; as, tewn for tune: Suffolk, Westmoreland. Iv for oo or yoo, when a vowel follows; as, Samivel for Samuel. O for oy; as, boh for boy: Suffolk. Oo for ow; as, broon for brown: Billsdale. for i; as, neet for night: Cheshire. O for ou; as, bawn for bound: Westmoreland. Ee for a; as, theere for thare: Cumberland. Ee for è; as, reed, seeven, for red, seven: Craven. A for ō; as, sair for sore: Cumberland, Scotland. Å for ō; as, saft for soft: Cheshire. Ŏ for à; as, mon for

Ee

man: Cheshire. Y inserted before a vowel; as, styake, ryape, for stake and rape: Borrowdale; especially after g; as, gyarden, gyown, for garden, gown: Warwickshire. H inserted; as, hoften, hopen, for often, open. H omitted; as, at, ard, for hat, hard: passim.

Transition of Consonants.

B for v; as, Whitehebbon for Whitehaven: Borrowdale. P for b; as, poat for boat: Welsh pronunciation. V for f; as, vind for find: Devonshire, Kent. T for d final; as, deet for deed: Borrowdale. T for ch (tsh); as, fet for fetch: Devonshire. D for j (dzh); as, sled for sledge: Hereford. D for th; as, wid for with, tudder for the other: Borrowdale, Westmoreland; drash for thrash: Devonshire. K for ch (tsh); as, thack for thatch: Westmoreland, Lincolnshire. G for j (dzh); as, brig for bridge: Lincolnshire, Hereford. G preserved from the Anglo-Saxon; as, lig, lie: Lincolnshire. Z for s; as, zee for see: Devonshire. S for sh; as, sall for shall: Craven, Scotland. W for v; as, wiew for view: Essex, London. N for ng; as, bleedin for bleeding: Cumberland, Scotland. Halifax.

Sk for sh; as, busk for bush ·

Ejection of Letters.

K before s, the preceding vowel being lengthened, by way of compensation; as, neist for next: Halifax. D and v after a consonant; as, gol for gold, siller for silver: Suffolk. The ejection of ƒ is rarer; mysel for myself, however, occurs in most dialects. L final, after a short vowel, in which case the vowel is lengthened; as, poo for pull: Cheshire, Scotland. Al changed to a open; as, hawf for half, saumon for salmon: Cumberland.

Transposition.

Transpositions of the liquid r are common in all the provincial dialects; as, gars, brid, perty, for grass, bird, pretty. Here the provincial forms are the oldest, gaers, brid, &c., being the Anglo-Saxon forms.

SPECIMENS OF ENGLISH DIALECTS.

SOMERSET DIALECT.

Farmer Bennet. Jan! why dwont ye right my shoes? Jan Lide. Bin, maester, 'tis zaw cawld, I can't work wi' tha' tacker at all; I've a brawk it ten times, I'm shower, ta dá-da vreaze za hord. Why, Hester hanged out a kittle-smock to drowy, an in dree minits a war a vraur as stiff as a pawker; an I can't avoord to keep a good vier-I wish I cood-I'd zoon right your shoes and withers too-I'd zoon yarn zum money, I warnt ye. Can't ye vine zum work vor me, maester, theäse hord times? I'll do any theng ta sar a penny. I can drash-I can cleave brans-I can make spars I can thatchy-I can shear ditch, an I can gripy too, bit da vreaze za hord. I can wimmy-I can messy or milky, nif ther be need o't. I ood'n mine dreavin plough, or any theng.

Farmer Bennet. I've a got nothin vor ye ta do, Jan; bit Mister Boord banehond ta I jist now that thâ war gwain ta wimmy, an that thâ wanted zumbody ta help 'em.

EXMOOR DIALECT.

Andrew. Well, Cozen Magery, cham glad you're come agen.

Margery. Wull ye eat a croust o' brid and chezee, Cozen Andra?

Andrew. No, es thankee, Cozen Magery; vor es eat a crub as es come along; bezides, es wint to dinner jist avore. Well, bet, Cozen Magery, whot onser dest gi' ma to tha quesson es put vore now-reert.

Margery. What quesson was et?

Andrew. Why, zure, ya bant zo vorgetvul. Why, tha quesson es put a little rather.

Margery. Es dont know what quesson ye meean; es begit whot quesson twos.

Andrew. Why, to tell tha vlat and plane agen, twos thes: Wut ha ma, ay or no?

Margery. Whot! marry to Earteen? Es gee tha zame onser es geed avore, es wudent marry tha best man in oll Ingland. Es cud amorst zwear chud ne'er marry at oll. And more and zo, Cozen Andra, cham a told ya keep company wey Tamzen Hosegood. And nif ya keep hare company, es 'll ha no more to zey to tha.

Farmer Bennet. Tummus, why dunner yo mend meh shoon?

Tummus Lide. Becoz, mester, 'tis zo cood, I conner work wee the tachin at aw; I've brockn it ten times, I'm shur, to de—it freezes zo hard. Why, Hester hung out a smockfrock to dry, an in three minits it wor frozzen as stiff as a proker, an I conner afford to keep a good fire-I wish I cud I'd soon mend yore shoon, an uthers tow-I'd soon yarn sum munney, I warrant ye. Conner yo find zum work for m', mester, these hard times? a penny. I con thresh-I con -I con thack. I con skower a dike, an I can trench tow, bur it freezes zo hard. I con winner, I can fother, or milk, if there be need on't. I woodner mind drivin plow, or onny think.

I'll doo onny think to addle split wood-I con mak spars

Farmer Bennet. I hanner got nothin for ye to doo, Tummus; bud Mester Boord towd me jist now that they wor goin to winner, an that they shud want sumbody to help 'em

LANCASHIRE DIALECT.

Tummus. Odds me! Meary, whooa the dickons wou'd o' thowt o' leeting o' thee here so soyne this morning? Where has to bin? Theaw'rt aw on a swat, I think, for theaw looks primely.

Meary. Beleemy, Tummus, I welly lost my wynt; for I've had sitch o' traunce this morning as eh neer had e' meh live; for I went to Jone's o' Harry's o' lung Jone's, for't borrow their thible, to stur th' fumetry weh, an his wife had lent it to Bet o' my gronny's; so I skeawrt eend wey, and when eh coom there, hoo'd lent it Kester o' Dick's, and the dule steawnd 'im for a brindl't cur, he'd mede it int' shoon pegs! Neaw wou'd naw sitch o' moonshine traunce potter anybody's plucks?

Tummus. Mark whot e tell the, Meary; for I think lunger ot fok liv'n an' th' moor mischoances they han.

Giles. Good morning to the, Bridget, how isto?
Bridget. Deftly as out, and as cobby as a lop, thanksto.
Giles. Wha, marry, thou looks i gay good fettle.

Bridget. What thinksto o't weather? Awr house is vara unrid and grimy, t'chimla smudges an reeks seea, an macksť' reckon, at used to shimmer and glissen, nowght bud soote an muck.

Giles. It's now a vara lithe day, bud there war a girt roak, an a rag o't fells at delleet, an it looked feaful heavisome. Bridget. I oft think a donky, mislin, deggy mornin is a sign o't pride o't weather, for it oft worsels up, an is maar to be liked ner t'element full o' thunner packs er a breet, scaumy sky.

Wife. Dun you know Suden Mouth, Tummy?

Boatman. Eees; an' a neation good feller he is tew." Wife. A despret quoiet man, but he loves a sup o' drink. Dun

yo know his woif?

Boatman. Know her? ay. Her's the very devil when her sperits up.