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ENGLISH DIALECT SOCIETY.
VOL. IX.
HISTORY OF ENGLISH SOUNDS.
By henry sweet.
SPECIMENS OF ENGLISH DIALEd^S.
I. DEVONSHIRE.
II. WESTMORELAND.
LONDON:
9Mi$%t\t tot tte CNgUfi BiaUct ^otUts ^V
TRUBNEB k CO.
1874 AND 1878.
« r. • • •
•••;
• • • ■ » *■
11 2788
• • ••
••••• ..... •••••
I • • • •
• • •
• • • •
• •
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• • • • •»
. • •. • • •
k » • • •
-**• • ••
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^
CONTENTS.
Paob
A HISTORY OF ENGLISH SOUNDS from the EarlieHt Period.
By Henry Sweet 1 — 163
SPECIMENS OF ENGLISH DIALECTS.
Preface. By Professor Skeat i
I. Dbvonbhire. Edited by F. T Elworthy . 1—176
II. We8TMORXLani>. Edited by the Rev. Professor Skeat 177—222
FRAGILE
DO NOT PHOTOCOPY
This material is fragile and
must be handled with care.
SERIES D.
MISCELLANEOUS.
HISTORY OF ENGLISH SOUNDS
PROM THE EARLIEST PERIOD,
DrCLUDING AK
INVESTIGATION OF THE GENERAL LAVS OF SOUND
CHANGE, AND FULL WORD LISTS.
BT
HENRY SWEET. ESQ.,
MmnK OF OouHcn. or the Philological and Eaelt Ekgliih Text Bocixnia.
EoROK or TRM Old Ehoush Yibuoit or Okiookt'8 Cuba Fabtokalib.
f
{From the Tranaactumi of the Philological Society for 1873-4)
LONDON :
PUBLISHED FOB THE ENGLISH DIALECT SOCIETY
BY TEUBNEE & CO., 67 ahd 69, LUDGATE HILL.
MDOOOLXXIT.
JU Righti £eierved.
HERTFORD:
PUMTSS BT tTSPBBir AVSTIN AMD 90K8.
>V-
CONTENTS.
PAOB
Preface, Addbesbed to Members of the Enqlish Dialect
Society. By the Eev. W. W. Skeat v
Introduction 1
Qeneral Laws of Sound Chanqe . 6
General Alphabetics . 19
Quantity and Quality in the Teutonic Languages ... 24
Old English Period 26
Middle English Period —
Orthography 37
Vowel-levelling 38
General Laws of Vowel Change in the Modern Teu-
tonic Languages . 40
Close and Open EE and 00 48
Unaccented E 62
Diphthongs 52
Consonant Influence 53
Modern Period —
Loss OF Final E .^ . . . . 55
Early Modern Period ' 57
Quantity 61
Consonant Influence 61
Transition Period 62
Late Modern Period 66
Quantity 67
Consonant Influence 67
Latest Modern PiftiioD 69
DiPHTHONGIZATION 70
Short Vowels 73
Quantity 73
Consonant Influence 74
Notes on the Consonants 76
Word Lists 82
Alphabetical Index to the Lists 139
Supplementary Lists of Irregularities 146
Notes to the Word Lists 161
On the Periods of English I57
Concluding Remarks 161
PREFACE.
Addressed to Mbmbbbs of thb English Dialect Socibtt.
The History of English Sounds, by Mr. Henry Sweet, was
originally written for the London Philological Society, in
further illustration of the great work on Early English Pro-
nunciation by Mr. Alexander J. EUis. Upon application to
the Council of the Philological Society, and to the author,
permission was at once obtained for making arrangements
whereby additional copies of the work should be struck off for
the use of members of the English Dialect Society. The im-
portance of it to all who study English sounds, especially such
sounds as are frequently well preserved in some of our provin-
cial dialects, will soon become apparent to the careful reader.
But as there may be some amongst our members who may
not be aware of what has been lately achieved in the study
of phonetics, a few words of introduction may not be out of
place here.
I have more than once received letters firom correspondents
who boldly assert that, of some of our dialectal sounds, no
representation is possible, and that it is useless to attempt it.
Against such, a sweeping denunciaticm of the study of pho-
netics it would be vain to argue. It may be sufBcient merely
to remark that precisely the same argument of ''impossi-
bility " was used, not so many years ago, against the intro-
duction of the use of steam locomotives upon railways. The
opinions of such as are unable to imagine how things which
VI PREFACE.
they cannot do themselves may, nevertheless, be achieved by
others, will not be much regarded by such as desire progress
and improvement.
It may, however, be conceded that no system of symbols
existed which was of sufficient scientific accuracy imtil the
publication of Mr. Melville Bellas singular and wonderful
volume entitled — ^' Visible Speech : the Science of Universal
Alphabetics: or Self-Interpreting Physiological Letters for
the Printing and Writing of all Languages in one Alphabet;
elucidated by Theoretical Explanations, Tables, Diagrams,
and Examples." Now in this system none of the usual
alphabetical characters appear at all, nor is the alphabet
founded upon any one language. It is a wholly new collec-
tion of symbols, adapted for all or most of the sounds which
the human voice is capable of producing, and is founded upon
the most strictly scientific principles, each sjrmbol being so
chosen as to define the disposition of the organs used in pro-
ducing the sound which the sjrmbol is intended to represent.
How this wonderful result has been achieved, the reader may
easily discoyer for himselfi either by consulting that work, or
another by the same author which every one interested in
the study of phonetics is earnestly recommended to procure,
at the cost of only one shilling. The title of this latter work,
consisting of only sixteen pages in quarto, is : — English
Visible Speech for the Million, etc. ; by Alex. Melville Bell.
London : Simpkin, Marshall & Co.; London and New York:
Triibner & Co. A fair and candid examination of this
pamphlet will shew the reader, better than any detailed de-
scription can do, how the study of sounds has been rendered
possible. Every work on phonetics will, no doubt, always
be based upon, or have reference to, Mr. Bell's system, and
therefore it is the more important that, at the yery least, the
iftenoe of it should be widely known.
BY THE REV. W. W. 8KEAT. VU
The work of Mr. Ellis is entitled :— On Early English
Pronunciation, with especial reference to Shakspere and
Chaucer, by Alexander J. Ellis, F.R.S. The first tVo parts
were published in 1869 by three societies in combination,
Tiz. the Philological Society, the Early English Text Society,
and the Chaucer Society ; and the third part, by the same
societies, in 1870. The work is not yet completed, and the
fourth part, not yet published, will contain a full account of
our modem English provincial dialects, shewing their distri-
bution and connections. Mr. Ellis employs a system of
symbols called palceotype, but, as every one of these has its
exact equivalent in Mr. Bell's system, it admits of the same
degree of accuracy, and has the advantage of being wholly
represented by ordinary printing-types.
The next syst^n is that invented by Mr. Ellis for the
special representation of English dialectal sounds, and deno-
minated Olossic} By the kindness of the author, a copy of
the tract upon Glossic is in the hands of every member
of our Society. The attention of readers is directed to page
11 of that tract, where the thirty-six vowels of Mr. Bell's
Visible Speech have their equivalent values in Glossic properly
tabulated.
In Mr. Sweet's volume, now in the reader's hands, the
corresponding table of vowel-sounds is given at page 5, and
one principal object of this short Preface is to shew how
Mr. Sweet's symbols and the 'Glossic' sjrmbols agree together,
and how, again, each table agrees with that of Mr. Bell.
I shall refer, then, to the three tables as given at p. 6 of
Mr. Sweet's book, at p. 11 of the Glossic tract, and at p. 8 of
Visible Speech for the Million. See also p. 14 of Mr. Ellis's
Early English Pronunciation.
1 The lyetem called Qlouotfpe, illiistrated at p. 16 of Mr. Ellis's EarW English
Proxmnciation, may be conndered aa now cameUdd^ and superseded by Oloui^,
Mr. EQiB md Mr. Sweet ngret wiQx Mr. Bdl in tiieir use
of the terms High, Kid, and Ixnr; in their use of liie tenns
Sodb, Mixed, snd Front; and in their use of the tenns Wide
and Wide-rmmd. The only difPereDoe is that Mr. Sweet uses
l2ie term J^arrow iz^tead of Primary (see page 4, note 1),
snd also uses tiie more exact term yofro^p-nmrnd in plaoe of
wliflt Mr. EDis calls Bound simply. As Mr. SweeA has
numbered his sounds, it is easy to tabulate the ooneqKmdeDoe
tif llie systems in the fdloinng manner. I denote liere Mr.
Sweet^s soonds bv the number only, and indnde the GHoBeic
symbol within square brackets, in the nsnal manner.
1, lmr\, 4. lot], 7. !»].
1. [Urj. $. [r]. B, [ai}.
1. Ilia]. 6. [Ba']. 9. [AE],
19. loo}. 22. [niT. tt. Iin}.
20. loiLj. 28. ImT, 26, lEO].
21. [at]. 24. Im'}. 27. [eo'].
10. [T], IX. [T]. IS. Ii].
11. [aa], 14. [IT], 17. [»].
12. [AH]. IS. pr]. 18. [a].
«l. tTo> SI. [no']. S4. [UE],
29, [AC]. S2. [•«>•]. iS. [OE].
80, [o], SS, [o']. 86, [oe'].
Xow it shoold be clearly understood that these two systems
are both perfectly exact, because both refer to the same posi-
tions of 1^ organs of yoioe ; bat, as soon as these sounds
oome to be described by iUnstratiye examples, a few slight
apparent discrepancies arise, solely from a difference of indi-
yidnal pronnnciation, eyen in the case of common 'key-
words.' I belieye I am ooziect in saying that eyen Mr.
Beiira 'key-words ' do not represent to eyerybody the exact
aomidB iiitended, bnt are better understood by a North-coantry
maai &an by a resident in London. Mr. Ellis describes this
JHBnnTly in liie Mbwing words : ** At the latter end of his
Mr.MsIyille Bell has giyen in to the practice of key-
and asnignnd l^iem to bis symbols. Let the reader be
not to take the yalxie of his symbol from his own
of the key-words, or from any other person's.
fjBt iam first determine l&e yalne of the symbol trcfm the
BY THE RBV. W. W. 8KEAT. IX
exact deeoription and diagram of the speech-organSi — or if
possible also from the living Yoice of some one thoroughly
acquainted with the system — and then determine Mr. Bell's
own pron.unciation of the key-word from the known value of
the symbol. This pronunciation in many instances differs
from that which I am accustomed to give it, especially in
foreign words."
In order to steer clear of such minor difficulties, Mr. Sweet
has adopted a very simple system of notation, which only
aims at representing the broader distinctions between vowels,
using, for example, the same symbol [a] for the mid-back-wide
and the low-back-wide sounds (nos. 11 and 12), without
farther distinction, and defining it only as the sound a, as
most commonly heard in the word father. Boughly speaking,
then, the symbols which Mr. Sweet employs in his vowel- table
may be thus represented in Glossic.
a, as the short vowel corresponding to the first vowel in
father; compare Glossic [aa], as in [faa*dhur].
SD, as a in man ; Glossic [a], as in [man].
d, as e in t^ll; Glossic [e or ae], as in [tel] ; provincial
[tad].
i, as at in batt; Glossic [ai], as in [bait].
9, as u in btit; Glossic [u], as in [but].
i, as in hit; Glossic [i], as in [bit].
6, as in not ; 66, as in notight ; Glossic [o] in [not] ; [au]
in [naut].
6, as oa in boot ; Glossic [oa], as in [boat].
oe, as d in Germ, schon ; Glossic [oe], as in Germ, [shoen].
a, as 00 in foot ; uu as oo in cool ; Qlossic [uo, oo], as in
[fuot, kool].
y, as tt in Germ, tibel; Glossic [ue], as in Germ, [uebu'l].
ai, a diphthong of a and i^ as y in my ; Glossic [ei], as in
[meij. .
PREFACE.
ftu, a diphthong of a and u, as ou in howse ; Glossic [ou],
in [hona].
^i, a diphthong of 6 and i, as a in tale ; Glossic [aiy], as in
[taiyl].
OU, as in no, i.e. 6 with an aftersound of u;^ Glossic
[oaw], as in [noaw].
oi, as oy in hot/ ; Glossic [oi], as in [boi].
It may be added, that ]> is used to represent the sound of
th in thin, Glossic [thin] ; and % to represent the th in this,
Glossic [dhis].
According, then, to Mr. Sweet's notation, the word father
is written faa'Sar ; man, maen ; tell, tel ; bait, b^t, or (more
commonly) b^it, in Southern English, b^et in Scotch ; but,
bet ; bit, bit ; not, not ; boat, b6t, or (more commonly) bout,
in Southern English, boot in Scotch ; Germ, schon, shoen ;
foot, fut; Germ, iibel, ybol; mi/, mai; house, haus; tale, t^il;
no, nou ; bot/^ boi.
The long vowels are expressed by doubling the symbol
employed for the shorter vowels. The following are examples,
Yiz, father, faa'Ser (the short sound of which is found in the
Anglo-Saxon man, in modem English changed to mcen) ;
earn, worse, oon, woes ; saw, f aught, sid, foot ; whose, huuz ;
and the like. Examples of diphthongs are seen in eight, ^it ;
hrd^ hoarse, 169d, h69s ; smear, smior ; bear, b^er ; etc.
The easiest way of becoming familiar with this very simple
notation is to observe the long list of words beginning at p.
84. By comparing the third column, which gives the modem
English spelling^ with the fourth, which gives the modern
English pronunciation according to the above system, the
aoonds intended can be very easily ascertained, and the reader
^ More dearlj heard when used as a negative, in response to a question, than
when Q0ed aa in the phrase * no man.' Example: Do you like that ? Answer —
BY THE REV. W. W. SKEAT. XI
will be prepared to understand what is fneant by the^r^^ and
second columns, which exhibit the pronunciations of the Old
and Middle period respectively. The thanks of students are
especially due to Mr. Sweet for these word-lists, with the
alphabeticcJ register of them appended. They can only
have been compiled at the cost of much labour and diligence,
and shew an intimate acquaintance with the spellings and
pronunciations of all periods of English.
W. W. S.
EEEATA AND ADDEPIONS.
Page 6, line 12, far wulf, read wolf.
99 16 y, 2 from bottom, dele important.
,, 52, '* Diphthongs^" see also p. 148.
,, 69, '' Consonant Influence/' see also p. 151.
„ 74, ^' Consonant Influence " (Latest Mod.) . Note also the
tendency to lower uu before r, as shown in the
almost imiversal ydd{r) for yuur (possessive of
yuu). In the vulgar pronunciation this is carried
out in all words, so that the combination uur is
entirely lost. Thus we hsiY%pdd9 for puur, ahdd^
' for shuur, etc.
Word Lists: dele >ycce (No. 797).
for cleev, read cl^Sv (1327).
quean (1741) seems to come from' cw^ with a
short vowel = Gothic kmn6.
h
HISTORY OF EliTGLISH SOUIfDa
By henry sweet, Esq.
INTEODUCTION.
In studying the phonetic development of a language two
methods are open to us, the historical and the comparative ;
that is to say, we may either trace the sounds of one and the
same language through its successive stages, or else compare
the divergent forms in a group of languages which have a
common origin.
Each method has its advantages. In the historical method
the sequence of the phenomena is self-evident; when we
compare two forms of the same sound in several co-existing
languages, it is often doubtful which is the older. The
peculiar advantage of the comparative method is that it can
be applied to living languages, where nothing but careful
observation of facts is required, while in the case of dead
languages the phonetic material is often defective, and is
always preserved in an imperfect form by means of graphic
symbols, whose correct interpretation is an indispensable pre-
liminary to further investigation. In short, we may say
that the comparative method is based, or may be based, on
fjEU^ts, the historical on theoretical deductions.
It need hardly be said that the first requisite for phonetic
investigation of any kind is a knowledge of sounds. Yet
nothing is more common in philology than to see men, who
have not taken the slightest trouble to make themselves
acquainted with the rudiments of vocal physiology, making
the boldest and most dogmatic statements about the pro-
nunciation of dead languages — asserting, for instance, that
certain sounds are unnatural, or even impossible, merely be-
cause they do not happen to occur in their own language.
Such prejudices can only be got rid of by a wide and impar-
tial training.
1*
2 HISTORY OF ENGLISH SOUNDS.
The second requisite is a collection of carefully recorded
fiu^ts. In this respect the present state of phonology is
somewhat anomalous. As fSur as living languages are con-
cerned, the amount of reliable material that exists is still
Tery small, although it is rapidly increasing, while if we
turn to the dead languages we find an enormous body of
careful, full, often exhaustive, observations of the varied
phenomena of letter-change in the Teutonic languages — a
dead mass, which requires the warm breath of living phono-
logy to thaw it into life. Before the word-lists in such a
book as Grimm's Deutsche Orammatik can be intelligently
utilized, the spoken sounds they represent must be deter-
mined. The first step is to determine generally the relations
between sound and sjrmboL The ideal of a phonetic notation
is, of course, a system in which every simple sound would
have a simple sign, bearing some definite relation to the
sound it represents. It need hardly be said that all the
modifications of the Eoman alphabet in which the Teutonic
languages have been written down fall far short of this
standard. The Roman alphabet was originally, like all
naturally developed alphabets, a purely hieroglyphic system,
representing not sounds but material objects : the connection
of each symbol with its sound is therefore entirely arbitrary.
When we consider that this inadequate system was forced on
languages of the most diverse phonetic structure, we need
not be surprised at the defects of the orthography of the old
Teutonic languages, but rather admire the ingenuity with
which such scanty resources were eked out.
The maximum of difficulty is reached when a language
changes through several generations, while its written repre-
sentation remains unchanged. In such a case as that of
English during the last three centuries, we are compelled to
disregard the written language altogether, and have recourse
to other methods.
Foremost among these is the study of the contemporary
evidence afibrded by treatises on pronunciation with their
descriptions of the various sounds and comparisons with r "^
foreign utterance. It is on this kind of evidence that the
BT HENBY SWEET, ESQ. 3
well-known investigations of Mr. Ellis are based. The great
value of Mr. Ellis's work consists in the impartial and
cautious spirit in which he has carried it out^ advancing step
by step, and never allowing theories to overrule facts. Mr.
Ellis's method forms a striking contrast to that pursued by
some Early English students, who, starting from the assump-
tion that whatever pronunciation is most agreeable to their
own ear» must be the right one, take for granted that Alfred,
Chaucer, and Shakespere spoke exactly like 19th-century
gentlemen, and then, instead of shaping their theories by
the existing evidence, pick out those facts which they think
confirm their views, and ignore all the rest. The result of
Mr. Ellis's investigations is to establish with certainty^ within
certain limits, the pronunciation of English during the last
three centuries; absolute accuracy is impossible in deductions
drawn from the vague statements of men who had but an
imperfect knowledge of the mechanism of the sounds they
uttered.
I hope, however, to show that that minute accuracy which
is unattainable by the method adopted by Mr. Ellis, can be
reached through a combination of the comparative with the
historical method, taking the latter in its widest sense to
include both the external evidence employed by Mr. Ellis,
and the internal evidence of the graphic 'forms. This gives
us three independent kinds of evidence, which, as we shall
see, corroborate each other in the strongest manner.
Before going any farther it will be necessary to say a
few words on the phonetic notation I have adopted. The
only analysis of vowel-sounds that is of any real use for
general scientific purposes is that of Mr. Bell. His system
differs from all others in two important particulars, 1) in
being based not on the* acoustic efiects of the sounds, but
on their organic formation, and 2) in being of universal
applicability : while most other systems give us only a
lisuted number of sounds arbitrarily selected from a few
^languages, Mr. Bell's Visible Speech is entirely independent
of any one language — it not only tells us what sounds do
im a giv«& language^ baft ako what sounds flNPf exist
m any language wlialeFer. It is therefore of piioeleflB valiie
in all theoretical inTestigations like the present.
The following lemaiks will hdp to elucidate Mr. 6dl*8
table of ^owds with kOT-words, which I haTe giren on the
ofiposite page.
EFerjr TOwel is, as r^ards position, either hack (gattural),
of which aa is the type, frtmt (palatal), typified by ti, or
mixedf that is, farmed by the back and front of the tongae
simultaneonsly, as in the English err. Each vowel, again,
has one of three degrees of elevation — it is either hiphy
mid or lo9t. Each of these nine positions may be round"
ed (labialized). Each of the resulting eighte^i vowels
most, lastly, be either narrow^ or wide. In forming narrow
Towels the pharynx or cavity behind the mouth is com-
pressed, while in wide vowels it is relaxed* The distinction
will be clearly felt by any one who pronounces nof, naughty
several times in succession, drawling them out as much as
possible : it will be found that in sounding not the pharynx
and back of the mouth is relaxed, while in naught there is
evident tension. The vowel in both words is the low-bad^-
round, but in not it is wide, in naught narrow.
In treating of the formation of the sounds, I have always
described them in Mr. Bell's terminology, which is admirably
simple and dear. If I could have made use of his types, I
could have avoided a great deal of circumlocution, which, as
it is, has proved unavoidable.
For the convenience of those who are not able to appre-
ciate minute phonetic distinctions, I have also adopted a rough
practical system of notation, in which only the broadest dis-
tinctions are indicated. In this system a, By i, o, t/, y, are
employed in their original Roman values, the distinction
between open and close e and o being indicated by accents.
To indicate that class of sounds of which the English
vowels in hut and err are types, I have adopted the turned
e (9), The English vowel in man is written cs, and or is used
^ I hare Tentared to sobstitate '* nazrow" fox Mr. Bell*s '< primary," aa being
Wth ihorter and more expretaiTe.
BT fiBNRT SWEET, BBQ.
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6 HISTOBY OF ENGLISH SOUNDS.
to designate the German o. Long vowels are doubled, and
diphthongs indicated by combining their elements.^
a as in father Nos. 11, 12, (3) on Bell's Scale.
n „ man ••••••• • i, 18 ,,
ft „ t^U ; „ 9,(17)
6 „ Seoteh tale, French 6 ^ „ 8 „
9 „ btft, bird, Ogrtnan gabe „ 2, (3), 5, 6, (10), 14, 16.
i „ btt, b«rt „ 7,16.
6 „ not „ 21, (29), 30 on Bell's Scale.
6 „ Scotch note, Oerm, sobn „ 20 „
CB „ Omn.acYum „ (26), 27, 36, 36 „
n „ wuU „ 19, 28.
J „ Germ. «bel „ 26, (26), 34 „
ai „ my, Oerm. mein.
au „ house, Oerm. haws.
6i „ tale.
6u „ no.
oi „ boy.
I have not made any use of Mr. Ellis's "palsDotype," as, in
spite of its typographical convenience, its extreme complexity
and arbitrariness make it, as I can testify from personal ex-
perience, quite unfitted for popular exposition. The apparent
easiness of palaeotype as compared with the Yisible Speech
letters of Mr. Bell is purely delusive : it is certain that those
who find Yisible Speech too difficult will be quite unable
really to master palaeotype. It must also be borne in mind
that no system of notation will enable the student to dis-
pense with a thorough study of the sounds themselves : there
is no royal road to phonetics.
General Laws of Sound Change.
They may be investigated both deductively, that is, by
examining known changes in languages, and k priori, by
considering the relations of sounds among themselves. I
propose to combine these methods as much as possible.
Although in giving examples of the various changes I have
been careful to select cases which may be considered as per-
fectly well established, I must in many cases ask the reader
to suspend his judgment till they have been fully discussed,
which, of course, cannot be done till we come to the details.
The general laws I am about to state may, for the present,
^ Nmnbers within parentheses indicate the less distinctive yowels, which admit
of being brought under different heads : 26, for instance, may be regarded either
as a yery open y or a dose «.
BY HENRY SWEET, ESQ. 7
be regarded simply as convenient heads for classing the
Tarioos changes under.
All the changes may be brought under three grand divi-
sions, 1) organic^ 2) imitative^ and 3) inorganic. Organic
changes are those which are the direct result of certain
tendencies of the organs of speech : all the changes com-
monly regarded as weakenings fall under this head. Imita-
tive changes are the result of an unsuccessful attempt at
imitation. Inorganic changes, lastly, are caused by purely
external causes, and have nothing to do either with organic
weakening or with imsuccessful imitation.
The great defect of most attempts to explain sound-changes
is that they select some one of these causes, and attempt to
explain everything by it, ignoring the two others. It would,
for instance, be entirely misleading to explain the change of
the O.E. beer (pret. of beran) into the N.E. bore^ as an organic
sound-change, the truth being that the form bore is the result
of confusion with the participle borne. Such a case as this is
self-evident, but I hope to show hereafter that the very re-
markable and apparently inexplicable changes which our
language underwent during the transition from the Old to
the Middle period, can be easily explained as inorganic de-
velopments.
We may now turn to the two first classes of changes,
organic and imitative. From the fact that all sounds are
originally acquired by imitation of the mother and nurse we
are apt to assume that all sound-change is due to imitation,
but a little consideration will show that this is not the case.
How, for instance, can such a change as that of a stopped to
an open consonant, or of n, uuy into at, au, be explained by
imitation P The fact that the vast majority of those who
speak even the most difficult languages do make the finest
distinctions perfectly well, proves clearly that the correct
imitation of sounds is no insurmountable difficulty even to
people of very ordinary capacity. The real explanation of
such changes as those cited above is that the sounds were
acquired properly by imitation, and then modified by the
speaker himself^ either fix>m carelessness or indolence.
8 HISTORY OF ENGLISH SOUNDS.
Foriher oonfirmatioii is afforded by the fact, which anj
one may obserre for himself, that most pecqile have double
pronimciationSy one being that which they learned by imita-
tion, the other an tmconscioos modification. If asked to pro-
nounce the -sound distinctly, they will give the former sound,
and will probably disown the other as a vulgarism, although
they employ it themselves invariably in rapid conversation.
When the habits are fixed, the di£Sculty of correct imitation
largely increases. To the infimt one sound is generally not
more di£Scult than another, but to the adult a strange sound
is generally an impossibility, or, at any rate, a very serious
difficulty. He therefore naturally identifies it with the
nearest equivalent in his own language, or else analyses it,
and gives the two elements successively instead of simulta-
neously. We may, therefore, expect a much wider range of
the imitative principle in words derived from other languages.
I propose, accordingly, to class all the doubtful changes under
the head of organic, treating as imitative changes only those
which do not allow of any other explanation, but admitting
that some of the changes considered as inorganic may under
special circumstances be explained as imitative.
Organic sound-changes fall naturally into two main divi-
sions, simple and complex. Simple changes are those which
affect a single sound without any reference to its surroundings,
while complex changes imply two sounds in juxtaposition,
which modify one another in various ways.
It is generally assumed by philologists that all organic
soond-changes may be explained by the principle of economy
of exertion, and there can be no doubt that many of the
changes must be explained in this way and in no other, as, for
instance, the numerous cases of assimilation, where, instead of
passing completely from one sound to another, the speaker
chooses an intermediate one. Other changes, however, not
only do not require this hypothesis of muscular economy, but
even run quite counter to it, as when an open consonant is con-
verted into a stop, a by no means imcommon phenomenon in
the Teutonic languages. It is of the greatest importance that
these exceptions to the general rule should not be suppressed.
BT HSNBT SWEBT^ ESQ. 9
I shally therefore, while giying precedence to thosie changes
which seem to be in harmony with the general principle of
economy of force, take care to state fiilly the exceptions. I
begin with the simple changes, arranging them in classes,
according to the different vocal organs concerned in their
formation.
A. Simple Changes.
I. WfiAKBinMO.
1) Glottal : voice to whisper and breath. In the formation
of voice the glottis is momentarily closed, in that of whisper
its edges are only approximated, and in breath the glottis is
qnite open. It is evident, therefore, that voice per se de-
mands the most and breath the least muscular exertion, and
that the natural tendency would be to substitute whisper and
breath for voice whenever possiUe. The great preservative
of consonantal vocality is the principle of assimilation, to
which we shall return presently. When a voice consonant
is flanked by vowels, as in aba, aga, etc., it is much easier to
let the voice run on iminterruptedly than to cut it off at the
consonant and then resume it. But at the end of a word this
assimilative influence is not felt, and accordingly we find that
in nearly aU the Teutonic languages except English, many
of the final voice consonants become either voiceless or whis-
pered.
2) Pharyngal: narrow to wide. In the formation of
narrow vowels the pharynx is compressed, while in that of
wide vowels it is relaxed. The natural tendency would
therefore be from narrow to wide. It is, however, a curious
idJcX that in the Teutonic languages short and long vowels
follow diametrically opposed laws of change as regards these
pharjmgal modifications, long vowels tending to narrowing,
short to widening. Full details will be given hereafter ; I
merely call attention to these Teutonic changes as a clear
instance of inapplicability of the principle of economy of
force.^
3) Changes of position. The most general feature of
' Mr. H. Kicoly howerer, saggests that the narrowine of long yowels may be
eaaaed by tiie effort required to sastain a onifbrm loiina— hence long yowels are
either narrowed or dipfithongized.
10 HISTORY OP ENGLISH SOUNDS.
changes of position is the tendency to modify the hack arti-
colationSy whether yowels or consonants, by shifting forwards
to the front, point or lip positions. This is clearly a case of
economy of exertion, as the back formations require a move-
ment of the whole body of the tongue, the front and point
of only a portion of it Of the two last the frx)nt, on the
same principle, evidently require more exertion than the
point sounds. The lip consonants (the labial vowels must be
reserved), lasfly, involve the minimum of exertion.
I will now give a few examples of these various changes.
a) back to front : Sanskrit ch (front-stop) from Ar, as in
vach^=-vak; English nuBHyflhr^ from the Old E. manny
faran,
b) back to point : E. mHt from O.E. gemaca.
c) back to lip: seems doubtful, as the cases usually cited,
such as Ghieek pSnie^^kankan, seem to be the result of
the assimilative influence of the tr-sound preserved in
the Latin quinque.
d) bout to point: the development of Uh from k through
an intermediate front position, as in the E. church
from cyrice ; the change of Sanskrit ^, as in f ra, which
was originally the voiceless consonant corresponding
to the English consonant y, to the present sound of <A.
e) frx)nt and point to lip ? *
f) back and front to mixed (applies only to vowels). All
unaccented vowels in most of the Teutonic languages
have been levelled under one sound — the mid-mixed-
narrow, as in the German enda^ ffeeban, from the older
andi, giban.
There are many exceptions to these general tendencies.
Thus, of the two rs, the back and the point, the former
seems to require less exertion than the latter, and hence
is often substituted for it in the careless pronunciation of
advanced communities, especially in large cities. Other
cases, however, reaUy seem to run counter to the prin-
cq»le of economy of force. Such are the change of th into
^ The not iiiifreq[iieiit change of tk into / U no donbt purely imitatiTe (/Hm
BY HENKY SWEET, ESQ. 11
kh (= German ch) in the Scotch (Lothian dialect) khrii for
thrii.
The changes of height in the vowels cannot be brought
under any general laws. In the Teutonic languages, at least,
short and long vowels follow quite opposite courses, long
vowels tending to high, short to low positions.
4) Relaxation:
a) stopped consonants to unstopped : Latin lingua from
dingua; German mflrAA^ = E. miik^ wasar^^wddtar ;
Modem Greek dhidhoka from didooka,
b) unstopped to diphthougal vowel: Middle English
dai, lau, from older dagh, laghu; English hiid from hiir.
c) untrilling: a common phenomenon in most of the
Teutonic languages, especially English, in which the
trilled r is quite lost.
There are some unmistakable exceptions to these tenden-
^es. All the Teutonic languages except English seem to
find the th and dh difficult, and convert them into the corre-
sponding stopped t and d. In Swedish the gh of the oldest
documents has, in like manner, become g. There seem to
be cases of vowels developing into consonants, which will
be treated of h^eafter. Lastly, we may notice the not
imfrequent development of trilled out of untnlled conson-
ants, as in Dutch, where g first became opened into gh, which
in many Dutch dialects has become a regular guttural r.
5) Hounding (vowel-labialization). We must distinguish
between the rounded back and the rounded front vowels, for
their tendencies are directly opposed to one another: back
vowels tend to rounding, front to unrounding. In the case
of back vowels, rounding may be regarded as an attempt to
diminish the expenditure of muscular energy, by keeping the
mouth half-closed, whence the change of aa into ()d, which,
as we shall see, is almost universal in the Teutonic languages.
But with the more easily-formed front vowels this economy
of exertion is superfiuous : we find, accordingly, that front
vowels are seldom rounded, but that rounded front vowels
are often unrounded, y and <b becoming i and e — a frequent
ohange in the Teutonic languages.
21
HUSIISUSK Ol.
BL
T!!te
IT IBI*
ttiiM0ir. j» 1,
ic T^nxmn;
II wi|it|tfr*_
1. i=* OJL ■HXm*=:'t
: '-*
ji^ if
Tiirwfr^ IL^ ^S — 'Hill Wti
1 2=:
» I4BX 1ZIIJBXI& if
eiL J» rr
Ciii
BT HBNBT SWEXT, ESQ. 13
It ifl dear that in all these umlaats the new vowel is
exactly intermediate between the original yowel of the root
and the modifying one of the termination : if the new vowel
became identical with its modifier, the result would be not an
umlaut but a complete assimilation. In the Old Icelandic
Mpyc^u^=:Bkap(iSu the first vowel is modified, the second as-
similated by the final ti.
Yowel influence on consonants is not very common, but the
different forms of German ch^ after back, front, and rounded
Towels, as in ach^ ich, aueh, are instances of it.
Consonant influence on consonants is very strongly develop-
ed in some languages : what is called mndhi in Sanskrit and
mutation in the Celtic languages falls partly ui^der this head.
The Teutonic languages, on the other hand, are remarkable
for the independence , of their consonants, and the freedom
with which they are combined without modifying one another.
Consonant influence on vowels, lastly, is perhaps the ob-
scurest of all phonetic problems: the explanation of its varied
iphenomena seems to require a far greater knowledge of the
synthesis of speech-soimds than is at present attained by
phonologiBts. These influences are strongly developed both
in Old and Modem English, and will be treated of in their
place.
The converse of the processes just considered is dissimHa"
turn, by which two identical sounds are made unlike, or two
similar sounds are made to diverge. The development of
the Teutonic preterite u;ista out of tcitta is an example of
consonantal, the diphthongization of tV into di in Early
Modem English of vowel dissimilation, while the further
change of Si into 9i and ai is a case of divergence of similar
sounds. The whole phenomena of dissimilation is anomalous,
and it is doubtful whether many of the instances ought not
to be ascribed to purely external causes, as, for instance, the
desire of greater clearness.
2) Mutual Influence. Mutual influence, in which both the
sounds are modified by one another, may be either partial or
complete. I do not know of any sure instance of partial
convergence.
u
dokL fee* % v^sy iewnaLS pfleanaieBiHL nr Ar
^■^^''^ 5a. ^e fjigfiw. Tii iil sTinrv waick wai
likok ir^gmc^ ami Ludj v^at, dbe xoaail i bone
ia^ 'iut t^ w!i£cs. eaoaBi|aBiidy Lose jjsk Taei£cr.
T!xe <fiirT^9& posiomeauBL 'Tt £v^r^atce as « ^J?^ | g^
iut ssoIacaHL of sznpie Icn^ novels iztao jip&AanjEv We
iaEv>£ ie€iL ^aac «i » o&ea toe resolr •}£ ^t« *™»^""^'*'mtii t of
M, bos lEi T.^gptifV ^zie proees oas beea ggitt n ai — dbe OH
tf»Tanife> 'id 3S fzL '&ti^ fiom fi(iu¥ ' lias beeome al Lt ^e
IT. Ti
TrasspisK^im maj be of CGii3oi2aii& ss cl &e gw-^K»p>
fcr «fc. or eLse d TowieLs £a df&reas syllables, as ra tbe Greek
flKtko &r m^n/iii. Ibis lacrer case di:xsc be care^bUy dxstm-
gxiLHied friixi Tmlaar, Tbse jeem aL<o Co be c&ses of crmn»>
poKdaa izi <ift5Tgis woHs^ or izi wbole classes of vords; sack
aa the coofi^sica betw^ea *«Lr=.ici£r and .4«Ar=«xr^ wkick
Kerns to be cftoi made in tbe London dialect.
The lesolta obtained may be conToiientlT sammed up tkiis:
A. Sb^la Ckugea
1) Glottal : Toice to whi^ier and breath.
2; Fharrngal: narrow to wide.
3) Poalion : a) back to front.
b) back to point.
c> back to lip ?
d) front to point.
BY HENBY SWEET, ESQ.
e) front and point to lip P
f ) back and front to mixed (vowels only).
g) vowel-height P
4) Belazaiion : a) stop to unstopped ; b) unstopped to
vowel ; c) untrilling.
6) Vowel-rounding: rounding of back; unrounding of fr(mt«
II. Loss.
1) Of vowels : unaccented final e.
2) Consonants : before vowel, before another consonant ;
initial, medial, final.
B. Complex Changes.
III. Inflxtenob.
1) One-sided, a) convergent :
partial (modification), complete (assimilation) ; vowel on
vowel (umlaut), vowel on consonant, consonant on
consonant (sandhi), cousonant on vowel.
b) divergent (dissimilation) : of vowels, of consonants.
2) Mutual, a) convergent :
partial (diphthongic umlaut), complete (diphthongic
simplification) ; consonantal,
b) divergent : resolution of long vowels, of short (P).
lY. Transposition.
1) Of consonants.
2) Of vowels (in different syllables).
3) In different words.
Imttativb Sound-Changes.
The general principle on which imitative changes depend
is simply this — that the same effect, or nearly the same, may
be produced on the ear by very different means. Thus,
starting from the mid-front-narrow vowel e, we can lower
16 HISTORY OF ENGLISH SOUNDS.
its natural pitch either by slightly raising the back of the
tongue, and thus producing the corresponding mixed 9
instead of the front vowel, or else by rounding into the
mid-front-round (b, the result being that (b and 9 are so
alike in sound that they are constantly confused in many
languages. This similarity of sound between the mixed
and round vowels was first pointed out by Mr. Bell (Visible
Speech, p. 87).
There is the same similarity between the low-narrow and
the mid-wide vowels, and also between the high-wide and
the mid-narrow. Thus the English e in men is indifierently
pronounced, either as the mid-front-wide or the low-front-
narrow, and the 9 in bdt as the high-back-wide or the mid-
back-narrow.
Whenever, then, we find a sound changing directly into
another which, although very sinlilar in acoustic effect, is
formed in quite a different manner, we may be sure that the
change is an imitative, not an organic one. Thus, when we
find (s and 9 constantly interchanging without any interme-
diate stages, it would be unreasonable to assume, as we
should have to do on the assumption of organic change,
three such stages as a?, ^, a, whereas the imitative hypothesis
makes the direct change of ce into s perfectly intelligible.
Inorganic Changes.
Inorganic sound-changes, which result from purely ex-
ternal causes, are of a very varied character, and are con-
sequently difficult to classify. One of the most prominent of
these external influences is the striving after logical clear-
ness, which comes more and more into play as the sounds of
the language become less distinct. Clearness may again be
attained in many ways — by discarding one of two words
which have run together in form, though distinct in mean-
ing, or by taking advantage of any tendency to change
which may keep the two words distinct (scheideformen).
The important phenomenon of levelling, by which advanced
languages get rid of superfluous distinctions, is a very im-
BT HBKBT 8WEBT, BSa 17
portant inorganic change, and is strongly deyeloped in
Transition English. A familiar aspect of inorganic sound-
change is the alteration of foreign words so as to give them
a homely appearance, as in tparrow-graaa for asparagus.
Genbral Law of Chakgb.
The investigation of the yarious laws of sound-change—
important as it is — must not be allowed to divert our atten-
tion from the general principle on which they all depend,
namely that of incessant change — alternations of develop-
ment and decay. To say that language changes looks very
like a truism, but if so, it is a truism whose consequences are
very generally ignored by theorizers on pronunciation. The
most important lesson that it teaches us is to regard all cases
of stand-still, whether of phonetic or of general linguistic
development, as abnormal and exceptional. These cases of
arrested development are really much rarer than is com-
monly supposed, and many of them are quite delusive — ^the
result of the retention of the written representation of an
older language, from which the real living language has di-
verged widely. English and Icelandic are striking examples.
The written English language is for all practical purpose an
accurate representation of the spoken language of the six-
teenth century, which, as far as the sounds themselves are
concerned, is as different from the present English as Latin
is from Italian. The apparent stability of our language
during the last few centuries is purely delusive.
The case of English and Icelandic also shows how it is
possible for a language to retain its grammatical structure
unimpaired, and at the same time to undergo the most sweep-
ing changes in its phonetic system. How much more then
are we bound to expect a change of pronunciation where the
whole grammatical structure of a language has been sub-
verted!
It is not only in its unceasing alternations of develop-
ment and decay that language shows its analogy with the
other manifestations of organic life, but also in another very
2
18 HisnroRY of English sounds.
important feature, namely in that of increasing complexity
of phonetic structure. The greater number of sounds in a
late as opposed to an early language is at once evident on
comparing two languages belonging to the same stock, but
in different stages of development, such as English with
Germau, French vrith Italian or Spanish. It can further be
shown that even in German, in its sounds one of the most
archaic of the living Teutonic languages, many of the simple
vowels are of comparatively late origin.
The sounds of early languages, besides being few in num-
ber, are more sharply marked off, more distinct than those
of their descendants. Compare the multitude of indistinct
vowel sounds in such a language as English vrith the dear
simplicity of the Gothic and Sanskrit triad a, «, u — the three
most distinct sounds that could possibly be produced. From
these three vowels the complex systems of the modem lan-
guages have been developed by the various changes already
treated of.
There can be little doubt that the simplicity of earlier
phonetic systems was partly due to want of acoustic discrimi-
nation, and that primitive Man contented himself with thr^
vowels, simply because he would have been unable to dis-
tinguish between a larger number of sounds. The really
marvellous fineness of ear displayed by those who speak
such languages as English, Danish, or French, must be
the result of the accumulated experience of innumerable
generations.
From this we can easily deduce another law, namely that
the changes in early languages are not gradual, but per
aaltum. A clear appreciation of this principle is of consider-
able importance, as many philologists have assumed that in
such changes as that of a back into a front consonant (Sans-
krit k into ch) the tongue was shifted forwards by impercep-
tible gradations. Such assumptions are quite unnecessary,
besides being devoid of proof. To people accustomed pre-
viously only to the broad distinction between back and point
consonant, the further distinction of front must at first have
appeared almost indistinguishable from its two extremes.
BT HENRY SWEST, ESQ. 19
Under sach circumstances it is not easy to see how they
could have distinguished intermediate modifications of the
original sound.
General Alphabetics.
Although it would be possible to carry on the present
investigation on a purely comparative basis— confining our
attention exclusively to the living languages — such a process
would prove tedious and difficult, if pursued without any help
from the historical method, many of whose deductions are
perfectly well established : to ignore these would be perverse
pedantry. But the historical method must be based^on a
study of the graphic forms in which the older languages are
preserved,, and especially of their relation to the sounds they
represent.. It is quite useless to attempt to draw deductions
from the filing of a language till we know on what
principles that q)elling was formed. We have only to look
at living languages to see how greatly the value of the
spelling of each language varies. In English and French
the spelling is almost worthless as a guide to the actual lan-
guage ; in German and Spanish the correspondence between
sound and symbol is infinitely closer,, and in some languages,
such as Finnish and Hungarian, it is almost perfect — ^as far
as the radical defects of the Boman alphabet allow.
With these facts before us> it is clearly unreasonable to
assume, as many philologists have done, that the same diver-
gence between orthography and pronunciation which charac-
terizes Modem English prevailed also in the earlier periods,
and consequently that no reliable deductions can be drawn
frx>m the graphic forms. I feel confident that every one who
has patience enough to follow me to the end of the present
discussion will be convinced of the very opposite. Putting
aside the actual evidence altogether, it is quite clear that the
wretched attempts at writing the sounds of our dialects
made by eduqated men of the present day cannot be taken
as standards from which to infer a similar result a thousand
years ago.
An educated man in the nineteenth century is one who
20 HlflTOKT OF SKOLIBH SOUBTDS.
«
lias been taught to asaociate groapa of tjrpe-marks with
oertain ideaa: hia oo&oeption of language is viBual, not oral.
The same system is applied to other languages as well as
English, so that we have the eurious phenomenon of people
studying French and German for twenty year^ and yet
being unable to understand a single sentence of the spoken
languages ; also of Latin verses made and measured by eye,
like a piece of citrpentry^ by men who would be unable to
comprehend the metre of a single line of their own composi-*
tions, if read out in the manner of the ancients. The study
of Egyptian hieroglyphics affords almost as good a phonetic
training as this.
Before the invention of printing the ease was very differ-
ent. The Roman alphabet was a purely phonetic instrument,
the yalue of each symbol being learned by ear, and conse-
quently the sounds of the scribe being also written by ear.
The scarcity of books, the want of communication between
literary men, and the number of literary dialects — all these
causes made the adoption of a rigid, unchanging orthogri^hy
a simple impossibility. It m/ust not, of course, be imagined
that there were no orthographical traditions, but it may be
safely said that their influence was next to none at all. The
only result of greater literary cultivation in early times was
to introduce a certain roughness and carelessness in distin-
guishing shades of sound : we shall see hereafter that sounds
which were kept distinct in the thirteenth-century spelling
were confused in the time of Chaucer, although it is quite
certain that they were still distinguished in speech. But such
defects, although inconvenient to the investigator, do not
lead him utterly astray, like the retention of a letter long
after the corresponding sound has changed or been lost, which
is so often the case in orthographies fixed on a traditional'
basis.
Early scribes not only had the advantage of a rational
phonetic tradition — ^not a tradition of a fixed spelling for
each word, but of a small number of letters associated each
with one sound ; — but, what is equally important, the mere
practical application of ibis alphabet forced them to observe
BT HBmtT SWKBTy B8Q. 2)
and analjae the sounds they wrote down : in short they were
trained to halnts of phonetic observation. Yet another
advantage was possessed by the earliest scribes — ^that of a
compa r atively limited nomber of soonds to deal with. For
the proofs of this portion I most refer to the remarks I have
made in the discnssion of the Laws of Sound Change, and to
the details of the investigation itself*
The Bomaa alphabet consisted of six simple vowel signs,
aeiony: on these six letters the vowel notation of all the
Tentonic languages was based. If, therefore, we can deter-
mine the sounds attached to these letters by the Romans
during the first few centuries of Christianityy we can also
determine, within certain limits, the sounds of the unlettered
tribes who adopted the Roman alphabet to write their own
languages^ Nor need our determination be absolutely accu-
rate. It ia certain that minute shades of di£krence between
a Latin and, for example, an Old English sound would not
have deterred the first writers of English firom adopting the
letter answering to the Latin sound: all that was wanted
was a distinctive qonboL
Now there can be no doubt as to the general values of the
six Roman vowel-signa The sounds ol the first five are
still preserved in nearly all the Modem Latin languages,
and that ol the y, although lost in Italian and the other
cognate languages, can be determined with certainty from
the descriptions of the Latin grammarians, and horn its
being the regular transcription of the GFreek upsihn. The
values of the Roman vowel-letters may, then, be represented
approximately thus :
a=Italian a; English fiither.
e ff € „ b^ bfor.
i „ f „ btt, heat.
ff „ odd, bare.
u „ u „ full, fooL
y=French u; Danish y.
We see that even in English the traditional values of the
Roman letters have been 'Tery accurately preserved in many
22 HISTORY OF ENGLISH SOUNDS.
cases, and it need hardly be said that the majority of the
living Teutonic languages have preserved them almost as
£Eiithfally as Italian and Spanish. We thus find that the
Bomance and Teutonic traditions are in complete hannony
after a lapse of more than ten centuries. l%e greatest
number of exceptions to the general agreement occur in the
two most advanced languages of each group — ^English and
French ; but it can be shown that these divergences are of
very late origin, and that in the sixteenth century the
original tradition was still maintained.
We may now pass firom the consideration of the single
letters to that of their combinations or digraphs. The first
use of digraphs, namely to express diphthongs, is self-evident,
but they have a distinct and equally important function . in
symbolizing simple sounds which have no proper sign in the
original Roman alphabet. The plan adopted was to take
the symbols of two different sounds which both resembled
the one in question, and write them one after the other,
implying, however, that they were to be pronounced not
successively but simultaneously — ^that an intermediate sound
was to be formed. Thus, supposing there had b^n no y in
the Soman alphabet, tfhe sound might still have been easily
represented by writing u and i (or e) together, implying an
intermediate sound, which is no other than that of y. Ab
we see, the framers of the Old English alphabet, living at a
time when the Roman y still had its original sound, had no
need of this expedient ; but in Germany, where the sound of
y did not develope till a comparatively late period — during
the twelfth century — the only course open was to resort to a
digraph, so that the sound which in Danish is still expressed
by the Old Roman y, is in Modem German written ue.
This ue affords at the same time an excellent example of
the way in which diacritical modifications are developed out
of digraphs. The first step is to write one of the two letters
above or under the other : accordingly we find the Gbrman
ue in later times written &. Afterwards the e was further
abbreviated into two dots, giving the familiar u. In some
oases the diacritic becomes incorporated into the letter^ and
BT HENRY SWEBT, ESQ. 23
there results what is practically an entirely new letter.
Although most diacritics can be explained in this way, as
corruptions of originally independent letters, there are still
a few cases of arbitrary modification, of which the Old
English % from c^ is an example. Gases of the arbitrary use
of consonants as digraphic modifiers also occur. Thus h has
come to be a perfectly immeaning sign, impljdng any imag-
inable modification of the consonant it is associated with.
Compare g and gh in Italian, / and Ih in Portuguese, etc.
The doubling of consonants to express new sounds is equally
arbitrary, as in the Welsh j(7' as distinguished from/, and the
Middle English M5=«A.
In all the cases hitherto considered the digraph is formed
consciously and with design, but it often happen^ that a
diphthong becomes simplified, and the original digraph is
still retained for the sake of distinctness. Thus, if the diph-
thong iu passes into the simple sound of yy^ it is clearly the
simplest andnost practical course to retain the tti, as being
a perfectly legitimate representation of a sound which, al-
though simple, lies between % and u.
All diacritical letters, whatever their origin, are distin-
guished in one very important respect from the older digraphs
— ^they are perfectly unambiguous, while it is often difficult
to determine whether a given digraph is meant ta represent
a diphthong or a simple sound* There is, however, one in-
variable criterion, although, imfortunately, it cannot always
be appUed, which is the reversibility of the elements of the di'
graph. Thus, the sound written ae in Old English, as in
boec (later bee), might, on the evidence of this spelling alone,
be taken equally well for a diphthongic combination of o and
e^ or for a sound intermediate to these two vowels ; but when
we find boec and beoc alternating, as they do, on the same
page, we see that the e was a mere modifier, whose position
before or after the vowel to be modified was quite immaterial :
the sound must therefore have been simple-^a conclusion
whic)i is fully confirmed by other evidence.
The Soman alphabet has been further enriched hf the
diflferentiation of various forms of the same letter, of whish
24 HltfTORT OF ENGLISH 80WDS.
the present distinotions between u and v, % andy, are instances.
In these cases varieties of form which were originally purely
ornamental and arbitrary have been ingeniously utilized to
express distinctions in sounds.
QUANTTTY AND QuAlFTY IN THB TEUTONIC LANGUAGES.
The distinguishing feature of the early Teutonic languages
is the important part played in them by quantity. This
subject has been very fully investigated by Grimm and his
school in Germany, and it may be regarded as proved beyond
a doubt that in the Teutonic languages quantity was origin-
ally quite independent of stress or quality, and that many
words were disting^hed solely by their quantity.
Even so late as the thirteenth century we find the Oerman
poetry regulated partly by quantitative 4aws. Not only are
short and long vowels never rhymed together, but there is
also a fine distinction made between dissyllables with short
and long penultimates ; words like* blU (modem bitU) being
treated as metrically equivalent to a monosyllable, while rite
(now reite) is regarded as a true dissyllable. Many metres
which employ monosyllabic rhyme-words indifferently with
words like bite do not show a single instance of a dissyllable
like rite at the end of the line.
Similar instances may be adduced from the Icelandic rimur
of the fourteenth and fifteenth centuries.
All this is fully confirmed by the direct evidence of many
German MSS. of the eleventh century, which employ the
circumflex regularly to denote a long vowel.
It is further generally admitted that in the living Teu-
tonic languages these distinctions have mostly vanished,
short vowels before single consonants having been generally
lengthened, and that quantitative distinctions have been re-
placed by qualitative ones. The general laws, however, on
which these changes depend, have not hitherto been investi-
gated, and I propose hereafter to treat of them in some
detail : at present we must content ourselves with an exami-
nation of the more general features of the change.
BT HKNBT SWBBT, ESQ. 25
In the substitution of qualitative for quantitative distinc-
tions we can easily observe three stages, 1) the purely quan-
titative, 2) the transitional, in which, while the distinctions
of quantity are still preserved, short and long vowels begin to
diverge qualitatively also, and 3) the qualitative, in which long
and short vowels are confounded, so that the. original quanti-
tative distinctions are represented, if at all, by quality only.
That the oldest English still retained the original quanti-
tative system is in itself highly probable from the analogy
of the other cognate languages, and also admits of decisive
proof. If we take two vowels, one originally long, the other
originally short, which are both long and yet qualitatively
distinct in the living language, and show that they were
qualitatively identical at an earlier period, we are forced to
assume a purely quantitative distinction, for the later diver-
gence of quality could not have developed out of nothing.
Let us take the words stoun and bein^ written in Old English
9tan and bana. It is quite certain that the a of stan was
origuially long, for it is nothing but a simplification of an
older at, still preserved in the German ahtatn, while there is
equally decisive proof of the shortness of the a of bana.
Now, if there had been any difference in the quality of the
two vowels, they would certainly not have been written with
the same letter. The back vowel a can only be modified in
two directions — ^in that of e or of o, that is, by fronting or
rounding, and, as we shall see hereafter, such changes were
regularly indicated by a change of spelling, even when the
departure from the original sound was very minute. We are,
therefore, led to the conclusion that the present purely quali-
tative distinction between stoun and bein was in the Old
English period purely quantitative — staan and bana. Similar
evidence is afforded by the other vowels.
As we have little direct evidence of the quantity of indi-
vidual Old English words, recourse must be had to the com-
parison of the old cognates, for the details of which I must
refer to the works of Ghimm and his successors in Germany.
Much may also be learned from the qualitative distinctions of
the modem languages.
26 HISro&T OF BSOUSH SOUHDa.
OLD ENGLISH PERIOD.
We may now proceed to a detafled examination of the
TOwel-sounds of our language in its oldest stage. The leenltB
of this investigation — ^which is an indispensable preliminary to
the study of the later changes— cannot be properly appreciated
till the evidence is fully set forth ; at present I only wish to
remind the reader that a rigorously mathematical method is
quite impracticable in such an investigation, which can only
be carried out by a process of cumulatite reasoning, based on
a number of independent probabilities. Nothing can be
moro irrational than to ignoro an obvious deduction merely
because it is a deduction, or to discard one that, although not
absolutely certain, is extromely probable, in &vour of another
that is only barely possible.
The principle I have adopted in cases of uncertainty is to
adopt the oldest sound that can be ascertained. It happens
in many cases that although we can say with certainty that a
sound underwent a certain change, we cannot point out the
exact period in which the new sound arose. It must be
borne in mind that the written language, even in the most
illiterate and thereforo untraditional times, is always some-
what behind the living speech, and further that a new pro-
nunciation may exist side by side with the old for a long
time. In such cases it is necessary to have some definite
criterion of selection, and that of always taking the oldest
sound seems the most reasonable.
Short Vowels.
A (JB, 0).
The short a of the cognate languages is in Old English
preserved only in certain cases : 1) before a single consonant
followed by a, o, or u, which have, however, in the earliest
extant period of the language been in some cases weakened
into e : hara, hagol, caru, care ; 2) beforo nasals : bana, lamb^
lang. In other cases a is replaced by cb: doeg^ teppel, crceftiff.
Alternations of a and (b according to these rules ofiben occur
BT HENRT SWEET, ESQ. 27
in TsrionB ioflexioDS of the same word : efo^, dayes^ daga^^
dagum. a before nasals is liable to interchange with o : bona,
lomb^ long. This e> is so frequent in the earlier period as in
many words almost to supersede the a, but afterwards the a
gets the upper hand, l3ie o being preserved in only a few
Terj frequent words, such as \>onne, on, of, which last is an
exceptional case t)f o developing before /, also occurring in
tiie proper name O^a (=original Aba),
So &T goes the evidence of the graphic forms, as it may be
found in any comparative grammar, and before bringing in
the living languages it will be as well to consider what de-
ductions may be drawn from them. In the first place it is
dear that the development of the <b is not due to any assimi-
lation, but is a purely negative phenomenon, that is to say,
that wherever a was not supported by a back vowel in the
next syllable, it was weakened into (b without any regard te
the following consonant. The change cannot therefore, as
Gterman philologists have already remarked, be compared to
the regular vowel-mutation or umlaut.
As to the pronunciation of this ee, the spelling clearly
points to a sound intermediate between a and 6, while the
joining together of the two letters and the frequent degrada-
tion of the a into a mere diacritic, which is sometimes entirely
omitted, show that it was a simple sound, not a diphthong:
further than this we cannot advance till we have determined
more accurately the soimds of a and e.
It is also clear that the o of hng=hng must have been
distinct from the regular a in geld, etc., for otherwise they
would have run together and been confused. This conclusion
is further confirmed by direct graphic evidence. In the
riddles of that weU-known ooUection of Old English poetry,
the Exeter Book, the solution is sometimes given in Bunic
letters written backwards, and in one of them occurs the
word OOFOAH which, read backwards, gives hao/oc^hqfoe
(hawk). Here we have an a labialized before /, as in o/=a/,
written 00, with the evident intention of indicating a sound
intermediate between a and o, just as (b points to a sound
intermediate between a and e.
%
28 Hi&rroRT of enolish soukim.
We may now turn our attention to the pronnnoiationB of
the modem langnagea. Disregarding minute shades of sound,
we may distinguish three kinds of as in the liTing Teutonic
languages:
1) the mid-ba<JL-wide: "Esigiiah father^ ordinary German a.
2) the low-back-wide : Scotch short a in man.
3) the low-ba<JL-narrow : I hear this sound in the South
German dialects for both long and short a, and in Dutch for
the short a, especially before /.
As to the relative antiquity of these sounds, there can be
little doubt that the first is a later modification of the second,
and it is very probable that the second is a weakened form
of the third. In fact, it may safely be said that this last
requires more exertion in its utterance than any other vowel
— a fiu^t which easily accounts for its rarity, and also for its
preservation in the South G(erman dialects, which, as we shall
see hereafter, have preserved their short vowels more purely
than any of the other languages.
Are we then to assume that the Old English a had this
narrow sound? Analogy is certainly in favour of this
assumption, but a little consideration will show that it is
untenable* If a had been narrow, its weakming 4r, which
is simply a moved on towards f , would also have been nanow,
giving no other sound than the low-front-narrow ; but this,
as we shall see, was the sound of the opesk short ^, from
which the 9 is kept quite distinct : the « , therefore, cannot
have been narrow, nor, consequently, its parent a. Bat if
we suppose the « to have had the sound of the Scotch mam —
that i$ the low-wide-^the difficulty is cleared away, and we
come to the very probable conclusion that the « had the
exact sound of the mod<»n F»nglish im the few-frnnW
The J if labbliaed (or rounded) would namralh* give the
low-bttL-k-ioaiid-wide vEnglish mtt\ and as there is ererj
reodixi ^ believe that the normal a was the mid-b«u:k*ioaiid*
SArr?w. we iMe that the Iabiali»d < in «Ma% ete^ was exactfy
hili-way ktween i aoi <»— a coodwoa to which we have
ftLKikiy iKien led by aa eTMninttiiin of the graphic evideofie.
BT HBNRT SWEET, ESa 29
I.
The osiy debataUe p<int about the i is whether it had the
wide sound of the English and Icelandic or the narrow of
the Grerman and Swedish short «. All we can say is that,
although it is possible that the wide sound may have be^i
the real one, e^ery analogy is in favour of the narrow.
E.
We must distinguish two kinds of «s in the Teatonio lan«
guageSy 1) the a-mutation of t, as in A^^an=: Gothic hilpan^
and 2) the ^-mutation of a, as in ^(1^= Gothic and Old High
German andL The two sounds are now confeunded in the
Teutonic languages, but there is clear evidence that they
were fcurmeiiy distioct, for in the Middle High German
poetry the two e^ are never rhymed together, and the Ice-
lander J7oroddr, in his treatise on orthography, carefully dis-
tinguishes the two, stating that the e from a had a sound
which was a mixture of a and ^, implying, of course, that the
other e was nearer to the % from which it arose.
It has been generally assumed by comparative philologists
that there was no distinction between the two e^ in Old
English, but, as I have pointed out elsewhere,^ there is un-
mistakable graphic evidence to prove that there was a dis-
tinction, the e from a being often written ^, although this
spelling was soon abandoned because of the confusion it
caused with the regular <b of dceg^ etc.
Putting all these facts together, remembering that the one
e was nearer t, the other nearer a, and yet distinct from the
(Bf we can hardly help assigning to the e from i the sound of
the mid-front-narrow, and to the e from a that of the low-
front-narrow. That the e from a was narrow need not make
any difficulty, when we consider that the change took place
at a much earlier period than that of the development of
the CB of dceg^ etc. — in short, at a period in which the a was
probably narrow in all the Teutonic languages.
1 King Alfred's WeBt-Sazon Vernon of Gregory's Pastoral Care. Introd.
p. zxiiL
30 H1ST0RT OF ENGLISH SOXTNDS.
The unaccented e in sucli words as gebiden, ende^ requires
to be considered separately. In all the living Teutonic lan-
guages which possess this sound — ^that is to say„ all except
Icelandic and English — it is the mid-mixed-narrow. But
in many of the South German dytlects the mid-front-narrow
occurs, which is clearly a more ancient sound. That this
was the sound of the Old Icelandic unaccented e (now written
and pronounced t) is clear from J^oroddr's expressly adducing
the second vowel oi framer {•=:^fram%r : nom. plur. masc. of
framr) as an example of the close e arising from «.
It seems most reasonable to suppose that this pronuncia-
tion, which is also preserved to the present day in South
Germany, was also the Old English one.
U.
What has been said of % applies equally to u, namely l^at
analogy is in favour of its having had the narrow German
sound rather than the wide English one.
O.
It is quite clear that the sound now given to the regular
short in all the Teutonic languages except German — the
low-back-wide-round— cannot be the old one ; for, as we have
seen, this was the sound of the modified a before nasals
{monny etc.) which is kept quite distinct from the regular o
in such a word as oft. This latter o is nothing else than an
(i-mutation of u (compare oft with Gothic ufta)i it seems,
therefore, reasonable to suppose that, as the a-mutation of i
differed from the latter vowel simply in being lowered one
degree towards the "low" position of the (i, the o was simply
the u lowered from its high to the mid position, resulting
in the mid-back-narrow-round. Now this is the sound still
preserved all over South Germany, and until further evidence
is forthcoming it seems to me that we are justified in assum-
ing that the same was the Old English sound.
T.
This letter, which was originally nothing else but a Greek
T, was adopted into the Roman alphabet to denote the sound
BT HENRT SWEET, ESQ. 31
of the Otreek u, whicli did not exist in Latin. The pronun-
ciation of this Greek u is generally agreed to have been that
of the French u or the German ii, and it is clear, from the
descriptions of the Koman grammarians, that they attached
the same value to their p, with which the Grreek u is invari-
ably transcribed. It is a remarkable fact that while the
original sound of the Boman p has been quite 'lost in the
Bomance languages, it is still preserved in Danish and
Swedish. As we know that the Scandinavian nations learned
the use of the Boman alphabet from England, this Scandina-
vian tradition not only confirms the generally-received pro-
nunciation of the Boman t/, but also affords independent proof
of the soimd of the letter in Old English.
In its origin y is the «-mutation of u ; its sound is there-
fore, as the Icelander J^oroddr says, ** blended together of i
and u/' and j76roddr actually considers ^ to be a combina-
tion of these two letters. The sound which fulfils these
conditions is clearly that which is still preserved in South
Germany, Sweden, and, in many words, in Danish — the
high-front-narrow-round. This, then, we may safely assimie
to have been the Old English sound also.
Long Vowels.
AA.
Long a in Old English corresponds to an ai of the older
cognates, Gothic and Old High German, of which it is a
simplified form. As the aa has been rounded at a later
period, and is represented in the present language by the
diphthong ou^ some theorists, who seem incapable of realizing
the possibility of sounds changing during the lapse of ten
centuries, have assumed that it was labial in the Old English
period as welL The answer to this is, that if the sound had
been at all labial, it would have been written, at least occa-
sionally, or oUy as was actually done at a later period, and
as the Old English scribes themselves did in the case of short
a before nasals : when we find the tenth century scribes
writing invariably «^n, and those of the twelfth century
32 HISIOBT OF SNGLI8H SOUNDS.
writing as invariably stoon or ston, it seems simplest to infer
that the former meant to indicate a and the latter some
Tariety of o.
There are two long as in Old English. The commonest is
that which corresponds to original at, as in 8^, (/(tF/= Gothic
saiic, daiL The relation of this cb to the d treated of above
is not quite clear. In some words, such as c&§n€=01d Ger-
man kkini, the cb may be explained as an umlaut of dy original
claini first becoming cldni and then clceni. But such words
as see and dcel do not admit this explanation. It seems there-
fore simplest to assume that ce and d are both independent
modifications of ai^ the former being formed by convergence,
the latter by loss of the L
The second cb is that which corresponds to original d,
Gothic iy as in (3^^;?=: Gothic ded^ Old German tdt. It is,
however, quite clear (as will be shown hereafter) from the
Modem English forms that this ce did not exist in the dialect
from which literary English has arisen, but was represented
by ^, as in Gothic, which is the case even in the West-Saxon
in some words, such as f(^e/i=01d German wan, Gothic toen^
and the proper name -^^rcc?=01d German Alprdt.
The only question about the sound of cb is whether it was
narrow or wide. The analogy of short ce would rather point
to its being wide, that of the pronunciation of Modem
German, in which the ^^-umlaut of d (kiiz9=kaast) is
always narrow, rather to narrowness. In fact the long sound
of the ce in mcen is quite unknown in the Modern Teutonic lan-
guages. It must also be borne in mind that <^ is probably a
much older formation than the short ce, and may very well
have been developed at a time when all the vowels were still
narrow. If so, long ce must have been the low-front-narrow.
EE.
Long e corresponds first to original d, although, as already
stated, this e often becomes ^ in the West-Saxon dialect. In
many words it is a simplification of the diphthongs ed and ed.
BT HENRY SWEET, ESQ. 33
as in nidy ^=znedd, edc (both of whicli forms are also common),
geng^=^gedng. The third and most common i is the «-umIaat
of d, written oe in the oldest documents, as in grene (groene)=^
original gronL The pronunciation of all these es was prob-
ably the same, as they are not distinguished from one another
in writing, and cannot well have been any other than the
mid-front-narrow.
n, UTJ,
Correspond to original n and uu, which are still preserved
in the Scandinavian languages, the Old English mn and hu8
being now pronounced in Icelandic and Danish vUn, huus.
There can be no doubt that the Old English sounds were the
same as those still preserved in these languages — the high-
front-narrow and the high-back-narrow-round.
00
Corresponds to original o, as in god, mddor. The sound was
no doubt the same as that still preserved in Danish and
Swedish, namely the mid-back-narrow-round, but without the
abnormal rounding of the 66 of these languages.^
TY
«
Is the umlaut of u, as in mgs = musi, plural of mus. In
some words, such as /^r (Old German viuicar), it is a simplifi-
cation of iu by diphthongal convergence. Its pronunciation
cannot well have been anything else than the high-front-
aarrow-round.
Diphthongs.
EA.
Whenever original a comes before consonant-combina-
tions beginning with /, r, or A, it is not changed into
a, but becomes ea, as in eall, tcearm, weax. There can
be no doubt that this ea was a true diphthong : its
elements are never reversed (p. 23), nor is it confounded
with 4ze or (b. The only question is whether the stress was
^ See mj paper on Danish Pronunciation (Trans. FhiL Soc 1873-4, p. 101).
8
34 HJsiuKi OF ESicajis 9orxi&
on tibe first or the woand elemoit. Tltere is eridcnee wbidi
weems to point to the eondiukxi that the stren fdl on the a.
In Middle English ea is generaQT lost, but in the aidiaic
tomU^fmXh oentoiy Kentish of the Ajenhite, the old diph-
thong is still preserred in sach words as eaU keaUetu Bat
this ea is reiT often represented hv ya^ sometimes bj yea, so
that the Old English ejld appears as t-aJd^ yoM and yeabL
Here we hare the glide-Towel represeatel by the Middle
Engliibh consonant y, showing dearly that the stress was on
the {T. As to the origin of the ecu, the theory first prDponnded
by £app (Physiologie der Sprache, ii. 145) seems the most
probable^ namely that a first became <f before aH consonants
(except nasals), so that aid became «tH and that this €S was
then diphthongized into ea or rather €mu
EO.
Similarly, when ^ comes before r, i and i-combinations, it is
diphthongized into a>, as in eor^e, meolcy feoh. In the Kentish
and ^ortLumbrian documents this eo is generally represented
by ea, eor^ being written ear^. In the word earC (from
Mj ^0 never occurs in any of the dialects — the normal eori
bein^r unknown even in West-Saxon. When we consider
that e in Icelandic also is changed into ia {ea in the oldest
MSS.;, as in /tiarta=zOld E. hcorte, there seems to be every
probability that ea was the older sound, which in eart was
preserved in all the dialects, on account of its excessive fre-
quency. As eo is never (except in earf) confused with «i=tf
in the f:>tandard West-Saxon, we must suppose that the series
of clian^^, ^, ea, eo, was already completed when ea=.a began
to develojie itself. The rounding of ea into eo is a very
curious phenomenon. The frequent rounding of vowels be-
fore /, of which the Modern English soli from salt is an in-
stance, would lead us to suppose that the change first began
before /, and then extended to the other words. The analogy
of Mfxiem Icelandic, in which the first element of the ia has
develoi>ed into a consonant, and of the Middle Kentish y in
IfaU, rnako it very probable that the stress was on the second
element
BT HENRT SWEBT, 'ESQ. 36
EAA.
the ea from a, there is another ea^ which answers
to original au, as in e/r^am=Gothic draum. As this ea is
distinct in origin and in subsequent deyelopment from the
other ea^ it must have been distinct in soi;nd. The only
oonoeiyable distinctions are stress and quantity, that is, the
eazziau may have been distinguished either by having the stress
on the first element, or else by its accented vowel being long.
The former supposition is made untenable by both the Middle
Kentish ya, as in dya^, and the Norse spelling Iattar^r{=.Jdt-
fkxi^) for Eadweard: these examples show that ^ei=ati had the
fltrees on the same vowel as ^a=a. We are driven, therefore,
to the hypothesis that ea=au had its second element long —
dreaam. This view is confirmed by the Modem English
form of the preterite ceoA (Gothic kaus) which is ehdoz — an
anomaly which is quite inexplicable, except on the assump-
tion of an original long aa. The development of the word
is clearly ce-aas, ce-dds, chdds, chddz. This seems to be what
Bask meant by his accentuating edy which Grimm also
adopted, although Grimm does not seem to have attached
any idea of lengthening to the accent.
The development of eaa out of au is one of the most diffi-
cult questions in Teutonic philology. All the explanations
hitherto given are utterly unsatisfactory, and I will not
waste time in criticising them^ but rather state what I
consider to be the only tenable theory, which, as far as I
know, has never been made public, although I was glad to
learn from Professor Kern, of Leiden, that it had suggested
itself to him also. The explanation we propose is simply
this, au first became aa^ as in Frisian. This aa followed
the short a and became ce(B. The cece was then resolved into
eaa or ceaa. We must suppose that these changes took place
before ai became aa : otherwise there woidd have been a
confusion between aa=.au and aa=iaL There are, of course,
certain difficulties still remaining. The development of a
diphthong with one of its elements long is anomalous, and
we would expect the diphthongization of the hypothetical
36
HISIDKT or lEfGUaB. SOCSIK.
to take place, like that of sh<^ «. oclr before certain
It ia^ however, quite {nssLoie that the d^ph-
thcngizatioik of loog «» vas much earHer than that of short
IP, and that the two phenomena are therefore independent.
If so, ffff i^T at first have devdoped into simple em and the
lengthttiing of the a mar have been a secondanr procen.
EOO
Answers to original i«, as in tx^op=:Gothtc dimp. There can
be no doubt that this m=i'ii was distinct from the eo=if and
every analogr would lead us to suppose that the diflkrence
was one of quantity. Positive ccmfirmation is affi>ided by
the English cAirirz, which points as clearly to an Old English
cedoutm as ciods does to a ceaa*. The Icelandic ida, as in
kidomi (Modem kjouM)^ shows the same anomalous loigthen-
ing of the second element.
There is some uncertainty about the first demaits of these
diphthcmgs. Some due is however afforded by the inter-
change of e with I in to and €OOy which never happens with
ta and eaa : we often find such forms as ior&t for fOf%^, but
never hiard for heard. The inference dearly is that in ed
and eco the initial vowel was closer and higher than in ea,
eaa^ probably through the assimilative influence of the second
element. The dipbthongs are then strictly eo, cod, do, eaa
(or possibly 4ga, cna).
For the sake of comparison, I append a table giving Mr.
Ellis's results (Early English Pronunciation, p. 534) together
ELLIS.
fWEJEt.
LXTTEES.
IM.IS.
«, a
*
e.
6
a.
6_
J
O . 3
t i
e B
e #
n, « ? -... a
o o
£
mm
0S
IF .
w^
MM
e _ . .. _
ee
1
ii
• •
U
<*
oo
m
u
un...
vm
•
TT.ii
II
CA
I e*,e«
1 •••(••n
y»
eo.
eo, e6 I *•
eo.
eo, c6
BT HEKRT SWEET, ESQ. 37
with my own, both In palaBotype. It will be observed that
Mr. Ellis (like all his predecessors) confounds the two short
M and OB, which I have carefully distinguished. He is also
not dear as to the distinction between ea, eo, and ed, ed.
Otherwise our results approximate very closely.
MIDDLE ENGLISH PERIOD.
Orthography.
Some important revolutions in orthography took place
during the transition from the Old to the Middle period-*
most of them the result of French influence.
There are many instances of French influence on the con-
sonant notation : in the vowels two cases require special
notice, these are the use of u for the Old English y, and of
ou for the Old English uu. The explanation of the former
change must be sought in the fact that y in the Middle
period lost its original value, and became confused with i,
while in the beginning of words it assumed its present con-
sonantal value. The result was that the old sound of p was
left without a symbol, and the want was supplied, imperfectly
enough, by adopting the French representation of the sound,
which was u. But u was further employed, also in imitation
of French usage, to represent the voiced sound of the Old E.
/, so thatu, which still retained its original pronunciation in
many cases, stood for three distinct sounds. In course of
time the short y-sound disappeared more and more, and at
the same time a large number of long f/s were introduced in
words taken from the Frencb, which were all written with u
[nature, etc.). To remedy the consequent confusion between
u:=iyy and uz=:uu {hus, etc.), the French ou was introduced as
the representation of the latter sound, so that natyyre and
huu8 were distinguished in writing as nature and Jhom. For
the details of the change of u into ou I must refer to Mr.
Ellis's Early English Pronunciation, where the subject is
treated at great length.
These changes are important, as showing that the Middle
38 HISTORY OF ENGLISH SOUNDS.
English scribes were not at all biassed by traditions of the
earlier orthography, and therefore that their testimony can
be unhesitatingly accepted, as far as it goes.
We may now turn to the actual sound-changes, beginning
with the most important and characteristic of them all^ which
I will call
Vowel-levelling.
In the Transition period (Semi-Saxon) we are confronted
by the curious and apparently inexplicable phenomenon of a
language ignoring, as it were, the changes of an earlier
period, and returning to the original sounds. Such is at
least the case with the Old English modifications of a and (:
where Old English has te, ea or eo, Middle English has the
unmodified a and e. Compare glced^ heard^ seo/on, with the
Middle English glad^ hard, seven.
Such a change as that of glced into glad is doubly anom-
alous, both as being a return to a pronunciation older than
that of the oldest extant documents before the Conquest, and
also as a change from a weak front to a strong back voweL
It is, in short, inexplicable, if considered as an ordinary
organic sound-change. The explanation must be sought
among the inorganic sound-changes, due to some purely
external cause.
One of the most unmistakable of these inorganic sound-
changes is one which may be called levelling. The whole
history of English inflection is mainly one of levelling.
Thus, in Old English we find the plural formed in a great
variety of ways, sometimes in as, sometimes in an, sometimes
with different vowels, and sometimes without any change at
all. In Modem English we have only the first, which,
originally restricted to a limited number of masculine sub-
stantives, is now extended to all substantives without distinc-
tion. It would evidently be absurd to attempt to explain
these changes as organic, to adduce, for instance, the change
of the Old English plural heortan into the M9dern harts as a
case of n becoming s. They are clearly due to external
causes, and are simply the result of that tendency to get rid
BT HBNRT SWBET^ ESQ. 39
of useless complexity which characterizes the more advanced
stages of language : instead of indicating plurality by a
variety of terminations, some of which were of a very vague
and indistinct character, the later language selected that
termination which seemed the most distinctive, and discarded
the rest.
We can now xmderstand how men who were engaged every
day of their lives in this levelling process, whose language was
being broken up and reconstructed with unexampled rapidity
— ^we can understand how those who spoke the Transition Eng-
lish of the twelfth century came unconsciously to regard the
alternation of cb and a in such words as dcBQy dagas, as an im-
necessary piece of discrimination, comparable to that involved
in the use of a large number of plural terminations. And
so the indistinct ce — so liable to be confounded with e — was
discarded, and the clear sounding a was made the sole repre-
sentative of the older a and ce.
When this process of levelling had once begun, it is easy
to see how ea and eo also came to be regarded as superfluous
modifications of a and ^, and were therefore in like manner
discarded. As we shall see hereafter, eaa and eoo (= original
au and iu) were simplified into hi and ^^ respectively ; it is,
therefore, probable that ea and eo themselves were first sim-
plified into i and 4, It is further probable that the first sound
of the k'=^ea was identical with that of the Old English cb.
heard would, therefore, become hcerd, whose ce would natur-
ally follow the other (b%, and become a, giving the Middle
English hard. The three spellings heard, hcerd, and hard
are to be found constantly interchanging in La^amon and
other writers of the period.
Whatever may be the explanation of the fact, there can
be no doubt that the Old English cBy ea, eo, were lost in the
Middle period, and that the mysterious connection between
the Old English ce and the Modem sound in such a word as
fMBn (written man) imagined by some philologists, must be
given up : the two ce^ are quite independent developments,
even when they occur in the same words, as in ^<Bt, scet, seed,
teppel. Mr. Ellis has shown that up to the seventeenth
40 H1ST0BT OF BNGLISU SOUNDS.
centiuy these words were pronounced ^at, sat, sad^ apt, even
in the court dialect, and the sound <b is unknown up to the
present day in most of our dialects.
Before investigating the sound-changes of the Middle
period in detail, it will be necessary to state the general laws
which govern the remarkable qualitative divergence of long
and short vowels in the later Teutonic languages. If it can
once be shown that all the Teutonic languages follow the same
general laws, it is but reasonable to suppose that the same
laws will be found valid in the case of Middle English also.
We shall have still less hesitation in applying these laws to
the elucidation of the Middle English sound-changes, when
we consider that the English of the thirteenth century was
really as much in advance of its contemporaries as Modem
English is of its, and that Middle English is practically on a
level with Dutch and the other living Teutonic languages.
German, indeed, is in many respects much more archaic than
Middle English, and may be said to stand to it in almost the .
same relation as Old English does.
I propose, therefore, to give an impartial classification of
the principal changes that have taken place in the living
Teutonic languages, beginning with the long vowels.
A. Long Vowels.
1) Back to round (p. 11). Long a, whatever its origin,
has in all the Teutonic languages except German and Dutch
been rounded. Even German and Dutch show the same
change in many of their dialects, which give long a the
soimd of the low-back-narrow-round (English /a//). This is
also the Swedish and Danish sound, the only difference being
that the Scandinavian vowel is pronounced with greater lip
narrowing, so that its sound approximates to that of the
regular close 6 (the " mid" vowel).
2) Front-round to unrounded (page 11). Exemplified in
the familiar German change of oe and y into S and ♦,
as in sh^en and kiln for slioeoen and k^yn. In Modern" Ice-
landic oeo9 became first unrounded, and the resulting ee ran
BT HBM&T SWKBT, B8Q.
41
n.
TEUTONIC LONG VOWELS.*
1
A A
II
00
UU AI
AU
lU
1 Gothic
1
ded
2
wein
3
ffod
4
6
hue
6
7
etain
8
draum
9
diup
2 Old
High
G«niuai
tat
Win
guot
gruoni
hue
husir
etain
etein
iraum
troum
tiuf
8 Modem
High
G«rmaii
taat
wain
gunt
gryyn
bans
1
hayzer
■
shtain
tranm
tiif
4 Old
Saxon
dad
win
god
groni
hue
eten
drom
diop
5 Dutch
daat
wdin
ghnt
ghnin
hoBys
zyyr
—
steen
dr66m
dip
6 Old
Icelandic
dSfi
win
go^
grotn
hue
kyr
etiin
draum
diup
eion
7 Modem
Icelandic
daniS
▼iin
g6n"5
grain
hnns
kiir
8t6in
drceim
djunp
8j6un
8 Swedish
dddd
▼iin
g66d
grceoen
hMttS'
lyyte
8t6en
drocm
dj Mtqp
syyn
9 Daniflh
ddd«
▼iin
g66-5
grwn
hnus
lyy^a
8te6n
drcem
dyyb
syyn
10 Old
English
dad
win
god
grene
hue
^
etan
dream
(=eaa)
deop
(=e66)
11 Middle
English
deed
(=46)
wiin
good
( = 66)
green
(=66)
hi>u8{e)
(=nn)
kye.
eton{e)
(=66)
dream
(=6d)
deep
(=e6)
12 Modem
English
ddii
wain
gud
griin
bans
kai
stonn
driim
diip
.5
* In this and the following table the actnal spelling (not the theoretical pro-
nunciation) of the dead languages is given in italics; the modem fprais are
written phonetically.
> The italics indicate the peculiar Swedish ii— intermediate to m and y.
42 HISnORT OF XMOLISH SOUNDS.
together with the regular ii^ and, like it, was diphthongized
into at, so that the Old Icelandic baeoekr is now disguised
under the form of baikar. The same change took place in
Old English, only it was not carried so far: the hcscek
(written boec or beoc^ p. 23) of the oldest period appears in
the later MSS. as bee (=ib^^k). In Middle English we have
the unrounding of y into i, cyning becoming cing.
3) Low to mid. Modem English, as will be shown here-
after, affords two unmistakable instances of this change. It
is also certain that the German 66 from au was originally
** low," for in the Oldest High Oerman such words as IddB
{z^laus) are frequently written iocs. Similar evidence can
be adduced in the case of the corresponding Dutch 66. The
ee from at has in like manner passed through the low to the
mid stage in German and Dutch.
4) Mid to high. Of this change, again. Modem English
affords illustrations, whose consideration must be deferred.
Original 66 has in nearly all the Teutonic languages been
raised from the mid position it still preserves in Swedish and
Danish (although even here with a slight labial modification
in the direction of u) to the high one of u.
6) High to diphthong. With the high position the ex-
treme is reached, as far as position is concerned. We find,
accordingly, that the two high vowels ii and uu either remain
unchanged, which is the case in the Scandinavian languages,
or else undergo various modifications in the direction of ai
and au. As there can be no question that Middle English
agreed with the Scandinavian languages in retaining long i
and u unchanged, the consideration of their diphthongization
may be deferred till we come to the Modern period, to which
belongs also the development of the diphthong iu out of yy.
6) Besides these regular modifications of the two high
vowels, there are isolated diphthongizations of other vowels.
a) 66 to OH. In Icelandic goui^ for the older g66^, and
Modem English 8t({un for st66n.
b) ^^ to ^i. In the Modern English Mk for tS^k.
c) 66 to uo. In the Old German guot for g66i, still pre-
served in South German in the shape of guat.
BT HBNBT SWEBT, ESQ. 43
d) M to au. In Icelandic, where original aa passed
throagh the stage of simple rounding (()<)), and was
then resolved into au, laata (let) becoming first IMta
and then lauta.
e) ii to ai. The i-umlaut of aa has in the same way
been resolved into ai in Modem Icelandic, so that
viiri (written vmn) is now vairi,
7) Back to front. Exemplified in the Dutch zyyr for zuur.
B. Short Vowels.
1) Round to unrounded. In Icelandic, English, and some
German dialects y has been unrounded into i. The same is
the case with short ce in German. In Modem English we
have, lastly, a very anomalous case of unrounding of the
back vowel ti, but becoming b9t.
2} Back to front. Short u has in Icelandic and Butch
been changed into a front vowel — the high-front-wide-round
in Icelandic, the low-front-narrow-round (or its imitation,
the mid-mixed-narrow) in Dutch. The open d in Icelandic
(the t«-umlaut of a) has changed into oe (the mid-front-wide-
round), mdnnum becoming mcennym. Short a has, lastly,
been changed into the low-front-wide {m) in a few English
dialects — ^including the literary English.
3) Mid to low. The two mid vowels ^ and 6 have in all
the Teutonic languages been brought dovm to the low posi-
tion, so that the old distinction between i and S has been
lost everywhere, except, perhaps, in some German dialects :
compare Old English inde^ Mlpan, with the Modem levellings
indf hilp.
2) High to mid. As a general rule the high vowels t and
u have retained their positions, but in Dutch the short i is
now represented by the mid-front-wide, and the short uhj 6
(the mid-narrow), thus taking the place of original short o,
which, as in the other languages, has been lowered to d (the
low- wide): compare stdk with bdk {=buk). The peculiar
Modem English u iabut (fiH) seems also to be a case of lower-
ing from high to mid.
44
HICTORT OF ENGLISH SOUimS.
e«
e
"2.
Tl
•<
•s:
3
I
•St
<.
•o
•o
•o
•o
II
1^
-3
X4 «
5*
s«
s*
a
00
u
«
S
S
S
9
I
«
S
S
I
o
H
O
»
O
O
H
••••»■••»•■
flS
5
"§
I"
<o
s
Q
Q
flS
•<<
^
:«<
^
y
Kt
'^
Ja
M
5
s
«
cs
^o
•2
1
1 ^
1
^ 2
s: s:
1
CO
tJ
c:
Q
S
C4
H
SI
Q
OS
.St
P
4k
•5
>
§
<««
^
-*>
*o
'V
s:
fi
s
•-a
-§
C
d
s
'V
«a)
•^
•VA
■«a
§
•e
.R
p
*<•
•p
^ *«*
M**
•«a
S II
:S
Sw
S
1 1I
1
5 v-^
*o
Q
s
o
O
t
s s
Q
s
«
« S K
S c
S
II
8 "^ ^"^
It
•I
o
I
8
3
•
^^
•
0)
H-4
l-H
■
o
o«
CO
•
lb
bo
p
-a
3
O
:^
"^
>o
bo
BY HENBT SWEET» ESQ. 45
The only exception to this general lowering tendency is
the frequent shifting of the a from the low to the mid posi-
tion, which is very common in all the languages. The low
sound is still preserved in South Scotch, Dutch, and many
German dialects, and may be heard in some of the London
dialects, where, however, it is probably quite a modem de-
velopment.
We have, lastly, to consider the important distinction of
narrow and wide. Here, also, short and long vowels pursue
opposite courses, the general rule being that long vowels
remain or become narrow, short vowels wide. These tenden-
cies are at once apparent on comparing any pairs of long and
short vowels in the more advanced Teutonic languages, in
&ct in all of them more or less, except German.
The principle has been carried out with such strictness in
the case of the long vowels that, with the single exception of
aa, all originally long vowels are now narrow in the Teutonic
languages. The cause of this exceptional widening of aa
has already been explained (page 28) as the result of the
greater energy required in the formation of the narrow
sound.
The short vowels are less consistent. In the first place,
some of the languages show the tendency to widening either
not at all, or else only partially. In South German all the
short vowels are still narrow, including even the a (p. 28).
In Danish and Swedish short t is sometimes narrow, some-
times wide, according to the nature of the following con-
sonant.
The languages in which the principle is most strictly
carried out are Icelandic and English. The only exceptions
are the d, which is narrow in both languages, and the English
^in b9t (mid-baek-narrow). The retention of the narrow i
in all the Teutonic languages is a very curious phenomenon:
it is not easy to see why it did not everywhere weaken into
the wide cb, which it actually has done in the Dutch kcerk for
kkrk and several other words, and also in the South Scotch
dialect of Teviotdale, where the English distinction of mcen^
m^itj is represented by man, mten.
46 HISTORY OF BKOLISH SOUNDS.
The change of the low-narrow i into the mid-wide is^ on
the other hand, very common, and in many of the languages^
as, for instance, English, the two sounds seem to be used
almost indiscriminately. This change is, no doubt, a purely
imitative one: the change from the low-narrow to the
mid-wide must have been direct. To assume that the low-
narrow was first widened, and then raised to the mid posi-
tion, would be to ignore the fundamental laws of short vowel
change.
We now see how complete the divergence is between long
and short vowels. Long vowels contract both the pharyngal
and the oral passage as much as possible, the former by
^' narrowing," the latter by raising the tongue and contract-
ing the lips ; short vowels pursue the very opposite course ;
high long vowels are never lowered, except partially by diph-
thongization ; high short vowels are never diphthongized,
but simply lowered.
Quantity.
The general principles on which quantitative changes in
the Teutonic languages depend are these :
1) unaccented vowels are shortened, accented vowels are
lengthened or shortened under certain conditions,
which are:
2) before a single consonant they are lengthened.
3) before double or combined consonants they are
shortened.
The result of all these changes, if carried out strictly,
would be to eliminate all short accented syllables altogether,
and this is actually the case in Modern Icelandic, at least in
polysyllables — either the vowel itself is long, or else, if it is
short, the syllable is made long by a double consonant. In
the other languages, however, the double consonants have
been simplified, so that a large number of short accented
syllables has been formed : compare Icelandic rinna with
Danish rina (written vinde) and English icinar, mning, Ger-
man gdwindti. This simplification of double consonants has
BT HENRY SWEET, ESQ. 47
taken place in Icelandic also in the case of monosyllables
such as man (written fnann).
An important result of the simplification is the use of
double- consonants as a purely graphic expedient to denote
the shortness of the preceding Yowel. The double m^ for
instance, in summer, is simply a way of showing that the
original shortness of the u has been preserved.
In Icelandic the lengthening of short vowels has been
carried out with perfect consistency, but in the other lan-
g^ges .there are many exceptions. Thus in Dutch all mono-
syllables preserve their shortness : compare vat, Idt, with
the plurals eaaian^ Iddtan. The retention of original short
quantity before single consonants is also very frequent in
Modem, and consequently also in Middle English.
The chief cases in which Modern English preserves the
Old English short quantity are these.
In the first place the high vowels ifi/), u are not length-
ened : compare tcit from mtan with iit from etan, sdn from
«fiitf and C9m from cuman with n4im from nama. Exceptions,
such as aivi from ifig, do occur, but they are very few.
English, like Dutch, shows a strong tendency to preserve
short quantity in monosyllables, although there are many
oases of lengthening. Nevertheless, it may safely be said
that the great majority of Old English monosyllables pre-
serve their short quantity in Modern English. Examples
are: sicon (from mcan)^ ]>(pch {]>(ec), bcpc (bcec), seed fs(edj, lot
(hlot)y god (god), tcoz (wcbs). Examples of lengthening are
g^v (geaf)^ ceim (cam), eit (cet), g4it (geat), yduc (geoc).
The lengthened vowels in the adjectives teim and Uit may
perhaps have arisen from the definite forms tama^ lata.
Dissyllables ending in a vowel, or the infinitival an, are
almost always lengthened: nama, scamu, flotian, hrecan, be-
come niim, sliSim, jlout, brSic. But there are exceptions :
dropa becomes drop, and ha/an {=:habban) becomes hcev, con-
trasting with the regular beh^iv (from behabban).
But besides these isolated irregularities, there is a whole
class of dissyllables which resists the lengthening tendency,
namely those which end in a liquid or nasal. Exaihples are
48 HISTORY OF ENGLISH SOUNDS.
hcBTMr (from hamar), hetar (bHer)^ 8€edl (sadol), 9v9n (ofen)^
botdm (botom). There are^ however, several exceptions. In
the first place, all the past participles in o (except trodn)
lengthen their vowel : frouzotiy chduzan, ciduc9n, etc. There
are also others, such as iivon (e/en),6HV9r (o/er), eic9r (cBcer)^ etc.
In applying these deductions to Middle English we are
confronted by a formidable difficulty. The Midland writer
Orm, as is well known, indicates short vowel quantity by
doubling the following consonant. If, then, we find Orm in
the thirteenth century writing always tvitenn, sune, not
mttentiy sunne, how can we escape the conclusion that he said
wiiten, sunne ? If we accept the long vowels for the thir-
teenth century, we are forced to assume that the original
short vowels were first lengthened and then shortened again
before the diphthongization of tV and uu into ei and ou ; for,
otherwise, we should have had Kait and aaun in Modem
English. Hather than accept this very improbable hypo-
thesis, it seems safer to reserve any decided conclusion till
the difficult question of quantity in the Ormulum has been
more fully investigated.
The Modem forms of many words point clearly to their
originally long vowels having been shortened in the Middle
period. Besides the frequent shortening before two con-
sonants, which will be considered hereafter, there are some
cases before single consonants. Long ii is, as might be
expected, often shortened, as in stif dt'c/i, and in other words
where it stands for various other O.E. long vowels, such as
«i7t=0.E. geRcelig and cln1=icele. Examples of other vowels
are ^^/i=0 E. ien^ icet^=.tccety kt=^i^fafif let. In eve>"=.ceter
■zzcefre^ the shortening may be ascribed to the liquid in the
following syllable.
Close and Open EE and 00 in Middle English.
We can now enter on the important question of the dis-
tinction between close and open ee and oo in Middle English.
Mr. Ellis, relying on the fact that Chaucer rhymes all the
ee^ and 00% together without distinction, comes to the condu-
BT HENRT SWEET^ ESQ. 49
uoa that there was only one sound, but he does not explain
how the modem distinctions arose, or how it is that they
correspond to distinctions in Old English. If too and taa
are distinct in Old English, and are separated in the form of
iuu and too in Modem English also, it is not easy to see how
they could have been confounded in the Middle period.
This yiew was vaguely indicated many years ago by Rapp,
and has been recently revived by Dr. Weymouth, who is,
howeyer, clearly wrong in assuming that the Middle English
sounds were identical with the Modern ones.
As the whole question offers considerable difficulties of
detail, I propose to examine it as impartially as possible,
utilizing all the evidence that is afforded by the graphic
forms, by the general laws of change just stated, by the
pronimciation of the sixteenth century, as investigated by
Mr. Ellis, and by the pronunciation of the present day. I
begin with the oos, as offering less difficulty than the ees.
Beginning, then, with the oos, we find that Middle English
00 corresponds to three distinct sounds in Old English,
1) to 66 : too, O.E. too {too)y
2) to aa: too, O.E. taa (toe)^
3) to 6 short: hod, O.E. hoi (hole).
Of these three oos the two first are kept quite distinct in the
present Modem English, original 66 being now pronounced
tftf, while 00 from aa is now 66 or 6u. The natural inference
that the two sounds were also kept distinct in the Middle
period is fully confirmed by the graphic evidence, for in the
earlier writings the oo from aa is often spelt oa, as in oa^e=
OJE. a<^e (Lajamon), noan^=naan (Procl. of H. III.), moare
^maare (Procl. and A. Riwle), ]>oa=:]>aa (A. Riwle). The
clear inference is that the oo from aa was pronounced with
a sound intermediate to oo and aa, and consequently that
original oo still retained its Old English sound.
The 00 of hool, arising from original short 6, is in the
present pronunciation represented by the same vowel as the
00 from aa : it is therefore highly probable that it had in
Middle English the same sound as the oo irom aa^ namely
the more open one.
50 HISTOBT OF EXOUBH 80U1ID6.
We may now examine the question from the cosnparatiTe
point of Tiew, and see whether the results harmonize.
The first two oob need not detain ns long. We have seen
that original i^ is, as a general rede, either retained without
change, or else moTed np into the ti-poeition. It is quite
certain that this change had not taken place in the Middle
period : &d mast, therefore, have been kept unchanged.
Again, whenever aa has changed, it has been by rounding.
It has been already proyed that the Old English aa cannot
well have been any other sound than the low- wide, and this,
when rounded, naturally gives the low-back-wide-round.
The of hoi was almost certainly the mid-narrow sound
(p. 30). The tendencies of short vowels are, as we have
seen, towards lowering and widening. These modifications,
applied to our vowel, give the low-back-wide-round. This
vowel was then lengthened, and became identical with the
dd ot tdd from taa, which, as we have seen, was no other than
the low-back-wide-round.
But all long vowels are liable to be narrowed (p. 30), and
we find, as a matter of fact, that the dd from aa is narrow in
all the living Teutonic languages which possess it. It is,
therefore, not only possible, but extremely probable that the
66 soon became narrow in Middle English also : t66 and h66l
would therefore have the sound of the Modem English
words which are written taw and haul.
We may now turn to the ees. In the present English all
the ees are levelled under it, but Mr. Ellis's researches have
proved that in the sixteenth century a distinction parallel to
that of the two oos was still kept up, some of the Middle
English eeB being pronounced ee, some it, those^'words which
are now written with ea (such as sea) having the ee-sound,
while ee (as in see) had the u-sound. The analogy of the oos
leads us to suppose that the sixteenth century ees correspond
to Middle English ^^s, and the tVs to eea. I will now give
an example of the difierent ees, with the original Old English
forma, together with those of the sixteenth century and the
Middle English forms indicated by them, adding the present
English spelling, which is, of course, nothing but a dead
BT HXHVT 8WKBT9 ESQ.
51
tradition of the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries pro-
nnnciatian.
lii (tm)
diid {deed)
driim {dremm)
Siin [fnem).
ip (deep)
miit (metU)
t^ittetO)
Beserring for the present the apparently anomalous ^^ of
tUAi, the other changes, after what has been said on the oos>
call for only a few remarks.
Old English ^ and i remain unchanged in the Middle
period. Of the two diphthongs ed, when simplified, natur-
ally takes the low position of its principal element (the d),
and edj as naturally, takes the mid position of its 6. i^
following the usual tendencies of short Yowels, is lowered,
and the two short e% are consequently levelled imder the
coomion form 2, which is afterwards lengthened. All the
vowels either remain or become narrow.
An important class of apparent exceptions is exemplified
in dcBd^ whose ce is represented in Middle English not by d^,
as would be expected, but by ^^. An examination of these
anomalous ce% soon reveals the fact that they correspond not
to Gothic and general Teutonic ai^ but to Gothic e, general
Teutonic d (Gothic did9. Old High German tdt). This is
dearly one of the many cases in which the explanation of
biter English forms must be sought not in the literary West-
Saxon, but rather in the Mercian dialect, in which the dis-
tinction between ^^= original aa and d^=^ai was still kept up.
In short, the Middle English deM is descended not from d^d,
but from did. Traces of this older ^^ have been preserved
in T^est-Saxon also, not only in such words as icen and cwin,
but also in the r€d of the name JEl/rid, which is never
written reed — the regular form of the substantive r^d, when
it stands alone.
52 histoey of english sounds.
Unaccented E.
Middle English^ like the majority of the living Teutonic
languages, levels all the Old English unaccented vowels
under e : compare Old E. caru, nama, gifan, with the
Middle forms care, name, given. The soimd of this e in
Modem German, Swedish, Banish, and Dutch, is the mid-
mixed-narrow, although, as we have seen (p. 30), tiiere are
traces of an older front sound, which we have theoretically
assigned to the Old English final e. When we consider that
the Middle English e in the fourteenth century was on the
verge of extinction, we cannot well claim for it so archaic a
soimd as in Old English, and the analogy of the modem
languages points clearly to some mixed vowel. Nor is
graphic evidence wanting. The confusion and uncertainty
of usage in the Middle English orthography shows clearly
that the scribes were not satisfied with the letter « as a repre-
sentative of the sound of unaccented e. In Wiclif 's Bible,
for instance, we find, besides the regular ende, synnes, such
spellings as mannis, mannt/s, /adir^ opyn, wriiun, locuatus^oon-
stantly occurring. It is not improbable that the u is intended
for the French u (=y), and that this spelling is an attempt
to represent the obscure sound of the mid-miiced, which, like
all the mixed vowels, has a distinctly labiai e£fect on the ear
(p. 16).
Diphthongs.
Middle English, while simplifying, as we have seen, the
Old English diphthongs, developed some new ones of its
own. All the Middle English diphthongs, with the excep-
tion of those in words taken from Norse and French, arose
from weakening of the consonants g and ir, by which g
passed through gh (as in German sagen) into i or u, and w
into ii. The most important of these diphthongs are oi, au,
euy and oti.
ai arises from O.E. ag (ceg), eg, ^g, eg, ^g: dai (from didy),
iced (tc^g), sai {s^gan), hai (heg), ciai (clieg).
au arises from O.E. air, ag : clau {citncu)^ drau (dragam).
BT HENBT SWEET, ESQ. 53
eu arises from O.E» iw^ iw, chio, edw, e^w : neu (niwe), speu
{yptwan), kud {Ic^wed)^ heu (hedwan), cneu {cne^td).
tm {diUf 6&u) arises from O.E. dw, dw : sddu (sdwan), bl66u
(bldwan).
The development of at from it {saiz^sH^zaicgan) is par-
alleled by the Danish pronunciation of ei (as in veiz=zveg) as
at, and is probably the result of an attempt to bring out
the diphthongic character of the combination more clearly.
There are, however, traces of original ei even in the Modem
period, in such words as eiht, ev6er=eahta, (sg^er.
It will be observed that ag sometimes becomes at, some-
times au. The general rule is that ag final or before a con-
sonant becomes at, while, if followed by the back vowels a
or tf, the diphthong au is developed. Thus, dag {dceg), tagl
{Uegl), magn {mcegen), become dai, tail, main, while dragon,
saffU,))ecome drau, aau. We have, however, sou from sage.
The change of i into eu in the combination iu, and the
levelling of the quantities of iw, iw, etc., must be noticed,
although the cause is not apparent.
That the oot^diphthongs preserved the long quantity of
their first elements is clear from the accoimts of the six-
teenth century phoneticians ; the separation of ddu and 6&u
is theoretical.
In the combinations ig and ug the consonant is naturally
absorbed by the vowel, the result being simply a long vowel:
Hi (Jiegan), uul (ugle).
Consonant Influence.
Quantity, Short vowels are lengthened before liquids and
nasals followed by a voice stop — before Id, nd, mh (often also
before rd and a few other r-combinations). Thus Old English
tnlde^ findan, climban, become unild, fiindy cliimb, the length
of whose vowels is shown by the modem forms waild, faind,
claim. Exceptions can be explained on the same principle as
the other cases of the abnormal retention of original short
quantity, namely, by the presence of a liquid in the second
syllable ; hence hinder, wwider, timber, not Minder, etc
54 HISTORY OF ENGLISH SOUNDS.
Quality, a before Id is rounded into d^ and then, in ac-
cordance with the rule just stated, lengthened, so that the
Old English sealde passes through Balde into idlde^ and finally
becomes addlde^ whence the Modern adokL
The rounding of short a before nasals, which almost dis-
appeared towards the end of the Old English period, at least
in West-Saxon, crops up again in Middle English* An ex-
amination of the present forms gives the following rules for
the occurrence of d=a before nasals. Most of the oases of
rounding are before n^, the general rule being that while
verb preterites keep a, all other words have d. Thus we
have the substantive aonff^ but the preterite sanff. Excep-
tions are hanff and /aTtff, which should regularly be hanff,
fonff. Bounding before n and m is exceptional: the only
examples are on, band^Jroni, ioddmb, cddmb.
Initial w influences the following vowel in various ways.
Sometimes it assimilates i into u, which then absorbs the tr
itself, as in 8uch=z8mch=.0JE, swilc. Occasionally it draws
up dd to the (^(^-position, as in tiodd for twdd, wSdmb for wddmb^
contrasting with the regular wdd, toddd (O.E. wd, wdd).
Hence, by the regular changes, the Modem twuu^ tuu^
icuum(b), tcdo, w66d.
We may now sum up briefly the changes of the Middle period.
a is preserved, except before Id^ where it is rounded, and
<B and ea are levelled under it.
k and 4, together with eo, are levelled under k.
y is confounded with t, which remains unchanged, except
that it was probably widened.
6 becomes d, and d is kept unchanged.
u remains, although probably widened.
a, ^, and 6 are often lengthened, giving aa^ ke and dd. It will
be observed that the Old English i and 6 are not lengthened
into 46 and 66, but pass through k and 6 into kk and dd.
Of the long vowels ce, e, t, d, u remain unchanged.
^ becomes u.
d becomes dd.
BY HENRT SWEET, ESQ. 55
Of the diphthongs ed becomes iky ed becomes ^^.
New diphthongs are deyeloped by the weakening of y
and IT.
Uhaocented vowels are levelled under 9.
Short vowels are often lengthened before liquids followed
bj voice stops.
MODERN PERIOD.
Loss OF FINAL E.
The loss of final e in English is one of the many instances
of how the whole grammatical structure of a language may
be subverted by purely phonetic changes, for it may safely
be said that the loss of final e in Modern English is almost
equivalent to loss of inflexion altogether. Middle English,
although much reduced, was still distinctly an inflexional
language, as much so at least as Modem Danish or Swedish :
its verbs had infinitive and plural endings, and its adjectives
still retained, some of their old inflexions, including the
peculiarly Teutonic distinction of definite and indefinite.
In Modem EngHsh all this is lost : not only is the distinc-
tion of definite and indefinite lost, but our adjectives have
become absolutely indeclinable, and the whole spirit of
English is now so difierent from that of the other Teutonic
languages, that their most familiar distinctions are quite
strange to us, and can only be acquired with considerable
difficulty.
The loss of final e marks off English sharply and distinct-
ly firom the cognate languages, in all of which it is strictly
preserved. Those who have such difficulty in admitting,
even after the clearest evidence, that Chaucer may possibly
have pronounced the final e, should try to realize to them-
selves the fact that the loss of final e is really quite an
exceptional and anomalous phenomenon: instead of being
surprised at Chaucer still retaining it, they should rather be
surprised at its loss at so early a period as the fifteenth
century, while preserved to the present day in all the cognate
languages.
56 HISTORY OF ENGLISH SOUNDS.
An important result of the loss of final e was to prevent
change in other directions: we shall find that the Middle
English sounds were preserved almost unchanged long after
its disappearance. Mr. Ellis's researches have shown that
the most characteristic features of Middle English, as, for
instance, n and uu^ were preserved some way into the six-
teenth century; others, such as the old ai and au^ still
later.
But the tendency to change soon begins to manifest itself,
and by the beginning of the seventeenth century we find
many important changes either completed, or else in partial
operation. During the latter half of the seventeenth century
the whole phonetic structure of the language may be said to
have been revolutionized. Some slight further changes took
place during the first half of the eighteenth century, and by
the middle of the century the language finally settled down
into nearly its present state. We may, therefore, distinguish
roughly five periods of Modem English.
1) the Earliest (1450-1500 or rather later), which pre-
serves the sounds of the Middle period unchanged, except
that it throws off the final e, I propose, therefore, for the
dake of convenience, to cite the Middle English forms in this
Earliest Modern English, which is really equivalent to Latest
Middle English.
2) the Early (1550-1650), in which the Middle sounds
were distinctly modified, it and uu being diphthongized, and
ii and 66 moved up to the high positions of vi and uu^ hh and
66 being moved into the vacant mid positions.
3) the Transition period (1650-1700), characterized by
very important and sweeping changes, such as the simplifica-
tion of the Middle diphthongs ai and au, the fronting of a
and aa into ee, cewy and the development of the peculiarly
English d from u,
4) the Late period (1700 onwards), in which the long
vowels of the Transition period undergo a process of lingual
narrowing, cbcb passing through ik into ^^, while ^e itself
becomes ii.
5) the Latest period, remarkable for its excessive tendency
BT HENBT SWEET, ESQ. 57
to diphfhongizationy especially in the case of ^^ and 66,
whicli are in the present generation almost always ^i and 6u.
It is probable that many of the distinctive features of this
period existed already in the previous period, either as indi-
vidual peculiarities or as vulgarisms. It is certain that in
the present generation many new pronunciations, which are
really very widely distributed, are entirely ignored, or else
denounced as vulgarisms, even by the people who employ
them habitually. These unrecognized pronunciations are of
two kinds, 1) those which, though ignored by every one, are
in universal use, and 2) those which appear only sporadically
in educated speech, although many of them are firmly estab-
lished in the language of the populace. As these pronuncia-
tions are of great philological importance, as showing us the
changes of sound in active operation, and as they have been
hitherto quite ignored by phoneticians, I propose to treat of
them hereafter as fully as my imperfect observations will allow.
EARLY MODERN PERIOD.
a, aa> Mr. Ellis's authorities seem to describe a very thin
sound of the a, although the cb of the following period does
not seem to have been recognized. I think it very probable
that the real sound was that of the present Danish a in mand,
mane, which is the mid-b^ck- wide-forward, the tongue being
advanced considerably, while the tip is kept down. When
the tongue is in this position, a very slight raising of the
middle of it towards the palate converts this forward a into
19, which it closely resembles in sound.
e, i, 0, . As these vowels are retained imchanged in the
present English, any discussion of their pronunciation in the
Early Modem petiod is superfluous.
u. That u still retained its original sound is clear from
the statements of the phonetic authorities. Salesbury writes
it with his Welsh w, as in bwck^buch.
y. It is interesting to observe that there are distinct
traces of the old short y in the Early Modem period. Clear
evidence is afforded by a passage of Salesbury, which I think
58 HISTORY OF ENGLISH SOUNDS.
Mr. Ellis has misunderstood. Saleebury says (E. E. P. pp.
Ill, 164) that "Welsh u soundeth as the vulgar English
people sound it in these words of English, trust, bury, huty,
Suberden,^' Mr. Ellis thinks that Salesbury means nothing
but- the wide as opposed to the narrow i. It seems im-
probable that so minute a distinction should have been
noticed by Salesbury — still more that, eyen if he had noticed
it, he should have gone out of his way to describe it. Nor
do I agree with Mr. Ellis in considering the distinction
between the Welsh u and the wide i as being very slight.
My own observations of the Welsh u, as pronounced in
North Wales, fully confirm Mr. Bell's identification of it
with the high-mixed-wide vowel (although it seems to be
narrow when long), which Mr. Ellis also adopts, but the
sound seems to me to be as distinct from i as the unaccented
German e (the mid-mixed-narrow) is from S (the mid-front),
and to be much more like t/ than i (p. 16). I think Mr.
Ellis has been led astray by Mr. Bell's identification of the
unaccented e in fishes, etc., with this high-mixed vowel,
which I believe to be erroneous. Mr. Bell acutely observed
that the e in fishes was not identical with the preceding t,
and being unable to find a place for it among his front
vowels, fell back on the mixed. I find, however, that the
real distinction is that the unaccented vowel is the high-
front-wide lowered half-way to the mid position, a sound
which Dr. Murray recognizes in Scotch, and writes (i).*
That the Welsh u sounded to Salesbury himself very like
y is clear from his express statement that the French u^ the
German u, and the Scotch u, closely resembled his own u
(E. E. P. p. 761). If, now, we examine the four English
words given by Salesbury, we shall find that the history of
all of them points decisively to the y-sound. Bury and busy
are in Old English bebyrgan and byslg, trust is the Norse
treyddy a diphthong which could not well contract into any
vowel but y, and the first half of Huberden is probably the
French Hubert, which, of course, had the y-sound. What
^ Dialect of the Soathem Coantwi of Scotlani, p. lOS.
BT HSNRY SWEET, ESQ. 59
^SaleBbory's statement amounts to is, therefore, that these
three words (for we may pass over the last) were in the six-
teenth century pronounced by the vulgar trpsi^ byri^ byzL
Although Salesbury characterizes these pronunciations as .
vulgar, it is quite clear, from the retention of the French
' spelling u=-y in all of them up to the present day, that the
old pronunciation must have been kept up some way into
the Modem period. Whenever we find a word written
with y in Old English, and with u in the present spelling,
we may suppose it preserved the ^-sound in the beginning,
at least, of the Modem period. Such words are :
burden (b89dii)...0.£. bji^en ...M.E. bur]>en, bir]>en, berj^ea
bvrj (beri) bebyrgan burien, birien, bcoien
busy (bixi) bysig busi, bisi, besi
-ehnrch (cha8ch)...€yrice (early O.R <sirice.)...churche, chirche, chercbe
miich (mdch) mycel (early 0.K micel)...inache(l)f michel, mechel, mache
flbat (didt) scyttaH scbmtten, schittea, Bchetten
There are besides two interesting words in which the y-
sound is expressed by the digraph tu^ which are:
build (bild) OJ!. byldan M,E. bnild, bald, bild, beld
g;iiilt (gilt) gylt gttlt, gUt, gelt
The correspondence between the Old, Modem, and Middle
forms, the latter (which are taken from Stratmann's Diction-
ary), with their constant alternation between % and e, requires
little comment. It is quite clear that the ambiguous u and
t were considered unsatisfactory representations of the ^-
Bound, and recourse was therefore had to the digraph fct,
which, as we see, was employed both in the Middle and
Modem periods. The forms in e point to a previous lower-
ing of the y to one of the o^-positions. The o of moche
seems to show that there was a spoken, and not merely
written form muche in the Middle period, with an anomalous
change of y into u.
These words evidently caused considerable embarrassment
to the phonetic writers of the Early Modem period, for they
had no proper sign for short y, and were compelled to
identify it with the long French yy in myy% (written mtMe)^
or else, if they wished to preserve its quantity, to confound
it with short t. I will now give the sixteenth century pro-
60 HISTORY OF ENGLISH SOUNDS.
nunciations of these words, as deduced by Mr. Ellis. I have
not made any alteration in his q)elling, except in the case of
Salesbury^s u, which I have written i/, as there seems to me
to be no doubt that this was the sound intended by him. I
have not thought it necessary to add the authorities^ except
in the case of Salesbury.
burden: u.
bury : y (Sa.).
busy : y (Sa.).
church : y (Sa.), yy, i, u.
much : i, u P y P
shut: i.
build : yy, ii, i, ei (=Middle E. ii).
guilt: i.
The long t/t/ in chyyrch is probably a mere inaccuracy of
Smith's, for Salesbury writes distinctly taurts, not tsuwrts, as
he would have done had the Towel been long. The f/y of
bi/yid may, on the other hand, be correct, for y may very well
have been lengthened before ^, as 2 is {mild=:OJE, tcilde).
The t^s in these words (except perhaps in much) I am in-
clined to regard as mere pedantry — the attempt to conform
the pronunciation to the spelling, of which we have numerous
instances in that very pedantic age. Of this artificial u for
f/ the foreign word just is a striking example. This word
was certainly never pronounced with u in the Middle period,
and even at the present day the legitimate descendant of the
old jyat is still to be heard from all uneducated and many
educated speakers in the form of jisL Yet we find the arti-
ficial t^-pronunciation already insisted on in the sixteenth
century.
ii, uu. Although long ii and uu were still preserved at
the beginning of the Early Modem period, they soon began
to be diphthongized. Salesbury writes ei and ow, as in wein
(=ztciin), ddow (=^mw), probably meaning ^', 6u. There
seem also to be indications of a broader pronunciation, 9%, 9u,
which, as we shall see, became general in the following
period. It is, then, clear that ii and uu were first modified
by partial lowering, i-i, u-u, becoming e-i, d-u^ and that the
BT HENBY SWEET, ESQ. 61
resulting dipkthongs were then exaggerated by divergence —
a not nn£reqaent phenomenon.
tt, a, W, 66. The history of these vowels in Modem
English affords a striking example of the Teutonic tendency
to narrow long vowels, each of them being raised a step, so
that ^ and 66 become u and uUy as in (/iVc/= Middle E. deid
and 9uun^=^866itt while hk and dd become ^i, 66^ as in dr4^=i
Middle E. dr^m and b66n=zbddn (O.E. ban).
In one word, the Middle E. dd has been preserved up to the
present day, and, we may therefore assume, in the Early
Modem period also, ncunely, in the adj. brddd^^O.'E.'brdd.
at, only euy ddu, 66u. The Middle English diphthongs are
generally preserved, although there are traces of the simpli-
fication of ai and au, which was fully carried out in the
following period, eu was also simplified into t/y in some
words, such as tryp, nyy, while in others, such as heu, sheu, it
was preserved. 66u did not, as might be expected, become
UUy but its first element was kept unchanged, so that bl66u
(=0.E. blowan) has remained unchanged up to the present
day. ddu seems to have changed regularly into 6du, cnddu
(=0.E. cndwan) becoming cn66u : the two ooua were there-
fore levelled.
QuANTirY.
Middle English ii seems to have been shortened very early
in the Modem period in some words which still preserve in
writing the ^a= Middle E. iL Such words are d^f, instkdy
hidy rid (partic), lid (subst.), didy brid, and several others.
Nearly all the cases, it will be observed, occur before d. We
shall find the same tendency to shorten before a stopped con-
sonant in the Late Modern period as well.
Consonant Influence.
The most important case is the development of u before I
in the combinations al and 661 (= Middle E. dd)y al, talky 66ldy
becoming auly taulk, 66uld. The form aul is the origin of
cor present ddl^ i66k.
62 HISTORY OF ENGLISH SOWDA.
The only traces of r-influence, so marked in the present
period, are shown in the occasional conversion of e into a, as
in hart, smart, for the older hert, smert.
TRANSITION PERIOD.
We now come to the most important and difficult' period of
Modem English, in which the vowels of the language may
be said to have broken away entirely from the Middle Eng-
lish traditions, and entered on a new life of their own. It
is therefore fortunate that the phonetic authorities of this
period are of a far higher stamp than those of the preceding
one : many of their observations are extremely acute, and
are evidently the result of careful study of the actions of the
vocal organs.
Short Vowels.
e, ij 0, remain unchanged, as in the previous period. It is
interesting to observe that we now, for the first time, find
the qualitative distinction between short and long i and «
recognized by one of Mr. Ellis's authorities. The following
is Cooper's list of exact pairs of long and short vowel-sounds
(E. E. P. p. 83).
1234 6678
can ken will folly full up meet foot
cast cane weal fall foale — need fool
which Mr. Ellis interprets thus (denoting the wide vowel by
italics) :
caon kdn wel f61i fwl ep mit fut
cccGBst ke^n w^^l f661 fool — niid fuul
It is clear that, as Mr. Ellis remarks, Cooper was dissatisfied
with the usual pairing of i, it, and w, uu {fil, fill), and there-
fore tried to find the true short-narrow i and u in miit and
fuut, where the ii and uu were probably shortened before
the voiceless t, as is still the case. Again, he lengthened
the short wide i and u, and finding that the resulting long
vowel was nearly identical with the mid-narrow i4 and 66,
naturally identified them as the true longs and shorts. It
BT HENRY SWBET^ ESQ. 63
must be observed that the u of JiitU has not only been short-
ened to Jiit in the present English, bat has also had time to
follow the usual tehdencies of short Towels, and become
wida The shortening is, therefore, in all probability, of
some antiquity. If, then, we suppose that the long uu of
JiaU had been shortened to u in Cooper's time, and had not
yet been widened, we see that the pairing of Jut and Jiiul
may very well have been perfectly accurate, both as regards
quality and quantity.
In the pom folly, fallf Mr. Ellis makes the short o oi folly
to correspond exactly with the long dd, and assumes it to be
narrow. This, I think, is unnecessary. It is clear that
Cooper's analysis is not absolutely accurate ; it is only a con-
siderable step in advance. He may very well have considered
the distinction between dd and 66 quite minute enough, and
may therefore have disregarded the further refinement of
distinguishing narrow and wide d.
a. The present <e-sound is clearly recognized by the
seventeenth-century phoneticians. Wallis describes a (both
long and short) as a palatal, as opposed to a guttural vowel
— as being formed by compressing the air between the
middle of the tongue and the palate with a wide opening.
And the Frenchman Miege identifies the English short as
with the French e ouvertj which wou]d certainly be the
nearest equivalent.
u. The change of the old u into a was fully established in
the Transition period, and it is clear from the descriptions
given of the sound that it closely resembled the present one:
Wallis calls it an obscure sound, and compares it with the
French eu in serviteur, while Miege compares it with the
French o — a common error of foreigners at the present day,
and both Wallis and Wilkins identify it with one of the pro-
nunciations of Welsh y, which is generally identified with
our 9,
Before going any further, it will be necessary to consider
the present pronunciation, or rather pronunciations, of the 9
more closely. There are two distinct sounds of the 9 — ^the
high-back-wide and the mid-back-narrow, which, although
64 HISTORY OF ENGLISH SOUNDS.
formed so differently^ are so similar in sound that eyen a
practised ear finds it often difficult to distinguish them.
Besides these two, a third sound may be heard in many
English and Scotch dialects, which is the low-back-narrow.
Different as these three vowels are, they all agree in being
unrounded back vowels, and it is clear from the seventeenth
century statements that the main distinction between u and 9
was then, as it is now, that u was rounded, 9 not. Now it
is quite certain that u itself was, in the seventeenth centuiy,
the high-back-wide-round (which it still is in those wonls,
such as tculf, in which the u has been exceptionally retained);
unrounded, this vowel would naturally become the high-
back- wide — the very sound still in common use. The prob- «
ability that this was also the seventeenth-century sound is
raised almost to a certainty by the statement of Wallis, that
the soimd is formed with the greatest of the three degrees of
closeness of the lingual passage (between tongue and palate)
recognized by him. Wilkins's statement that the sound is
" framed by a free emission of the breath from the throat,"
and, again, that it is formed " without any particular motion
of the tongue or lips," may be considered as evidence that
some such sound as the present mid-back-narrow was also
given to the e, but it is quite as probable that the whole
description is inaccurate.
The general conclusion I arrive at is, that u was first un-
rounded, and that the resulting high-back-wide was in some
pronunciations imitated by the mid-back-narrow, which in
some dialects was, in accordance with the tendencies of short
vowels, brought down to the low position.
Long Vowels.
^^, 66. The close ^^ and 66=M.idd\e English ^^ and dd, are
distinctly recognized. Wallis states that " e profertur sono
acuto claroque ut Qallorum e masculinum," and Cooper, as
we have seen (p. 522), pairs full and foal as long and short,
which he could not have done if the oa of foal still had the
broad ()(>-sound.
BY HENRY SWEET, ESQ. 65
Hf 6u. The diphthongization of Middle English ii and uu
is carried a step further than in the previous period ; all the
authorities agree in either identifying, or, at least, comparing
the first element of the two diphthongs with the a of bat.
tmn and ^uu appear,, therefore, in the Transition period as
ic9m and ^9u — very nearly their present form.
ai^ au. An important change of this period, although
partially developed, as Mr. Ellis has shown, much earlier, is
the simplification of the old diphthongs ai and au into ee-
and oo-vowels. Those writers of the Early period who
acknowledge the simple sounds do not give any clue to their
precise nature, but the seventeenth century accounts point
clearly to ii and dd, which latter is the sound still preserved
in such words as idd, hddk=iau, hauk, although ii, as in
dii=zdai, has been moved up to ^^, probably because the
Early Modem ^d has become ii in the present English.
The above changes were either already in operation in the
Early Modem period, or were at least prepared by previous
changes : the next two are peculiar to the Middle period.
aa. Long, like short, aa was changed to the front vowel
(B, naam becoming ncecBfn. The cbcb, being a long vowel, was
soon narrowed into ii, as is shown by Cooper's pairing ken
{znkin) and cane (=kiin) as long and short.
yy. Long 1/1/, both in English words such as npy, and
French such as ti/t/n, was diphthongized into iu, nyy and
iyyn becoming niu and tiun. The older yy was, however,
still preserved by some speakers, and we have the curious
spectacle of the two contemporaries Wallis and Wilkins
ignoring each other's^ pronunciations, Wilkins asserting
that the sound of yy is " of laborious and diflicult pronun-
ciation," especially "to the English," while Wallis considered
this very yy-sound to be the only English pronunciation of
long u.
It was probably the influence of this new iu that changed
the older eu into iu, heu, etc., becoming hiu, whence by con-
sonantization of the first element of the diphthong the
present Ayuti.
66
HISIOBT OF ENGLISH SOUNDS.
IV.
mSTOEICAI VIEW OF ENGLISH SOTJND-CHANGES.
Ot.1) Enoliah.
Meddlb English.
MODEBN EkaUBH.
8at
nuBn
Sffit
haad
n^im
^nd
hMp
8eT9n
miit
stiU
• •
8U
diid
driim
gjiin
8U
wit
hil
wain
fair
6ft
6n
h6ul
t66
tun
san
haiM
dei
86i
166
88et r=Bat)
heard (=hard)
nama
6 6nde (=andi^
h^lpan (=hilpan)
m^te (=mati)...„ ,
st^lan (=stilan)
10 8ffi (=BaiwJ
died(=daa)
naam ^
hMp .^.
8^^
grc6n ^
hil .^
• •
W AXAiA ••••*•••■••«•••••••••••••*••••••••••••••
X1X& ••••••••••«•••••••*••••»«•••••••••••••••
wX V •••••••••*••»•••■•••••••••••»•••••••••••
6n
h66l
t66
t66
Riin ,,.
dream (=draTim)
grfne
8eo
hyll
win ».
f?T
6ftr=nfta)
20 6n (=an)
h61
ta
to
Bunu
26 hQB
huiiR
dai
EM?1| SKXX ••••••••••••••••••••••■•■••••••••••
da)sr -
8dc|^an
lagu
LATE MODERN PERIOD.
The further changes of the eighteenth century are com-
paratively slight. The short vowels remain unchanged.
The only long vowels which undergo any modification are
the ees. In the first place the Sds of the preceding period
are raised to ii, dreim becoming driim, the result being that
the Middle English e^ and ^S are both confused under ii. The
word (7r^^/=M.E. greet (O.E. great) is an example of excep-
tional retention of the older ^i.
i^ from aa and ai is raised to the mid-position of SS, left
BT HENRY SWBET^ B8Q. 67
•
-vacant by the change of Sd into ii, nkim from naam and %k^
from 9ai becoming niim and sii.
ad and 66 axe, oa the other hand, retetined unaltered. We
see, therefore, that the fully-established pronunciation of the
eighteenth century differed but slightly from that now in use.
QUANTTTY.
The Early Modem uu from 66 is often shortened before
Btope^ almost always before k, frequently before other stops,
and occaQionally before other consonants. Examples are:
luk (=Middle K I66k), tuk {t66k)y buk {b66k), stud {8t66d),
pud {g66d)yfut {f66t)^ huf{h6df)f buzdm {b66zom).
Other cases of shortening are doubtful, as they probably
took place in the Early period : even the changes just con-
sidered may have been, at least partially,^ deyeloped in the
Transition period.
The lengthening of vowels before certain consonants will
be considered in the next section.
Consonant Influence.
Some important modifications are produced in this period
by consonant influence, which has, in some cases, also had a
conservative effect in preserving older sounds, which would
otherwise have undergone various modifications.
The most marked influence is that exercised by the r. So
strong is it, indeed, that in the present English hardly any
vowel has the same sound before r as before other consonants.
One important result of this is that the r itself becomes a
superfluous addition, which is not required for distinguishing
one word from another, and is therefore weakened into a
mer^ vocal murmur, or else dropped altogether, although
always retained before a vowel.
The following table will give a general view of these
modifications. The first column gives the Middle English
vowels, the second gives what would be their regular repre-
sentatives in Late Modem English, the third gives the forms
68
HISTORY OF ENGLISH SOUNDS.
they actually assume, and ihe last column gives examples
with the Middle E. forms in parentheses :
ar
»r
aar
haaad (hard)
! ir
vvA ••*••.••••••*•••*»•«
>99d0ird)
hr _ _
; ^„
wwA^ ——*—>—»—•*•
swear (iwerr)
ur ~
ddlT ..^M.*
taef (torf)
nd^b (norb)
dr
wwA •••••*■•»•«•«•••*•••
aar
66r
fd^r (faar)
f ^ (fair)
^^r
66r
, iir - -
iiar (hhr)
diiar, «^ (d6^, «£&)
^^r.
• •
iiar (e^r)
iiar, b^^r (eir, b^r)
66r
uur
uaar, d6r
mauar, flddr (m66r, fl66r)
• •
iir
air
1
6dr .
aiar . ~..
m66r (mddr)
faiar (riir)
UUX •••»•*•••■•••••••*••
aur ^ _.
auar
saaar (saur)
The sympathy between r and the broad (low or back)
Towels, which is also shown in the older change of ster, etc,
into star, is evident enough here also. In such words ssjiir
the seventeenth-century sound of long oa has been preserved
almost unchanged, while in ^dor the r has not only prevented
the regular change into uu^ but has even lowered the vowel
from the 66- to the a()-position.
In many cases it is doubtful whether the influence of the r
has been simply conservative, or whether the change — say of
hard into h(erd — actually took place, and that the influence
of the r afterwards changed the (e into a. The change of a
into flP certainly seems to have been fully carried out in the
Transition period before r as well as the other consonants, if
we may trust the phonetic authorities; but it is quite possible
that the older aa may have remained throughout as vulgar-
isms, and soon have regained their lost ground.
The levelling of «V, er, and ur, which are kept quite dis-
tinct by the phoneticians of the Transition period, is a very
curious phenomenon, as it has resulted in an entirelv new
vowel, which only occurs in these combinations. This vowel
is the low-mixed-narrow. It is evidently closely allied
to the regular short ^ in b^^f, and it seems most probable that
the first change was to level ir, er, and 9r under ar (mid-
back-narrow), which would then, by the further influence of
the r, pass into the low-back-narrow, whence to the low-
BY HENRY SWEET, ESa 69
mixed-naiTow is but a short step. Then the rowel was
lengthened, and the r absorbed.
The influence of / is, like that of r, in the direction of
broadening. In the combinations alf and aim original short
a is preserved, the / is dropped and the vowel lengthened, so
that haif and %alm (written psalm) become haaf and aaam.
In the Early period some of these words developed the usual
otty but the present forms cannot have arisen from au^ except,
perhaps, Jiaam from halm^ which is often pronounced hddm,
pointing clearly to an older haulm.
Besides r and /, there are other consonants which tend to
preserve the quality of short a, namely, %, }>, a and/, although
the a is generally lengthened : fac^^r, paa]>, ffraas, aask, loaf,
eraqft. The refined Transition pronunciation peBJf, cesk, is,
however, still to be heard.
Before leaving this subject of consonant influence, it is
necessary to observe that the rules just stated do not always
apply to dissyllables, but only to monosyllables. Thus we
find swlou, /(bIou, not adlou,fdlou, ruprou not narou, hudi gce^or
contrasting with /oa^ar and rac^9r.
The influence of initial w is also very characteristic of
Late Modem English. It not only preserves the old u^ as in
wuly iculf, but also regularly rounds short a into d, what,
9wan^ becoming whdt^ swdn; also in dissyllables, such as sicdidu,
wdl6u. The Transition forms wal^ wdlf^ whmty were probably
artificial refinements, which were never accepted by the mass
of the people.^
LATEST MODERN PERIOD.
We are now, at last, able to study the sounds of our lan-
guage, not through the hazy medium of vague descriptions
and comparisons, but by direct observation; we can throw
away theory, and trust to facts. If our analysis of speech-
^ Mr. H. Nicol has jmt called my attention to tb« &ct (which I had orer-
looked) that the chaoge does not take place when the a is followed by a back
consonant : vag^ fr«x, etc.
70 HISTORY OF ENGLISH SOUNDS. '
sounds were perfectly accurate and exhaustive, and if our
ears were trained to recognize with certainty every appreci-
able shade of pronunciation, the task would be easy enough.
As it is, its difficulties are very great, and the ol^servations I
am about to make cannot therefore make any pretensions
either to complete fullness or perfect accuracy. They are
mere first attempts, and will reijuire much revision.
DlPHTHONGU^ATION.
The most prominent feature of our present English is its .
tendency to diphthongization.
The diphthongic character of our ei and 6^ has been dis-
tinctly recognized by our leading phoneticians, especially
Smart and Bell.
Mr. Bell analyses the two diphthongs as ^i, ^n^ but I find,
as regards my own pronunciation, that the second elements
are not fully developed i and u. In pronouncing 6tA the
tongue remains throughout in the mid-position, and the
second element only differs from the first in being formed
with greater closure of the lips, so that it is an intermediate
sound between oo and uu. In ii the tongue seems to be
raised to a position half way between ^ and % in forming the
second element, not to the fuU high position of i.
This indistinctness of the second elements of our ^i and 6u
explains the difficulty many have in recognizing their diph-
thongic character. Mr. Ellis, in particular, insists strongly
on the monophthongic character of his own ee^ and oos. I
hear his ee and oo as distinct diphthongs, not only in his
English pronunciation, but also in his pronunciation of
French, German, and Latin.
The observation of existing pronunciations has further
revealed a very curious and hitherto unsuspected fact, namely
that our n and wi are no longer pure monophthongs in the
mouths of the vast majority of speakers, whether educated
or uneducated. They are consonantal diphthongs, ii termi-
nating in the consonant y^uu in w=:ii/^ uw. The distinction
BY HSMBY SWEETy ESQ. 71
betweea bit and Hit (written beat) depends not on the short
Towel being wide and the long narrow, but on the former
being a monophthong, the latter a diphthong. The narrow-
ness of tt (or rather ty) is therefore unessential, and we find,
aooordinglj, that the first element of both it/ and uw is
gmeaJlj made wide. These curious developments are
pobaUj the result of sympathetic imitation of Si and 6u;
and the tongue being already in the highest vowel position
the only means of further contraction of the lingual passage
kft was the formation of consonants.
The only long vowels left are aa and dd. Are these
genuine monophthongs? I believe not, although their diph-
thongic character is certainly not nearly so strongly marked
as in the case of the vowels already considered. Neverthe-
lesSy these two vowels always seem to end in a slight vocal
murmur, which might be expressed thus — aaa, dda. I find
that aa and dd, if prolonged ever so much, still have an
abrupt unfinished character if this vocal murmur is omitted.
The difference between Idd (written law) and Idda (lore) is that
in the former word the final e is strictly diphthongio and half
evanescent, while the e of the second word is so clearly pro-
nounced as almost to amount to a separate syllable. The
distinction between the words written father and farther is
purely imaginary.
In popular speech these diphthongs undergo many modifi-
cations. The first elements of Si and 6ii often follow the
general tendencies of short vowels, and are lowered to the
low-firont-narrow and low-back-wide-round positions respec-
tively, giving H and du. This peculiar exaggeration of the
two diphthongs, which is not uncommon even among the
educated, is popularly supposed to be a substitution of ai for
Si, and those who employ it are reproached with saying
" high *' instead of " hay." I find, however, that those who
say AH for hSi never confuise it with hai^ which many of them
pronounce very broadly, giving the a the low-back sound of
the Scotch man.
The 6 of 6u is often, especially in affected pronunciation,
moved forward to the mid-mixed-round position, and from
72 HISTORY OF ENGLISH SOUNDS.
there, by lowering and further shifting forwards, to the low-
front-narrow-round position, so that ndu becomes nom.
In like manner, the u of uw=uu is often weakened into
the high-mixed-round (wide), which is nearly the German tL
So that tuu becomes almost tyw or tuw.
The two diphthongs corresponding to Middle E. tV and uu
show strongly divergent tendencies in the present pronuncia-
tion. The first element of our ai is, I believe, the high-
back- wide (which is also the commonest sound of the 9 in
bat), that of au the low-mixed-wide. In vulgar speech the
distinction is still more marked, the a of ai being gradually
lowered to the full low position, whilst the a of au is moved
forward to the low-firont-wide position, giving the familiar
(BU8 for hau8. These exaggerations may be partly attributable
to the desire to prevent confusion with the ^t and du arising
from eS and 66.
The investigation of these peculiarities is not only of high
scientific interest, but is also of g^eat practical importance.
"We see that the imagined uniformity of " correct " pronun-
ciation is entirely delusive — an error which only requires a
little cultivation of the observing faculties to be completely
dissipated.
It is also certain that the wretched way in which English
people speak foreign languages— often in such a style as to
be quite unintelligible to the natives — ^is mainly due to their
persistently ignoring the phonetic peculiarities of their own
language. When we once know that our supposed long
vowels are all diphthongs, we are forced to acknowledge that
the genuine m and uiis of foreign languages are really
strange sounds, which require to be learnt with an effort, in
the same way as we acquire French u or German ch, A
case once came imder my notice, in which the French word
written ite was confidently given forth as ^itii, on the
strength of the grammar's assertion that the French e aigu
had the sound of the English ay in hay. The result was, of
course, to produce a word utterly unintelligible to a French-
man.
BT HKKKY SWEET, BSa 73
Short Towels.
The short Towds do not seem to have changed much in
the last tew generations. The most noticeable fact is the
loss of (B among the vulgar. It ia modified by raising the
tongue into the mid-firont-wide, resulting in the familiar ceb
for eteb. This anomalous raising of a short Towel is gradually
spreading among the upper classes, and is already quite fixed
in many colloquial phrases, such as nou thenc t/utc, in which
ik(Bne is hardly ever pronounced with cb, as it should be theo-
retically. To keep the old original e distinct from this new
sound, the original e generally has the broad sound of the
low-front-narrow — a pronunciation which is very marked
among the lower orders in London. In the pronunciation of
those who retain Wj original e often has the thinner mid-front-
wide soond.
Quantity.
The laws of quantity in the Latest Modem English, which
are of a very peculiar and interesting character, were, as far
as I know, never stated till I gave a brief account of them
in the paper on Danish Pronunciation, already mentioned.
The distinction between long and short vowel is preserved
strictly only in dissyllables. In monosyllables short vowels
before single consonants are very generally lengthened,
especially among the uneducated. If the vowel is kept
short, the consonant must be lengthened. The result is, that
short accented monosyllables do not exist in English. Either
the vowel or the consonant must be long. If the vowel is
naturally long, the consonant is shortened; if the vowel is
originally short, the consonant is lengthened; or else the
vowel IB lengthened, and the consonant shortened. We thus
obtain the forms tSil, till, or tiil, of which the last two are
entirely optional. Although these quantitative distinctions
are most clearly observable in the liquids, they apply quite
as fully to the stops, as may be seen by any one who com-
74
HISTORY OF ENGLISH SOTTUDS.
pares the English hcedd and hcett with the Danish hat^ in
which the t is really short, gi^g ft peculisurly abrupt effect
to English ears.
Among the educated the form tkU is more frequent, but
among the vulgar the lengthened tkkl is very common.
These popular pronunciations are very interesting, as afford-
ing the only true undiphthongic long vowels which English
now possesses : fiil and fill in popular speech are resSly fiyl
and fiil with the same wide vowel, the only difference being
that in the latter word it is perfectly homogeneous, while in
the former it is consonantally diphthongized.
It also deserves notice that there are really three degrees
of vowel quantity in English — short, medial, and long, the
rule being that long vowels occur only before voice con-
sonants or finally, while before breath consonants they become
medial. Compare luuz with lunSy paa6z with paa^. This
fact has been noticed by Dr. Murray, in his work on the
Scotch Dialects (p. 98, note).
A similar distinction is observable in the quantity of some
of the consonants themselves. Liquids and nasals are long
before voice, short before breath consonants. Compare bUld
with bilf, stnnz with sim. This distinction of quantity has
led Mr. Bell to assume that the / in bili is voiceless, although
he admits (Visible Speech, p. 67) that "there is a trace of
vocality." That the / in the English bill is not voiceless
becomes at once evident on comparing it with the Icelandic
It, which is really Iht, with a distinct hiss.
Consonant Influence.
Apart from the laws of quantity already discussed, there
is little to say on this subject. There are, however, words
whose present forms afford instructive examples of the in-
fluence of /. These words are childrdn and milk^ in both
of which the t has been gutturalized and labialized into u
by the /, which in the second word has further developed
into the diphthong yu, giving chuldran and myulc. The
diphthong in myulc is somewhat puzzling. It is not im-
BT HBNBT SWEST, ESQ. 75
poniUe that the older forms were chyyldr^n and myylc,
which were then diphthongized into yei, which in the former
word lost its y-consonant; or chyldr^n may have dcTeloped
direct into eto/!t/r9ii.
Notes ok the Coxsokakts.^
H.
That initial h in Old English had the same sound as it has
now, and not that of the German ch {hh)^ which it is gener-
ally agreed to haye had when medial and final, is clear from
its fire^nent omission, eTen in the older documents of the
langoage; for if initial h had been really khj there would be
no more reason for its omission than for that of s or any
other initial consonant.
Dniing the Middle period the use of A to designate the
sound of kh was abandoned in favour of gh^ whence the
present spellings nighty laugh, for the O.E. niht, hleahhan.
The spelling t^A, as in German, also occurs, and it is, at first
sight, difficult to see why it was not universally adopted
instead of gh, which ought to express, not the breath sound
U, but rather the corresponding voice (as in German sagen).
The simplest explanation seems to be that the eh was dis-
carded in order to prevent confusion with the eh from e in
ekUdf mueh, etc.
HE, HL, HW, HN.
There can be no doubt that in the oldest pronunciation of
these combinations the A was pronounced separately, and that
at a still earlier period the A was a real eh. In Modem
Icelandic, however, which is the only Teutonic language that
stiU preserves aU these sounds, the combinations have been
simplified into rA, /A, trA, nA, which are nothing else but the
breath sounds corresponding to r, /, tr, n, respectively.
Modem English also preserves one of them in the simplified
form of trA.
^ These do not la^ claim to any folbiev of detail : tbey are merely intended to
lenre as a stop-gap till it is poanble to treat the subject more at length.
76 HISTORY OF ENOLISH SOUNDS.
The fact that hr^ hi, and hn drop their h very early in the
Transition period, seems to show that the change from the
compoimd h-r, etc., to the simplified rh, must have already
begun in the Old English period. That they did pass
through the stage of simplification is clear from the spell-
ings rh, etc., as in rhof (Ormulum), Ihard (Ayenbite), and the
irA still preserved.
The change from hi to I is not, therefore, to be explained
as f'he result of apocope of the initial h, but rather as a
levelling of the voiceless Ih imder the voiced I — a change
which is at the present moment being carried out with the
only remaining sound of this group, the wh.
p. F.
The main difficulty here is to determine the laws which
govern the distribution of the breath )? and /, and the voice
% and V. The following table gives a general view of the
relations of the Kving languages.
English
... >ing
... Saet...
... bro'Sor ....
... ouj?
Icelandic
... >ing
... ])aa*
... brou'Sir ...,
... ei«
Swedish
... ting
. . . det . . .
... broodar ...
... ^^d
Danish . . .
... ting
... d^ ...
... broo^ar...
:.. ii'S
Butch ...
... ding
. . . dat . . .
... brudar ...
... ^^d
German
... ding
. . . das ...
... bruudar ...
... aid
The German ait, which is still written eid, really stands for
aid, as final stops are always voiceless or whispered in Ger-
man. The same is the case in Dutch, but original voiced
stops preserve their vocality, if followed by a word beginning
with a vowel.
The inferences suggested by this table are clear enough.
The English final J> for 'S is evidently an exceptional
change, which does not appear in any of the other languages.
So also is the Icelandic J> in />a(fS. The majority, then,
of the living Teutonic languages agree in showing ^ me-
dially and &ially and J? initially, except in a small group
BT HENBT SWEET, ESQ. 77
of words in very common use, such as the^ then, thtis, than,
thou*
The question now arises, what is the relation of the Dutch
and GFerman d in ding to the Scandinavian and English ting,
^itijf If the initial hreath forms are the original ones, the
▼oioed }Saig etc., must be later modifications ; if the % of 'Sat
18 the older, the t and \f of tinff and ]>ing must be the later
developments — ^in short, there must have been a period in
which ]> did not exist at all.
If we go back to the Oldest English, we find no trace of
any distinction between ]> and %. Many of the oldest MSS.
write the ^ in all cases — ^ififf, ^cet, brd^or, a6, while others
write }) with equal exclusiveness. When we consider that ^
is simply the usual d modified by a diacritic, and that the ]>
itself is, in all probability (as, I believe, was first suggested
by Mr. Vigfusson), a D with the stem lengthened both ways,
we are led to the ima voidable conclusion that the voice sound
was the only one that existed in the Early Old English
period. The fact that some of the very oldest remains of
oar language use the digraph th cannot outweigh the over-
whelming evidence the other way. It was very natural to
adopt the digraph th, which already existed in Latin as the
representative of the soimd th, as an approximate symbol of
the voiced dh, but it is clear that it was considered an inaccu-
rate representation of a voiced consonant, and was therefore
abandoned in favour of ^ or %, which were at first employed
indiscriminately.
Afterwards, when the breath sound developed itself, the
two letters were utilized to express the difference, and ]>,
whose origin was of course forgotten, came to be regarded as
the exclusive representative of the breath sound. According-
ly the later MSS. of the tenth and eleventh centuries always
use both \f and ^ together, often rather loosely, but always
with the evident intention of writing ]) initially, ^ medially
and finally. None of them seem to make any distinction
between j^ing and ^cet, etc. It is, however, clear that these
words must have had the same voice pronunciation as they
have now.
78 HISTOHT OF BNOLISH SOUNDS.
Wo may therefore assume three stages in the history of the
English M-sounds :
Early Old English ... ^ing 'Saet bro^r a*
Late Old English ... Jing ^eot broker a^
Modem English Jing ^aet broker 6u^
The mystery pf the pronunciation of the, thou, is now
solved : those words are archaisms^ preserved unchanged by
tho frequency of their occurrence.
Thoso results apply equally to the /. There can be no
doubt that tho / in Early Old English was vocal like the
Welsh /, as is shown by the Old German spelling uolcy etc.
(still preserved, though the sound has been devocalized, in
Modern German)^ and the Dutch pronunciation.
In the Transition period the voiced / was represented hf
tho French if, as in Old German, and it is clear from soeli
s|H>lliugs as r\\r for /or, muier for fader, that the initial
vooality of tho Old English / (and consequently of the ^
9l^>) was still preserved, as it still is, in many of the Soathem
dialects.
Kwn in tho present Hterary English we find initial vocality
still pn^<<*rv<\l in the worvls re'n trom/'.3/ir\ nr.' and rum.
As, hv^woYor, thos^^ wv^rv.l$ ar^ not of very frequent occurrence,
it I* not iiuprv^lviKo that thoy were taken directly from one
of tho dUUvts.
rhor\* Arv a tVw OAsct? of tho retention ot' dnil TOdlin- also*
WtK v>t '' *:ul >. ill tho i^r^tn: Iiici:>h. Th-: w-.-i^is are «*.
^%V''.\ AUsl V >. aU :hrv\^ oviiec:Iv rr:strvec. like ^.p\ ecc^
by their ow.V'^^^'' tr\\;u-*::.'y. Th^: Tr:z.i-:;i:i:c> ^^ ^nd
**»^* i:i\v*:i bv ^>:iio o: th-* i^rlv M.ii-im i-ith.-ritiesv are
tttdfc^lo o.v*uV:;,il l*\ :>otr rwvc-i*i-':i ::' .'■* Az.i ■r> ij rccolar
V',v ^wdil iv:*.*a:irclji::ott o: i-\*iu ». ▼■li-.'h i* ^rntaxsea ia
,'?►. .*s.\ ^.•/^ ::/., H>ov.\. o.i:iv.'.*c x* ^r^'/i.t^ Ti-f is'uJia ^c s w
BT HENRY SWSET, ESQ. 79
It seems, therefore, that the yocalization of initial (and
also medial) s in English is merely a case of levelling^ caused
by the analogy of the vocal % and t?.
G.
The use of g for the y-consonant (J) of the other lan-
gnagee is one of the knotty points of Old English phonetics.
It k commonly assumed that the y of ger (= Gothic jir)y ge
(=/tM), and the ge of geoc {=:juk), ged (=yd), are merely
orthographical expedients for indicating this y-consonant.
But there seems no reason why the i of the other national
orthographies should not have been adopted in England also.
As a matter of fact, it is used in foreign names, as in Iu\ytte
(in the Chronicle), luliana, etc. And not only do such words
as geoc alliterate with undoubted hard gs in the poetry, but
we even find such pairs as Juliana, god, showing clearly that
even in foreign words y-consonant was liable to be changed
into a sound which, if not identical with the g of god, was at
least very like it.
The ge of geoc makes it very probable that the j7=y-con-
sonant was a palatal sound — in short, a palatal stop formed
in the place of y (= Sanskrit ^). The conversion of an open
into a stopped consonant is, of course, anomalous, but pre-
dsely the same change has taken place in the Romance
languages.
The spelling eg for gg, as in licgan, ecg, is curious. "We
can hardly suppose that the combination is to be understood
literally as c followed by g. Such a change would, at least,
be entirely without precedent, and it seems most probable
that the combination was meant to indicate a whispered
instead of a voiced gg. The peculiarity, whatever it was,
does not seem to have been carried into the Middle period,
whose scribes always write gg.
Final g after long vowels or consonants often becomes h in
Old English, which, to judge from the spelling bogh=boh=zbdg,
was originally vocal (=gh), although it was soon devocalized.
In the Transition period all medial and final ^s became open
(gh)^ as in German, Danish, and Icelandic. This gA after-
80 HISTORY OF ENGLISH SOUNDS.
4
wards became palatalized after front, and labialized after
back vowels (ghu), and in many cases the palatal and labial
gh became still further weakened into t and u^ forming
the second elements of diphthongs. After a consonant the
labial gh was conftised with w (from which it differs only
in being slightly more guttural), folgian becoming folwen.
When the w came at the end of a word, it was weakened into
u^ folw becoming folu^ and malw (O.E. fnealtce)* becoming
nialu. The present du in foiou, for which there is sixteenth
century authority, as well as for folu, is anomalous. It is
possible that the 6u pronunciation may be artificial — ^the
result of the spelling ^/A>k^.
Even initial g is often weakened before front vowels, so
often, indeed, that the Old English form of the g (;) came
to be used exclusively to represent this weak sound, while
the French form (nearly our present g) was reserved for the
original stopped g. The first change was, no doubt into gh,
gi/an becoming ghiven, as in the Dutch ghSev^n, which soon
became palatalized, till at last it became simple y-consonant,
as is clearly proved by such spellings as ics/^OJE. geqf
(Peterborough Chronicle), yeU^^gylt (Ayenbite), etc.
The g or ge^ which represents original y-consonant in Old
English, always undergoes this weakening, geoc, ge, becoming
pooCf f/rV. Even when initial ge is merely the result of the
diphthongization of a into ea, it is often weakened into ga, as
in gaf\i^7eani=^gard.
The result of all these changes was, that by the beginning of
the sixtoonth century g/i was entirely lost, being either weaken-
ed into a vowel (i or m), or converted into the corresponding
breath sound A/, but only finally, as in doouh (O.E. ddg)y
emiiiA Kgefidg). In most cases final gh (when not vowelized)
was droppoil entirely, as inybow (./<i</\ Zoom (iVi<;\/fi (Jeoh).^
In the present English kh — whether answering to O.E. g
or h — has Ixxni entirvly K^t. It api^ars from Mr. Ellis's
invest igaiious that the full kh first became weakened to a
> Tho w in *\s» !»*,/*»»»*'* » etc,, w** p^^^^*Wv a iq<y>p ftKondArr fonnatioB,
pcnoniu>d bv tbc yAi*', Uk« »u^ being <^y4, i^v^*^~* Mi^Air, md tb«ii ^omk or
simplr tx"*. *
BY HE»RY SWEET, ESQ. 81
mere aepiratioiiy which was soon dropped. In such words as
nihi Hie t was lengthened, niM becoming niit, whence our
present naiL Final kh preceded by a rounded vowel as in
lauA, enuuAy was itself naturally rounded into khw, like the
kk in die German aucA; hence the present laaf, enqf — laukA^
bkAw, lawA, Iqf. For fuller details the reader must be re-
fened to Mr. EUis's great work.
CH, J.
The change of c into ch before and after front vowels, as in
cAiild, ikeck, from cild^ tcecan, offers considerable difficulties,
on account of the many intermediate stages there must have
been between the back stop c and the present ^A-sound.
There can be no doubt that the first change was to move c to
the front-stop position, but, although the further change to
the point formation is simple enough, it is not easy to explain
the intrusion of the ah : we would expect ciild to change
simply into tiildf just as gemaca becomes maat. I believe
that the change from the intermediate front-stop to tsh is a
purely imitative one. If the front-stop is pronounced
forcibly — even with a degree of force stopping far short of
actual aspiration — the escape of breath after the contact is
removed naturally generates a slight hiss of yA (as in hue),
which is very like ah in sound — hence the substitution of the
easier iiA.
The same remarks apply also to the c^sA-sound in wej\ ej^
rij, etc., from tcecg, ecg, hrycg.
It is instructive to observe the analogous changes in the
Scandinavian languages. In Icelandic k and g before front
vowels are shifted forward a little, without, however, losing
their back character, almost as in the old-fashioned London
pronunciation of kaind^ skat, etc. In Swedish k before front
vowels has a sound which is generally identified with the
English c/i. If, however, my limited observations are correct,
the real sound is the front stop followed by the correspond-
ing open breath (yh). The sound is certainly not the English
ch, which the Swedes consider an unfamiliar sound. In
6
82 HISTORY OF ENGLISH SOUNDS.
Norwegian the stopped element is dropped entirely, and
nothing remains but a forward yh, so that henna is pro-
nounced y henna. Both in Norwegian and Swedish g before
front vowels has the simple sound of the consonant y.
SH.
The change of Old English sc into ah is not exactly
parallel with that of c into cA, as it takes plcu^e after back as
well as front vowels — not only in such words as ship (^=8cip),
but also in shun (dscunian), etc. It is therefore possible that
8c may have passed through the stage of skh, as in Dutch, a
change which seems to be the result of the influence of the s,
the kh instead of k being, like 8, a sibilant unstopped con-
sonant. The Old English spellings seeacan, aceoc, etc., for
scacany scdc, however, seem to point rather to a palatalization
of the c at an early period. Whatever the development may
have been, it is certain that the sound soon became simple,
for we find it often written 88 in the Early Middle period.
In Swedish the sound of sh is fully developed, but only
before front vowels. In Norwegian 8k before front vowels
changes its k into yh (voiceless y-consonant), which, as we
have already seen, is the regular change, giving the combina-
tion s-yfiy which is generally confounded with simple sk by
foreigners. These facts tend strongly to confirm the view
that the change of sk into «A in English also is due to pala-
talization of the A*, although we cannot determine with
certainty what the intermediate stages were.
WORD LISTS.
The following lists arc intended to include the majority of
the words of Teutonic — that is to say English or Scandinavian
— origin still in common use, with the corresponding Old and
Middle forms. The first column gives the Old English forms;
the second the Middle English (but without the final e, p. 56)
as deduced from the Old English forma and the present tra-
ditional spelling, which is given in the third column ; the
BT HENRY SWEET, ESQ. 83
fomtli, lastly, gives the present sounds. I have, of course,
carefolly compared the valuable pronouncing vocabulary of
Early Modem English given by Mr. Ellis in his Third Part,
eflpedally in all cases of irregular change or anomalous spell-
iDg. These exceptions will be considered hereafter.
Hie words are arranged primarily according to their
vowels in the following order : — a (ae, ea, ei), a, i, i, y, y, ^
(eo), d, e, »=^^, §e=6e, ea, eo, u, u, o, o. Then according to
the consonant that follows the vowel in this order : h, r, 1, ^,
8, w, f, ng, n, m, g, c, d, t, b, p; and lastly according to
the initial consonant in the same order. The principle I
have followed is to begin with the vowels, as being the most
independent elements of speech, and to put the stops at the
extreme end as being most opposed to the vowels. The
semivowels or open consonants naturally come after the
vowels, and the nasals next to the stops. As regards posi-
tion, back consonants come first, then front, then point, and
then lip. Voice consonants, of course, come before breath.
It will easily be seen that the same general principles have
been followed in the arrangement of the vowels. The order
of position is back, mixed, front ; high comes before mid, and
mid before low, and round last of all.
To facilitate reference, I have often given the same word
onder as many different heads as possible, especially in cases
of irregular development.
Old English forms which do not actually occur, but are
postulated by later ones, are marked with an asterisk.
The Middle English forms in parentheses are those which,
although not deducible from the spelling, are supported by
other evidence.
Norse words are denoted by N., and the conventional
Icelandic spellings are occasionally added in parentheses.
Many of the inorganic preterites (such as bore=zb(er) have
been included in the present lists : they are all marked with
a dagger.
84
HISTORY OF ENGLISH SOUNDS.
a«
ae, ea^ o«
OLD.
MIDDLE.
MODBBK.
hleahhan
geseah
lauh
sau
laugh
saw
laaf
sob
■
eahta
hleahtor
aleaht
feaht
tShte
eiht (ai)
lauhter
slauhter
fauht
tauht
4
eight
laughter
slaughter
fought
taught
6it
laaftar
slbotar
ihht
UAt
aroQ
hara
Bcearu
starian
ar
haar
shaar
slaar
. 8
are
hare
share
stare
aar
h^r
sh^r
st^ar
sparian
WEBr
faran
spaar
waar
faar
12
spare
ware f wary J
fare
spear
w^r
f^ar
nearu (nearw-)
caru
dear
tsBr
baor {adj\)
bser {pret,)
nam
caar
daar
tt66r
baar
baar
tbb6r
16
20
narrow
care
dare
tare
bare
bare
bore
nsBrou
eSar
dear
toar
b^ar
b^ar
boar
oars
ars
arse
aas
ar(e)we
aru
arrow
ajrou
speurwa
gearwa
spam
gWr
24
sparrow
gear
spserou
giar
hierfcst
harvest
harvest
haavest
•
(g<e)oarniaQ
iK'earuiau
foam
oi^ra
warn
fern
28
earn
tram
fern
oan
w6an
faan
geam
yam
yam
yaan
oarm
hottrm
arm
hiirm
32
arm
harm
aam
haam
woarni
warm
ir«irm
woam
swearm
awarm
sKorm
swbam
aro
an?.h-
S6
ark
ar%\huh^p^
aac
aach-
•v* ca oi), i, t\iH>), o, c, ^'j c*, oo, u, o.
BT HENKT SWEET* ESQ.
85
a, X, eSk, 6 {continued).
OLD,
MIDDLI.
MODERN.
lawerce
larc
lark
laae
steuc
staro
stark
staac
spearea
spare
spark
Bpaac
mearc
marc
40 mark
maac
bMc, K. (borkp)
bare
hark
baac
peainic
pare
park
paac
heaid
hard
hard
haod
weard
ward
44 ward
woad
geard
yard
yard
yaad
beard
b^Srd
heard
biad
(%u)eart
art
art
aat
sweart
Bwart
48 swarthy
Bw6a)?i
crtbt
cart
cart
caat
teart
tart
tart
taat
hearpe
harp
harp
haap
scearp
sharp
52 sharp
Bhaap
alor {under Id)
eala
aal
ale
kH
eaU
al
all
hoi
heall
hal
haU
hbol
talu (sealw-)
salu
56 sallow
Bselou
smsel
smal
small
smbol
aceal
shal
shall
Bhsel
Bceala
ficaal, shaal
scale, shale
Bceil, sh^il
steall
Btal
60 stall
sihhl
weall
wal
wall
whhl
hwsel
whaal
whale
wheil
&la (fealw-)
falu
fallow
faelou
feallati
fal
64 fall
fhhl
nihtegale
nihtingaal
nightingale
iiaitingg6il
gealle
gal
gall
ghhl
calu (cealw-)
calu
callow
caelou
ceallian (N. ?)
cal
68 call
cohl
dffil
daal
dale
d6il
tala
tAal
tale
t^U
beala
baal
hale
b6il
swealwe
Bwalu
72 swallow
BWOloU
wealwian
walu
wallow
wolou
mealwe
mala
mallow
meelou
h; r, hr, 1, hi; ^, b, w, hw, f; ng, n, m; g, o, d, t, b, p.
86
HISTORY OF ENGLISH SOUNDS.
OLD.
a» 8B» ea, 6 {continued),
MIDDLE. MODB&N.
self
elf
^/
elf
healf
half
76
half
haaf
sealfian
salT
salve
Bselv
oealf
calf
<alf
caaf
sBlmesse
alms
alms
aamz
healm
balm
80
halm
h6^m
sealm
salm
piolm
saam
halgian
balu
hallow
faffilou
gealga
galuz
gallows
gffilooz
taelg
talu
84
tallow
tselou
stealoian
stal<5
■
stalk.
stb&o
wealoan
wale
walk
w6J>c
bealca
bale
balk
b66c
bealoettan
belch
88
belch
belch
alor
alder
WWw%^^^w
6e>ld9r
eald
hhld
old
6ald
ealdormaon
alderman
alderman
^bldaman
healdan
hobld
92
hold
hould
eealde
B^bld
sold
Bould
fealdan
foold
fold
fould
ceald
cobld
cold
could
tcaldc
tmjld
96
told
tould
bcald
boold
bold
bould
healt
halt
halt
holt
aealt
salt
salt
solt
mealt
malt
100
malt
molt
ha>(f)*
ha)>
hath
h»b
raa%dr
bra^or
raior
rather
hw«Ver
wbo^or
H'hether
whe^ar
bffV
ba)*
104
hath
baab
banian
baa^
bathe
b6i«
pap^
pa).
jfHith
paa>
fa^Vm
fa>>\>m
fathom
ft&HSam
ea(lVwa
ai
108
0$
a»
ASSti
aa
«MW
aas
•ha^Cfs
baa
has
hu
a^» M oi), i» i\oo), t\ C» ^ oA, <\s ^ 0.
BT HBNRT SWEET^ ESQ.
87
01I».
a, S, ea, 6 {continued).
MIDOLB. MODBBN.
iMi
lea
lesi
les
%j]«^
leat
112
U%t
lest
wai
waz
was
woz
BOS
nes
nets
nes
|M
gras
grass
graas
gl«
glas
.116
glass
glaas
Im
bras
brass
braaa
eie
ash
ash
SBSh
iscian
aac
ask
aasc
•scan
ashez
120
ashes
a^shez
laacK.
rash
rash
iffish
vascan
wash
wash
wosh
flasoe
flasc
flask
flaasc
ba^ sic N.
base
124
hash
baasc
la(to)8t
last
last
laast
Ick (Mf^Mrf.)
U^st
least
liiflt
l&tan
last
last
laast
ftBft
fast
128
fast
faast
mest
mast
mast
maast
gest
gest
guest
gest
east
east
caast
eastel
eastl
132
castle
caasl
Ufot
blast
blast
blaast
csp
aspen
aspen
SDspen
awd
aul
awl
ho\
clawu
elau
136
claw
clob
ha&L (imper.)
hav
have
hsBV
behafa
behaav
behave
beh^iv
hefen
haaven
haven
heivdn
hafoc
hauc
140
hawk
hbbc
Btief
staf
»taf
staaf
Btafas
staavz
staves
steivz
icafaa
shaav
shave
sh^iv
nafu
naav
144
nave
neiv
geaf
gaay
gave
g^iv
graef
grafan
graav
grave
greiv
ceaf
ehaf
chaff
chaaf
ceafor
ehaafer
148
{cock)chafer
cheifar
h; r, hr, 1, hi; «, b, w, hw, f; ng, n, m; g, c, d, t, b, p.
88
HISTORY OF ENGLISH SOUNDS.
OLD.
a, SB, eskf O (eofUinuei).
MIDDLE. MODBBN.
crafian
claefer
haef^ {under ^)
craav
clbover
crave
clover
hrmfa
hsefde
hlsefdige
raaven
raven
I {under d)
cr^iv
douvar
r6iy9n
aefter
after
152 after
aaftar
sceaft
shaft
shaft
shaaft
crseft
craft
craft
craaft
angel {?iook)
angl
to angle
ffingl
hangan
hang
156 hang
hseng
hrang
rang
rang
riBng
lang
long
long
long
?rang
^wang
nrong
throng
?rong
?ong
160 thong
K)ng
sang {pret,)
sang
sang
sffing
sang {subst.)
song
song
song
Strang
strong
strong
strong
sprang
sprang
164 sprang
spneng
wrang {pret)
wrang
wrang
roeng
wrang {adj\)
wrong
wrong
rong
fang
fang
167 fang
faeng
mangere
? monger
(u) monger
msngar
on gemang
? among
(u) amofig
amang
gang
gang
gang
gflDng
tange
tongs
tongs
tongz
banga N.
bang
172 bang
bsBng
ancleow
and
anile
a)nd
rano
rano
rank
raenc
hlano
lano *
lank
laenc
]?anoian
]?anc
176 thank
J>€enc
sano
sane
sank
scene
scrano
shranc
shrank
shrajno
{ttano
stano
stank
6t4PnC
drano
drano
180 drank
drsenc
a»nig
aani (u)
any
eni
huuep
homp
hemp
hemp
a(oo ca ci), i, e(oo), i\ o, i&, ea, eo, u, o.
BT HERKT SWEET, ESQ.
89
OUK
mm
nmuMaH'.
lane
^Saime
a, Sy ea, O (eantinued).
XmDLB. XODXBX.
{
gegpsnn
wann {pret.)
wann {adf.)
wanian
liwanne
fima
mann
mane
manii;
begann
ganot
cann
crana
iMina
^bann
panne
an(d)8warian
anfilt
and
hand
land
sand
standan
strand
wand N. (vondr)
wand {pret)
wandrian
candel
band (pret.)
band {suhst.)
brand
wanta, N.
plantian
I
ran
ransao
laan
%aa
%en
swan
span
fwnn
wan
waan
when
Taan
man
maan
maani (a)
began
ganet
can
craan
baan
ban
pan
answer
anvil
and
hand
land
sand
stand
strand
wand
fwnund
wander
candl
fbuund
band
bond
brand
want
plant
ran
184 ransack
lane
than
then
188 ewan
span
tpon
tcan
192 wane
when
vane
man
196 mane
many
, began
ganet
200 can
crane
bane
ban
204 pan
answer
anvil
and
208 hand
land
sand
stand
212 strand
wand
wound
wander
216 candle
bound
band
bond
220 brand
want
plant
rsen
rsenssc
lein
%8Bn
^en
swon
spsen
won
won
w6in
when
vein
msen
mein
meni
begsen
gsenet
csen
cr^in
bein
bsBn
psen
aansar
senvil
ffind
hsend
laend
ssend
stsend
strsDDd
wond
waund
wondar
csendl
baund
bsBnd
bond
brsend
wont
plaant
h; r, hr, 1, hi; 'S, s, w, hw, f; ng, n, m; g, c, d, t, b, p.
90
HISTORY OF ENGLISH SOUNDS.
OLD.
iceam
Smette
hamor
ramm
lama {adj\)
same
Bwamm
Bcamu
fram
nama
gamen
crammian
cwam
damm
tama {adj.)
lamb
wamb
camb
Ai Bd, ea, o {continued).
MIDDLE. MODERN.
am
emet
hamer
ram
laam
saam
Bwam
shaam
from
naam
gaam
cram
caam
dam
taam
lamb
woomb
cb6mb
am
224 emmet, ant
hammer
ram
lame
228 same
swam
shame
from
232 name
game
eram
came
236 dam
tame
lamb
womb
240 comb
damp {stibst.) N. damp
sam
emet, aant
hsBmar
rsBm
leim
86im
Bwsam
Bh6im
frx)m
n6im
g6im
crsem
c^m
dsBm
teim
IsBm
wuum
coum
damp (adj.) daemp
haga
IflBg
lagu
sage
sagu
slagan
wagian
fleagan
ma3g
maga
gnagan
dSBg
^dagenian
dragan |
f8Bg(e)r
ha)g(e)l
Bn8Bg(e)l
niEg(e)l
t»g(e)l
i
hau
lai
lau
haw
lay
244 law
sau
saw
Blai
slay
wag
flai
wag
■ 248 flay
mai
may
mau
maw
gDau
dai
dauQ
gnaw
^b*l day
dawn
drag
drau
fair
hail
snail
nail
tail
drag
draw
256 fair
hail
snail
nail
260 tail
lei
loo
Blei
wa)g
fl^i
mei
mhh
noo
dei
dbon
drffig
drb6
f^r
li6il
sneil
neil
t6U
a(8e ea ei), i, 6(eo), d, e, £, ea, eo, u, o.
BT HKNBT SWEBT, ESQ.
91
OLD.
a, 83, ea, 6 {carUmued).
XIDDLB. MODERN.
aeg^er
ei^er
eiiher
i ii^er
( ai^ar
RlflBg(e)n
Blain
slain
slein
f8Bg(e)ii
fain
fain
fein
mseg(e)n
main
264 main
m6in
ong8Bg(e)n
again
again
og^in
og^n
br^in
br«g(e)n
brain
brain
ssegde
said
said
Bed
mffigd
maid
268 maid
m6id
secer
aacr
acre
6ic9r
secern
aacom
acorn
^icoan
race
raac
rake
r6ic
\
yedo
}?ach
272 thatch
}?8Bch
rannsaca N.
ransac
ransack
rioBnasDC
aacu
saac
sake
B6ic
snaca
snaac
snake
Bneic
Bcacan
shaac
276 shake
Bh6ic
Btacu
staac
stake
Bteic
OVWOA/t
(
spaac
spake
Bp6ic
•
BpntH/
fspobc
spoke
Bpouc
wacan
waac
280 wake
w6ic
wrsBc
wrec
wreck
rec
nacod
naaced
naked
n6iced
macian
maac
make
meic
caca N.
caac
284 cake
c6ic
cwacian
cwaac
cwake
cweic
tacaN.
taac
take
teio
bsec
bac
hack
bSBC
bacan
baac
288 hake
b6ic
brsec
{
braac
hrake
br^ic
tbrobc
hroke
br6uc
blSBC
%
blac
hlack
bla)c
eax
ax
292 axe
BBX
azian ^ '
weax
<
>
wax
wax
W»X
weaxan
fleaz
4
flax
flax
flSBX
h; r, hr, 1, hi J ^, b, v, bw, f ; ng, n, m ; g, c, d, t, b, p.
92
HISTORY OF E146LISH SOUNDS.
OLD.
a, 889 ea, 6 {continued).
MIDDLE. MODBBir.
SDdese
adis
addiee, adue
sadz
h©(f)de
had
296
had
heed
hladan
laad
16M
lade
load
16id
16ud
hlaoder
lader
ladder
laedar
hlfe(f)dige
laadi
300
lady
16idi
88&d
sad
sad
seed
Badol
sadl
saddle
BSBdl
sceadu
shada
shadow, shade
shffidoa, sh6id
wadan
waad
304
wade
w6id
feeder
fa^er
father
faa%9r
geina(c)od
maad
made
in6id
gegadorian
ga^er
gather
gfiB%ar
togsedere
toge^er
308
together
tuge%ar
glsed
glad
glad
glffid
cradol
craadl
cradle
creidl
*geclS^ed
clad
clad
clflRd
trsed
ftrod
312
trod
ftrod
needre
ader
adder
seder
bl»d
blaad
blade
bl^id
bleedre
blader
bladder
blffMldr
8Bt (prep,)
at
316
at
set
set fpretj
aat
ate
eit, et
hatian
haat
hate
heit
hsett
hat
hat
haet
l8Bt (lata)
laat
320
late
leit
\mt
«at
that
^aet
Bset
sat
sat
saet
BBBterdsBg
satnrdai
Saturday
saetadi
waeter
water
324
water
wbbtar
hweet
what
what
whot
Bpjette fpretj
spat
spat
spaet
fast
vat
vat
V8Bt
fsett fadjj
fat
328
fat
faet
flat N.
flat
flat
flaet
geat fsuhst.J
gaat
gate
geit
begeat (pretj
got
got
got
gnaett
gnat
332
gnat
naet
catt
cat
cat
caet
crabba
crab
crab
craeb
a(flB ea ei), i, e(eo), h, e, S, ea, eo, u, 0.
BT HBNRT SWBST, XSa
93
OLD.
a, 89, ea» 6 {continued).
MIDDLB. MODBBN.
^*
apa
happ N.
scapan
seppel
aap
hapi
ehaap
apl
ape
836 happy
shape
apple*
eip
hsepi
sheip
eepl
ssep
hnieppian
sap
nap
sap
840 nap
Bsep
naep
geapian
cnapa
papol(8tan)
gaap
cnaav
pebl
gape
knave
pebble
g6ip
n6iv
pebl
el (ey). {AU Norse,)
ei
>ei(r) N.
nei
ai
^ai (ei)
nai
844
aye
they
nay
ai, 61
«6i
nei
J?eirraN.
^eir
their
^^ar
heil
hail
348
hail!
h6il
reisa
raiz
raise
r6iz
hrein N.
Bwein
rain(d6er)
Bwain
rein{deer)
swain
r6in(diar)
Bwein
steio
weio
st^^o
852
steak
weak
st^ic
wiio
beita
bait
bait
b6it
deyja
dii
die
dai
ra
rhh
356 roe
rou
la
Ihb
lof
lou, 16o
sla
6l6o
sloe
slou
Bwa
sbo
so
sou
wa
wbJ)
860 woe
wou
hwa
hwoo
who
huu
h; r, hr, 1, hi; ^, b, w, hw, f ; ng, n, m; g, o, d, t, b, p.
94
HISTOKT OF ENGLISH SOTIimS.
a
{continued).
OLD.
MIDDLE.
1
MODKRN.
fraK
frbb
{to and) fro
frou
na
nob
no
nou
(ic)ga
ghb
364
go
g6u
da
dhh
doe
dou
U
thh
toe
ton
twft
twoo
two
tun
ahte
bbuht
368
ought
hbt
(n)aht
*
(n)auht
not
{n)aught
not
(n)6bt
not
hal
{
libol
hwbol
!
whole
h6ul
haal
372
hale
hea
halgian {under i
»)
mal
mbbl
mole
moul
gedal
dbol
dole
doul
ar
bbr
oar
bar
har
hbbr
376
hoar
hbar
rarian
rbbr
roar
rbar
lar
16br
lore
Ibar
Bar
ebbr
sore
sbar
mare
mbor
380
more
moor
gare
gbbr
gore
geara
yoor
gore
yoar
bar
bbbr
hoar
bbar
hla(f)ord
lord
384
lord
Ibad
a«
bb>
oath
6u)?
wra^
i
wrab
wrbob
wrath
wroth
raab
rb(o)>
la^ian
Ibb^
388
loathe
lou^
]3a(n)]?iDg
no]?iDg
nothing
na]?ing
cla%
clob
cloth
clo(b)>
cla^ian
cloo¥
clothe
cl6u%
ba^ir, N".
bbbj»
392
both
bou)?
has
hbors
hoarse
hbbas
aras
arobz
arose
orouz
J^as
T»OOZ
those
^ouz
♦hwas
'whbbz
396
whose
huuz
a(a5 ea ei), i, ^(eo), e, e, *, ca, eo, n, o.
BT HENST 8WEBT, ESQ.
95
&
{continued).
OLD.
MIDDLE.
MODKUW.
ascian (under a)
♦mast
m^bst
fno%t
monst
gast
gbbst
ghost
goust
lawerce {under a)
«w^
?au
400
thaw
jhh
^rawan
yrhhxL
throw
?r6u
sawan
sbbn
sow
sou
snaw
snbbu
snow
snou
mawan
mbbu
404
mow
mou
crawan
crobu
crow
crou
cnawaa
cnbbu
know
nou
blawan
blbbu
■
blow
blou
•
sawl
sbbol
408
soul
soul
aw^er(=ahw8B^er) or
or
ber
ge8aw(e)Q
sbbun
sown
sonn
ge)?raw(e)ii
)?rb6un
thrown
)?r6un
gecnaw(e)ii
cnobun
412
known
noun
hlaf
Ibbf
ha/
louf
hlaford {under r)
draf
drbbv
drove
drouv
an
bbn, an, a
one, an, a
wdUy en, 9
anlice
bbnli
416
only
ounli
lanN.
Ibbn
loan
loun
nan
nbbn
none
nan
scan
shbbn
shone
shon
Stan
sioon
420
stone
stoun
? manian
mbbn
moan
moun
gegan (part. J
gbbn
gone
gon
grauian
grbbn
groan
groun
ban
bbbn
424
bone
boun
ham
hbbm
home
houm
lam
Ibbm
loam
loum
hwam
whoom
whom
huum
fam
fbbm
428
foam
foum
dam
dami
clammy
clsBmi
h; r, hr, 1, hi; «, b, w, hw, f ; ng, n, m; g, c, d, t, b, p.
96
HISTORY OF ENGLISH SOUNDS.
OLD.
agan
lag
fag
dag
ag(e)n
a (eantinued),
MIDDLE.
66a
loou
f66
dobuh
ooun
owe
low
432 foe
dough
MODBIUr.
6u
own
\ \
rap roop
eapo Bobp
Bwapan {under £ «= ee)
grapiuQ grbbp
papa pobp
rope
soap
456 grope
pope
16a
fou
doa
oua
ao
OOC
oak
ouc
(wed)lac
(wed)loc
436
{wed)loek
(wed)loc
stracian
8tr66c
stroke
Btroac
spaca
8p66c
spoke
spoac
tacen
to6cen
token
t6ucan
-had
-hood
440
{man)hood
-hud
raid
r66d
rode, road
roud
lad
166d(8t66n)
load{stone)
16ud(8t6un)
wad
w66d
wood
woud
gad
g66d
444
goad
goud
tade
t66d
toad
toud
abad
ab66d
ahods
aboud
brad
br66d
broad
br66d
?adl
fite
oots
448
oats
outs
hat
hot
hot
hot
swat {under & =
ee)
wat
wot
wot
wot
wrat
wroot
wrote
rout
gat
g66t
452
goat
gout
bat
b66t
boat
bout
roup
soup
group
poup
riht
gel ih tan
riht
liht
right
{a)Iight
rait
lait
a(8B ea ei), i, e(eo), ^, e, £, ea, eo, a, o.
OLD.
BT HBN&Y SWEBTy S8Q.
I (eouiinued).
MIDDLE.
MODBBN.
gesih^
wiht
niht
miht
cniht
briht
pliht
I
siht
wibt
whit
niht
miht
cniht
briht
pliht
460 sight
wight
whit
night
464 might
knight
hright
plight
hire hir (e)
Bdre shiir
stlgrap stirup
oirioe {und^r y)
mirhV mir^
wirsa {under y)
468 her
shire
stirrup
mirth
sait
wait
whit
nait
mait
nait
brait
plait
hoar
shiiar, ahaiar
stirap
maa^
hirde
herd
472
{sh^>lherd
(Bhep)ad
*Hrda( =
= bridda)
?ird
)ird
third
baad
baad
*bird(«
bridd)
bird
illN.
il
ill
il
Bcilling
shiling
476
shilling
Bhiling
BcUN.
Bcil
skill
Bcil
BtiUe
Btil
stitt
BtU
epillan
apil
spiU
spil
willa
wil
480
wiU
wil
wilig
wilu
willow
wil6a
gillan
yel
yell
yel
til N. (jn-ep,)
tilian
til
tiU
til
bill
9
bil
484
hill
bU
film(en)
film
film
film
seoloc
8lLc
silk
silc
Bwilc {under c)
hwilo {under o)
meolc
mile
milk
mile
scild
Bhiild
488
shield
Bhiild
wilde
wiild
wild
waild
milde
miild
mild
maild
h; r, hr, 1, hi; «, s, w, hw, f; ng, n, m; g, c, d, t, b, p.
7
98
HI8T0BT OF ENGLISH SOXTNIM.
1 (eantmued).
OLD.
MIDDLE.
MODBBN.
gild
gild
yuild
gild
gildan
yiild
492 yield
yiild
did
cbiild
child
chaild
cildru
obildren
ehildren
children
hilt
hilt
hilt
•
hilt
8mi%
smi^
496 smith
smi^
wi^
wi^
with
wi^
fi^ele
fidl
fiddU
fidl
ni^er
ne^er
nether
ne^ar
pi%a
pi>
500 pith
Pi>
is
iz
is
iz
bis
biz
his
biz
yia
^is
this
^is
*^Be
^«^^z
504 these
^iiz
inis-
mis-
mis^take)
mis-
missan
mis
miss
mis
giae
yis (e)
yes
yea
bliss
bHs
508 bliss
bliR
fisc
fisb
JUh
fish
disc
dish
dish
dish
biscop
bishop
bishop
bisbap
wisdom
wizdom
512 wisdom
wizdam
list
list
list
list
^istel
>isa
thistle
>i8l
mist
mist
mist
mist
gist
ye^st
516 yeast
yiist^
mistelta
mistltbo
mistletoe
misltou
Crist
Criist
Christ
Craist
cristenian
cristen
christen
crisa
gist
y^^st
520 yeast
yiist
gistrandtrg
yisterdai (e) yeaterday
yestadi
hwistliun
wbistl
whistle
whisl
wlisp (adj.)
lisp
to lisp
lisp
hwisprian
whisper
seu
524 whisper
sew
whispar
siwian
sou
niwe
ncu
new
nvuu
a(© ea ei), i, 6(eo), ^, e, iB, ea, eo, u, o.
BT HBNBT SWBET, ESQ.
99
•
1 {eofUtnusd).
OLD.
lODDLS.
MODBBN.
diwe
cleu
elew
cluu
tiwes dsBg
teuzdai
528 Tuesday
tyuuzdi
ifig
• • •
UVl
tvy
aivi
lifian
Uv
live
liv
lifer
liver
liver
liver
rife
siv
532 iieve
siv
stif
Btif
stiff
stif
wifel
wiivil
weevil
wiivol
gif
if
if
if
gifan
giv
536 give
giv
dif
clif
cliff
dif
diifen
driven
driven
drivon
siftaa
sift
eifi
sift
Bwifb
Bwift
540 swift
swift
Bcrift
shrift
shrift
shrift
ftftig
fifti
fifiy
fifti
gift
gift
gift
gift
hring
ring
544 ring
ring
-ling
-ling
{dar)l%ng
-ling
)dng
>ing
thing
fing
ringan
smg
sing
sing
swingan
swing
548 swing
swing
fltingan
sting
sting
sting
springan
spring
spring
spring
wfengN.(vfengr)
wing
wing
wing
finger
finger
552 finger
fingT^r
criogan
crinj
cringe
erinj
clingan
cling
cling
cling
bringan
bring
hring
bring
rincan
sine
556 sink
sine
slincan
slinc
slink
slinc
scrincan
sbrinc
shrink
shrine
Btincan
stinc
stink
stino
wincian
wine
560 wink
wine
drincan
drinc
drink
drino
twinclian
twincl
twinkle
twincl
in(n)
in
in{n)
in
rinnan
run
564 run
ran
lln
linen
linen
linen
h ; r, hr, 1, hi; % s, w, hw, f ; ng, n, m; g, c, d, t, b, p.
100
HI3IORT OF ENGUSH SOUSIM.
i
(continued).
OLD.
MIDDLE.
MODBBN.
Bcin(ban)
shin
shin
shin
Bcinn N.
Bcin
skin
scin
spinnan
spin
568
spin
spin
gewinnan
win
win
win
windwian
winu
winnow
winou
Ann
fin
Jin
fin
beginnan
cinne
begin
chin
572
begin
chin
begin
chin
tinn
tin
tin
tin
getwiunan
twinz
twins
twinz
binn
bin
576
hin
bin
hinde
hiind
hind
haind
hindema
hinderm668t
hindermost
hindermooBt
rind
riind
rind
raind
Hnd
linden
580
linden
lindan
sinder
Binder
cinder
sindsr
epindel
wind
spindl
wind
spindle
wind
spindl
wind
windan
wiind
584
wind
waind
windauga N.
windu
window
windou
windwian {under
findan
n)
fiind
find
faind
grindan
bindan
griind
biind
588
grind
hind
graind
baind
blind
bliind
blind
blaind
stintan
stint
stint
stint
winter
winter
winter
wintar
flint
flint
592
flint
flint
minte
mint
mint
mint
him
him
him
him
rima
rim
rim
rim
lim
limb
596
limb
lim
Bwimman
swim
•
swim
swim
wifioaan
wuman
woman
wuman
wTfmen
wumen (i)
women
wimen
grimm
dimm
grim
dim
600
grim
dim
grim
dim
climban
diimb
climb
claim
timber
timber
timber
timber
a(8B ea ei), i, 6(eo), d, e, &, ea, eo, u, o.
BT WK\
RBT 1
SWBKT, BSQ.
lUjL
i
{cant
[fillip.
OLD.
MXDDLB.
MODBBN.
icgland
iiland
604
island
aildnd
higian
hii
hie
hai
licgan
lii
lie
lai
firigedaeg
friidai
FHday
fraidi
nigon
niin
608
nine
nain
tigel
tiil
tile
tail
twig
twig
twig
twig
ie
ich, ii
I
ai
-lie
-H
612
{like)ly
-H
liccian
Ho
liek
He
yicce
Jic
thick
}dc
stician
stio
stick
Stic
gestricen
stricen
616
stricken
stncan
8wi(l)c
such
such
Bdch
wicu
wiic
week
wiic
wicoe
wich
witch
wich
liwi(l)c
which
620
which
which
ficol
fid
fieJde
fid
flicce
flich
flitch
flich
mioel
much
much
mach
gicel
(ii8)icl
624
{ic)icU
(ais)iel
cwic
cwic
auick
titch
cwic
bicce
bich
bich
pic
pich
pitch
pich
prician
pric
628
prick
pric
six
six
six
six
betwix
betwixt
betwixt
betwixt
hider
hi^er
hither
hi^ar
riden
riden
632
ridden
ridn
Uid
Ud
lid
lid
Mder
pridda {under r)
^i^er
thither
^i^ar
widawe
widu
widow
widou
hwider
whiter
636
whither
whiter
biden
biden
bidden
bidn
bridd {under r)
♦wld«
wid)?
width
width
tomiddes
midst
midst
midst
hit
it
640
it
it
hittaN.
hit
hit
hit
h; r, hr, 1, hi ; % %, w, hw, f ; ng, n, m ; g, c, d, t, b, p.
102
HI8TOBT OF ENGLISH SOUNDS.
i
{(xmtinued).
OLD.
MIDDLE.
MODBBN.
sittan
Bit
$it
Bit
diten )
slltan j
sHt
slit
sUt
smiten
Bmiten
644
smitten
smitn
gewitt )
witan )
wit
Wit
wit
wnten
writen
written
ritn
git
begitan
edwitan
yit(e)
get
twit
648
yet
get
twit
yet
get
twit
bite
bit
hit
bit
biter
biter
hitter
bitar
ribb
rib
652
rih
rib
Bibb
cribb
(go)8ip
crib
{gos)sip
crih
(go)8ip
<$rib
lippa
Bllpan
Boip
-Bcipe
lip
Blip
sbip
-Bhip
«56
tip
slip
ship
{wor)ship
lip
Blip
Bhip
-ship
gnpe
dippa N.
gnp
clip
<660
^rtp
clip
gnp
clip
bl
bii
h
bai
gellhtan(t«n(^i)
irland
iren
Bclr
wlr
iirland
iiron
(shiir)
wiir
Ireland
iron
664 sheer
wire
aialand
aian
shiar
waiar
Bmlla N.
wile
hwU
fll
mil
smiil
wiil
whiil
mi
miil
smile
wile
668 while
file
mile
smail
wail
whail
fail
mail
ll'Se
strl^
lii«
striif
lithe
672 strd/e
lai'S
straif
a(8e ea ei), i, 6(eo), ^, e, &, ea, eo, n, o.
BT HENRT SWEET, ESQ.
103
1
{continued).
OLD.
MIDDLE.
MODBRN.
wH^an
wrii^
writhe
rai^
bll^e
1 blii«
blithe
blai%
I8
• •
IIB
tee
ais
aiisan
aniz
676
arise
9raiz
WIS
WllZ
wise
waiz
wisdom
wizdom
wisdom
wizdam
stiweard
steuard
steward
styuuad
splwan
speu
680
spew
spyuu
llf
liif
life
laif
^rlfan
j^riiv
thrive
j^raiv
Bcrlfan
Bhriir
shrive
shrair
Btif
Btif
684
stiff
Btif
wif
wiif
wife
waif
fif
fiiv
five
faiv
cnlf
cniif
knife
naif
diifiEm
driiv
688
drive
drair
wifinan {under im)
fiftig
fifti
fifty
tt!ge
Btlgel
•tigrap
Btii
Btiil
Btirup
stye
704 stile
stirrup
fifti
lln {under i)
>In
^iin
thine
%ain
•win
Bclnan
•ciln
Bwiin
Bhiin
Bhriin
692
swtne
shine
shrine
swam
shain
shrain
win
wim
wine
wam
mIn
twin
mii(n)
twiin
696
mine, my
twine
mai(n)
twain
pinan
pun
ptne
pain
ilm
hrim
llm
slim
riim
riim
liim
sliim
700
rhyme
rime
lime
slime
raim
raim
laim
slaim
wl(f)man
tlma
{under
im)
tiim
time
taim
stai
stail
stirap
h; r, hr, 1, hi; ^, s, w, hw, f ; ng, n, m; g, o, d, t, b, p.
104
HISIOBT OF ENOLI8H SOUNDS.
1
{e(nU%nued).
OLD.
MIDDLB.
MODSBN.
mlgan
mil
mie
mii
ifco
rich
rich
rich
gelic
liic
708
like
laic
-lie (under i)
iilcan
siih
sigh
8ai
mlcan
an^^
sneak
sniic
strfcan
striic
strike
Btraic
die
diic
712
dyke
daic
dich
ditch
dich
Idol
iidl
idU
aidl
ildan
riid
ride
raid
Bide
slid
716
side
said
slldan
aUid
slide
alaid
wid
wiid
wide
waid
glldan
gliid
glide
glaid
cldan
chiid
720
chide
chaid
tid
tiid
Ode
taid
bldan
biid
hide
baid
bifdela
briidl
hridU
braidl
alltan {under i)
smitan
smiit
724
smite
smait
edwltan {under i)
wrltan
wriit
write
rait
hwit
whiit
white
whait
bitan
biit
bite
bait
1
rtpe
nip
728
ripe
raip
rlpan
T^p
reap
nip
allpan
slip
slip
slip
grlpan
griip
gripe
graip
y
flyht
byht
Btyrian
cyrice
fliht
biht
732
stir
church (i, y)
flight
bight
stir
church
flait
bait
staar
chadch
a(ie ea ei), i, e(eo), ^, e, *, ea, eo, u, o.
BT HBNKT SWEST, ESQ.
105
ou>.
MIDDLB.
XODBRN.
bjrrig
wyrhta
^jriian {under 1)
byr\Sen
wyraa
tjn
^yrstan
fynta
wynn
bebyrgan
wjTcan
myrc
wyrd {auhB,)
gebyrd
scyrtaN. J
wyrt
-byri
wriht
736 {CafUer)bury -bari
vfright
bturden
wnrs
furs
J^int
first
warm
byri
wnro
mirci
wiird
bir]?
skirt
shirt
wurt
hurden
worse
740 furte
thirst
first
worm
744 bury
work
mirky
wierd (adj.)
748 birth
skirt
shirt
wort
rait
baadn
wdas
Ibaz
]?909t
foast
W9dm
beri
W90C
maeci
wiod
bae^
skodt
shaat
waat
?yfel(wiU)
il
762 ♦//
il
byU
hil
hiU
hil
Wrlian
>ril
(hrUl
>ril
syU
sU
siU
sU
mylen
ffdan
mil
756 miU
mil
m
fill
fil
Ir^lgja N.
bilu
billow
bil6u
ffV^
fil>
filth
m>
gyldan
gild
760 gild
gild
byldan
byld (i)
build
bild
gyit
gilt
guilt
gilt
cy^^
ci}>
kith {and kin)
ci]^
h; r, hr^ 1, hi; «, f, w, hw, f ; ng, n, m; g, o, d, t, b, p.
106
H18T0BT OF ENGLISH SOUNOB.
y (continued).
OLD.
MIDDT.B.
XODBBN.
cyRBan
bysig
cis
byzi
764 kiss
husy
cis
bizi
wyscan
wish
wish
wish
lystan
fyst
clyster
treysta N.
lint
flst
cluster
tryst (u)
?^vel
list{lm)
768 fist
clustsr
trust
evil
list
flst
dastar
trast
yfel
iiyl
lyftan
lift
772 lift
lift
cyng
cing
hing
cing
ynce
j^yucan
inch
^inc
inch
think
inch
^inc
Byun
cynn
cyning (ttni^:
dyne
sin
cin
ng)
din
776 thin
sin
kin
din
ym
sin
cin
din
mynster
minster
780 minster
minstar
gemynd
gecynde
tynder
byndel
miind
ciind
tinder
bundl
mind
kind
tinder
784 bundle
maind
c^iind
tindar
bandl
mynet
dynt
mint
dint
mint
dint
mint
dint
trymman
trim
trim
trim
cymlic
cnmli
788 eomelt/
camli
hrycg
lyge
flycge {adf\)
mycg
• •
lii
flejd
mij
ridge
lie
fledged
792 mij
••
lai
flejd
mij
a(8e ea ei), i, ^eo), ^ S, S, e&, eo, a, o.
BT HBNBT SWBBT, ESQ.
107
y
{continued).
OLD.
mODLB.
MODBBN.
dryge
drii
dry
drai
bycgan
byy
buy
bai
brycg
brij
bridge
brij
?lycciN.
luc
796
luck
lac
Jycce
}>io
thick
]^ic
myoel
much (i)
much
mach
cycen
chicen
chicken
chicen
cycene
cichen
800
kitchen
cichen
crycc
cruch
crutch
crach
fyxen
vixen
vixen
vixan
gehyded
hid
hid
hid
dyde
did
804
did
did
lytel
litl
mie
ua
Bcytel
shall
shuttle
shatl
Bcyttan
shut (i)
shut
shat
flpyttan
flytja N.
spit
«08
spit
spit
flit
flit
flit
cnyttan
cnit
knit
nit
pytt
pit
pit
pit
dyppan
clip
812
clip
dip
dyppan
dip
dip
dip
y
•cyN.
hwy
cy
skii
wbii
• •
cu
sky
why
816 kye
skai
whai
cai
ahyrian
fyr
hiir
fiir
hire
fi/re
haiar
faiar
gefylan
fyl^ {under y)
fin
{deyUe
fail
hy«
hii«
820 hithe
hai%
h; r, hr, 1, hi; ^, s, w, hw, f ; ng, n, m; g, o, d, t, b, p.
106
HISTOBT OF SNOUSH 80tn)D6.
y {continued).
OLD.
MIDDLE.
XODEBir.
cy^^ {under y)
lye
liis lice
lais
mys
mu8 mtce
mais
fyst {under y)
wyscan {under y )
hyd
hydan
bryd
hiid hide
hiid 824 hide
briid bride
haid
haid
braid
pryte
priid
pride
praid
e, eo.
W«8e) «e
?hleoh{^blue)
leoht liht
feohtan fiht
ihe
828 liffht
fight
^e, ^a
kit
fait
smenan
sceran
steorra
spere
feorr
merg {adj,)
teran
tern
beran
bera
sm^^r
sh^^r
star
sp^^r
far
men
teer
tar
b^ir
smear
shear
832 star
spear
far
merry
836 tear
tar
hear
smiar
shisr
star
spiar
far
meri
t^r
tar
b^r
beorht {see briht)
merh^
eor^e
heor^
weor^
feor^ling
*der^
mirb
^er>
h^er]?
wurf
farming
d^^r>
mirth
840 earth
hearth
worth
farthing
844 dearth
moa]?
had]^
^^ing
daa]^
a(8e ea ei), i, 6(eo), ^, e, ft, ea, eo, u, o.
BT HBiniT SWEET, ESQ.
109
OLD.
^, eo {continued).
MIDDLB.
XODBBir.
eorl
ceorl
churl
oene (under b)
^encan ^rash
fene {und&r sc)
bentan
oeorfan
Bweorfan
steoifan
eoman
eomost
leornian
speornan
gernan
beoman
beonna
dweorg
beorg I
weorc
deoro
beorce
beorcan
hercnian
sweord
heoit
heorte
burst
carr
swerr
Btary
run
U^
spurn
y^m
bum
barm
earl
ehurl
thrash
848 buret
earve
swerve
etarve
852 run
earnest
learn
spurn
856 yearn
bum
barm
dwarf dwarf
?(ii8)berg 860 {iee)berg
baru barirow
{
wurc
daro
birch
bare
hare
h^^rcen
swurd
hart
heert
work
dark
864 bireh
bark
hark
hearken
868 sword
hart
heart
99l
cha9l
J^rsssh
bddst
caav
BW98V
staay
ran
Bdnest
lean
sp99n
y99n
baan
baam
dw&af
(ai8)baag
bserou
waac
daac
baach
baac
haac
haacen
fibbed
hart
hart
swellan
smella N.
stelan
spellian
wel
wela
feU
Bwel
smel
stdM
spel
wel
w^^
fd
swell
872 smell
steal
speU
well
876 weal
feU
h; r, hr, 1, hi; «, b, w, hw, f ; ng,
swel
smel
stiil
spel
wel
will
fel
n, m; & o, d, t, b, p.
110
HISTORY OF ENGLISH SOUNDS.
OLD.
felagiN.
melu
geolo
cwelan
beUe
seolh
self
aeolfor
delfan
twelf
helm
Bwelg^
belgan
seoloc
weoloc
meolo
geolca
heold {pret.)
seldon
feld
smeltan
gefeled
meltan
helpan
gelpan
^, eo {earUinued).
MIDDLB.
MODERN.
le^er
benco^an
brewer
cerso
bletsian
wesle
beam a
felu
m^
yelu
cwail
bel
self
silyer
delv
twelr
elm
helm
swalu
belu
silo
whelc
mile
yolc
held
seldom
fiild
smelt
felt
melt
help
yelp
le^^er
"we^er
ben^e]?
bre^rea
fellow
meal
880 yelhw
quail
heU
seal
884 self
silver
delve
twelve
888 elm
helm
swallow
bellow
892 silk
whelk
milk
yolk
896 held
seldom
fieU
smelt
900 felt
melt
help
yelp
904 leather
wether
beneath
brethren
ores
bles
w^ezol
bezom
908 cress
bless
weasel
besom
felou
miil
yeloa
cw6il
bel
siil
self
silvor
delv
twelv
elm
helm
swoloQ
belou
silo
whelc
mile
youc
held
seldam
fiild
smelt
felt
melt
help
yelp
le^ar
we^er
benii}?
bre^ren
ores
bles
wiizl
bezam
a(8B ea ei), i, ^(eo), ^ e, S, ca, eo, u, o.
BT HEKKY SWKET, ESa
ill
^,
eo {eantinued).
OLI>.
MIDDLB.
KODEBN.
^rescan
Jnresh
912 thresh
^rsesh
fenc
firesh
fresh
resh
§
sweostor
sister
sister
sistar
nest
nest
nest
nest
oest
chest
916 chest
chest
efen
^^ven
even
iivn
heofon
h^^ven
heaven
hevn
aeofan
seven
seven
sevn
▼efan
wh^Y
920 weave
wiiv
fefer
f^^ver
fever
fiiVOT
)ef«
>eft
theft
>eft
heng
hung
ten
hung
hung
ten
924 ten
ten
begeondan
beyond
deyond
beyond
eom {see earn)
bremel
brambl
hramhle
braembl
weg
wai
u>ay
w6i
be(de)gian
beg
928 heg
beg
plega
plai
play
pl^i
l^e)r
lair
lair
Uhr
Beg(e)l
sail
sail
s6il
reg(e)n
rain
932 rain
r^in
geleg(e)n
lain
lain
l^in
>eg(e)n
?aan
thane
)76in
tweg(e)n
twain
twain
tw6in
breg(e)n
brain
936 hrain
br6in
?blegen
blain
{chiir)hlain
blein
bregdan
braid
braid
breid
sprecan
sp^^c
speak
spiic
wrecan
wr^^c
940 wreak
rec
brecan
br^
break
br^io
h; r, hr, 1, hi; ^, s, w, hw, f; ng, n, m; g, c, d, t, b, p.
112
HISTOST OF ENGLISH SOUNDS.
6,
eo {cofUmued).
OLD.
MIDDLE.
MODBRW.
next
next
next
next
becnian
becon
beckon
becan \
weder
w^^^er
944
weather
we^ar
feded
fed
fed
fed
meda
m^M
mead
miid
caedan
cn^^d
knead
niid
tredan
tre^d
948
tread
trod
gebed
b^^d
bead
biid
breded
bred
bred
bred
bleded
bled
bled
bled
etan
e^t
952
eat
iit
let (pret.)
let
let
let
fetor
feter
fetter
fetar
setlian
eetl
settle
setl
nebb
nib
956
nib
nib
scalphirdo
sbepherd
shepherd
shepad
♦dep^
depj?
depth
dep]7
pepor
peper •
pepper
pepar
slSpte
slept
960 slept
slept
^.
drian
k^v
ear
iar
BW^rian
sw^^r
swear
sw^ar
w^rian
w^^r
wear
w^ar
mere {am.)
m^er
964
mere
miar
m^re {sf)
maar
mare
mear
m^rran
mar
mar
mar
b^re
bar-
bar-ley
baali
bridge
beri
968
berry
beri
fier(e)8t
erst
erst
aast
mersc
marsh
marsh
maash
a(8B ea ei), i, 6(eo), ^, e, », ea, eo, u, o.
BT HBNBY SWEET, ESQ.
113
e {continued).
tJfLD.
MIDDLB.
MODBBK.
h^we
hara
harrow
haerou
b^rn(=Mre-iem) barn
972
bam
baan
smdrcian
smirc
smirk
smaac
gM
yard
yard
yaad
gbdels
girdl
girdle
gaadl
begdrded
girt
976
girt
gaat
^iid)lafon
eleven
eleven
eleven
m
hel
hell
hel
B^lan
sel
seU
sel
gesMig
dli
980
iillg
sili
sc^U
shel
shell
shel
w^
wel
well
wel
f^Uan
fel
fell
fel
cwAllan
cwel
cil
984
quell
kill
cwel
cil
dw^ja N.
dwel
dwell
dwel
tillan
tel
tell
tel
^68
els
988
else
els
w^Ibc
welsh
Wklsh
welflh
acWe
shelf
shelf
shelf
^
el
ell
el
t«g
talu
992
tallow
taelou
bclg [
beluz
bellows
bel6uz
beli
belly
beli
fldest
eldest
eldest
eldest
gewdldan
wiild
996
wield
wiild
gAlda N.
geld
V
geld
geld
b^lt
belt
belt
belt
hw^lp
whelp
whip
whelp
flftso
flesh 1000 Jlesh
flesh
h; r, hr, 1, hlj «, s, w, hw, f; ng, n, m; g, c, d, t, b, p.
8
lU
HISTOBT OF BNQLIBH SOUNDS.
OLD.
bebSs
wrSetan
g^t
b^(t)8t
w^sp
e {oonttnuei).
lODDLB.
XODIBK.
bebest
wrest
gest
best
1004
behest
wrest
guest
best
behest
rest
gest
best
wasp
wasp
wosp
ever
b^vi
1008
ever
eaves
heave
heavy
ever
iivz
hiiv
hevi
eft
bereft
left
1012
eftfsaons)
bereft
Uft
eft
bereft
left
fifre
^fese
(ic) hJfe
h^fig
bereafod
gelSfed
st^mn
%em
stem
them
stem
%eixi
stem
England
england
England
inglend
^ngliso
englisb
1016
English
inglish
s^Dgan
sinj
singe
sinj
♦l^ng^
leng>
length
leng>
str^ng^o
strengj?
strength
slreng]?
hl^nce
line
1020
link
line
]?^iican {see
]?yiican)
et^nc
stench
stench
stench
w^ncle
wench
wench
wench
fr^ncisc
french
French
french
cw^ncan
cwench
1024
quench
cwench
dr^ncan
drench
drench
drench
b^nc
bench
bench
bench
h^Dne
hen
hen
hen
l£nan
lend
1028
lend
lend
w^nian
w^^n
wean
wiin
w^nn
wen
wen
wen
f^nn
fen
fen
fen
m^nn
men
1032
men
men
c^nnan
can
ken
cen
dena
den
den
den
a(8B ea ei), i, e(eo), ^ e, ce, ea, eo, u, o.
BT HENKT SWBBT, ESQ.
115
e {continued).
OLD.
XIDDLB.
MODBBN.
Pining
peni
penny
peni
clfinBian
?oUiiz
1036 cleanse
denz
inde
end
end
end
geh^nde
bandi
\handy
bsendi
hijindan
rend
rend
B^dan
Bend
1040 send
send
Bp^ndan
spend
epend
spend
w^ndan
wend
wend
wend
b&idan
bend
lend
bend
bl^dan
blend
1044 hlend
blend
hr^ded
rent
rent
rent
l^(c)ten
lent
lent
lent
aended
Bent
sent
sent
flpdnded
spent
1048 epent
spent
w^ded
went
went
went ,
b^ded
bent
bent
bent
Smyrie
emberz
embers
embdez
t^mese
(temz)
1052 Thames
temz
imtig
empti
empty
eni(p)ti
*ge
an
awe
hh
^cg
ej
edge
ej
4ggN.
eg
1066 e§g
eg
h^ge
hej
hedge
hej
l^gan
lai
lay
IM
l^gN.
leg
^9
leg
s^cgan
Bai
1060 say
s6i
B^g
sej
sedge
sej
w^cg
wej
wedge
wej
^laa
ail
ail
6il
ece
aach
1064 ache
6ic
r^cenian
recon
reckon
rec9n
hl^ {adf.)
1^^
Uak
liic
Btr^ccan
strecb
stretch
strech
wr^cca
wrech
1068 wretch
rech
f^^n
fech
fetch
fech
bn^ca
nee
neck
nee
h; r, hr, 1, hi; «, b, w, hw, f; ng, n, m; g, c, d, t, b, p.
116
HISTORY OF ENGLISH SOUNDS.
k.
1 {eontinmd).
OLD.
MIDDLE
■•
MODERN.
ahrMdan
rid
rid
rid
gelSded
led
1072
kd
led
st^de
st^M
stead
sted
w^dd
wed
to toed
wed
bMd
bed
bed
bed
l^ttAH
IStan
•
let
1076
let
let
saltan
ges^ted
*
!
set
set
set
wftt {adj\)
wet
wet
wet
hw^ttan
whet
whet
whet
n^tt
net
1080
net
net
n^tele
netl
nettle
netl
m^te
mi^t
meat
milt
c^tel
cetl
kettle
cetl
b^tera
beter
1084
better
betor
^bbian
eb
ebb
eb
w^bb
web
web
web
n^bb
nib
ntb
nib
st^ppan
step
1088 step
step
e.
he ■
h66
he
hu
>e
«e6
thee
«ii
we
w^
we
wii
me
mee
1092
me
mii
ge
ye6
y^
• •
yii
heh
hiih
high
hai
neh
niih
nigh
nai
her
h6^r
1096
here
hiar
geheran
• Ph^^r
m
hear
hiar
werig
? w^eri (6e)
weary
wiari
hercnian
hJ^rcen
hearken
haacan
a(8B ea ei), i, ^(eo), ^, e, i&, ea, eo, u, o.
BT HENBT SWEBT, BSQ.
117
^ {eanUnued).
OLD.
XIDDLB.
MODBBN.
geheide
U^d
1100
heard
b99d
hel
hm
heel
hiil
stel
8t6^1
steel
stiil
felaii
mi
feel
fiil
cele
ohil
1104
chill
chil
? cnela N.
cn6el
kneel
niil
sme^e {vnder 5)
te« tee>
brewer {under 6)
teeth
tii>
gelefan
bel66v
believe
beliiv
slefe
(deey
1108
sleeve
diiv
defan
diiv
dive
daiv
>ef% {und^ i)
heng {preL) {um
sh^n
scene
sheen
shiin
wenan
w66n
1112
iseen
wiin
grene
gT66n
green
griin
cene
c66n
keen
ciin
cwen
cw^6n
queen
cwiin
ten
ten
1116
ten
ten
breotene
ben {under o)
>irt66n
thirteen
]?99tiin
geseman
8^6m
seem
siim
deman
de^m
deem
diim
teman
teem
1120
teem
tiim
bremel {under 6)
ege (=ea)
• ••
ei, u
eye
ai
heg
hai
hay
hei
aloeg N.
slii
ely
dai
tegan
tii
1124
tie
tai
ecan
66o
eke
• •
uo
rec ("•ea)
r^6c
reek
riic
hrec (=ea)
ric
riek
ric
recan
rec
1128
reck
rec
lee (aea)
166c
leek
liic
h; r, hr, 1, hi; ^, s, w, hw, f ; ng, n, m ; g, c, d, t, b, p.
118 HISTORY OF ENGLISH SOUNDS.
S
1 {eaniinued).
OLD.
KIDDLM,
MODERN.
secan
866o
seek
•
siic
c§c (=ea)
ch^
cheek
chiic
beoe
b^^h
1132 beech
biich
brec
breech
breech
briich
next {under 6)
hecmaa^und&r 6)
hedan
h6dd
heed
hiid
Tedan
ri^d (^6)
read
riid
steda
8t6ed
1136 steed
stiid
sped
8p66d
•peed
spiid
fedaii
fe6d
feed
fiid
f eded (under 6)
ned
n66d
need
Tiiid
med
in6ed
1140 meed
miid
gled
gleM
gleed
gUid
creda
cr6M
creed
criid
bredan
br66d
breed
briid
bledan
bl^6d
1144 bleed
blud
let {under 6)
swete
sweet
eweet
swiit
scet (=ea)
sheet
sheet
shiit
fet
fISet
feet
fiit
gemetan
meet
1148 meet
miit
gretan
greet
greet
griit
betel
beetl
beetle
biiU
bletslan {under ^)
step (=ea)
st6ep
steep
stiip
stepel
8te6pl
1152 steeple
stiipl
wepan
we6p
weep
wiip
cepan
c66p
keep
cup
crepel
cripl
cripple
cripl
depan(«M dy ppan^
)dip
1156 dip
dip
♦dcp^ {under e)
a(» ea ei), i, e(eo), ^, e, £, ea, eo, a, o.
BY HBNBT 8WBBT, ESQ.
119
(«).
OLD.
hftr
wdron
hwSr
b£r
MIDDLI.
MODISK.
?hair
Aair
b^ar
"SUr
^A^0
^^9r
wft^r
w^rtf
w^ar
whi^r 1160
where
wh^9r
f^^
fear
fiar
?b66r
bier
bier
el
?gee*lig
msl
sill
mi^l
eel
1164 n%
ill
sill
miil
br£%
*brS%an
br^^>
br^6%
breath
breathe
breb
briilS
cfiae
ch66z
1168 tfA^tf^
chiiz
£fen
^^ven
0VM
iivn
Smette (kiuI^ a)
wfig
waay t^ar^
w6iv
w£gaii
weih weigh
w6i
hw£g
whei 1172 «^A^
wb6i
hn£gaQ
neih neigh
nM
g»*«
grai, grei ^ray, greg
gr6i
cSge
cei ^y
cu
*wSg^
weiht 1176 weight
weit
Ifice
sprSc
le6ch
speech
leech
speech
liich
spiich
>rSd
wSd
Bfid
grSdig
d£d
ondr£dan
nSdl
>r^4d
weedz
BCOU
greMi
d^ed
dr^^d
n66dl
thread
>red
1180 «^#M^
wiidz
seed
Biid
greedy
griidi
deed
diid
1184 ^^(^
dred
needle
niidl
8tr£t 8tr66t
street
Btriit
h; r, hr, 1, hi; ^, s, w, hw, f; ng, n, m; g, c, d, t, b, p.
120
HISTORY OF ENGLISH SOUNDS.
OLD.
blstan
(s^e) (eontinued).
MIDDLE.
MODIBK.
bUat
1188 bleat
slSp
swSpan
8c£p
weepen
slsepte {under e)
8l6ep
sw6ep
8be6p
w^^poQ
sleep
sweep
sheep
1192 weapon
bliit
sliip
swiip
shiip
wepan
aB(-^^).
sS
B^^
sea
• •
8U
t§Bbte (tfn<i^ a)
rSran
r^er
ere
rear
riar
bSlan
>rffil]S'.
dffil
ffilc {under c)
b^^I
>ral
1196
heal
thrall
deal
health
biU
br661
diil
bel>
bffi^en
h^^^en
1200
heathen
hii^an
?brS^
? brae^an
Rb^^b
br^^b
br^e%
1204
sheath
wreath
breath
breathe
sbiib
nij?
bre}^
brii^
bebies {under h)
t«san
flicsc {under ^)
t^^z
tease
tiiz
a(aB ea ei), i, e(eo), e, e, «, ea, eo, u, o.
BT HENBT SWBBT, SSQ.
131
»(-
ad^) (continued).
OLD.
XIDDLB.
MODBSir.
Iftstan (under a)
irT^tBai(under k)
l£wed
lend
« ^(^
lyuud
l^an
l^^y
^avtf
liiv
hlSfdige (under \
&te (under i)
a)
•
gfil&fed (under ^)
Snig (under a)
Ifinan (under %)
hl£ne
U^n
1208 lean
liin
clSiie
di^n
clean
cliin
mfioan
m^^n
mean
miin
gemfiiio
mi^n
mean
miin
Smyrie (under i)
d^
dai
1212 clai/
d^i
ft(l)c
i^oh
each
iich
riecan
r^^ch
reach
riioh
tScan
t^^ch
teach
tiich
bl£c(»a)
hU^
1216 bleak
bliic
blfican
bl^^ch
bleach
bliich
rjgdan
r^^d
read
riid
Ifidan
l^^d
lead
liid
gelled (ttiiiM'^)
♦br«ed«
br^^d>
1220 breadth
bred>
hs&to
h^it
heat
hiit
M&tiN.
B^^t
seat
siit
8W§Bt
sw^^t
iweat
Bwet
8p£tte (um^ a)
hwSte
wh^^t
1224 wheat
whiit
fStt (um^ a)
h; r, hr, 1, hi; ^, s, w, hw, f; ng, n, m; g, c, d, t, b, p.
122
HISTOBT OF ENGLISH 80UND6.
ea.
OLD.
XIDDLB.
MODERN.
flea
fl^^
Jlea
flii
gea
yhi
yea
y6i
cea
? chnnh
ehouffh
chef
]?eah
«66uli
1228
though
%6n
e&re
^
Mr
iar
foraearian *
B^^r
near
Bi9r
near
n^^r
near ^
ni9r
gear
y^^r
1232
year
yiar
tear
t^^r
tear
tier
dea%
ddd>
death
de>
ceas
cho&z
€ho9e
chouz
east
^^t
1236
east
iist
eastre
^^ster
easier
iistdr
heawan
hen
hew
hynn
hreaw
ran
raw
r«)
^w
}«n
1240
thew
Jynn
sle&w
* 8l66n
slow
slou
sceawian
Blib6u (en)
show {shew)
shou
screawa
shreu
shrew
shnin
Btreaw
stran
1244
straw
Btroo
streawian
stren
strew
strun
feawa
fen
few
fyuu
deaw
den
dew
dynn
breaw {see bru)
heafod (under d)
bereafian
ber^^v
1248
bereave
beriiv
leaf
mf
Uaf
liif
sceaf
BU^t
sheaf
shiif
deaf
d^^f
deaf
def
bean
b^^n
1252
bean
biin
seam
8^6m
seam
siim
steam
st^^m
steam
Btiim
stream
str^em
stream
striim
gleam
gl^^m
1256
gleam
gliim
dream
dr^^m
dream
driim
a(8e ea ei), i, 6(eo), ^, e, i&, e&, eo, n, o.
BT HENBT SWBET, B8Q.
123
OLD.
eh {amiinued).
XIDDLB,
team
be§m
team
beam
heap
hleapan
ste&p {under e)
cefip {iubs.)
ce&pman
h^p
hl^^p
heap
leap
ch^^p {adf.) cheap
chapman 1276 chapman
XODXBir.
creap {pret,) \ctG^i
crept
tiim
biim
eage {under e)
fleig
fleu
1260
flew
fluu
breao {und^r e)
leac {under e)
ce§c {under e)
bedcen
b^^con
beacon
m
biicdn
hea(fo)d
read
h^M
r^^
head
red
hed
red
lead
l^M
1264
lead
led
Bceadan
shed
ehed
shed
Bcreadian
shred
ehred
shred
Dead {under S)
dead
d^
dead
ded
bread
br^^
1268
bread
bred
Bceat {under e)
ace&t {preL)
neat
fshot
n^^t
shot
neat
shot
niit
•
great
be§tan
gr^^t
b^^t
1272
great
beat
greit
biit
hiip
liip
chiip
chffipmdn
crept
eo.
Jreo
seoQ {vb,)
seo
fe6(h)
hr^
three
pni
HAP
see
su
shee
1280 she
shii
fge
fee
fii
hj r, hr, 1, hi; ^, s, w, hw, f; ng, n, m; g, c, d, t, b, p.
124
HI8TOBT OP ENGLISH SOUNDS.
^6 {continued).
OLD.
MIDDLE
!•
MODERN.
freo
fleo
gleo
beo (vh.)
bed {subs.)
fr66
fl66
gl^
b66
be^
free
fiee
1284 glee
he
hee
Mi
flii
glii
bu
bii
?eoh
ireoh
>iih
raoh
thigh
1288 rough
]?ai
r9f
leoht {under 6)
hleor
dedr
deore
deorling
dreorig
beor
le6r
d66r
d^r (^6)
darling
dr^M
b66r
leer
deer
dear
1292 darling
dreary
heer
liar
dier
dier
daeling
drieri
bier
feor^a
four}?
fourth
fJ)3>
hweol
?geol
ceol
wh6^1
?
c^61
1296 wheel
yule
keel
whiil
yuul
ciil
heold (under 6)
86e^
seethe
seo^an
sii^
geo(g)u«
jvlm}
1300 youth
yuu]?
forleosan
freosan
fledse
ceosan
(looz)
freez
ms
chooz
lose
free%e
fleece
1304 choose
luuz
friiz
fliis
chuuz
breost
br^^t
breast
brest
eow (pron,)
eow
eowe
hreowan
ynu
yeu
eu
reu
you
yew
1308 ewe
rue {few)
yuu
yuu
yuu
ruu
eeowian
hleow
feower
seu
16e
four
sew
lee
1312 four
sou
Hi
f6er
a(a3 ea ei), i, 6(eo), ^, e, (g, ea, eo, u, o.
BT HBKKT SWEET, ESa
125
eo {eontinuei^).
' OLD.
MIDDLl
t.
MODBBK.
feowertig
forti
forty
fb9{i
greow {pret.)
grea
grew
gruu
ceowaa
cheu
ehew
chau
creow {pret.)
creu
1316 crew
crau
cneow {pret)
cneu
knew
nyuu
cneow {subs.)
cn6e
knee
• •
nil
tredw
tr^
tree
trii
treowe
treu
1820 true {trew)
truu
breowan
breu
brew
bruu
bleow {pret.)
bleu
blew
bluu
hreow%
ryy>
ruth
ruuj?
treow^
ti7y>
1324 truth
tniu^
leof
(166f)
lief
Hif
>eof
(J^f)
thief
>iif
deofan
cleev
cleave
cliiv
deofol
de^
1328 devil
devl
geong
yung
young
yeng
betweonan
betw6en
between
betwiin
*gebedji(jpartic.)
b6en
been
biin
feond
(f^nd)
1332 fiend
fiind
freood
(fre^nd)
friend
frend
miuc N.
meek
miic
leogan
lii
lie
lai
fleoga
flii
1336 fly
flai
geogu^
yuu]?
youth
yuu>
breod
r^6d
reed
riid
weod
w66d
weed
wild
neod
n66d
1340 need
niid
beodan
bid
bid
bid
sceotan
shoot
shoot
shuut
fleot
fle^t
fleet
fliit
beot f part. J
beet
1344 beat
biit
heop ^rosej
hip
hip
hip
h; r, hr, 1, hi; ^, 8, w, hw, f; ng, n, m; g, c, d, t, b, p.
126
HISTORY OF ENGLISH SOUNDS.
OLD.
hleop {preL)
sweop {prel.)
weop {pret.)
oreopan
deop
eo {continued),
MIDDLE.
lept
' swept
•wept
cr6ep
d66p
lept
iwept
1348 wept
creep
deep
XODSBN.
lept
swept
wept
criip
diip
dura
(dunr)
doer
dihht
f
J?urh
furh
niiuh
wruh
furu
1352 through
« thorough
furrow
TUU
»ara
fsrou
crullaN.
curl
curl
C9al
wur^
fur^or
wurj?
fur^er
1356 worth
further
waa}^
faa^ar
J^anresdseg
curs
]?ursdai
curs
Thursday
curse
]?aazdi
caas
turf
turf
1360 turf
taaf
murniau
muurn
mourn
m6au
wurm
wurm
worm
waam
burg
?boru
borough
bara
wurcau
wurc
1364 work
waac
swurd
swurd
sword
soad
wull
full
cruUa {under r)
buUuca
? wuul (u]
full
buloc
wool
fuU
1368 hullock
wul
ful
bulac
a(8e ea ei), i, 6(eo), ^, S, S, ea, eo, u, o.
BT HENBT SWBBT, ESQ.
127
OLD.
wulf
Bculdor
MIDDLB.
wulf
shuulder
{eantinusd).
wolf
shoulder
MODERN.
hunig buni
^nor ]?under
sunn sun
sunne sun
scunian shun
spunnen spun
gewunnen wun
nunne nun
munuo(i«»<^nc)
cunnan cuning
dunn dun
tunne tun
under under
honeg
1392 thunder
son
sun
shun
1396 spun
won
nun
cunning
1400 dun
tun
under
wulf
shoulder
us
ns
us
98
husbonda
huzband
1372
husband
hazband
tOBC
tusc
tusk
tase
bua sic N.
busc
husk
base
rust
rust
rust
rast
lust
lust
1376
lust
last
gustN.
dust
gust
dust
gust
dust
gast
dast
lufii
luv
Iwe
lav
^ndlufon
eleven
1380
eleven
elevan
scufan
shuv
shove
shav
dufe
duv
dove
dav
onbufan
abuv
above
abav
hunger
hunger
1384
hunger
hangar
sungen
sung
sung
Bang
wrungen
clungen
tunge
wrung
clung
tung
1388
wrung
clung
tongue
rang
clang
tang
munuc
mnnc
monk
mane
druncen
drunc
drunk
dranc
hani
^andar
san
san
shan
span
wan
nan
caning
dan
tan
andar
h; r, hr, 1, hi; ^, s, w, hw, f; ng, n, m; g, c, d, t, b, p.
128
BISTORT OF ENGLISH SOUNDS.
{continued).
OLD.
MIDDLE.
MODBBN.
hund
huund
hound
haund
hundred
hundred
1404
hundred
handred
sund fiuhB.J )
gesund/'fli^V )
Bundor
suund
sunder
Bound
sunder
saund
Bander
wund
wuund
wound
wuund
gewunden
wuund
1408
wound
waund
wundor
wunder
wonder
wander
funden
fuund
found
faund
grund
grunden
bunden
gruund
gruund
buund
1412
ground
ground
bound
graund
graund
baund
pund
puund
pound
paund
huntian
hunt
hunt
hant
stunt {adj,)
stunt
1416
to stunt
stent
?munt
muunt
mount
maunt
]?uma
^umb
thumb
J^am
sum
sum
some
sam
sumor
sumer
1420
summer
samar
swummen
swum
swum
swam
slumerian
slumber
slumber
slambar
guma
gruum
groom
gru(u)m
cuman
cum
1424
come
cam
crume
crumb
crumb
cram
dumb
dumb
dumb
dam
ugglig N.
ugli
ugly
agli
sugu
suu
1428
sow
sau
fugol
fiiul
fowl
faul
cnucian
cnoc
knock
noc
cnucel
cnucl
knuckle
naci
bucca
buc
1432
buck
bac
pluccian
pluc
pluck
plac
"wudu
? wuud 1
[^)
wood
wud
hnutu
nut
nut
nat
gutt
gut
1436
gut
gat
a(8D ea ei), i, e(eo), ^, e, &, ea, eo, u, o.
BT HENBT SWEET, ESQ.
129
(continued).
OLD.
MIDDLE.
MODSaw.
biiton
but
hut
bat
bntere
buter
hutter
batar
PputtaN.
put
put
put
upp
up 1440
up
ap
bup
hip
hip
hip
supan
Bup
sup
sap
cuppa
cup
cup
cap
hu
^u
nu
cu
bru
huu
^uu
nuu
ouu
bruu
1444 how
thou
now
cow
1448 hrow
hau
%au
nau
cau
brau
ure
uur
our
auar
sur
Buur
sour
Bauar
sciir
shuuer
shower
shauar
biir
buuer
1452 hower
bauar
gebur
fbuur)
hoor
buar
(neah)gebur
(neih)buur {neiffh)hour
(nei)bar
iile
uul
owl
aul
ful
fuul
1456 foul
faul
BU%
BUU]?
south
sau]?
mii%
muu]7
mouth
mau]?
uncii%
uncuu]?
uncouth
ancuu]?
cu%e
cuu(l)d
1460 could
cud
bu^N.
(buu»
hooth
buu]?
Qs {under u)
bus
huus
house
hauB
iQs
luus
louse
laus
J^iisend
]7uuzend
1464 thousand
J^auzand
mus
muus
mouse
mauB
Bcufan (under u)
diife (under u)
h; r, hr, 1, hlj «, b, w, hw, f; ilg, n, m; g, c, d, t, b, p.
9
130
HISTOBT OF ENGLISH SOUNDS.
(eontinwd).
OLD.
MIDDLE. MODERN.
onbufan (under u )
Bcunian (tfiuftfr n)
dun
duun
down
daun
tun
tuun
town
taun
brun
bruun
1468 brown
braun
]7uma (under u)
rum
(ruum)
ruuh
buu
room
ruum
rug
bugan
rough
how
r9f
bau
Bucan (under u)
brucan
(bruuc)
1472 brook
bruc
uder (under a)
hlud
lund
loud
laud
scrud
shruud
shroud
shraud
crud
cruud
crowd
craud
dud
cluud
1476 cloud
claud
ut
uut
out
aut
uterlice(M»(f^ru)
lutan
clut
luut
cluut
lout (subst.)
clout
laut
claut
butan (under u)
prut
pruud
1480 proud
praud
Bupan (under u)
cobb(ett)an cbuh
o.
cough
cof
Bohte
Bouht
sought
soot
wrohte
wiouht
wroxKiht
root
del iter
dauhter
1484 daughter
dootar
bohte
bouht
bought
hoot
brohte
brouht
brought
br66t
a(8B ea ei), i, 6(eo), J, 6, fe, ea, eo, u, o.
BT HBNRT SWEET, ESQ.
131
(
6 (eontinued).
OLD.
MIDDLS.
MODEHN.
for
beforan
borian
for
bef66r
b66r
for
1488 before
bore
fb^r
befobr
b66r
woruld
wnrld
world
waeld
for«
nor^
mor^or
for>
nor)?
murder
forth
1492 north
murder (th)
fj)0>
noejr
maodar
hors
forst (under st)
dorste
borsten
hors
durst
burst
horse
durst
1496 burst
hoas
daast
baast
horn
forlor(e)n
^m
swor(e)n
8cor(e)n
mor(ge)ning
com
tor(e)n
bor(e)n
bora
forlorn
j7om
sworn
shorn
morning
com
torn
bom
horn
forlorn
thorn
1500 sworn
shorn
morning
corn
1504 torn
born{e)
hoan
foalban
>6an
swban
shban
mbaniog
eban
tban
bban
storm
forma
storm
former
storm
former
stbam
fbamar
sorg
soru
1508 sorrow
sorou
morgen
borgian
mom
boru
morrow
borrow
mor6a
borou
store
store
stork
stbac
bord
word
ford
bord
hbbrd
word
ford
bo6rd
1512 hoard
word
ford
board
hbad
waad
fbad
boad
scort
port
short
port
1516 short
port
shoat
p5at
bol
holh
h^l
holu
hole
hollow
h6ul
holoa
h; r, hr, 1, hi; ^, s, w, hw, f; ng, n, m; g, c, d, t, b, p.
132
HISTORT OF ENGLISH SOUNDS.
OLD.
holcgn
>ol
swollen
Bcolu
stolen
fola
col
cnoll
dol
toU
boUa
bolster
folgian
wolcen
folc
Bcolde
molde
wolde
gold
bolt
bf
ofen
(
O {continued).
MIDDLE.
MODERN.
holi
1520 hollf/
hoU
>bbl
ihole{pxn)
W
Bwolen
swollen
Bwouln
shbbl
shoal
shoul
stbblen
1524 stolen
stoaln
fbbl
foal
f6ul
cool
coal
coul
cnol
knoll
noul
dul
1528 dull
del
tol
toll
toul
boul
howl
boul
bolster
folu
welcin
folc
? shuuld
mould
?wuuld
gold
bolt
holster
1532 follow
welkin
folk
should
1536 mould
would
gold
holt
ov
of *
?bbven
of
1552 off
boulstar
folou
welcin
fouc
shud
mould
wud
gould
boult
fro^a N.
mo^^e
bro^
fro>
mo]?
bro]?
hbbz
frbbzen
1540 froth
moth
broth
frb(b)>
mb(b)f
brbbf
hose
♦gefrosen
hose
1544 frozen
houz
frouzn
nosu
*geco8en
nooz
chbbzen
nose
chosen
nouz
chouzn
cross N.
blosma
cross
blosom
cross
1548 blossom
cros
blosam
gosling
gosling
gosling
gozling
frost
frost
frost
frost
oven
ov
of
9vn
a(8B ea ei), i, e(eo), e, e, S, ea, eo, u, o.
BT HBKRT SWEET^ ESQ.
133
€ft {continued).
OLD.
offrian
ofer
scofel
clofen
oft
lofbN.
Bofte
locc
80CC
smocc
smoca
stocc
♦gesprocen
flocc
geoc
MIDDLE.
MODERN.
ofer offer
bover over
?8bc>6Tel 1556 shovel
cl66yen cloven
oft
loft
soft
oft
loft
1560 soft
loc
BOO
smoc
smboc
stoo
sp66cen
floe
yhbc
lock
1580 sock
smock
smoke
stock
1584 spoken
flock
yoke
ofar
ouver
shovl
elouvn
oft
loft
soft
long
long
long
long
Tong
?rong
throng
;rong
^wong
7ong
thong
Fong
song fsws.)
song
1564
song
song
strong
strong
strong
strong
wrong
wrong
wrong
rong
mongere
monger (n)
monger
monger
6Dgem6ng
among {u]
11568
among
emeng .
t^nge
tongz
tongs
tongz
hn
on
on
on
b6nd
bond
bond
bond
fr6m
from
1572
from
from
w6mb
(woomb)
womb
wuum
comb
coomb
comb
coum
firoega
frog
frog
frog
trog
troub
1576
trough
trbf
boga
bou
bow
boa
flog(e)n
flonn
flown
floun
loc
soc
smoc
smonc
stoc
spouoon
floe
youc
b; r, br, 1, bl; % s, w, bw, f; ng, n, m; g, e, d, t, b, p.
134
HISTORY OF ENGLISH SOXnCDS.
€
\ {continued).
OLD.
MIDDLE
1*
MODB&K.
COCC
COC
cock
COC
coccel
cool
1588
cockle
cocl
crocc
croc
orock{ery)
crocjeri)
cnocian
cnoc
knock
noc
brocen
bro^cen
broken
broncdn
oxa
ox
1592
ox
ox
fox
fox
fox
fox
rod
rod
rod
rod
■odern
soden
sodden
sodn
gescod
sbod
1596
shod
shod
fodor
foder
fodder
fodar
god
god
god .
god
oodd
cod
cod
cod
troden
troden
1600
trodden
trodn
bodian
bb5d
bode
bond
bodig
bodi
body
bodi
rotiaii
rot
rot
rot
blot
lot
1604
lot
lot
?rotu
J7r66t
throat
J^rout
;ge)8cot
shot
shot
shot
Scotland
Scotland
Scotland
scotldud
flotian
floot
1608
float
flout
mot
moot
mote
mout
cot
cot
cot
cot
cnotta
cnot
knot
not
botm
botom
1612
bottom
botom
loppestrt
lobster
lobster
lobstar
open
bopen
open
oupan
boppian
bop
hop
bop
bopa
hoop
1616
hope
boup
sop
sop
sop
sop
stoppian
stop
stop
stop
(attor)coppa
cob(web)
cob{web)
cob(web)
cropp
crop
1620
crop
crop
dropa
drop
drop
drop
topp
top
top
top
a(a) ea ei), i, e(eo), ^, e, fi, ea, eo, u, o.
BY HENBT SWBBT, ESQ.
185
O.
Of.D.
MIDDLI
\.
MODERN.
SCO
(shoo)
shoe
shuu
do
(doo)
1624
do
duu
to
too
too, to
tuu
toh
tuuh
tough
taf
? eohte, etc. {under o)
hor
(wjh66r
Bwoor
whore
hbor
Bwor
1628
ewore
sw66r
flor
floor
floor
flb6r
mor
moor
moor
muar
8t5l
stool
stool
stuul
col
cool
1632
cool
cuul
tol
t661
tool
tuul
o^er
(66%er)
other
o%ar
80%
' '1-
BOOP
8mo6%
sooth
BUU)?
*Bm6%e
1636
smooth
smuu%
♦(he) d6%
doo)?
.
doth
da>
t6«
too)?
tooth
tuu)?
bro^or
(brooder)
goos
brother
bra%8r
gos
1640
goose
gUUB
gosling {under o)
bosm
(boozdm)
bosom
buzam
blosma {under o)
hrost
roost
roost
ruuBt
moste
must
1644
must
mast
rowan
rou
row
rou
hlowan
lou
low
16u
flowan
flou
flow
flou
growan
grou
grow
grou
blowan
blou
1648
blow
blou
hof t'pretj
(hoov)
hove
houv
hof f$ub»J
hoof ^ ,
hoof
huuf
behoflan
(behoov)
behove
behuuT (6u)
grof (wht,)
groov
1652
groove
gruuy
gl6f
(gloov)
glove
glav
h; r, hr, 1, hi; %, s, w, hw, f; ng, n, m; g, c, d, t, b, p.
136
HI8TOBT OF ENGLISH SOUNDS.
o
{continued).
OLD.
MIDDLE
•
MODERN.
softe {under o)
•
Bona
soon
soon
sunn
spoQ N. ?
spoon
spoon
Bpuun
non
noon
1656
noon
nuun
Boona
moon
moon
muun
inoDa^
(moone)?)
monethy month
mdnjr
monandseg
(moondai'
1
Monday
mandi
gedon
(doon)
1660
done
dan
bon N.
boon
boon
buun
goma
gnm
gum
gym
gl5m
gloom
gloom
gluum
ddm
doom
1664
doom
duum
brom
broom
broom
bmnm
bloma
bloom
bloom
bluum
slog
sleu
slew
sluu
wogian
w66
1668
woo
wuu
genog
enuuh
enough
enaf
drog
dreu
drew
druu
bog
buuh
bough
baa
plog N.
pluuh
1672
plough
plan
hoc
booc
hook
hue
hroc
rooc
rook
rue
locian
166c
look
luc
8c6c
Bb66c
1676
shook
shue
woo
(aw66c)
awoke
8w6ue
coc
c66c
cook
cue
croc N.
cr66c
crook
crac
toe
t66c
1680
took
tue
boc
b66c
book
buc
broc
br66c
brook
bruc
bod
h66d
hood
hud
rod 1
r66d
1684
rood
ruud
rod
rod
rod
gescod {under o)
stod
8t66d
stood
stud
foda
f66d
food
fund
fodor {under o)
flod
flood
1688
flood
flad
mod
m66d
mood
muud
a(aB ea ei), i, e(eo), ^, e, je, ea, eo, u, o.
BT BENRT 8WBBT, ESQ.
137
o (continued).
OLD.
XIDDLB.
MODBBN.
xnodor
god
blod
brod
(m66^er) mother
g66d good
bl66d 1692 blood
brood brood
ma^ar
gud
blad
brand
wodnesdseg
wednesdai Wednesday
we(d)nzdi
rotN.
lot
bot
root root
foot 1696 foot
boot boot
mat
fut
bunt
bwopan
whoop
whoop
huup
Addenda.
mearg
marn
marrow
maeroa
cealc
ohalc
1700
ehalk
cho6o
hfldsel
haazel
haul
heizl
Bceanc
shano
shank
fihsenc
WKg(e)n 1
wagon
wain
1704
waggon
wain
waegan
w6in
dragen
drann
drawn
drhhn
?gagn
gain
gain
g6in
secc
sac
sack
Bsec
Bleao
slac
1708
slack
bIsbc
waecce
wach
watch
woch
gemaca
maat
mate
m6it
eazl
axl
axle
aexl
lator
later
1712
latter
laetar
gabbN.
gab
gab
gaeb
tapor
taaper
taper
t^ipar
ar {metal)
hhr
ore
66r
hilig dfpg
?b661idaj
1716
holiday
holidi
raw
ro^u
row
ron
*cnawl£can
cn66alej
knowledge{Bhgt.) nolej
on &n
anon
anon
anon
h; r, hr, 1, hi ; % s, w, hw, f ; ng, n, m; g, c, d, t, b, p.
138
HIISTOBY OF ENGLISH SOUNDS.
Addenda {continued).
OLD.
MIDDLI
E.
MODBRN.
wrist
wrist
1720 wrist
rist
hiw
heu
hue fhew)
hyuu
skipta K.
shift
shift
shift
wnogan
wring
wrtng
ring
alipor
sliperi
1724 slippery
sliperi
hwlnan
whiin
whine
whain
cyrnel
cemel
kernel
caanal
sypan
sip
s\p
sip
fe^er
f^^^er
1728 feather
fe^ar
becwe^an
becw^^^
bequeathe
becwii^
west
west
west
west
weocce
wic
wick
wic
rsedels
ridl
1732 riddU
ridl
gemeted
met
met
met
st^rae
stern
stem
staan
rest
rest
rest
rest
wr^ncan
wrench
1736 wrench
rench
wrSuna
wren
wren
ren
tw^ntig
twenti
twenti
twenti
heh^o
heiht
height
hait
steran
steer
1740 steer
stidr
cwen
cw^t^n
quean
cwiin
?Ieas
166s
loose
luus
]7reatian
>re^t
(priest)
threat
>ret
preost
1744 priest
priist
seoc
SIC
sick
SIC
)?ohte
>buht
thought
foot
colt
colt
colt
coult
fostor
foster
1748 foster
roof
foster
hrof
r66f
ruuf
)?U8
^us
thus
%as
hus)?ing N.
hustingz
hustings
hastingz
suncen
SUDC
1752 sunk
sane
skum
scum
skum
scam
a(oB ea ei), i, 6(eo), ^, e, se, ea, eo, u, o.
BT HENRT SW£ET« ESa
139
ALPHABETICAL INDEX TO THE LISTS.*
A {artic.) 415
(a)bode 446
(a)bove 1383
ache 1064
acorn 270
acre 269
adder 313
addice 295
adze 295
after 152
(a)gam 265
ail 1063
alder 89
alderman 91
ale 53
(a) light 459
all 54
alms 79
am 223
(a)mong 169
an {artic.) 415
and 207
angle (vb.) 155
ankle 173
anon (1719)
answer 205
ant 224
anvil 206
any 181
ape 335 „
apple 338
arch- 36
are 8
(a)rise 676
ark 35
arm 31
(a)rose 394
arrow 23
arse 22
art {vb.) 47
as 108
ash {tree) 118
ashes 120
ask 119
aspen 134
ass 109
at 316
ate 317
aught 369
awe 1054
awl 115
(a)woke 1677
axe 292
axle (171 1)
aye 344
Back 287
bait 354
bake 288
bale 71
balk 87
ban 203
band 218
bane 202
bang 172
bare Udj.) 19
bare {pret.) 20
bark {subs.) 41
bark {vb.) 865
barley 967
barm 858
bam 972
barrow 861
bask 124
bath 104
bathe 105
be 1285
beacon 1 26 1
bead 949
beam 1259
bean 1252
bear 838
beard 46 .
beat {inf.) 1272
beat {pret.) 1344
beckon 943
bed 1075
^bee 1286
'beech 11 32
been 1331
beer 1294
beetle 11 50
(be)fore 1488
beg 928
(be^gan 198
(be)ein 572
' (be)have 138
(be)hest looi
(be) hove 1 651
belch 88
(be)lieve 1107
bell 882
bellow {vb.) 891
bellows 993
belly 994
belt 998
bench 1026
bend 1043
(be)neath 906
bent 1050
(be)queathe (1729)
fbe) reave 1248
(be)reft loii
berry 968
besom 911
best 1004
better 1084
ibeUween 1330
beWixt 630
(be)yond 925
bid 1 341
bidden 937
bide 722
bier 1 162
bight 733
bill 484
billow 758
bin 576
bind 588
birch 864
bird 474
birth 748
bishop 511
bit 650
bitch 626
bite 727
bitter 651
black 291
bladder 315
blade 314
(chill)blain 937
blast 133
bleach 121 7
bleak 1216
bleat 1 188
bled 951
bleed 1144
blend 1044
bless 909
blew 1322
blind 5^
bliss 500
blithe 674
blood 1602
bloom 1666
blossom 1548
blow (tevW) 407
blow {flower) 1648
boar 303
board 1515
boat 453
bode 1 601
body 1602
bold 97
bolster 1 531
bolt 1539
bond 219
bone 424
book 1681
boon 1661
boor 1453
boot 1697
booth 1461
bore {pret.) 21
bore 1489
bom(e) 1505
borough 1363
borrow 1 5 10
bosom 1641
both 392
bottom 1 61 2
bough 1 67 1
bought 1485
bound {pret.) 217
bound (partic. ) 141 3
bow {vb.) 1 47 1
bow \stibs.) 1577
bower 1452
bowl- 1 530
braid 938
brain 266, 936
brake 289
bramble 926
brand 220
brass 117
bread 1268
breadth 1220
break 941
breast 1305
breath 1166
breathe 1 167
bred {partic.) 950
breech 11 33
breed 1 143
brethren 907
brew 1 32 1
bride 825
bridge 795
bridle 723
bright 466
bring 555
broad 447
broke 290
broken 159 1
brood 1693
brook {vb.) 1472
brook {subs.) 1682
broom 1665
broth 1542
brother 1639
brought i486
Numbers in parentheses refer to words in the Addenda.
140
HISTORY OF ENGLISH SOUNDS.
brow 1448
brown 1468
buck 1432
build 761
bullock 1368
bundle 784
burden 738
bum 857
burst {in/in.) 848
burst {pariic.) 1496
bury 744
-bury 736
busk 1374
busy 765
but 1437
butter 1438
buy 794
by 661
Cake 284
calf 78
call 68
callow 67
came 235
can 200
candle 216
care 16
cart 49
carve 849
cast 131
castle 132
cat 333
chafer 148
chaff 147
chalk (1700)
chapman 1276
cheap 1275
cheek 1131
cheese 1168
chest 916
chew 1 31 5
chicken 799
chide 720
child 493
children 494
chill 1 104
(chill)blain 937
chin 573
choose 1304
chose 1235
chosen 1546
chough 1227
Christ 518
christen 519
church 735
churl 846
cinder 581
clad 311
clammy 429
claw 136
clay 1212
clean 1209
cleanse 1036
cleave 1327
clew 527
cliff 537
climb 602
cUng 554
clip {cut) 660
clip {embrace) 8l2
cloth 390
clothe 391
cloud 1476
clout 1479
cloven 1557
clover 150
clung 1387
cluster 769
coal 1526
cob(web) 1619
cock 1587
(cock)chafer 148
cockle 1588
cod 1599
cold 95
colt (1747)
comb 240
come 1424
comely 78)8
cook 1678
cool 1632
com 1503
cot I 6 10
cough 1 48 1
could 1460
cow 1447
crab 334
cradle 310
crafl 154
cram 234
crane 201
crave 149
creed 1142
creep 1349
crept 1277
cress 908
crew 1316
crib 654
cringe 553
cripple 1 1 55
crock (ery) 1589
crook 1679
crop 1620
cross 1547
crow 405
crowd 1475
crumb 1425
crutch 801
cunning 1399
cup 1443
curl I3S5
curse 1359
Dale 69
dam 236
damp 241
dare 17
dark 863
darling 1292
daughter 1484
dawn 253
day 252
dead 1267
deaf 1 25 1
deal 1 198
dear 1291
dearth 844
death 1234
deed 1183
deem 11 19
deep 1350
deer 1290
(de)file 819
delve 886
den 1034
depth 958
devil 1328
dew 1247
did 804
die 355
dim 601
din 779
dint 786
dip 813, 1156
dish 510
ditch 713
dive 1 109
do 1624
doe 365
dole 374
done 1660
doom 1664
door 1 35 1
doth 1637
dough 433
dove 1382
down 1466
drag 254
drank 180
draw 255
drawn (1705)
dread 11 84
dream 1257
dreary 1293
drench 1025
drew 1670
drink 561
drive 688
driven 538
drop 1 62 1
drought
drove 414
drimk 1390
dry 793
dull 1528
dumb 1426
dun 1400
durst 1495
dust 1378
dwarf 8^9
dwell 986
dyke 712
Each 1213
ear {vb,) 961
ear (subs.) 1 229
earl 845
earn 27
earnest 853
earth 840
east 1236
Easter 1237
eat 952
eaves 1007
ebb 1085
edge 1055
eel 1 163
eft(soons) loio
egg 1056
eight 3
either 261
eke 1 125
eldest 995
eleven 977, 1380
• elf 75
ell 991
elm 888
else 988
embers 105 1
emmet 224
empty 1053
end 1037
England 1015
English 1016
enough 1669
ere 1 194
erst 969
even {adj.) 917
even(ing) 1169
ever 1006
evil 771
ewe 1308
eye 1 121
Fain 263
fair 256
fall 64
fallow 63
fang 167
BT HENBY SWEET, ESQ.
141
far 834
fare 14
farthing 843
fast 128
fat 328
father 305
fathom 107
fear 1161
feather (1728)
fed 945
fee 1281
feed 1 138
feel 1 103
feet 1 147
feU {v6.) 983
feU ( ^skin) 877
feUow 878
felt {partk,) 900
fen 1031
fern 29
fetch 1069
fetter 954
fever 921
few 1246
fickle 621
fiddle 498
field 898
fiend 1332
fifty 542
fight 829
file 669
fill 757
film 485
filth 759
fin 571
find 586
finger 552
fire 818
first 742
fish 509
fist 768
five 686
flask 123
flat 329
flax 294
flay 248
flea 1225
fledged 791
flee 1283
fleece 1303
fleet 1343
flesh 1000
flew 1260
flight 732
flint 592
flit 809
flitch 622
float 1608
flock 158s
flood 1688
floor 1629
flow 1646
flown 1578
fly 1336
foal 1525
foam 428
fodder 1597
foe 432
fold 94
folk 1534
follow 1532
food 1687
foot 1696
for 1487
ford 15 14
(for)lom 1498
former 1507
forth 1 49 1
forty 1313
foster (1748)
foul 1456
found 1410
fought 6
four 1 3 12
fourth 1295
fowl 1429
fox 1593
free 1282
freeze 1302
French 1023
fresh 913
Friday 607
friend 1 333
fro 362
frog 1575
from 231
frost 1550
froth 1540
frozen 1544
full 1367
furrow 1354
further 1357
furze 740
Gab (1713)
gain (1706)
gall 66
gallows 83
game 233
gang 170
gannet 199
gape 341
gate 330
gather 307
gave 145
gear 25
geld 997
get 648
ghost 398
gift 543
gild 760
girdle 975
girt 976
give 536
glad 309
glass 116
gleam 1256
glee 1284
gleed 1 141
glide 719
gloom 1663
glove 1653
gnat 332
gnaw 251
go 364
goad 444
goat 452
god 1598
gold 1538
gone 422
good 1 69 1
goose 1640
gore 381
gosling 1549
(gos)sip 653
got 331
grass 115
grave 146
gray 1274
great 1 271
greedy 1182
green 11 13
greet 1149
grew 1 314
grey 1 174
grim 600
grind 587
grip 659
gripe 731
groan 423
groom 1423
groove 1652
grope 456
hallow 82
halm 80
halt 98
hammer 225
hand 208
handy 1038
hang 156
^ppy 336
hard 43
hare 9
hark 862
harm 32
harp 51
harrow 971
hart 869
harvest 26
has no
hat 319
hate 318
hath 1 01
have 137
haven 139
haw 242
hawk 140
hay ri22
hazel (1 701)
he 1089
head 1262
heal 1 1 96
health 1199
heap 1273
hear 1097
heard iioo
hearken 867, 1099
heart 870
hearth 841
heat 1 22 1
heathen 1200
heave 1008
heaven 918
heavy 1009
hedge 1057
heed 1134
ground {subs.) 141 1 heel i loi
ground (/a/-//.) 14' 2 height (1739)
grow 1647
guest 130, 1003
guild 491
guilt 762
gum 1662
gust 1377
gut 1436
Had 296
hail (subs,) 257
hail {infer/,) 348
hair 1 157
hale 372
half 76
haU55
held 896
hell 978
helm 889
help 902
hemp 182
hen 1027
her 468
(shep)herd 957
here 1096
hew 1238
hid 803
hide {subs.) 823
hide {vb.) 824
hie 605
high 1094
142
HISTORY OF ENGLISH SOUNDS.
hill 753
hilt 495
him 594
hind 577
hindermost 578
hip {rose) 1345
hip (coxa) 1 44 1
hire 817
his 502
hit 641
hithe 820
hither 631
hoar 376
hoard 1512
hoarse 393
hold 92
hole 1518
holiday (17 16)
hollow 1 5 19
holly 1520
home 425
honey 1391
-hood 440
hood 1683
hoof 1650
hook 1673
hop 161 5
hope 1616
horn 1497
horse 1 494
hose 1543
hot 449
hound 1403
house 1462
hove 1649
how 1444
hue (1721)
hundred 1404
hung 923
hunger 1384
hunt 1415
husband 1372
hustings (1751)
I 611
ice 675
(ice)berg 860
icicle 624
idle 714
if 535
ill 475» 752
in 563
inch 774
inn 563
Ireland 662
iron 663
is 501
island 604
it 640
ivy 529
Keel 1298
keen 11 14
keep 1 1 54
ken 1033
kernel (i 726)
kettle 1083
key I I 75
kill 98J
kin 778
kind 782
Iting 773
kiss 764
kitchen 800
kith 763
knave 342
knead 947
knee 1318
kneel 1105
knew 13 I 7
knife 687
knight 465
knit 810
knock 1430, 1590
knoll 1527
knot 161 1
know 406
knowledge (17 18)
known 412
knuckle 1433
kye 816
Ladder 299
ade 297
ady 300
ain 933
air 930
amb 238
ame 227
and 209
ane 185
ank 175
ark 37
ast {iuO.) 125
ast (vd.) 127
ate 320
atter (17 12)
augh I
aughter 4
aw 244
ay {pr^.) 243
ay {in/) 1058
ead {v/f.) 1 2 19
ead {subs.) 1264
eaf 1249
eak 1066
ean 1208
eap 1274
earn 854
east 126
leather 904
leave 1207
led 1072
lee 1311
leech 1 177
leek 1 1 29
leer 1289
left 1012
leg 1059
lend 1028
length 1018
Lent 1046
lept 1346
less III
lest 112
let {pret.) 953
let 1076
lewd 1206
lice (piur,) 821
lick 613
lid 633
lie {t'acere) 606
lie Tsubs.) 790
lie {tnmtiri) 1335
lief 1325
life 681
lift 772
light 828
like 708
limb 596
lime 700
linden 580
linen 565
-linq: 545
link 1020
lip 655
lisp 523
list 513
list(less) 767
lithe 671
little 805
live 530
liver 531
lo ! 357
load 298
load (stone) 442
loaf 413
loam 426
loan 417
loathe 388
lobster 1 61 3
lock 1579
loft 1559
long 158
look 1675
lore 378
lord 384
lose 1 301
loose (1742)
lot 1604
loud 1473
louse 1463
lout 1478
love 1379
low {adj.) 431
low (»*.) 1645
luck 790
lust 1376
-ly 612
Made 306
maid 268
main 264
make 283
mallow 74
malt 100
man 195
mane 196
many 197
mar 966
mare 965
mark 40
marrow (1699)
marsh 970
mast 129
mate (1710)
maw 250
may 249
me 1092
mead 946
meal {cort^ 879
meal {food) 1165
mean l;vb.) 1210
mean {adj.) 121 1
meat 1082
meed H40
meek 1334
meet 1148
melt 901
men (//.) 1032
mere 964
merry 835
met (1733)
mice (//.) 822
midge 792
midst 639
mie 706
might 464
mild 490
mile 670
milk 487, 894
mill 756
mind 781
mine 695
minster 780
mint {plant) 593
mint {moneta) 785
milky 746
mirth 471, 839
BT HENBT SWEET, ESQ.
143
mis- 505
miss 506
mist 515
mistletoe 517
moan 421
mole 373
Monday 1659
monger 168
monk 1389
month 1658
mood 16^
moon 1657
moor 1630
more 380
morning 1502
morrow 1509
most 397
mote 1609
moth 1 541
mother 1690
moold 1536
mount 141 7
moom 136 1
moose 1465
mouth 1458
mow 404
much 623, 798
murder 1493
must 1643
my 695
Nail 259
naked 282
name 232
nap 340
narrow 15
naught 369
nave 144
nay 346
near 1231
neat 1270
neck 1070
need 1139, 1340
needle 1185
neigh 11 73
(neigh)bour 1454
ness 114
nest 915
net i6&>
nether 499
nettle fo8i
new 526
next 942
nib 956, 1087
nigh 1095
night 463
nightingale 65
nine 608
00363
none 418
noon 1656
north 1492
nose 1545
not 370
nothing 389
now 1446
nun 1398
nut 143s
Oak 435
oar. 375
oats 448
oath 385
ofissi
off 1552
offer 1554
oft 1558
old 90
on 1570
one 415
only 416
open 1614
or 409
ore (171S)
other 1634
ought 368
our 1449
out 1477
oven 1553
over 1555
owe 430
owl 1455
own 434
ox 1592
Pan 204
park 42
path 106
pebble 343
penny 103$
pepper 959
pine 697
pit 811
pitch 627
pith 500
plant 222
play 929
plight 467
plough 1672
pluck 1433
pope 457
port 1517
pound 1 4 14
prick 628
pride 826
priest (1744)
proud 1480
psalm 81
put 1439
Quail 881
quake 285
quean (1741)
queen 1115
quell 984
quench 1024
quick 625
Rain 932
raise 349
rake 271
ram 226
ran 183
rang 157
rank 174
ransack 184, 273
rash 121
rather 102
raven 151
raw 1239
reach 1214
read 1135, 1218
reap 729
rear 1195
reck 1 1 28
reckon 1065
red 1263
reed 1338
reek 1126
rein (deer) 350
rend 1039
rent 1045
rest (1735J
rhyme 698
rib 652
rich 707
rick 1 1 27
rid 107 1
ridden 632
riddle (1732)
ride 715
ridge 789
right 458
rim 595
rime 699
rind 579
ri^g 544
ripe 728
rise 676
road 441
roar 377
rod 1594
rode 441
roe 356
rood 1684
roof (1749)
rook 1674
room 1469
roost 1642
root 1695
rope 454
rot 1603
rough 1288, 1470
row {vd.) 1644
row (fuds,) (171 7)
rue 1309
run 564, 852
rust 1375
ruth 1323
Sack (1707)
sad 301
saddle 302
said 267
sail 931
sake 274
sallow 56
salt 99
salve 77
same 228
sand 210
sang 161
sank 177
sap 339
sat 322
Saturday 323
saw (/r^/. ) 2
saw {suds.) 245
say 1060
scale 59
Scotland 1607
sea 1 193
seal 883
seam 1253
sear 1230
seat 1222
sedge 1 06 1
see 1279
seed 1181
seek 1 130
seem 11 18
seethe 1299
seldom 897
self 884
sell 979
send 1040
sent 1047
set 1077
settle 955
seven 919
sew 525, 1310
shade 303
shadow, 303
shaft 153
shake 276
shale 59
shall 58
144
HISTORY OF EKGLISH SOUNDS.
shame 230
shank (1702)
shape 337
share 10
sharp 52
shave 143
she 1280
sheaf 1250
shear 831
sheath 1201
shed 1265
sheen 1 11 1
sheep 1 191
sheer 664
sheet 1 146
shelf 990
sheU 981
shepherd 472, 9S7
shield 488
shift (1722)
shilling 476
shin 506
shine 692
ship 657
-ship 658
shire 469
shirt 750
shoal 1523
shod 1596
shoe 1623
shone 419
shook 1676
shoot 1342
shorn 1501
short 1 5 16
shot {prel.) 1269
shot {subs.) 1606
should 1535
shoulder 1370
shove 1 38 1
shovel 1556
show 1242
shower 145 1
shrank 178
shred 1266
shrew 1243
shrift 541
shrine 693
shrink 558
shrive 683
shroud 1474
shun 1395
shut 807
shuttle 806
sick (1745)
side 716
sieve 532
sift 539
sigh 709
sight 460
silk 486, 892
sill 755
silly 980, 1 1 64
silver 885
sin 777
sing 547
singe 1017
sink 556
sip (1727)
sister 914
sit 642
six 629
skill 477
skin 567
skirt 749
skum (1753)
sky 814
slack (1708)
slain 262
slaughter 5
slay 246
sleep 1 189
sleeve 1108
slept 960
slew 1667
slide 717
slime 701
slink 557
slip 656
slippery (1724)
slit 643
sloe 358
slow 1 24 1
slumber 1422
sly 1123
small 57
smear 830
smell 872
smelt 899
smile 666
smirk 973
smite 724
smith 496
smitten 644.
smock 1 581
smoke 1582
smooth 1636
snail 258
snake 275
sneak 7'0
snow 403
so 359
soap 45^
sock 1580
sodden 1595
soft 1560
sold 93
some 1419
son 1393
song 162
soon 1654
sooth 1635
sop I 61 7
sore 379
sorrow 1508
sought 1482
soul 408
sound (o^.) 1405
sour 1450
south 1457
sow ipb.) 402
sow {subs.) 1428
soMm 410
spake 278
span 189
spare 12
spark 39
sparrow 24
spat 326
speak 939
spear 833
speech 11 78
speed I I 37
spell 874
spend 1 04 1
spent 1048
spew 680
spill 479
spin 568
spindle 582
spit 808
spoke {pret.) 279
spoke {subs.) 438
spoken 1584
spoon 1655
sprang 164
spring 550
spun 1396
spurn 855
staff 141
stake 277
stalk 85
stall 60
stand 211
stank 179
star 832
stare 1 1
stark 38
starve 851
staves 142
stead 1073
steak 352
steal 873
steam 1254
steed 1 136
steel 1 102
steep 1 151
steeple 11 52
steer (1740)
stem 1014
stench 102 1
step 1014
step 1088
stem (1734)
steward 679
stick 615
stiff 533
stile 704
still 478
sting 549
stink 559
stint 590
stir 734
stirrup 470, 705
stock 1583
stolen 1524
stone 420
stood 1686
stool 1 63 1
stop 1 61 8
stork 151 1
storm 1506
strand 212
straw 1244
stream 1255
street 1 186
strength 1 01 9
stretdi 1067
strew 1245
stricken 616
strife 672
strike 711
stroke 437
strong 163
stunt 1416
stye 703
such 617
suck 1471
summer 1420
sun 1394
sunder 1 406
sung 1385
sunk (1752)
sup 1442
swain 351
swallow {subs.) 72
swallow {vb.) 890
swam 229
swan 188
swarm 34
swarthy 48
swear 962
sweat 1223
sweep 1 190
sweet 1 145
swell 871
swept 1347
swerve 850
swift 540
swim 597
BY HENRY 8WEBT, ESQ,
145
swine 691
swing 548
swollen ij;22
sword 868, 1365
swore 1628
sworn 1500
swum 1421
TaU26o
take 286
tale 70
tallow 84, 992
tame 237
taper (1714)
tar 837
tart 50
taught 7
teach 121 <
team 1258
tear (suds.) 1233
tear (vd.) 836
tease 1205
teem 1120
-teen 11 17
teeth 1 106
tell 987
ten 924, II 16
Thames 1052
than 186
thane 934
thank 176
that 321
thatch 272
thaw 400
the 827
thee 1090
theft 922
their 347
them 1013
then 187
there 11 58
these 504
thew 1240
they34S
thick 614
thief 1326
thigh 1287
thin 776
thine 690
thine S46
think 775
third 473
thirst 741
this 503
thistle 514
thither 634
thole(pin) 1521
thong 160
thorn 1499
thorough 1353
those 395
thou 1445
though 1228
thought (1746)
thousand 1464
thrall 1 197
thread 1 1 79
threat (1743)
three 1278
thresh 912
thrill 754
thrive 682
throat 1605
throng 1 59
through 1352
throw 401
thrown 411
thumb 14 1 8
thunder 1392
Thursday 1358
thus (1750)
tide 721
tie II 24
tile 609
till 483
timber 603
time 702
tin 574
tinder 783
to 1625
toad 445
toe 366
(to)gether 308
token 439
told 96
toll 1529
tongs 171
tongue 1388
too 1625
took 1680
tool 1633
tooth 1638
top 1622
tore 18
torn 1504
tough 1626
town 1467
tread 948
tree 13 19
trim 787
trod 312
trodden 1600
trough 1576
true 1320
trust 770
truth 1324
Tuesday 528
tun 1 401
turf 1360
tusk 1373
twain 93^ '
twelve 807
twentv (1738)
twig 010
twine 696
twinkle 562
twins 575
twit 649
two 367
Udder 1473
ugly 1427
(un)couth 1459
under 1402
up 1440
us 1371
utter(ly) 1478
Vane 194
vat 327
vixen 802
Wade 304
wag 247
waggon (1703)
wain (1704)
wake 280
walk 86
wall 61
wallow 73
wan 191
wand 213
wander 215
wane 192
want 221
ward 44
ware 13
warm 33
warn 28
was 113
wash 122
wasp 1005
watch (1709)
water 324
wave 1 1 70
wax 293
way 927
we 109 1
weak 3S3
weal 876
wean 1029
weapon 1192
wear 963
weary 1098
weasel 910
weather 944
weave 920
web 1086
wed 1074
wedge 1062
(wed)lock 436
Wednesday 1694
weed 1339
weeds 1 180
week 618
ween 1 1 12
weep 1 1 53
weevil 534
weigh 1 171
weight 1 176
welkin 1533
well {a^v.) 875
well (suis,) 982
Welsh 989
wen 1030
wench 1022
wend 1042
went 1049
wept 1348
were 1 1 59
west (1730)
wet 1078
wether 90$
whale 62
what 325
wheat 1224
wheel 1296
whelk 893
whelp 999
when 193
where 1 1 60
whet 1079
whether 103
whey 1172
which 620
while 668
whine (172$)
whisper 524
whistle 522
whit 462
white 726
whither 636
who 361
whole 371
whom 427
whoop 1698
whore 1627
whose 396
why 815
wick (1 731)
wide 718
widow 635
width 638
wield 996
wierd 747
wife 685
wight 461
wild 489
wile 667
will 480
10
146
HISTORY OF ENGLISH SOUNDS.
willow 481
win 569
Mrind {suds,) 583
wind {vd.) 584
window 585
wine 694
wingssi
wink 560
winnow 570
winter $91
wire 665
wisdom 512
wise 677
wish 766
wit 645
witch 619
with 497
woad 443
woe 360
wolf 1369
woman 598
womb 239
women 599 wreak 940
won (/«/.) 190 wreath 1202
won {pariic,) 1397 wreck 281
wonder 1409 wren (1737)
woo 1668 wrench (1736)
wood 1434 wrest 1002
wool 1366 wretch 1068
word 15 13 Wright 737
work 745, 862, 1364 wring (1723)
world 1490 wrist (1720)
worm 743, 1362 write 72$
worse 739
wort 751
worth 842, 1356
wot 450
would 1537
writhe 673
written 646
wrong 166
wrote 45 1
wroth 387
wound {pret.) 214 wrought 1 483
wound( /ar/«". ) 1 408 wrung 1 386
wound \subs,) 1407
wrang 165 Yard (court) 45
wrath 3J
yard {measure) 974
yam 30
ye 1093
yea 1226
year 1232
yearn 856
yeast 516
yell 4S2
yellow 880
yelp 903
yes 507
yester(day) $21
yet 647
yew 1307
yield 492
yoke 1586
yolk 895
yore 382
you 1306
young 1329
youth 1300, 1337
yule 1297
SUPPLEMENTARY LISTS OF IRREGULARITIES.
Middle Period.
In the following words (b and ea have become e instead of
the regular a: g^er (gear), ^^rn (earn), fern, hherd (beard) ; elf,
belch; w/ie^er, toge^er ; ks, nes, lest, leht (least), gest (guest);
^en, when ; emet, hemp ; wrec, pehl.
It is clear from these exceptional forms that the Old
English ce was quite lost after the Transition period ; as we
see, it was either changed into a, or else mispronounced as ^,
just as it would be in the mouth of a foreigner.
The lengthening before r in geer, ^ern and beerd has many
parallels, and in the case of b^erd is confirmed by the Modern
biiad. The present form den, however, points rather to ern,
with a short vowel. The lengthening in l^hf, although
anomalous, is supported by yk^st from yest^^gid, by the re-
tention of o^=:d in moost, etc., and perhaps by criiat (see note
on 518, below).
a for in non-preterites (p. 64) : angl, hang, fang, gang, bang.
for a : on, bond, from^ womb, comb.
BY HE19RY 8WEBT, ESQ. 147
ei preserved : ei (eye), ^et (they), tchei, grei, cef (key) ;
weih (weigh), neih, neih{buur), eiht (eight), heiht; ^eir; ev^er;
rein(deir).
The Modem forms point mostly to at, ai (eye) however
comes not from ai:=zei^ but from it. cii (key) is altogether
anomalous ; so also are the two pronunciations ifSer and at^ar
(either), while the obsolete k?6dr is regular.
i {y) has become ^, 1) regularly after y-consonant: yel;
yes, yiist, yesterdai; yet, 2) in other words : her^ herd (shep-
(herd) ; n^er ; S^^s (these) ; ihvil; ftejd (fledged).
In snhkc and rkhp (sneak, reap) a highly anomalous change
of n into h^ seems to have taken place.
iy ^0 become*: liht,fiht; mir]> (but men), birch; chil, silver,
«tfc, mik^fiild; sister; ric, wic; cripl, Aejo (=berry), dip{?).
^becomes/: smirc, gird{l) ; sili, oil, wiild ; line; rid; nib.
i becomes a, 1) before r : star, far, tar, darling (from
deorling), farming, carv, starv, barmy dwarf baru, dare, hare,
hart. 2) in : swalu, brambl.
k becomes a, 1) before r: mar, maar, barlei, marsh, haru,
bam, yard. 2) in : talu (?) ; wasp ; handi (P), aach.
4, eo become w : churl, burst, run, spurn, burn ; hung.
i, ed become ii : ii (from edge). Hi (from leogan), slii, flii,
tii ; hiih, \iih, niih ; diiv (?).
e becomes ^^ before r : h^ir, w^^ri, hhhcn, hkkrd.
In the case of the first two words there is sixteenth
century authority for the ^e-sound also.
^—i^ becomes ^^, 1) before r in all words except the
doubtful b^^r. 2) in : mhH; br^^ ; khen (evening) ; \reH^
drkM; blhH; wk^pon.
Three of these, however, are made doubtful by the Modem
\red, dred, wepon, which point rather to a shortening of the
long vowel at an early period.
ed becomes ^^ : d^ir, driiri; breht, clkh (cleave).
There is Early Modem authority for d^^r as well as diir.
hrkht, again, is uncertain on account of the Modem brest.
eo becomes 66 : I66z, ch66z ; sh66t.
Compare chddz from ceds (p. 35), and "^dduh from \edh
(note to 1228, below).
148 HISTORY OF ENGLISH SOUNDS.
«d becomes w(u) : yuu; ruuh; i/uu\> ; yung}
becomes u : mut^er^ durst, burst (partic.) ; dul; amunff,
munger.
d becomes u{u) : yuu (you) ; tuuh (tough) ; yww]? ; yung.
The following remarks on the diphthongs are intended to
supplement those on pp. 52, 63, above.
Diphthongs are formed not only by g (gh), but also by
medial and final h (=AA), but only with back vowels, the new
element being always u (never t), which I have already ex-
plained (note p. 80) as a mere secondary formation, due to
the labialization of the following h=kh: the h is conse-
quently not absorbed, as is the case with g.
The following are examples of genuine A-diphthongs, in
which h is original, not a later modification of g (p. 79) :
1) from ah : lauh, huhter, slauhter, fauht, tauht. And
perhaps sau from seah, although the omission of the
h makes it more probable that it arises from some
confusion with the plural sawon.
2) from ah : dduht (ought).
not points to ndduht=^ndht ; nauht, however, to a
shortened naht.
3) from oh : souht, bouht, houht.
For danhter see note to 1484.
In the following words g has been anomalously preserved,
instead of being diphthongized : wag, wagon (but also wain),
drag (but also drau), twig.
A few general remarks on Middle (or rather Early Modem)
English orthography remain to be made.
It is, as we have seen, mainly traditional, but with certain
purely phonetic modifications. The first divergence of sound
and symbol was the retention of ee and oo to denote the new
sounds ii and uu, while original ii and uu themselves changed
in the direction of ai and au. The introduction of ea and oa
to denote the true ee and oo sound was, on the other hand, a
strictly phonetic innovation.
ee and oo were partly phonetic, partly historical signs —
^ I hare repeated most of these words again under o.
BT henhy sweet, esq. 149
they denoted the sounds it and uu, and implied at the same
time an earlier ^^ and 66. But in a few eases it is interesting
to observe that they were employed purely phonetically,
against tradition. An example is afforded by the word
written room^ the Old English rum. In the fourteenth
century this word was spelt with the French oui=uu; but in
the Early Modem period the regular rowm, corresponding with
down, etc., was abandoned, probably because it would, like doum,
have suggested the regular diphthong 6u or au, into which the
other old uua changed, and the word was written phonetically
roam, without at all implying a Middle English r66m»
Other examples are door and groom, in which oo may perhaps
represent short u, which it almost certainly does in tvool and
icood. The use of single o to denote short u is a well-
known feature of Middle English. It occurs chiefly in com-
bination with w, t^(=r), n, and m, and has been explained
(first, I believe, by Dr. J. A. H. Murray) as a purely graphic
substitute for u in combination with letters of similar forma-
tion, to avoid confusion. But such a spelling as tcod would
have suggested an ()-sound, as in god. To avoid all possibility
of this pronunciation, the o was therefore doubled. This
spelling is only inaccurate as regards the quantity; it is,
therefore, difficult to see why it was not adopted in the words
written love, come, etc., which ought by their spelling to in-
dicate the pronunciations I6&v, cdom, corresponding to Middle
English Iddv, cddm !
Similar fluctuation between the phonetic and historical
principle is shown in many words written with the digraph
ie. ie is in itself nothing but a substitute for tV, which from
purely graphic reasons was never doubled, as being liable to
confusion with u. The sound of it was, of course, in most
cases expressed by ee. There were, however, a few words
which preserved their Middle English n-sound throughout the
Early Modem period (and up to the present day) as well.
Such a word ELsfiild^ for instance, if written in the fourteenth
century spelling fild, would have been read, on the analogy
of wild, child, etc., as fUld, or faild, while to have written
feeld would have been a violation of the etymological prin-
150 HISTORY OF ENGLISH SOUNDS.
ciple. Both history and sound were saved by the adoption
of ie. The following list of w- words will show that, although
ie was sometimes used finally to denote the diphthongized
sounds it invariably denoted the simple iV medially : hie, lie,
die, tie; merd; yield, shield, meld, field; priest; believe, sieve;
lief, thiqf; fiend, friend.
In sieve we have an instance of ie used to denote a short
vowel (compare wool, etc.); possibly the ie was employed
simply to pre^vent the combination siiie, which would have
been graphically ambiguous.
MoDEBN Period.
The general rule which governs the retention and modifi-
cation of a before sibilants seems to be that it is retained
before. breath consonants, but changed to cb before voice con-
sonants. Thus we find wz, hcez, hcev contrasting with a(a)s,
gras, asc, la^t, staf, after. The change to ce takes place, how-
ever, before sh, although voiceless : cesh, rcesh. Also in cespen}
In the same way a followed by n and a voice consonant
becomes ce, as in mnd^ hcend, cenvil; but if the consonant
which comes after the n is voiceless, there is no change, as in
ansar^ plant, ant. These laws do not apply to a when followed
by the other nasals, in which cases it is always changed:
scene, drcenc; dcemp,
ii has been preserved in the following words : mii : shiiar,
idiad; shiild, wiild,fiild, yiild; wiival, wiic.
Of these words the first only has I in O.E. ; all the others
are Middle E. lengthenings of i, corresponding sometimes to
original «, sometimes to ^ or ^. It is worthy of note that all
of them are written with ie, except shiiar, wiival, and wiik,
which are written shire, weevil, week. The last two spellings
with e, which go back as far as the fourteenth century, seem
to indicate some confusion with ^4, although we would rather
expect the broad ek, as in snkkc for sniic. It is, however,
^ Note, however, that <upen is a dissyllable, with a liquid in the second syllable :
but we have after, not aijter.
BT HENRY SWEET^ ESQ. 151
possible that these ee^ may be simply Early Modem phonetic
spellings, like room=iruum.
ii has become ^ (instead of ii) : t/^i (yea) ; br^ ; grdit}
u has been preserved, 1) after to : wuman, wul, tvulf,
tpuund, wud (not in todnddr). 2) in other cases : ful, hul{dc) ;
grum,
uu has been preserved (sometimes with shortening) : buur
(boor) ; 9ncuu\> ; cud (could) ; ruum (room) ; bruc (brook).
66 has been preserved : houv ; dw6uc.
66 has become 9: 9^er, md^ery d9\>, bra^ar; glav; man^,
mandi, dan ; flad,. blad.
For avn and ahavl see notes to 1553 and 1556.
The series of changes is clearly 66, uu, u, a ; the second
and third belonging to the Early Modem, the last to the
Transition period. The anomalous spelling other^ etc., in-
stead of oothery was probably meant to indicate the shortness
of the u=^66. To infer from it a Middle E. dii6er would be
as imreasonable as in the case of love, came^ etc., where the u
was certainly never lengthened or lowered to 66.
Under the head of consonant influence the loss of the
initial element of the diphthong iuu or puu ought to have
been noticed in its place. It takes place after r and /, but
not after stops, nasals, and sibilants : ruu, gruu, cruu ; fluu,
cluu; also in chuu [lyuud is an exception), yuu; hyuu; \>yuu;
fyuu; nyuu; dyuu ; styuu; spyuu.
The development of the diphthong 6u out of ol in the
combination olc ought also to have been noticed ; it occurs in
two words : y6uc (yolk), /owe (folk).
Also the change of a into 6 before It, in holt, aolt, molt.
NOTES TO THE WORD LISTS.
No. 3. eiht, A solitary exception to the general change of
aht into auht. There is Early Mod. evidence for aiht as well
as eiht.
^ For the preaerratioii of ^e before r in biir, etc., lee p. 68.
152 HISTORY OF ENGLISH SOUNDS.
6. fauht, Salesbury writes fauht, and the spelling fought
seems merely due to confusion with the partie. fouhten from
O.E. gefohten.
15. ndru, etc. These words are not derived direct from
the nom. nearu, but from the oblique cases, nearwe becoming
nearw, whence nam, by weakening of the final tv. cam, on
the other hand, which has care in the oblique cases, naturally
lengthens its vowel — caar,
25. gk^r from gearwa is only an apparent exception to the
rule just stated, the long vowel being probably due to the r.
The loss of the w is, however, anomalous.
58. shcel, for shddl. An isolated exception to the develop-
ment of au before l.
68. ceallian. This word occurs in the poem of Byrhtno^;
it may therefore possib^ be English, although Norse in-
fluence in so late a work is quite possible.
71. haal. Exceptionally taken from the nom. bealu, not
from the oblique bealtc- (see note to 15, above).
81. psalm. The JO is, of course, purely pedantic; the word
may, however, be French.
84. t(€Jg. The vowel is doubtful, and I have given the
word again under e (992).
89, 91. alder, alderman. The exceptional retention of the
a may be due to the liquid in the second syllable : compare
the short i in wunder, etc., as contrasted with uuiind (p. 47).
132. castel. This word, although of French origin, was
in familiar use in English many years before the Conquest.
140. hauc, from havoc through havec, haw{e)c. The con-
verse change has taken place in waav (1170) ; the series was
probably ic(^g, waaw, waav.
150. cloover. The only parallel is lood from hiadan (298).
168, 169. monger, among. The t/-sound, for which there
is Early Middle authority, as well as for o, is anomalous.
181. eni. The Early form (or one of them) was ani with
short a (as Gill expressly states) ; the present form eni may
therefore be explained as an irregular variation of the normal
a^ni.
182. hemp seems to point to an O.E. ha>nep (cp. 187).
BY HENRY SWEBT, ESQ. 153
187, 193. theny tchen. These clearly arise from the Late
O.E. ^cBtine and whcmne with abnormal modification of a
before nasals (p. 26).
229. mccBm for sw^m. m seems to bar the retention of a
for (B in the same way in the word dcemp (p. 150).
246, 248. slat, flai^ instead of slau, flau. The subs. sUige
may have helped the former irregularity.
253. daun. dag{e)nian ought to give dain^ but the analogy
of the regular Middle E. duwes from dagaa helped.
270. acorn. The o is probably inorganic, the result of
association with com.
298. Iddd. c^. cMver {\5Q).
303. shaad for sceadw-. cp. baal, 71.
324. icater. The Modem tcddter, with its long vowel, is
anomalous.
331. got, inorganic, from the analogy of the partic. *begoten.
343. pebl, iiorn pcepol or pcehol (?).
344. ai. The modem form is a solitary case of retention
of the diphthong.
350. rein. The older spelling raindeer should have been
given.
352. The Middle %Mc and its change into the Modem
attic are both anomalous.
353. weak may possibly come from the O.E. irdc, through
tCCBC.
355. diiy from dey{ja) ; cp. ii for ei from edge (1121).
357. Id, If the Modem Idd (written law) really corre-
sponds to the O.E. /a, we have a second instance (besides
brddd) of the retention of dd. treysta (jllG) should have been
referred to here.
372. haal. A solitary and dubious instance of the reten-
tion of O.E. d.
389. nothing. The Modem 9 is probably due to the analogy
of iJC9n (415) and n9n.
396. whddz, read whddz. The Modem uu is better evidence
than the spelling trho%e.
400. ]?at*, points seemingly to an O.E. ]>dwan.
415. loan. The most probable explanation is that tva is
^
r^^
154 HISTORY OF ENGLISH SOUNDS.
simply the Early Modem 66 with its labial and guttural
elements pronounced successively instead of simultaneously
(p. 14).
418. nan. Not a case of 66 becoming d through uu and u,
but simply due to the analogy of wdn.
429. clami. The O.E. a in this word must have been
shortened at a very early period, else we should have had chmi,
440. -h66d. A solitary instance of 66 becoming 66 in
Middle English (except after w).
447. hr66d. Retention of Middle English 66 from a.
491. gild. Exceptional retention of short i. cp. gild (from
gyUan) and hyld (760, 761).
618. crii%t. The ch is, of course, no evidence; but the
wol'd may be French. Compare, however, Rht (126) and
yiid (620), with the same lengthening before bL
628. teuzdai. The spelling ue indicates the later simplifi-
cation yy.
634. wiiviL It is tmcertain whether the spelling ee indi-
cates a Middle English wSSml or is purely phonetic.
604. island. The s is purely etymological and erroneous.
707. rich. May be French.
760, 761, gild, by Id. Exceptional retention of the short
vowels. There is, however. Early Middle authority for byyld
as well.
796. luck. The word lukka in Icelandic is said to be of
late introduction, otherwise it would fit in very well. I have
formed lycci from the Danish lykke.
847. \>rcB8h may be a modification of \>resh^ as eni seems to
be of (Bui (181).
860. iceberg. Probably foreign (Dutch?).
868. swurd; or from u (1365).
870. hiirt and hart are both independent modifications of
hert.
881. ctcail. Compare hair (1157) from h3r. The history
of these two spellings requires investigation : it is possible
that the ai is merely a comparatively late representation of
the sound ^^, introduced after the simplification of the diph-
thong ai (p. 65).
BT HENRY SWEET, S8Q. 155
934. ]>aan for Jam. Here, again, the spelling may be
late. The Modem ^Sin would correspond to either \>aan or
956. nebb. The vowel is more probably i (1087).
1005. tcaq> points rather to wcetp than tr^^p ; both forms
may, however, have existed.
1017. tcceng (551) should come in here.
1036. clenz. The spelling ea certainly points to clihiz, but
the Modem form is against it, and it is possible that the ea
may be a purely etymological reminiscence.
1038. handi may be merely a late derivative of hand,
1052. temz. The ^)elling is evidently a pedantic adapta-
tion of the Latin T{h)amem.
1054. au. This form (instead of ai) is very anomalous.
The most probable explanation is that ige was made into cege
by the same confusion between the two vowels as in whp
(1005), and that cege then became age, which was irregularly
diphthongized into au{e).
1057. hej points rather to hhcg than kkge, which would
give hau
1058, 1060. lai, aau These forms (instead of le;, sej)
point rather to some such inflection as the imperative lige,
sige.
1064. aach. Another case of confusion between i and ce —
ice, (BCSy ace, aach.
1105. cnela. The Icelandic expression is knSfalla, but
kfusle is foimd in Danish.
1135. read. I have given the word again under ii (1218),
as it is quite uncertain whether it had e or ^ in O.E. : the
assumed derivation from rd^'an favours the former, the MSS.
usage the latter.
1157. hair. cp. cwail (881).
1171. iceih^ etc. Anomalous retention of ^A in the form
of A.
1228. ^dduh. The stages were probably ^eaah, ^aah, ^ddh,
^dduh.
1239. rau. Apparently from an intermediate hredw ; cp.
^au (400).
166 HISTORY OF ENGLISH SOUNDS.
1241, 1242. slddu, ahddu. The same dropping of the firsC
element of O.E. eaa, as in the previous word. All these
forms are important, as showing that the second element of
the diphthong had the accent and was long.
1244. sirau. cp. 1239.
1276. chapman. Points to a shortened ea, which naturally
passed into a,
1292. darling. From shortened eo — dedr-, dear-, der-,
dnr-ling.
1295. four\. Probably formed directly from the Middle
English /owr itself.
1306. yuu. Here the first element of the diphthong is
consonantized, and the final w thrown ofi*, as in tr44y cnd^, etc
1333. friend. The Modem /r^nrf points to a very early
shortened form, which probably co-existed with the older
frSSnd.
1353, 1363. thorough, borough. The Modem 9 points to
]>uruh and buruh, and it is possible that the o is a mere
graphic substitute for u.
1370. shoulder for ahaulder. The most probable explana-
tion is that shuulder became shdulder in the Early Modem
period, and the 6u became 66u before Id, and so was con-
founded with the 66u in flddu, etc.
1380. eleven. Agrees rather with the other form endleofon.
1460. cuuld. The / is, of course, due to the analogy of
wuuld and shuuld.
1470. ruiih may possibly come from hreoh (1288).
1484. dauhter. The anomalous au may be due to Norse
influence, as Danish has datter (Icelandic ddttir) : I do not
know, however, that the Danish form is of any antiquity.
1519. hohl. The final h of holh seems to. have been first
vocalized (and labialized), and then merged into w, which, as
in worw, etc., was weakened into u.
1521. swouln, etc. The development of ou in the combina-
tions ol, old, is Early Modem, and should have been mentioned
(p. 61). The phoneticians make the o long, writing tooul
(z=ztoll), et<j. Its preservation in the present English is,
therefore, quite regular, as in fldu from Middle E. flddu, etc.
BT HBNBY SWEET^ ESQ. 157
• 1530. bduL Here, again, the sixteenth century authori-
ties write boouL The spelling boicl is, of course, phonetic
and unhistoricaL
1533. icelcin. cp. wedneadai (1694).
1540. /roJ>, etc. The quantity of o before ]?, «, and / is
very uncertain in the present English, but the longs seem to
be getting the upper hand.
1553. oven. The Modem avn points rather to ddven than
the regular ddven,
1556. shovel. ^ The Modem shdvl, again, points to an earlier
Bkuvly which may be a shortening of 8huuvel=:8h66v€l, as was
suggested in the case of oven. Or the form shuvel may be
due to the analogy of the verb 8huv=8cufan.
1667, 1670. sku^ dreu. The most probable explanation is
that 8ld6ff first became slddu, and then this was confused with
the numerous preterites in eddw {gredw, cneow, etc.), and
followed the same change into eu.
1694. Wednesday, cp. welcin (1533).
ON THE PERIODS OF ENGLISH.
One of the most troublesome questions of English philo-
logy is that of the designation of its various stages. I have
throughout this paper adopted the threefold division of Old,
Middle, and Modem : it will, therefore, be necessary to say a
few words in its justification.
The first question is, shall we retain the name "Anglo-
Saxon " for the earliest period of our language, or discard it
entirely? The great majority of English scholars are de-
cidedly hostile to the word. They argue that it is a barbarous
half-Latin compound, which, although justifiable as applied
to a political confederation of Angles and Saxons, is entirely
misleading when applied to the language spoken by these
tribes, implying, as it does, that the English language before
the Conquest was an actual mixture of the Anglian and
Saxon dialects. The reverse was of course the case, and we
consequently have to distinguish between the Anglian dialect
168 HISTORY OP ENGLISH SOUNDS.
of Anglo-Saxon and the Saxon dialect of Anglo-Saxon.^
The most serious objection, however, to the word Anglo-
Saxon is that it conceals the unbroken development of our
language, and thrusts the oldest period of our language out-
side the pale of our sympathies. Hence, to a great extent,
the slowness with which the study of our language makes its
way among the great mass of educated people in England —
if people can be called educated who are ignorant of the
history of their own language.
These arguments have lately been vigorously attacked by
a leading English philologist — ^Professor March. In his able
essay * he brings out the distinctive features of the two ex-
treme periods very forcibly, and has so far done good service.
At the same time, he has greatly exaggerated the difference
between the two periods. Thus, in phonology, he says that
Anglo-Saxon had sounds now lost in English, such as French
fi, German ch, and initial wl^ tvr, and that I and u have be-
come diphthongs. Now any one who has read this paper
with any attention will see that this part of the argument is
worth very little, for all these soimds were preserved un-
changed in the sixteenth century, which belongs unmistakably
to the lilodem period.
The well-known statement that Johnson's Dictionary con-
tains 29,000 Romance words out of 43,500 is a great ex-
aggeration. A large proportion of these 29,000 are words
which are never used in ordinary speech or writing, very
many of them are quite unknown to the majority of educated
people, and not a few of them never existed in the language
at all. When we speak of the proportion of Romance
elements in English, we mean the English of every-day life,
not of dictionaries and technical works,^ and of the two ex-
* If any period of our lanj^iage is to be called "Anglo-Saxon," let it be the
present one — as far, at least, as the literary language is concerned, which is really
a mixturt' of Saxon and Anglian forms.
2 Is there an Anglo-Saxon Language ? Transactions of the American Philo-
logical Association, 1872.
3 On Huch one-sided grounds as these it would be easy to prove that Alodem
German is quite as mixed as English is. Observe the proportion of foreis-n and
native words in the following passages, taken at random from a work published
this vtar:
*• Wieuiawski, der Paganinispieler par excellence, zeigt sich da, wo er mit
BY HENRY SWEET, ESQ. 159
tremes, the estimate of Turner is certainly fairer than that of
Thommerel.
The real distinction between the two stages lies, of course,
in the comparatively iminflectional character of the present
language and its analytical reconstruction. But the old inflec-
tions are not all lost; we still have our genitive, our plurals in
8 and en, and in our verbs the Teutonic strong preterite
is still common. And it must be borne in mind that even
the Oldest English inflections are beginning to break up.
There is no s or r in the nominative singular, consequently
no distinction between nominative and accusative in many
words, no distinction whatever of gender in the plural of
adjectives, or of person in the plural of verbs. The imper-
fect case terminations are already eked out by prepositions—
hi cw(e& to me is much more like English than Latin or even
German.
And if we take the intermediate stages into consideration,
we find it simply impossible to draw a definite line. Professor
March acknowledges this, but takes refuge in a distinction
between colloquial and literary speech, which last, he says,
has much more definite periods. Professor March surely
forgets that for scientific purposes artificial literary speech is
worth nothing compared with that of every-day life, with its
unconscious, unsophisticated development. It is, besides,
very questionable whether there ever was an artificial literary
prose language in England in early times.
While differing from Professor March on these points, I
fully agree with him in protesting against the loose way in
which " Old English " is made to designate any period from
Alfred to Chaucer. It is quite clear that the inflectional
stage of our language must have a distinctive name, and
therefore that Old English must be reserved for it alone.
Schwierigkeiten nnd Effeeten d la Paganini spielt, in seinem eigentlichen ElemenU;
■eine Compositionen sind daher fiir exclusive Virtuosen nicht onne Interease. Die-
telben woUen mit YoUkommenster teehniteher Freiheit, iibermuthiger Laune and
Feuer gespielt sein, vor alien die Variationen Opus 11 — echte mtmkalische Afix'
piekUi**
** Ein efeetYoWea Firtuoaenstnck in Paganini*scher Manier."
'* Das kurze Thema ist mit poetueher Simplidtdt zu spielen."
Compare these specimens with the Lord's Prayer, or a page of Swift or Defoe,
160 HIBTOBT OF ENGLISH SOUMIXL
The diffictilty is with the later stages. The period I call
Middle English is now often called ** Early English,'' while
those who retain ^* Anglo-Saxon ** call the intermediate
periods ''Semi-Saxon" or " Old English/' while others make
.Tarious arbitrary distinctions between ''Early/' " Old," and
"Middle'- EnglisL It does not seem to be generally ao-
knowledged that each of these terms really implies a definite
oorrelatiYe, that if we call one period " Early/' we are bound
to haye a "Late" one, and that "Middle" implies a beginn-
ing and an end — to talk therefore of one period as " Early,"
as opposed to a " Middle " one, is entirely arbitrary.
Such divisions err also in being too minute. When we
consider how one period merges into another, and how the
language changed with much greater rapidity in the North
than in the South, we see that it is necessary to start
with a few broad divisions, not with impracticably minute
ones.
I propose, therefore, to start with the three main divisioins
of Old, Middk, and Modem, based mainly on the inflectional
characteristics of each stage. Old English is the period of
/till inflections (nama, gifan, caru), Middle English of levelled
inflections {naame^ given, caare), and Modem English of loai
inflections (naam, giv, caar). We have besides two periods of
transition, one in which nama and name exist side by side, and
another in which final e is beginning to drop. The latter is
of very little importance, the former, commonly called Semi-
Saxon (a legitimate abbreviation of Semi-Anglo-Saxon), is
characterized by many far-reaching changes. I propose,
therefore to call the first the Transition ferioi par excellence,
distinguishing the two, when necessary, as first and second
Transition, the more important one being generally called
simply Transition or Transition-English.
Whenever minute divisions are wanted, Early and Late
can be used — Early Old, Late Middle, Early Modem, etc.
Still minuter distinctions can be made by employing Earlier,
Earliest, etc., till we fall back on the century or decade.
These divisions could also be applied to the different dialect-
names. Thus Old Anglian would be equivalent to " AnglLsn
BT HENRY SWKET^ ESQ. 161
dialect of Old Engliah/' Modern Saxon would designate the
Dorsetshire dialect, etc.
As regards the Northern dialects of the Middle period, they
ought strictly to be classed as Modern, as they soon lost the
final e entirely. But as they have all the other characteris-
tics of the Middle period, it seems most convenient to take
the dominant speech of Chaucer and Gower as our criterion.
CONCLXJDING REMARKS.
First of all I have a few words to say on the relation of
the present essay to Mr. Ellis's great work.
As regards my obligations to Mr. Ellis, I can only say,
once for all, that without his investigations this essay would
never have been written. It is essentially based on his re-
sults, of which, in some places, it is little more than a
sununary; while I have throughout drawn largely on the
enormous mass of material stored up in the '' Early English
Pronunciation."
In going over the same ground as Mr. Ellis, it is but
natural that I should occasionally arrive at conclusions
different from his, as, for instance, in the important question
of the two ees and oos in Middle English, and in that of the
preservation of short y in the Early Modem period.
But I have not been satisfied with merely summarizing
and criticizing Mr. Ellis's views, but have also endeavoured
to carry his method a step Airther, by combining his results
with the deductions of the ^historical school inaugurated by
Rask, and perfected by Ghrimm and his followers in Germany.
Mr. Ellis's great achievement was to determine generally the
phonetic values of the Roman alphabet in England at the
different periods, and to establish the all-important principle
that the Middle Age scribes wrote not by eye, but by ear, and
consequently that their varying orthographic usage is a
geniiine criterion of their pronunciation. It has, therefore,
been possible for me in the present essay to turn my atten-
tion more exclusively to the sounds themselves, and the wider
11
162 HISTORY OF ENOUSH S0T7NDS.
generaUzations obtainable from an examination of the various
changes, which generalizations can again be applied to the
elucidation and confirmation of the individual changes them-
selves. • Many of the general principles stated at the be-
ginning of the essay are, I believe, new and original ; such,
for instance, as the threefold divisions of sound-changes into
organic, inorganic, and imitative, the sketch of the relations
between sound and symbol (general alphabetics), the deter-
mination of the laws which govern the changes of short and
long vowels in the Teutonic languages, etc.
I have also added to our stock of phonetic material, both
by the observations on the pronunciation of Modem English
and the living Teutonic languages, and also by the full lists
of Old English words with their Middle and Modem equiva-
lents, which afford a sound basis both for testing the views I
have developed, and for carrying out further investigation.
It need hardly be said that the present essay is but a
meagre sketch of what would be a really adequate history of
English sounds. An investigation of every dialect and
period, even if only on the meagre and imperfect scale here
attempted, would fill many volumes. And yet till this is
done, we cannot say that the foundations of a scientific
English phonology are even laid. And it is only on such
investigations that a satisfactory investigation of inflection
and syntax can be based.
It was, therefore, absolutely necessary for me to limit my
programme as much as possible. Hence the omission of any
reference to our dialects, and the comparative neglect of the
Middle period. Most of my results are obtained from a
direct comparison with Old and Modem English : they are,
therefore, to a certain extent, only tentative. In one point
they are specially defective, namely as regards the deductions
drawn from our present traditional orthography. Although
this orthography is, on the whole, a very faithful representa-
tion of the pronunciation of the time when it settled into its
present fixity, yet there are many of its details which urgently
require a more minute examination. In short, we want a
thorough investigation of the orthography of the sixteenth
BY HENRT SWEET, ESQ. 163
and seventeenth centuries, based on an examination not only
of printed works, but also of manuscripts of all kinds. Such
an investigation would not fail to yield valuable results.
Of the very considerable labour entailed in the present
work, a large portion was expended on the lists. These I
at first intended merely to consist of a certain nimiber of
examples of each change, but it proved so difficult to draw
any definite line of exclusion that I determined to make them
as full as possible, excluding only obsolete and doubtful
words. There are a large number of words which, although
of undoubted Teutonic origin, cannot be assigned to any Old
English parent. Again, many Old English words given in
the dictionaries without any reference, merely on the authority
of Lye and Somner, are of very dubious existence. Many
of them I believes to be gueses, formed by analogy from
purely Modem words, while others are clearly taken from
Transition texts. These I have often omitted, especially
when they did not -seem to offer any new points of interest,
I am fully conscious of the inconsistencies and errors I have
fallen into in preparing these lists, but I believe they are in-
evitable in a first attempt of this kind. It would have been
easy to give my work a false appearance of fullness and
finish, by suppressing the lists altogether ; but I preferred to
give them out, imperfect as they are, and rely on the indul-
gence of those who are alone competent to judge my work —
those, namely, who have been engaged in similar initiatory
investigations.
fBIMTZD BT tTSPBXK AVSTIIt AITD fOMt, HXBTVOKD.
SPECIMENS OF ENGLISH DIALECTS.
I. DEVONSHIRE.
AN EXMOOK SCOLDING AND COURTSHIP.
11. WESTMORELAND.
A BRAN NEW WARK.
SPECIMENS
OP
ENGLISH DIALECTS.
I. DEVONSHIRE.
AN
EXIOOR SCOLDIM AND COURTSHIP,
EDITED BT
F. T. ELWORTHY, ESQ.
11. WESTMORELAND.
A BEAN NEW WARK.
EDITED BT
THE REV. PROFESSOR SKEAT.
LONDON:
PUBLISHED FOR THE ENGLISH DIALECT SOCIETY,
BY TRtJBNER & CO., 57 & 59, LUDGATE HILL.
1879.
Snngss:
CLAT Ain> TATLOB, PBIKTXXS.
CONTENTS OF PART I.
IirrRODUcnoN to Pabt I.
I. DEVONSHntE.
Editob's Preface ...
The Somebsetshibe Man's Complaint
An Exmoob Scolding
POSTSCBIPT AND VaBIOUS EeADINGS ...
Exmoob Ck)T7BT8HiP ...
Abbidoed Key to the Glossio System of Spellino
Vabious Headings ...
Glossaby (with additions by the Editob) ...
n. WESTMOEELAND.
A Bban New Wabk
Vabious Readings ...
Notes (by the Editob)
Glossaby (by the Editor) ...
PAOS
3
7
17
60
75
110
112
116
177
209
210
214
INTRODUCTION TO PART I.
BY PROFESSOR SKEAT.
It Ins always been the intention of the English Dialbot Sooibtt to
reprint certain Selected Specimens of various dialects, in order to
exhibit them, as it Were, in their living state. But there were several
other nndertakinge of more immediate importance, such as the Biblio-
graphical list in particular, which required more immediate attention.
After the completion of the Bibliographical list, the reprinting
of twentj-two Glossaries, and the issuing of various other publica-
tions which are, we hope, of sufficient interest and importance to be
placed before the members of the Society, it was to be expected that
a wish should be expressed for the reprinting of specimens of the
living speech. In order to meet this want in some degree, the present
Part has been undertaken. The two pieces which have first received
attention are sufficiently well-known and have a certain admitted
value of their own, such as to render them worthy of being issued to
members at some time or other, and they are accordiogly issued now.
It is quite true that the ' Exmoor Scolding and Courtship ' have
been reprinted over and over again, and may, in fact, be bought in a
cheap form at a railway book-stall, but the present reprint is very
different from those that have preceded it. The editor has not only
given us a glossic version, but has added numerous notes, all of much
value and interest We are now told whether the writer is at any
moment using the true dialect of the peasantry or whether he is
indulging in literary English, and even inventing, here and there,
forms such as do not accord with the living speech at alL Thus the
first of our Specimens is issued under very favourable circumstances,
and cannot but prove extremely useful as an authoritative book of
reference. The Scolding and Courtship were evidently written, in the
first instance, merely to amuse ; but, after the lapse of more than
a century, during which time they have been reprinted at least a
score of times, they now serve a more useful purpose as specimens
Viii 8PBaMJ5N8 OF EMOLI8H DlALECTtf.
wliichy notwithstanding certain faults, possess a permanent philolo-
gical interest ; particularly in the number of words and grammatiGal
forms which, though common in English of a much earlier date, are
now obsolete in literary English, but are preserved in these dialogues,
and are still living in the spoken dialect.
Of * The Bran New Wark ' it is not neccMSsary to say much. It is
not exactly in the spoken dialect^ but rather a piece of literary
English abounding in the use of provincial words, written by one
who was familiar with the living speech. Instead of being an
accessible book, like the preceding, it is yery scarce, which was an
additional reason for reprinting it. I have pointed out that there
were really two editions of it, which differ but slightly. The
various readings are given at p. 209. The construction of the
Glossariid Index was rather tedious than difficult. I have shewn
that most of the words used by the author are such as are explained
in the very first glossary reprinted by the Society, and that there are
grounds for believing that we thus possess what are, in fact^ the
author^s own explanations. As to one or two words, such as
prickings and flushcocks, 1 had a little difficulty ; but on submitting
the proofHBheets to Mr. W. Jackson, of Fleatham House, Camf orth,
these words were promptly and definitely solved, and I beg leave to
express my thanks for this timely assistance. To make quite sure,
Mr. Jackson took the trouble to send me a ' flushcock * and a ' sieve '
by post ; and, on submitting these to the inspection of Mr. Britten,
he at once pronounced them to be Junctcs lamprocarpus and Juncua
effiisua : a result which is highly satisfactory.
It is hardly possible to say when the present series of reprints
will be continued. It is easy, on the one hand, to say that ' more
ought to be done ; ' but experience shews, on the other hand, that
it is by no means easy to find editors who will give us their time
and take sufficient pains ; whilst it is at the same time undesirable
that the supervision of the reprints should be lightly taken in hand
and perfunctorily performed. If some of our members who are
anxious to see more of these reprints, and who have the necessary
knowledge, will oifer their services as editors whilst indicating
specimens which are worth reprinting, they will do the Society a
great service. Otherwise suggestions as to what is wanted rather
tend to embarrassment than afford heai^ty and genuine help.
^
I.
DEVONSHIRE.
THE EXMOOR SCOLDINi}
▲KD
COURTSHIP
(two dialooubs op the beginning of the XV hi. century) ;
ALSO
THE SOMERSETSHIRE MAN'S COMPLAINT
(a poem op a full century earlier).
THB OBIOINAL TKXTS SDITBD, COLLATED, AVD ARRANGED, WITH A COMPLVTB
TSAWSCBIPT IN OL088IC, THE YOCABrLARY ENLARGED, AND THB
WHOLE ILLV8TBATED WTTH COPIOUS NOTES, BY
FREDERIC THOMAS ELWORTHY,
MBMBBR OF COUNCIL OF THB PHTLOLOQICAL SOCIBTY.
B
EDITOR'S PREFACE.
-••-
Thb great value to students of any true specimens of South-
western English Dialects consists in the fact that they are the living
descendants of what was once the literary and courtly language of
England. From the time of Alfred or earlier, until after the
Norman Conquest, for a period of some two hundred and fifty years
before 1100 — the West-Saxon English of Alfred, or, as it is called,
the Anglo-Saxon, was the only written or literary form of speech of
the country, and it is in the main to the writings of that period that
we must look for the ground-work upon which our modem English
has been built up. Then came the Norman Coi^quest with its vast
revolution ; after which, until far on in the fourteenth century, English
as a national and recognized language did not exist French and Latin
were the written languages of the Court and of the Church— of aU
officials, and of all Ecclesiastics. All this while, however, English was
still the vernacular, and consequently throughout the period are to be
found various examples of this spoken tongue, written down with more
or less accuracy of spdling in the different dialects spoken by the
respective authors. These writings, however, were but dialects, and
however valuable they may now be to us, as samples of the talk of
our forefathers, they were, at the time they were written, to the
dominant governing classes, much the same as similar writings would
be now, if written in Welsh or Gaelic. One consequence of the
utter disuse of English as the official tongue was, that the native
writer of each district began to write according to the varieties of his
native speech, and hence are found wide divergences from the original
tongue in form and pronunciation. These have been classified
according to the districts in which they prevailed, as Early Southern
English, Early Midland English, and Early Northern English.
b2
4 SPECIMENS OV ENGLISH DlALKCl'S.
Until about a.d. 1300, we have specimens only of the two former,
but from that date to about 1 400 the three forms of English existed
together, and in them can be traced the various changes, the constant and
inevitable assimilation of foreign words, and the consequent develop-
ments of the language down to the time of Wycliflfe and Chaucer.
It may be said that during this period of nearly three hundred years,
English, as a literary language, was in a larviform stage, seemingly
inactive and despised, but yet going on with its life — now casting
a slough of inflexion, now changing its construction, until at last it
reasserts its claim to be the language of the people, through the two
great writers of it — ^Wycliffe and Chaucer, and the father of English
typography, William Caxton. These all spoke the Midland dialect
and wrote in it, and henceforth the Midland became the literary
form, which has developed into what is now the recognized standard
of modem English. But for this accidental and fortuitous exaltation
of the Midland dialects, our modem speech might have been based
on the Southern form, and in that case it would now have been polite
to say ' the yield was a zowed with zeed — you can zee how vast it do
growy,' &c.^
That this is so, a mere cursory glance through some of the
Southern writers of the thirteenth century will abundantly show.
In the * Ancren Riwle,* about a.d. 1220, we find for spelt wr; Jly,
vll^e ; fourth, veor^ ; fifth, vifte, &c. * Robert of Gloucester,* about
1300, we find spelt ^r«f, verst ; fut, vaste and ua^te ; fair, vair, &c.
Later and last, 'John of Trevisa,' about 1387, has /or spelt Por ;
forth, vor\> ; few, veaw ; fight, vy^te, &c.
Besides these peculiarities, there are many others which though
common enough in the Western Dialects, are not polite English —
yot we find them written by these old writers precisely as they are
spoken to-day. For instance, 'Robert of Gloucester* says, as pe
hfiide he diuh verst. The same word dude for did or acted, would
be so spoken now. Again, \o is used by him for then — ^so it is
commonly now — Uche, the common adverbial aflix then, is like now,
* All this is very ably and fully treated by Dr. Murray in the article,
* English Language,' in the ' Encyclopedia Britannica/ New Ed. 1879.
editoh's preface. 5
instead of the modern and polite ly. See W. 8. Gram., p. 81. The
inflexion of the infinitive, in intransitive verbs, the peculiar charac-
teristic of modem South- Western dialects, exists in precisely the
same form as in the modem dialects in 'Kobert of Gloucester.' For
instance, where ^ due Willam anon uorhed alle hity ^at non nere so
wad to robby : ne no maner harm do pere. (See W. S. Gram., p. 49.)
A common form at present in South- Western dialects of the
past participle of to be ia u-bee, instead of been^ the polite.
* Robert of Gloucester ' spells this ibCy and in the ' £xmoor Scold-
ing ' it is a ^\
The latest writer of note in the English of South-Westem England
was John of Trevisa, and in his writings are many of the peculiarities
still found in the South-Westem dialects — as eomep for runneth ; a
for ^6, &c. After his time, which was contemporary with Chaucer,
we look in vain for specimens of the South-Westem English — indeed,
thenceforward it existed only as a dialect, and was used, much as it now
is in ' Punch,' as an example of an uncouth, barbarous form of the
language, fit only to be the type of clowndom. It has, however,
been handed down in its spoken form with fewer departures from
its parent stock than its sister dialect, the Midland — now become the
English of literature ; so that in a living form are now to be heard in
the Sonth-West, words and pronunciation which have remained un-
altered at least since the time of Simon de Montfort. To trace back
these forms from the present to those times is a study of great interest,
and it is moreover the best means of understanding the true history
of the language. For this purpose it is desirable to discover, and to
preserve every scrap of writing in which any South-Westem dialectal
expressions occur. From the xiv. century to Shakspere, a period of
over two hundred years, excepting the ' Chronicon Vilodunense,' a
poem of Old Wiltshire dialect of about 1420, there is a blank. The
newly invented printing-press, during all this time, seems to have had
no type for any but Midland and Northern writers ; until at last we
have, in our great dramatist, a mere fragment in ' King Lear ' (Act
IV. sc vi). This, however, ia of great value as the first instance
of the Ich (I, ego) of earlier writers having become ch before a vowel
and XM before a consonant No doubt these few words put into
6 SPECIMENS OF ENGLISH DIALECTTS.
the month of Edgar, weie meie stage dialect, bat the i^s and ffu^ Quesk
as now, served to mark a Southern speech, and were even then
aaanmed as befitting a clown's di^gllise. Ben Jonson, in his *'Mb
of a Tab,' makes several of his characters pronoance their fs and ^s
as V and z. Also in the first two scenes he makes Hilts use leh and
eh for /, bat this form is not continued throughout the play. Jonson
makes his characters use some very unmistakable West Country
phrases — as * Valentine's Eve was thirty year,' iLe. * 80 years ago on
Valentine's Eve' (Act I. sc i). ^ Thik tame;* 'wt,' 'hun* for him.
This too, is but stage dialect, like his friend Shakspero's; for he makes
To^Min say, *0 you mun look,' &c, in the same sentence with zin
and sure — ^thus mixing Northern with Western.
Two or three ficagments of Somersetshire are all that exist of the
seventeenth century— of these the most important is * The Somerset-
shire Man's Ck>mplaint^' said to have been written by one Thomas
Davissi between 1614 and 1648. It is preserved in the Lansdowne
MS. 674, in the British MuseimL I am indebted to Mr. Herrtage's
industry for a copy of this from the original MS., and it is here
printed for the second time only. It first appeared in Brayley's
'Graphic and Historical Illustrator,' 1884. Mr. Herrtage was
unaware of this fact, stated in the Bibliographical list, Series A,
Part IL, published by this Society, and is quite entitled to all the
credit of a discovery.
The * Complaint ' was evidently written about the time of the
great rebellion, but except as a link in the long chain of years from
' Trevisa * down to the * Exmoor Scolding/ it is of little value. It is
a literary production, and its Somersetshireisms are just those to be
found in Shakspere's fragment. They prove the prevalence in the
seventeenth century of the eh for /, which, as seen in the * Exmoor
Scolding,' was very common for more than a hundred years later, but
which is now no longer a feature of Somerset dialect, and except in
a very circumscribed district is quite obsolete.
As a specimen of the dialect the ' Complaint ' is very inferior to
the ' Scolding and Courtship,' and yet it must have been written by
a West country man, for no other would have used the word agreed
in the sense it implies in v. 5.
editor's preface. 7
THE SOMERSETSHIRE MAN'S COMPLAINT.
Gods Boddikins 'c hill worke no more
dost thinke 'a hill labor to be poore
no no ich haue a doe.^
If this be nowe the world & trade
that I must breake & Rogues be made
Ich will a plundring too.
'Chill sell my cart & eake my Plow
and get a zwird if I know how
for I meane to be right
'Chill leame to drinke to sweare to roare
to be a Gallant, drab, & whore
no matter tho nere fight.
But first a warrant that is vitt
from Mr.^ Captains I doe gett
twill make a sore a doo
For then 'c haue power by my place
to steale a horse without disgrace
and beate the owner too.
God blesse vs what a world is heere
can' neuer last another yeare
yoke cannot be able to zow.
dost think I euer 'c had^ the art
to plow my ground up with my Cart
My beast^ are all I goe^
^ This is still the p. part of <2o, pronounced u-<Uo, and rhyming still with
too (teo*)» precisely as it is found in the writers of the xiiL and xiv. century.
' Still a usual custom to put Mr. before a title, as Mr. Parson, Mr. Tiuney,
Mr. Fish-jowder, Mr. Oin-lmun, especially when a sneer or slight is implied.
* A good example of the omission of the nom. case. (See W. S. 0., p. 34.) '
* This must be an error ; the author in his desire to put in the ch as often
as possible has here inserted it out of place. It should probably read Dost think
that euer *ehad the art-
* Beast, used coUectively, is still a plural noun. (See W. S. Oram., p. 9.)
* The p. part of go. The prefix is spelt a in the first verse— a capital / is
quite a novelty. This form is still that of the dialect, while a^one signifies ago.
8 SFBCniEKS OF ENGLISH mALBCIB.
Ize bad zixe oxen tother day
and them the RoundheadB stole away
a Mischief be their speed
I had six hones left me whole
and them the Cavileecs have stole
Gods zoies they are both agreed.^
Heie I doe labor toUe & zweat
and dure the cold, hot^ dry Ss wett
But what dost think I gett
Fase^ iost my Labor for my paines
tbes Gairizons bane all the gaines
And thither all is veti'
There goes my come my beanes & pease
I doe not dare them to displease
they doe zoe zweare & vapor.
Then to the (Governor I come
And pray him to discharge the some
but nought can get so ^ paper.
Grods bones dost think a Paper will
Keep warme my back & belly fill
No, no, goe bume the note
If that another yeare my veeld
no better profitt doe me yeeld
I may goe cut my throate.
1 This word ia still used in precisely the sense here implied, viz. a conspirug
together, and not simply an agreement Tteas a Agreed thing^ is a most common
expressioii, meaning that the matter was the result of a plot or oonspLracy.
* This form \a obsolete— though it may survive in fags!
' p. part, of to fetch— it is now sounded rather broader — vaat or vaut.
There is an old proverb very commonly used — Vuur u-^xxuty Dee'Hr u^Mu't^
%.€. 'Farfetched, dear bought' Gower, the contemporary of Chaucer, has
(Tale of the Coffers)—
' And then he let the coffers fet
Upon the board, and did them set.'
' Tl)<* use of 80 I'oi' Hive or except ib now quite obsolete.
editor's prefacb. 9
If any money 'c haue in store
then straight a warrant come therfore
or I must plundred^ be
And when 'c haue shuffled vp one pay
then comes a new without delay
was euer the like a zee.^
And as' this were not greife enow
they have a Thing called Quarter^ too
Oh ! that's a vengeance^ waster
A pox vpon't they call it vree
*C ham sure that made vs slaues to be
And euery Roage our Master.
Verum.
(CoUcUed by the Editor with the anginal MS,)
Of the history of the ' Exmoor Scolding and Courtship ' nothing
really authentic seems to be known. The ' Courtship ' in its present
form first appeared in the 'Gentleman's Magazine' for June 1746,
prefaced by a letter signed ' H. Oxon.' [£xon1], in which it is stated
to have been ' first written by a clergyman of Devonshire, near the
forest of Exmoor, but, I believe, has received some additions.' ' The
writer marks several words with an asterisk, which he requests to
know the meaning o£' This was followed by the ' Scolding ' in July,
1746,^ in the same magazine.
''In the next month appears an article dated 'Exon. 12 Aug.
1746,' and signed ' Devoniensis,' in which the writer states, that he
" ^ This word would be still pronounced p^uun'c^fee^ or pluuivdreed— so also
mas'iikreed for masstMcred,
' The p. part otto see \a now u-seed.
* The use of a« for (/"in this sense is quite obsolete.
« The allusion here is to the custom of quartering soldiers upon the farmers
and householders.
* vengeaTice waster would now be rendered Devil qfa waiter. The word is
used in the ' Exmoor Scolding' in the same way.
* The quotations here, and on p. 10, are from a note in MS. by Sir F.
Madden, dated 1834, attached to the copy of the 7th edition, now belonging to
the E. D. S>, but which previously belonged to him.
10 SPECIMEirS OF BNGLI8H DIALECTS.
has lived a good while within the Forest of Exmoor, and suljoins
a vocabulaij of all the words in the two Deronahire Dialogues^ with
the addition of some otheis, which fonned the basis of the Olossfiiy
in the Edition of 1771. This ooirespondent, whoeyer he was, is not
the author of the Dialogues, as appeals from his remarics.
''In the same voL, p. 57 (Gent. Mag.), is a Yocabukry of the
Lancashire Dialect, taken from the first Edition of * Tim Bobbin '
(which appears at length in the 'British Mag.' of that year, 1746),
and a specimen of the Dialect at the'end, which is copied into the
prafiEuse of the 7th Ed. of the 'Ezmoor Scolding,' 1771.
" in the same voL, p. 567, is an interpretation of AngMfowmg^
&c., by 'Devoniensis' ; and p. 644 is another communication from
'Devoniesisis,' dated 'Ezon. 8 Dec 1746,' correcting his interpreta-
tion of Bane-«havef and sending a charm for its cure.
"Kow this interpretation and charm is entered in the MS. folio
aft p. 81, and is there ascribed to Mr. Wm. Chappie, which identifies
the latter with ' DevonienslB,' and probaUy also proves him to be
tibe Editor of the Edition of 1771 and |»0yious ones." See note 6^>
p. 9.
In, 'Blackwood's Magazine' for February, 1819, appeared a
reprint of a portion of the 'Exmoor Courtship/ accompanied by
what the author is pleased to call a translation,^ and in a preface
thereto he says, but without giving his authority, that it is probably
as old as the time of Henry YII. This may be so in substance, but
it is quite evident that the text of both the ' Courtship ' and of the
' Scolding,' as we now have them, were written by the same hand —
believed to be ' the Eeverend William Hole, B.D., who was appointed
Archdeacon of Barnstable in 1744,' and who died 1791. He is the
' neighbouring clergyman ' referred to in the preface, which was first
published with the 7th edition in 1771.
On the other hand, Sir John Bowring says (* Transactions of the
Devonshire Association,' 1866, Part v. p. 28) — "The authors of the
* Exmoor Scolding * and * Exmoor Courting * were Andrew Brice and
^ At the end of the portion published in ' Blackwood ' is ' the conduaon in
our next.' The conclusion however never appearecL
editor's prefacb. 11
Benjamin Bowring. The former was a learned and laborions book-
seller in Exeter, whose folio dictionary was a valuable contribution
to the geographical knowledge of the day. The latter (my paternal
great-grandfather) was the grandson of a John Bowring of Chumleigb,
who was laigely engaged in the woollen trade^ and coined money
for the payment of those he employed."
No authority is given by Sir John Bowring for the above state-
ment, and he entirely omits to notice the remark as to the ' neighbour-
ing clergyman/ which certainly was published in 1771, and during
the lifetime of the said clergyman. The balance of evidence is very
greatly on the side of Sir F. Madden, who gives ' Mr. Merrivale ' as
his authority, in asserting Archdeacon Hole to have been the author.
The two dialogues from their first appearance seem to have
commanded a good deal of attention, for no less than seven editions
were issued between 1746 and 1771, while a tenth edition was put
out in January 1788. Since then a reprint of the edition of 1771
was published in 1827. All these editions were published at Exeter,
and besides them is the issue of the * Exmoor Courtship ' with its
classical paraphrase before referred to, in ' Blackwood's Magazine ' for
February, 1819, and 'a new edition' published by John Eussell
Smith, London, in 1839.
These various issues, though called editions, have been nothing
more than reprints, — ^inasmuch as no variation in the text beyond a-
letter here and there, is discoverable in any one of them from the
earliest to the latest.^ Hence the mistakes of the original author,
with the numerous misprints of the first edition, have all been serv-
ilely copied and handed down to us, as though the very commas were
inspired. This is somewhat remarkable, inasmuch as the editor of the
edition of 1771, whoever he may have been, evidently knew of these
ertOTBy for, in several cases he has corrected them in the Glossary, while
he has 1^ them without remark in the text. Of. vrampshakenj L 120.
vrampBhapen, in Glossary, strait, L 78. strut, Glossary, avore, L 123.
avroar, Glossary, pochee, L 188. poochee, Glossary. This unwilling-
> Sir F. Madden says, ' In the text of this Edition (1771} there is not the
sUgfatest variation from the Editions of 1746 and 1788.' This will be found to
be rather too general a statement
12 SPEaMBNS OF ENGLISH DIALRCTS.
neas to touch the original, seems to prove that the compiler of the
Glossary and of the notes (1771) was not the original author.
It is evident from the fact of a Glossary heing required, so early
as 1771, to render the dialogues iutelligihle even to Devonian readers,
that a great many of the words used were at that time either
obsolete or very rarely heard, while now, except for its help, almost
the whole of both would be quite obscure to ordinary readers. The
compiler of it deserves our hearty recognition of the value of his
services, while at the same time we may not quite agree with all his
etymologies or his interpretations, as for instance, where he defines
zart ! as soft. Surely this is an interjection of the quasi oath kind,
still very common, meaning ' ds-hearty like the weU-known zounds.
Only the words which were^then thought difficult were explained, and
we may take it that the others were then considered too common and
well-known to need remark. A study of these omissions which are
now inserted in italics in the Glossary, will be instructive as helping
to gauge the change made in the vocabulary of the language, even in
so conservative and out of the way district, as that of West Somerset
or Exmoor, during the last century.
A great many of the words which only a hundred years ago were
thought too common to be noticed, are now not only obsolete, but
so entirely forgotten that I can find no certain explanation of them,
and can only guess at their meaning.
Not so with the construction of the sentences or with the
pronunciation. These may be said to have scarcely changed at all,
and the entire dialogues are in that respect a striking confirmation
of what I ventured to maintain in the paper on the dialect of West
Somerset, published by this Society in 1875, viz., that dialectal
changes, as respects pronunciation and idiom, are slow, even though
whole classes of local words may change and become forgotten.
As compositions these dialogues are in many points very faithful
and admirable examples of the peculiar language of the district,
which is practically the same as that of West Somerset, and about
which I have already pretty fully treated ; but the author, perfect
as ho was in his knowledge of the dialect, has not escaped the pit-
falls which seem to entrap all those who write either poem or prose in
editor's preface. 13
the vernacular.' Well as they may be practically acquainted with
it, yet the same culture which prompts them to compose at all, binds
them in chains of literaryism — unconsciously colours their work
and blinds them to little errors in construction they would never
make in speaking, but which they cannot avoid, or do not notice in
writing.
The 'neighbouring clergyman' most probably composed these
dialogues as a vehicle for the very large number of quaint words in
the vocabulary of Peter Lock the fiddler, and in doing so was com-
pelled to exaggerate even the redundancy of epithet, which, as the
preface truly says, is used by ' noted scolds.' It is, however, quite
absurd to maintain that such long strings of synonymous words as
are here put into the mouths of different persons could ever have
been heard in real life. The exceeding coarseness of these dialogues,
was perhaps to some extent a necessity of the material to be worked
up, to which a clergyman even in those days did not like to put his
name; and it is probably to that quality they owe their great
popularity, for it is most unlikely that so many editions would have
been called for to supply the then students of Dialects, or even
* Lawyers ' on circuit.
And here I must strongly protest against the libel contained in
the title-page of the * Scolding.' To imply that the subject-matter so
much dwelt upon in this dialogue is a fair sample of the propriety or
decency of the young women of the district in the last century, is
simply scandalous. Coarse-mouthed scolds there may have been
amongst them, but the utter foulness of much of this dialogue, is far
more probably a reflex of the propriety of an author's own mind,
who was evidently ashamed to own his work, though not ashamed
to reap the profits of at least nine editions, by pandering to the taste
of the class which delights to feed on garbage.
By no possibility could this objectionable matter be expunged,
inasmuch as it pervades every page, and it is with much reluctance
that I assume any part in the perpetuation of it. Nothing but the
eonfid^ice that its form is not such as to attract the ordinaiy reader,
and that students alone will take the trouble to wade through it,
would have induced me to touch such pitch.
14 SPBCIMBNS OF ENGLISH DIALECTS.
It is probable that the author had no thought at all of writing
for students, or he would have taken pains to have been more con-
sistent in his spelling, and not to have given the same word in
diffei'ent shapes; for instance, in some places wkcU is spelt as in
ordinary English, while in others, e. g. in 1. 342, it is what, and in
IL 149, 247, 254, it is hot This last is the correct and invariable
pronunciation, while wJiat in the text is mere literaryism. So head
is sometimes yead^ and sometimes aead, while zing and sing are
found on the same page. Ganibotpling in one place is gamhoyling in
another, velst, L 134 ; vaUt, 1. 169. zety L 340 ; set, 1. 425. There
is throughout a great confusion of s and z, which goes to show only
that the writer was not accustomed to carefully analyse the true
sound of what he meant to write. The same must be said of v and
/, which are sometimes misplaced. He spells this, theez and tJies on
the same page, IL 594, 601. So quist is quite, L 375, the correct
N. Dev. form, and quiet, 1. 604, with many more. He abo spells the
West Country inflection of the intransitive verb, sometimes y and
sometimes ee.
All this is to be expected. Many of the clergy even now, when
dialects and provincialisms are supposed to be dying out ; men too
of real culture and large knowledge, are unable to throw off their
native brogue, and quite unconsciously make their «'s into z's, and
their /*s into r's. One I know well who always reads, * A zower
went vorth to zow,' &c., &c. Yet of course he would not write
thus, and would perhaps contend that his pronunciation was
correct.
A great many literaryisms are pointed out in the notes, and
generally consist of very small matters, but they are important to
the student ; e. g. as soon as instead of the invariable so soon as.
we, 1. 353, instead of t^, as a nominative. To have noted every one
would have unduly enlarged the book.
On the whole the two dialogues are most valuable as preserving
very clearly the general spirit of the dialect as well as many very
interesting peculiarities, which remain unaltered to this day; for
instance, the habit of using the when speaking of a person, with an
ndjective preceding his name, as 'tha young Zaunder Yursdon,'
editor's preface. 15
L 192, &c. This habit was quite congenial to the author, for he never
once omits it. Another habit is that of prefixing a title of lelation-
ship or trade to names, as * Cozen Andra,' * Zester Taamzen/ even
when much abuse occurs in the same address.
The great peculiarity of the whole is the use throughout of ch
for / (ego) in connection with the verbs to be and have, I cannot
but think that this use is rather strained in the text, especially as in
more than one place it is manifestly wrong, as in L 335, vor es
chant hire. Here the ea is the nominative, and chant is clearly aha^ni
in this case ; chaiit without the ea might be if the context allowed,
/ have not, or as it now is, / ha^nt [aay aa'nt]. This form of / is now
completely obsolete, and has been so, longer than the memory of the
oldest inhabitant. The other form of / spelt ea, and in one place
eeaj is, I maintain, not the singular /, but the plural vs used for the
singular. This is still done, but judging from these dialogues it was
more common formerly ; ua \a still the nominative most common in
North Devon, and it is pronounced eaa ; Nathan Hogg always speUs
it ea. In the text the same word ea has to represent both ua and ia
in 1. 362, and he ia, L 462. The pronoun / only occurs twice in the
two dialogues.
This present edition of the * Exmoor Scolding and Courtship ' is
a reprint of the ninth published at Exeter, 1778, and it has been
thought well to make no alteration in the text, which ia identical in
all the reprints hitherto put out, but to point out in notes the
principal discrepancies, together with such observations as seemed
desirable.
The Glossary has been completed by adding thereto such words
as are not now considered to be received English, with definitions of
all those known at present.
The whole dialogues have moreover been carefully written in
Mr. Ellis's Glossic so as to show the exact pronunciation as still heard
in the district, with which I am quite familiar. The printing has been
80 arranged as to read line by line with the original text. To those
critics who even now abuse any method of spelling but the old con-
ventional A B C, I would say, that to render any dialect valuable
as a study, there must be some means by which its pronunciation
l(i SPPX^IMENS OF ENGLISH DIALECTS.
can be compared with othere, and by which we may be able to
appieciate the quality of its sounds. Who but an Englishman would
at fiist sight pronounce correctly bone, done, gonef — yet written
boa'n, duun, gaun, the difference in their sounds is at once made
plain.
Mr. Ellis's system of phonetic writing needs no defence from
me — ^it is that adopted by this Society, and is the most easily
acquired. A complete key drawn up by Mr. Ellis himself will be
found in my paper on West Somerset Dialect, E. D. S., 1875, which
should be well studied before any attempt is made to read the
* EzmooT Scolding ' in the vernacular. An abridged key ^ will be
found in the paper on the Grammar of West Somerset, E. D. S.,
1877, with some remarks upon the natural vowel by Dr. J. A. H.
Murray. This natural vowel represented by ti very frequently
appears in these dialogues, and should be well mastered by any one
yfho desires to imitate the sounds of the dialect — a little trouble so
bestowed will not be thrown away. From the spelling of the text
it would be impossible for any one not familiar with it to have any
n3tion of the pronunciation, — e, a, and o, are each in turn used to
represent the same sound, viz. short u, i. e. the sound of e in tlw hook,
spoken quickly. This short //le is always written dhu — and I have
noticed this word is generally a stumbling-block to those who are
ignorant of the glossic system.
In the following pages are many notes referring to my former
. papers published by this Society (before I had seen a copy of these
dialogues), in which the passages noted will be found either to be
more fully explained, or to be vernacular illustrations of idiom or
grammar remarked upon in the treatises. These references will be
found abbreviated tlius : — W. S. Dial., Dialect of West Somerset,
Eng. Dialect Society, Series D., 1875. W. S. Gram., rrrammar of
West Somerset, E. D. S., Series D., 1877.
F. T. E.
Foxiloiofiy Jnuunry, /.V7i^.
» See Rcpiint, p. 110.
A N
Exmoor SCOLDING,
I N T H E
Propriety and Decency
O F
Exmoor LANGUAGE,
BETWEEN
TWO SISTERS:
JVilmot Moreman and Thomafm Moreman ;
As they were Spinning.
A L 8 o> A N
B^or COURTSHIP.
. The NINTH EDITION:
Wherein are now added.
Such NOTES therein, and a VOCABULARY at
the End, as feem neceflary for explaining uncouth Expreifions,
and interpreting barbarous Words and Phrafes.
EXETER:
Printed and fold by W. OR I GO, Bookfeller and Stationer, in the
Fore-ftreet, nearly oppofite to Broad-gate, 1778.
( Price Six-pence. )
^
preface;
[TO THE EDITION OF 1778.]
THE former Editions of these Dialogues, tho' well receiT'd,
and esteemed by those who had some AcquaiDtaiice with the
Provincial Dialects in the 'Western Parts of England^ yet for
Want of such a Glossary as is now added, were in a great Measure
unintelligible to most others, except perhaps a few Etymologists and
Collectors of old and uncommon Words : The Editor^ has therefore
endeavoured to supply that Defect ; and that this 9th Edition might
be rendered as correct as possible, the Whole has been carefully
revised, some explanatory Notes inserted, and the Spelling of the
provincial Words better accommodated to their usual Pronunciation
among the Peasants in the County of Devon : This, as well as their
Explanations in the Vocabulary or Glossary, *tis presumed may be of
some Use, to such Lawyers as go the Western Circuit, by whom the
Evidence of a Country-man is sometimes mistaken, for want of a
proper Interpretation of his Language. In this Glossary we have not
only shewn in what Sense the most uncommon Words are generally
understood in this Country, but also the Etymologies of most of them,
whether derivM from the old Anglo-Saxon, or from the British,
French, Dutch, &c. Some few, whereof the true Signification was
somewhat doubtful, are distinguished by a Q : The Meaning of these
we should be glad to see better ascertained : and if any Person of
Judgment shall observe any other Words to be ill explained in this
Glossary, he is desired to signify it to the Editor,^ to be corrected in a
future Edition.
It may be proper to advertise such of our Readers as may be
Strangers to the Devonshire Dialects, that the following is a genuine
Specimen thereof as spoken in those Parts of the County where the
Scene is laid ; (the Phraseology being also agreeable thereto, and the
Similes, &a properly adapted to the Characters of the Speakers;)
* This preface appears for the first time with the 7th Edition — Exeter, A.
Brioe and B. Thorn, 1771, price nine pence.
<— ' The 7th Edition has, '* Editors have.'
c2
20 SPEaMENS OF ENGLISH DIALECDS.
and not an arbitrary Collection of ill-connected clownish Words, like
those introduced into the Journals of some late Sentimental Trayellers
as well as the Prodactions of some Dramatic Writers, whose Clowns
no more speak in tlieir own proper Dialects, than a dall School-boy
makes elegant and classical Latin; their suppos'd Language being
such as wonld be no less nnintelligible to the Rusticks themselves,
than to those polite Pretenders to Criticism who thereby mean to make
them ridiculous. It must be confess'd that the following Dialogues
have not been exempt from somewhat of the like Censure; it having
been alledg'd, that in the Ejemoor Scolding particularly, the Sub-
stantives have frequently too many Adjectives annex'd to them, nearly
synonymous ; and that the objurgatory Wenches in that Part of the
Country have not such a Oopia Verborum as is here represented : But
we may appeal for the Truth of the Contrary to all who have heard
the most noted Scolds among them, when engaged and well-match'd
with foul-month'd and nimble-tongued Antagonists ; and how apt tliey
are to string up togetlier a Variety of abusive Words and devout
Names, (as they term them) tho' many of them, like Sancho^is
Proverbs, have nearly the same Meaning; not sparing others which
may be sometimes impertinent to, and beside their Purpose, provided
tliey are suJBSciently abusive. The following Collection was origin-
ally made about the Beginning of the present Century, by a blind
itinerant Fidler, (one Peter Lock, of North-Moulton, or its Neighbour-
hood) who was a Man of some Humour; and tho' his Skill and
Dexterity as a Musician is said to have recommended htm to tlie
Notice of the Great, his more common Converse with the lower Class
of People, gave him frequent Opportunities of hearing and observing
their Phrases and Diction ; and, as Persons deprived of Sight have
generally a good Memory, he was thereby the better enabled to retain
and repeat them. This attracted the Notice^ of a neighbouring Clergy-
roan, who by the Fidler*s Assistance put the Exmoor Scolding into the
Form in which we now have it, and, before his Death, (whidi
happened soon after the Year 1725) communicated it to the Public,' and
afterwards gave Rise to the Exmoor Courtship, a Performance thought
deserving to be added thereunto ; but Copies of the Scolding were, for
some Time before and after this, handed about in Manuscript^ above
40 Tears since, and was then taken to bo the original Composition
of the Clergyman aforesaid ; few being then apprehensive of its having
y In the copy of the 7th Edition belonging to this Society is a pencil note
in-tlie handwriting of Sir F. Madden, to whom the copy belonged— * Rev.
Wm Hole, Archdeacon of Barnstaple.'
* Till Sdilioii has, 'communicated it to the Editor of the first and subse-
iA.lrtio perfected the Courtship; but copies,' &c. Sir F. Madden
"flTt aod In another pencil note says, ' Mr. Wm. Chappie ? '
if * Manuacript, of which the Writer hereof has seen One
Meh WM then taken to be/ &c.
AN EXMOOR scolding: PREFACE TO EDITION OF 1778. 21
any other Author, or how far the Person who famish'd its Materials
might claim Title thereto, tho' his Fame as a Fidler was not yet
extinct
It may be also requisite to observe here, that the Forest of Exmoor
(so call'd as being the Moor wherein the River Exe rises) is, for the
most Part, in the County of Somerset; and tho* Parracombe and
Challacombe in its Neighbourhood, which is the scene of our Drama,
be in Devonshire, it must not be thence inferr d that the same Dialect
in all Particulars extends thro' the whole County ; it being chiefly
confined to the Northern Parts thereof: For many Words and Phrases
therein, would not be well understood by People in the South-Hams,
(by which is meant all the Southern Parts of Devonshire, and not any
particular Town, as some Topographical Authors have supposed ;)
where the Dialect varies as much from this, as this from that of Dorset
and Wiltshire : And even near Exmoor, none but the very lowest Class
of People generally speak the Language here exemplified ; but were it
more commonly spoken by their Betters, perhaps it might not be so
much to their Discredit, as some may imagine ; most of the antiquated
Words being so expressive as not to be despised, though now grown
obsolete, and no longer used by the politer Devonians, who in general
speak as good modern English as those of any other County. 'Tis well
known, that after the Expulsion of the antient Britons from those Parts
of the Kingdom which our Saxon Ancestors had conquered, the
English Saxon Language (a Dialect of the old Teutonic, or High Dutch)*
took Place of the British every-where, but in Wales and Cornwall ;
and so continued until the Norman Conquest, when the Conqueror,
endeavouring to introduce the French Tongue, and causing all Edicts
and judicial Proceedings to be in that Languagey the Saxon soon became
intermixt with much of the old Norman French : But notwithstanding
this, and some Tincture of British and Danish, besides the Words
borrowed from the learned Languages by the Professors of Arts and
Sciences, &c. the antient Anglo-Saxon Tongue, with some Variation of
its Sound and Orthography, chiefly prevails in the vulgar Part of our
present Language; and it will appear in the Glossary subjoined to the
(bllowing Dialogues, that most of the remarkable Words therein
inserted, are of Saxon Derivation, and if they are not all retained in
other Counties, such Counties have many others derived from the same
Fountain ; not to mention the Variations of the Pronunciation in
' It must be remembered that * High Dutch ' is a very different thing from
hoch Deutsch as now understood. Until the division of the * Low Countries,'
the term 'High Dutch' was applied to the language spoken by the people of
the Northern part corresponding to Holland and Friesland, to distinguish it
from the 'Low Dutch' of Flanders and Brabant. Even now it is common
among the better class of people to speak of Dutch as * High Dutch '—a very
frequent expression in reference to anything unintelligible is, *that is High
Dutch to me.*
22 SPEaMENS OF ENGLISH DIALECTS.
different Places. Hence every County has its pecaliar Dialect, at
least in respect to the vulgar Language of their Rusticks, insomuch
that those of different Counties cannot^ easily understand each other.
Among Persons engaged in Commerce indeed, or who have had a
liberal Education, we may better distinguish their several Countries by
their Accent, than by any Impropriety in their Language : But we are
here speaking only of the lower Class of People in each County ; and
that these have in several Parts of England a more uncouth and
barbarous Jargon than the worst among the Devonians, might be
easily shewn : Let it suffice to give an Instance in the following
Specimen of the Lancashire Dialect, transcribed from a Dialogue
therein, which was published in 1746.
M. " Odds Fish I boh that wur breve 1 wou'd I'd bin eh yore
" Kele."
T, " Whau whau, boh theawst hear It wur dree wey tooto ;
^'heawe'er I geet there be fufe o'clock, on before eh opp'nt dur, I
'' covert Nip with the cleawt, ot eh droy meh nese weh, t' let him see
"heaw I stoart her: ^Then I opp'nt dur; on whot te dule dust
" think, boh three little Bandyhewits coom weaughing os if th' little
*^ ewals wou'd o worrit me, on after that swallut me whick : Boh
*' presently there coom o fine wummon ; on I took her for a hoo
''justice, boor so meety fine : For I heard Ruchott o' Jack's tell meh
" Measter, that hoo justices awlns did th' mooast o' th' wark : Heawe'er,
'* I axt bur if Mr. Justice wur o whoam ; hoo cou'd naw opp'n hur
" meawth t' sey eigh, or now ; boh sirapurt on sed iss, (the Dickons
" iss hur on him too) — Sed I, I wudyid'n tell him I'd fene speyk to
« him : "
The Reader must be left to judge, on a Comparison of this with
any Part of the Exmoor Language, which of the two has the most
Barbarisms. Perhaps he will want an Interpreter to inform him, that
" Kele " means " Place " or '* Circumstance ; " — that " Dree way "
denotes a " long and tedious Way ; ** — that " Stoart" means " valued ;"
—that "Bandyhewits" are "little Dogs;" that "Hoo" stands for
" She ; " — and " Wudyid'n " is " wish you would ; " — and unless
thus explained, may be apt to think it little more intelligible than the
Buckinghamshire Farmer's Speech. "I ken a Steg gobblin at our
Leer Deer;" which few besides his Countrymen would guess to
mean. " I see a Gander feeding at our Barn-door." But to trouble
oar Readers with no further Observations on this Subject here, we must
refer them for further Particulars to the Vocabulary and Notes, sub-
mitting the Whole to their candid Censure.
Exeter, Januarjf 1778,
» « Can't; in 7th Edition.
In the following pages (he original text is printed on the left
hand; tJie Olossic transcript, corresponding line by line,
on the right
AN EXMOOl SCOLDING.
Thomeuin. X OCK! Wilmot, ■tot why vor ded'at roily' m
JLi npcn ma up to Cballacomb RowH — Eea*
dedent thenk tha had'st a be'' rich a Lobb o' tha Tongue. What a
Yengancel trart^betwatlediOTwart tbaba^gagcd;^ orbad'sttba
6 took* a Shoid, or a paddled !■
WUmoL I roily upon iha, ya' gait, thongiiig, bangiDg,
miu^ Drawbreoohl — Noa, 'twaa thoe roil'at apon me np to'
Dua^ Vogwill'a TTpzitting, whan' tha Tnng'st to (and lie
9haDg'dtotha!)toKabbiiL — 'Shon'dzem''*tliawartEeckaTter^'Me-ataDd
' The regular fonn of the infimtive for intranutive verbs. (See W. 6. G.
p. 49.)
> Spelt ei elwwhere b the text, e- g. line 10. Bee note 3, p. 26. Alao apdt
M, lme22.
» Still the usual form of the past part- of ' to be ' throoghout North Devon
and the Hill Couutr; of Somerset. Compare Robert of OtonoeBter's ' William
theConqueror'(Morriaaud8ke8t); \atxi\,' Mochea^^torwtibt;' line3,'(y
•moid hataiU i>at ap He.'
* The form vklH \a becoming rare — now it would be ic>iu(f .
' — • These are eMona of one of two Bimilar and consecutive vowek ; if
written or pronounced in full thene would be dhu u-bag-tejd, dhtt u-iiokt. The
Mme thing occurs when two umilar consoiiaiitB come together— tiiej are not
pronounced separatel;, but are slurred into one. (See W. 8. 0., pp. 27, 28-)
' At preseut this final d would geuerally disappear, and we should hear
v-b&licaai-l, u-pad't, K-tay*eo— if (or emphasis the d were sounded, it would
have nearly a syllable to itself, v-bag-e^-dH, u-padl-dil, u-biUtraat-l-dii.
Compare pftcAM, 1. 32.
' This form of you is used in the dialect only ai a prefix to some epithet, and
is distinctly a vocative form, which is so eitremely common that I quite over-
loolced it in ray W. S. Oram., p. 33. It is pronounced a little bnwder than
25
U AK'SMOAR SKOA'LDEEN.
Tliomasin, T AUK! Wiilmut, vur wuy vauT deds rauylee^ zoa
JLi upaun mu aup tu Chaal-ikum Eaewll — £s (ees?)^
ded-n dhengk dh-ads u-bee^ zich u Laab u dbu tung. Want u
vainjuns ! wurt* u-bdtwaat'ld, ur wurt dhu-bag*eejd ;* ur ads dbu-
t^okt* u shoa-urd, ur u-pad Idl* 5
Wilmot Aayrauyle^ paun dbu,yu ^ guurt, dhaung'een, ban-geen,
muuk'see Draa'buurcb 1 — Noa'u, twnz dhee rauylus pun mee aup tu^
Daar'utee Vaug-weeulz aup-ziit'een, baun^ dhu vungs tde (un bee
ang ta dhu !) tu Eab'een.-r-Sh'd ziim^^^ dbu wurt zek aartur^^ Mai't-n 9
tha {the of the text), but the sound is very similar to the Cockney you, generally
gpelt yer in Punch. It will be noticed throughout these dialogues that the
form is never once used except as above — never as an objective.
^ The use of to for at is very common, indeed it is the rule; (See W. S. G.,
p. 80.) Compare Robert of Gloucester's * William the Conqueror ' (ed. Morris
and Skeat), line 399 :—
* \>re »i]f€ he.ber croune a\er ;
to Midewinttr <U Gloucestre
To Witesonetid at Westmifistre
to Ester at Wincestre.'
"* Nothing approximating the whan of the text could now be heard— the tr
is quite lost, particularly in this district, and although t^rn is heard for the
emphatic when in the vales of W. Somerset, yet throughout N. Devon and the
Exmoor country it is haun or hawn — as Hawn team ut f Haun dhu Paa'snz
mae'ur voa'lud, ' When was it 1 when the Parson's mare foaled.'
*<* This phrase would not now be used— z&m-z aw/. * (It) seems as though,'
would now be said.
^^ This form of c^fter is the usual one still ; while in the Yale it is more
commonly aa'dr.
26 SPECIMENS OF ENGLISH DIALECTS.
10 Me^.^ — And zo tha merst,* by ort es* know, wey guttering ; as
gutter tha wutt* whan tha com'st to good Tackling. — But zome
zed "Shoor and shoor tha ded*st bet make wise, to zee nif tha*
young Josy Heaff-field wou*d come to zlack thy Boddize, and whare
a wou'd be vore or no." Bet 'twas thy old Disyease, Chun.
15 Thomasin, Hey go ! What^ Disyease dest me^ui,^ ya gurt
dugged-teal'd, swapping, rousling Blowzef Ya gurt Eoile,
tell ma. Tell me, a zey, what Disyease dest me-ant — Ad! chell
ream^ my Heart to tha avore Ise^® let tha lipped. — Chell tack et
out^® wi' tha to tha true Ben, fath ! Tell ma, a zey, what Disyease
20 dest me-an that tha zest^^ cham a troubled wey?
Wilmot, Why ; ya purting, tatchy, stertling, jowering,
prinking, mincing Theng, chell tell tha what Disyease. Is^^
ded'nt me-an the Bone-shave*, ner the Heartgun, ner the
24 Allembatch that tha had'st in thy Niddick. Tes better twar : ^* Vor
^ I have never heard me-<U, me-al, as in the text, and doubt if these forms
ever existed. 1 believe this was an error in the original spelling, which has
been perpetuated in all subsequent editions. There is no fracture in meaty but
there is in meal—m both, the ea has the sound of a in mate— hut the I in meal
naturally produces the fracture.
* Merst is now obsolete — it would now be miids for mightest,
' This is ns not /, and is sounded nearly ess, I believe the ees of the text
(line 3) is the same. The nora. plur. in N. Devon is always thus pronounced,
and it is very commonly used for the nom. singular. (See W. 8. G., p. 34.)
* This is the emphatic form, and the text conveys thQ exact present pro-
nunciation. The ordinary form of wUt \a wiUy or simply'^, as dhee-t z^'n
U'dtte'd (*thou wilt soon have finished'). Note in this example the elision
referred to above ; written at length it would be dhee-t zion u u-dtle'd,
* {Note to Ed. 0/1778), The Bone-shave (a Word perhaps no- where used
or understood in Devonshire but in the Neighbourhood of Exmoor) means
the Sciatica ; and the Exmoorians, when afflicted therewith, use the foUowing
Charm to be freed from it : The Patient must lie on his Back on the Bank
of a River or Brook of Water, with a straight Staff by his Side, between him
and the Water ; and must have the foUowing Words repeated over him, viz.
" Bone-shave right ;
" Bone-shave straight ;
" As the Water runs by the Stave,
" Good for Bone-shave."
They are not to be persuaded but that this ridiculous Form of Words seldom
fails to give them a perfect Cure.
AN EXMOOR SCOLDING. 27
Mae'ul.^ — Un zoa dhu muurs,* bi oa'urt es* nau, wai guutiireen ; uz 10
guut'ur dhu wuut* haun dhu kau*ms tu gho'd taak'leen. — Bud zaum
zad " Shoo'ur-n shoo'ur dhu daeds biit mak wuyz, tu zee neef dhu*
" yuung Joa'zee Yef-ee'ul wud kaum tu zlaak dhi baud-eez, un wae*iir
u wdd bi u-voaT ur noa." Bii-twuz dhu oai dees-yai'z, Chuun.
Thomasin, Aay goo ! Haut® dees-yai'z diis mee'iiii/ yu guurt 16
duug'ud-taayuld, zwaup'een, ruws'leen Bluwz? Yu guurt Kauyul,
tuul mu. Tuul mu, u zai*, haut dees-yai'z diis mee'unl — ^Ad 1 ch-iil
rai'm® mi aaTt tu dhu uvoaT aayz® lat dhu liip-ud. — Ch-iil t-aak ut
uwt'^® wi dhu tu dhu tru6* bai*n, faath ! Tuul mu, u zai*, haut dees-
yai'z diis mee'un dhut dhu zaes*^^ ch-aam u-truub'ld wai 1 20
Wilmot, WsL&'j ; yu puuriieeii, taach-ee, stee'urtieen, jaa'wureen,
preng'keen, miin'seen dhaeng, ch-iil tuul dhu haut dees-yai'z. Es^
ded-n mee'iin dhu Boo'iin-shee'iiv,* nur dh-aart'gunn, nur dh-aal*
umbaach dhut dh-ads een dhee niid'ik. Tez bad'r twaar : ^' vur 24
* It is still nearly invariable to use the before a proper name when there is
a qualifying adjective, as Aay zeed dh-oa'l Faa'tmur Taxxp ; dhaat-s dhu guurt
Jan Urd, * that is great John Red ' (Loma Dooue). It will be noticed that
this rule is not once broken throughout these dialogues. Compare below L 31,
* the young Dick Vrogwill ' and * George Vuuz.*
* What in the text is as incorrect as the whan noted above. In 1. 149,
Wilmot says, 'no Direct to hot tha tellst' — ^proving that then as now the
relative had no w sound in it.
^ Also pronounced mai'n, which at present is the common form.
* The ea in this word has always been sounded at as in main, and I think
the author of the text must have so intended it, as also in Disyease.
* This form is now quite obsolete as a conditional or future tense. It is
probably the ei before noted.
*•> t. e. * Have it out with you.'
^1 The regular form still for all the persons of the present tense of to say.
The sound is between zees and zas8. The final t in the text is mere literaryism —
the author of course wrote a ^ in sayest, and so of course must write zest The
same applies to dest in the same line. These ^'s are sounded only before a
vowel.
^' Is in the text is precisely the same in meaning as the words spelt ees (line
2), and es (line 10). See note above. I believe it to be the nom. plur. used
for the sing., as is still customary.
^* Twar is now quite obsolete. I have heard ttoarsy but only from maid-
servants or those who try to talk ' fine.' The form throughout N. Devon and
Exmoor now is twaz when emphatic, precisely the sound of has in lit Eng.
DUc Tn^wai, «^ Gmp Tme* ^iV4 F-^ tadd Mi tka wliofe
■f n'rfcTiwiii
W)Th.^_ O! Urn Tmj Tc^pwB tar Ob^Dc^ tkee tcU
BM t,' L>i^ THgwiBI — Wlgr Ika at m a Hiniwitdi
«'n7 <jdKT Ton. aif an ke ^ ^ bd at Zaat a Baaj
'Tii'i-uirin. How ! ja gut t^DSBha^ gnsUoig, ^iiapinfe
40 imrv^HtMd. immg TnA !
rOwrf. ItontldlMo^^a^i^: 00 tt« N^bonhooden*
faiovdi' tb«e fa> be a Tcakii^ blui^ tObb Hnwr-
Tkofn^a. And tfaa art a avwatiB^ qneAiBg, yeaTj,
doiggKl-fMe.f cboeUiBg D tg ga ga .
45 Wilmof. Xet" zo cbockling, ner if zo crewntii^, as tliee art, a
■ Thii nuae it ilwajs thna {inncuDetd. So also the tnDage Horeb«di is
■hnji Mauftmth.
*—' Elmijiu ij[ the Towel i(,Le. tbeparticifiU] prefix, or when in ra^od speech,
the amiliarj Aam u ibortetwd bto k. If spoken ddibostdj it would be
kiod uv u-IAju'wI, neet «r u-paitm-aard. Tills fonn b rery OMdiuoa, but it ii
inipOMRbte to detenDiDe whether tbe u standing {or hare, or the pieGz, is the
one got rid of. The A in Ao* of the text nterely cooveotiocul writing.
' Thix word addi no force to the verb, but ix, and appsroitly has long been
a oiere pleoQwan. Scarce!; l«a leiitences can be beard in the district witboot
MWr occurring Mmewhere.
* I thuk !M ia an error of the original transcriber. No native would have
UJ>ed DO literarj a phraae, he would have nid lae'&m-i Mawdhur daed, or eeru
Jlt-iu-'lhur lined.
* ThU fiinn in n«arly obMlete, a very few old people still nae it
' t'unui u a very common name, and it alwajs pronounced Fuiu.
^ Here the wordH beingall more or less emphatic, the final inOexion would
liHvn n lyllalilv to iUelf.
' 'i'liin in the old pitual, quite obsolete. See W. 8. Gram., p. 7.
AN EXMOOn SCOLDING.
29
dhan Aewnt An'ees Muur'mun^ k^od u* blas'ud voa'r^ un neet u* 25
paum'sturd ubaewd ut, uz"* Mau'dhur daed.
Thomasin. Haut dees-yai'z dhan yu guurt Ag'eej *?
Wllmot W'aay, ae*ur zilnz dhu wurt twuun'tee, aa'y zaewn'teen,
un uvoaT, dh-aast u-bee truub-ld wai dhu Daewl vach dhu.
Thomasin, Haut-s mee'un bi dhaat, yu laung-hanjud Mai'zl?30
Diist uyur^ mu *? Dhu kyaala* mu stee'iirtleen Rauyiil naew-ree'urt —
Aew deds dhee* stee-urtlee pun dhu Zaes* laas Aar-ua wai dhu yuung
Dik Vi-aug'wee'iil, haun Jaurj Vuuz® pdch-tu^l — Ee toai mudhu woa'l
Fuump u dhu bez'nees.
Wllmot Au ! dhu vuur'ee Vai'njuns tae*ur dhu ! Diis dhee* tuul 35
mee u Dik Vraug • wee-til 1 — Waay, dhee urt een u Niin'eewauch
ae'urce uudh'ur Tuum, neef zu bee dhu diis biit ziit zee'urt een Aar'ee
Vuorz-dn (Furedon).
Tluymagin. Aew ! yu guurt chaewn'teen, gruumieen, gluum'peen,
zaaw*ur-zaap*ud, yuur'een Traarsh ! 40
Wilmot Doa'iin tuul mee u gluum-peen : Aul dhu Naaybur6odn®
nau'uth® dhee* tu bee a vai'keen, blae'iizeen, tiUteesh Uuz-ee.
Thomatnn, Un dhee* urt u kriienteen, kwuur'keen, yai'vee,
duugTid-ya8,^<> chauk'leen bag-eej.
Wilmot, Neet ^^ zu chauk'leen, nur eet ^^ zxl kriie uteen-z dhee aart, u 45
' An example of the use of the tenuination th in the plural. Compare
' Ancien Riwle' (Ed. Camden Society) : —
* vor )>eos riwleiS \>e horte—
alse sum de%, aLse )e telleiS me.'^p. 8.
* \fe pioe \>et prisuns )H)lieiS : |>et heo liggeiS.'— p. 32.
So also in ' Robert of Gloucester ' and * Trevisa ' is found the same form.
^® yess has nearly lost the y sound amongst the lowest class in the Yale of
W. Somerset, but it is still common in the Hills, and in North Devon. I have
heard the word so pronounced iq a half apoloj^etic manner, by those who felt
its coarseness.
" Not in the sense here used, is at present always neety and is the evident
contraction of not yet or nor yet,
*3 Yet is always eet, and the it of the text is decidedly too short to convey the
sound to modem ears ; but since throughout Devonshire it (pron.), pin, kin, if,
are pronounced ee't,pee'n, kee'n, neef, the original transcriber most likely intended
to represent the sound of the t in i^ as then spoken, and doubtiess, then as now,
the same spoken word represented both it and yet. This is confirmed by note
to L 110 of the text, where eet is given as an alternative spelling of yet.
30 SPECIMENS OF ENGLISH DIAIJK7IS.
46 coUdng Hobby-horse ! Kif tha desi bet go down into the Faddick,
to stroak the Kee, thee wut come oil a gened, and oU hony zo
vnis^ tha art a vorked; ya gened-teal'd,^ panking, hewstring
Mesrzel ! — ^Thee art lick a skittish Sture jest a yooked.^ Tha woulst
50 host any keendest Theng,^ tha art zo yore-Teet, nif Yauther
dedn't ha-ape tha.
Thanumn, Ay, ay 1 Kester Moreman wou'd ha be hove^ np,
nif zo be^ a had a had tha; a toteling, wambling,^ zlottering,
zart-and-vair yheat^tooL
55 Wilmot. Ay, and zo wou'd tha young G^ige Yuzzy mun,^ whan a^
had a had a rubbacrock, rouzeabout, platvooted, zidlemouth'd^^
Swashbucket. — Pitha dest thenk enny Theng will e'er yittee
or gooddee wey zich a whatnozed, haggle-tooth'd,^® stare-bason,
tunersome, rixy, wapper-ee'd Theng as thee art f
60 Thanumn. Dest hire ma)^' Oil the Grime o* the Country
goth, that wan'^ tha liv'st up to tha Cot, tha wart the Old
Sager Hill's Under Bed-blonket. And more 'an zo,*' that tha
wart a cluttering, raving, racing, bozzom-chuck'd, rigging,
64 lonching, haggaging MoiL
1 Far seems to have been, as now, unknown in either comparison— distance
18 vuur'nees, A man was giving me a direction across a very lonely part of
Exmoor, and told me I should come to tiU' guurt eeps u stoo'utu baewt dhu
vuurnees uv u kwaurtur muyuld uvoa'r yiU kaunUh tu dhu gee'ut. * Two
great heaps of stones (two barrows) about the fum&ss of a quarter mile before
you cometh to the gate.'
' The teal of the text is not broad enough, even M ea ^ at. I have heard
very ignorant people talking ' fine/ say tee'iil for tailf dee'M for dale,pee'iil for
pM, &c., but there was clearly no affectation about Wilmot.
* Probably u-yutik'tid would more correctly represent the sound. In the
hill districts the long o is sounded more like oo than the oa of the vales. Hence
yoke is yoo'k— hut yoked is more like yuuk'vd or yook'ud. In all these cases
where the part is emphatic the inflexion is a distinct final syllable -ud. (See
W. 8. O., p. 46.)
• * L e. anything whatevery a very common phrase. Probably any kind of
ihmg; kind is still kee'nd, so oblige is always vUee'j^ wind (v.) wee*n; Hind
is ccmstantly blee'n, right, ree% as in the text ; shine^ shee'n. See text,
il28.
* I believe this to be the p. part, of heave with the prefix elided by rapid
speech — uttered deliberately, this would be, wiid u-bee u-oa'v aup,
* i^^when it signifies peradventure, is still nee/zu bee,
' The transcriber was certainly wrong in writing wambling — in all these words
AN EXMOOR 800LDIMG. 31
koa'lteen Aub'ee-au's 1 Neef dhu dds biit goo daewn een*tu dhu Pad'ik, 46
tu stroa'k dhu Kae'ee, dhee wiit km aul u-guur'nd, un aul aur'^e zu
vuur-z^ dh-aart u-vaufkud ; yn guur'ud-taa'yuld,^ pang 'keen, eo'streen
Mai'zl ! — Dhee urt lik u skiteesh St^oT jest u-yook'ud.* Dhu writs
buust lin'ee keen'dees dheng,^ dh-aart zu voaT-reet, neef Vau'dhur 50
ded-n aa*p dhu.
Thomasin, Aay, aa'y ! Kaes'tur Muur'mun wiid u bee oa'v* aup,
neef zu bee* u ad u-ad* dhu ; u toa'utleen, waum'leen,^ zlaut'uieen,
zaart-n-yae*tir yee'ut-sttel.
Wilmot, Aa'y, un zoa* wiid dhu yuung Jaurj Vuuz, mun,^ haun u^ 56
adu-ad*uruub'ukrauk, raewzubaewt, plaat-vfeot'ud, zuydl-muwdhud *®
Zwaysh-buuk'ut. — Pidhu diis dhengk lin'ee dheng wiil ae'iir viit'ee
ur gkni'ee wai zich u waut-noa'zud, ag*l-t^o*dhud,^® 8tae*ui>bae*tisn,
tiim'UTSum, rik'see, waap*ur-ee*d dheng-z dhee aart)
Thomwsin, Diist uyur miil^^ Aul dhu Kruym u dhu Kuun'tree 60
gooth, dhut haun[^2 dhu lee'vst aup tu dhu Kaut, thu wurt dh-oai
Raj 'ur Ee'ulz uun'dur bai'd-blaun'kut. Un moo'ur-n zoa,^' dhut dhu
wurt u chiitnireen, raeiiyeen, raeiiseen, buuz'um-chuuk'ud, rig'een,
laun'cheen, ag'eejeen Many ill. 64
the h is always dropped — gtuum'Uefiy ^fiaam-leen, raanvUen, gruum*4een, &c.
^ Man used in this way is a very common expression ; it has a half -defiant,
quasi-abusive force ; it is nearly always used in a threat or rude contradiction,
and would be spoken to a woman, as in the text, as readily as to a man. No
one would think of using it to a superior unless a deliberate insult were
intended. Compare * Ancren Riwle * (Ed. Camden Society), p. 12, * ich chuUe
9chawe Y^ men »ei% ^ hUi Michee,*
• The use of short a for he and for they (see W. S. G., p. 96) is no modem
corrupt pronunciation. ' John of Trevisa ' (ed. Morris and Skeat), p. 244^ L 50,
writes, ' dt seyde }pat a moste spare Yyngee ]>at scholde be hys oune : again, p.
243, L 68, ' *^Nay,^ qua}^ Harold, ^*hy be\f noprustee, bote a be^ wel etalword
kny^tee" *
io_io Xn all these nouns used adjectively, the inflexion has the full syllable,
as in the p. part See note 3, p. 30. I think the transcriber inconsistent in having
written some ed and others 'd, while, on the contrary, he writes trotMed^
which is pronounced truub'ld. If there be any exceptions to the above rule
they would be when the noun ends in /, or a vowel, and hence I have written
tpaap'uree'dy when I believe toaap'uree'ud was spoken.
^^ Then, as now, threatening or abusive sentences very often began thus.
Now this phrase, Dost hear me? \& contracted into Shuur mu t
^' Spelt whan elsewhere, in the text
^' This expression is still very common =: moreover.
32 SPECIMENS OF ENGLISH DIALECTS.
66 Wilmot How I ya confounded Tiapes ! Tell me enny
more o' Eager Hill's Bed-blonket, ad I chell pull the Poll
o' tha;^ chell plim tha, chell vulcli tha. Looks zee,^ — Eager
Hill es as^ honest a Man as any^ in Challacomb; — no Dis-
preise.
70 Hiomaein. And do thee tell me o' stertling upon the Zess, whan
George Yuzz putch'd,^ chell gi' tha a lick ;^ chell lay tha over the
Years wey the Yire-tangs. Adl chell ting tha. Thy buzsom
Chucks were pretty vittee avore tha mad*st thyzel therle,
and thy Ylesh oU wangery, and thy Skin oU ylagged, with* nort
76 bet Agging, and Yeaking, and Tiltishness.
Wilmot. Bed-blonket akether* ! Ha 1 zey zich a Word more
chell cotton thy Waistecoat. Chell thong tha, chell gi' tha
zich a strait^ in tha Chupsf, ya Grizzledemundy.
Thomasin. Me a Strait in the Chupsi Dest hire mal Come
80 aneest me, chell pummel tha, chell vag tha, chell lace tha.
Wilmot Thee lace mal Chem a laced well-arfine® aready^
Zey wone Word more, and chell bresh tha, chell tan tha, chell
make thy Boddize pilmee.
Thomasin. How a Man a zed!^^ make my Boddize pilmee)
86 Ad ! if e'er tha squeakest wone Word more o' tha Bed-
blonket, chell trim tha, chell crown tha, chell vump tha.
^ The poll of thee is a much more derogatory form of speech than ' thy poUJ
(See W. S. Gram., p. 13.)
' This expression is still very common = look here ! void ! In this form,
with the second person sing, it is defiant, or quasi-abusive, and would never be
used to a superior = /k>oX; .' dost uef The civil form implying deference is
lAohee zee^ look, do you aeef (See W. S. G., p. 35.)
> This must be an error of the transcriber accustomed to the literary style.
I never heard a real native say as hoyiest as; it should have been so hotiest as,
* Another literaryism — this should have been as other onez=:as ever a 07ie;
as any is impossible. (See W. 8. Gram., p. 25.) * Robert of Gloucester * (ed.
Morris and Skeat), 1 A. 1. 533, writes, * Ac 7w\>er of is o^per sons.* At present
we should say, nother one of his other softs,
^ This word being emphatic there would be a lingering on the final con-
sonant, which would produce quite a distinct syllable, uh. This will be found
to occur frequently.
* {Note to Ed. of 1778.) Akether ! means Quoth he ! or Quoth her !
* {Note to Ed. of 1778.) Chups or Chucks, the Cheeks.
AN EXMOOR SCOLDING. 33
Wilmot, Aew ! yu kaun'faewn'dud trae'ups ! Tuul mee* lin-ee 65
moo-iir u Raj'ur Ee'iilz bai'd-blaun-kut, ad! ch-iil p^ol dhu poa'l
u dhu^ ; ch-iil pliim dhu, ch-iil vuulcli dhu. Leok-s zee',^ — Raj-ur
Ee'ul liz uz^ au'nees a mae'un uz lin'ee* een Chaal'ikum ; — noa decs-
praa'yz.
ThomcLsin, Un du dhee tuul mee a stee'urtleen pun dhu Zaes, haun 70
Jaurj Vuuz piich-tu,* ch-iil gi dhu u lik ;^ — ch-ul laay dhu oa'vur dhu
yuarz wai dhu vuyur-tangz. Ad ! ch-til ting dhu. Dhi buuzznim
chuuks wur puur-tee vut'ee uvoaT dhu mae'uds dhi-zuul dhuuml,
un dhi Vlaiysh aul wang'uree, uu dhi skeen aul vlag'ud, wai® noaoirt
but Ag-een, un Vai'keen, un tul'teeshnees. 76
Wilmot. Bai'd-blaunkutukaedhnir* ! Haa! zai zich wuurd moo*ur,
ch-ul kaut'n dhuy wae*uskoa*ut Ch-ul dhaung dhu, chu-1 gi dhu
zich u straatrn^ dhu chuup8,t yu guur*zl-dimuun-dee.
Tliomasin, Mee u straat-n dhu chuups ] Dust uyiir mu ] Kaum
unee'iis mee, ch-ul paum'ul dhu, ch-ul vag dhu, ch-ul lae'iis dhu. 80
Wihnot. Dhee lae'iis mu] ch-um u-lae'iis wuul-u-fuyn^ urad'ce.®
Zai woon wuurd moo*ur-n ch-iil bureh dhu, ch-ul tan dhu, ch-ul
mak dhi baud'eez pdl'mee.
Tliomasin. Aew u mae*un zaedl^® mak muy baud'eez pulmeel
Ad ! neef ae*ur dhu skwai'kus woon wuurd moo'ur u dhu baid- 85
blaun'kut, ch-dl tnim dhu, ch-ul kraewn dhu, ch-ul vuump dhu.
' Error of transcribers, with was unknown.
^ Misprint in the text for ttrat or »tratt. See Glossary.
" A common expression = very fine —
' God him sente a wel feir gras.'
'Stadons of Rome' (E. E. T. S., Fumivall), p. 14, 1. 416.
' )K)ru-out al Engelond.
he huld wel god pes.'
* Rob. of Gloucester ' (ed. Morris and Skeat), 1 (A), 1. 370.
The a in weU^-fine is, I think, euphonic ; compare wathra-tMnUh^ line 138 ;
rMHi-crockt line 66.
* No trace of the 2 is ever heard in already,
^® A very common exclamation as a prelude to a remark which would lead
to the expectation that some oratio recta was to follow— nothing of the kind.
The text, in this, is thoroughly vernacular. Another very common form is,
Sae'um'z dhufutU'iir zaed, * Same as the fellow said ;' but we are never told
what the fellow did say— the phrase has no necessary connection with what is
to follow. D
/
/n
34 8PECIMBX8 OF ENGLISH DIALECTS.
87 Wilmot. Why dedst thee, than, tell me o' the Zees, or it of
the Haj-pook, as^ tha dedst whileerl — Chell drab tha» chell
curry thy scabbed Yess var* tha.
90 ThomaMn. And why dest thee, than, tell me 'Isteiday o'
losing' my Rewden Hat in the Bex-bush,, out a whortingl^ And
more and zo, that the young Tom Yuzz shou'd le-aye^ he's Cod
glove ! — ^Ad 1 zey a Word moie o' the young Tom Yuzz, chell
baste tha, chell stram tha, chell drash tha ;^hell make thy Kepp
95 hoppee, wi' thy Vlandeis Lace upon't*
WUmot. Ylanders Lace! What's me-an by that^ harahl^
Tell me enny more o* Ylanders Lace, chell make thy Yead® addle.
Chell up wi' ma Yeest^ and gi' tha a Whisterpoop, and zich a Zwop
as^ shall make tha yeel ma, looks zee !
100 Thomasin. Gi' me a Zwopt — ^Ad ! chell gi' tha a Wheiret, or a
Zlat in the Chups, — or up wi' thy dugged Coats, and tack tha
gre-asy^® Yess o' tha.
WUmot Thee tack me, ya unlifty, ill-hearty, untidy
Mea-zel ? — Andra wou'd ha' had a Trub in tha, nif Yauther hadent a
105 strad the Match.
Thomasin. How Dem ! a Trabi Go, ye rearing, snapping,
tedious, cutted Snibblenose ! Th* art olways a vustled up in an
old Jump, or a Whittle, or an old Seggard, avore^^ zich Times as
109 Necklo Halse^2 comath about: Than tha wut prinkee.
1 Literaryism— should be iae'iim'Z or eens — €u is impossible.
' Here the prep, is emphatic, and is written var in the text ; the towcI
sound is precisely the same as in war in lit Eng. Sentences very frequently
end in a prep, like mod. Ger. Moreover, this prep, is often redundant, and then
there is always a stress upon it. This custom is so inveterate that even people
of some education constantly practice it. In a local paper of November 14th,
187S, I read in a signed letter, ' I have had three connections made with the
common sewer, and in each case took care to ascertain in what state the sewer
was in.'
^ I believe this also to be a literaryism — to lose is tu laut (t before vowel) ;
losing is lau'steen. (See W. S. Q., p. 47.)
* The w lias disappeared, except among the better class— Auurto, huurteen^
only are heard among ThomanrCi class. Probably the transcriber wrote whart-
inrj from literary habit
^ The present form is /o^— anything like the Uavt in the text is quite
obsolete. (See W. S. G., p. 47.)
AN EXMOOR SCOLDING. 35
Wilmot Waay duds dhee, dhun, tuul mee u dhu Zaes, ur eet u 87
dhu haa'y p^ok, uz^ dhu daeds wuylae'url — Ch-ul druub dhu, ch-ul
kuuT'ee dhi skab'ud yaes* vaur^ dhu.
Thomaain. Un waay daeds dhee, dhun, tuul mee* us'turdai u 90
laus'teeix' mi rtie'dn aat een dhu reks bfeosh, aewt u huur'teen?* Un
moo'ur-n zoa*, dhut dhu yuung Taum Vuuz shud lee'uv^ ee'z Kaud
gluuv ! Ad ! zai u wuurd moo'iir u dhu yuung Taum Vuuz, ch-ul
bae'iis dhu, ch-ul straam dhu, ch-ul draash dhu-; — ch-ul mak dhi kep
aup'ee, wi dhi Vlaan'durz lae'us upaunt.® 95
Wilmot, Vlaan'durz lae'us ! Haut-s meenin hi dhaat, haa'iil^
Tuul mee un'ee moo'iir u Vlaan'durz lae'iis, ch-ul mak dhi ai d® ad'l.
Ch-ul aup wai mu veest, un gi dhu u Wus'turpeop, un zich u Zwaup*
sh'l mak dhu vee'ul mu, l^k-s zee* !
ITiomasin, Gi mee* u zwaup 1 — ^Ad ! ch-ul gi dhu u wuurr'ut, ur u 100
zlaat-n dhu chuups, — ur aup wai dhi duug'ud Koa'uts, un taak dhu
gree'usee^® yaes u dhu.
Wilmot. Dhee* taak mu, yu aunluf'tee, ee'tU-aar'tee, acntuydee
Mai'zl 1 — An'dr wud u ad u truub een dhu, neef Vaudhur ad-n u-strad
dhu maach. 105
Thomasin, Aew Daem ! u truub 1 — Goo' yu rae'iireen, snaap'een,
taijus, cuut'ud snfib'lnoa'iiz 1 — Dh-urt au'laiz u-vuus'ld aup een un
oa*l juump, ur u wiit'l, ur un oa'l Saeg'urd, uvoaT^^ zich tuymz uz
Naek'l Aal's^^ kaum'uth ubaewt : — ^Dhan' dhu wut' praeng'kee. — 109
' This I am sure ought to be upaun un. The proD. it is never used in
reference to nouns of the definite class. This is confirmed by the text through-
out (See also W. S. Gram., p. 33.)
^ This is the equivalent of the well-known eh ? but in the west generally
takes the broader form.
B Head though written yead would not, I believe, have had a y sound,
except for the close vowel preceding the long a, dhi ai'd, cannot be pronounced
quickly without the y sound.
* In rapid speech the as before shall would quite disappear.
^^ Greajsy would now be pronounced grai's^e.
11 This is still the common idiom for urUil; another equally common is gin
zich tuymz. A man at Plymouth (Feb. 12, 1879) said to me, ' us can wait avore
you be ready, Sir.'
** Halse is a very common name in N. Devon ; it is always pronoimced Aa-'ls
by the Thofnasin class. Neckle is the usual abbreviation for Nicholas.
d2
36 SPECIMENS OF ENGLISH DIALECTS.
110 Thee hast a let the Kee go zoo vor Want^ o' strocking.' It
a Yoie oU* th' art an abomination' Pmchyart vor thy <mii
Eends. Ay, ay ! Shoort, Wilmot, shoortl Zwer thy Tom,*
or else tha tedst net carry^ whome* thy Pad, and meet^ Neckle Halse
by tha Wey. ^Hell meet tha in the VuaEy-park* Coander*
116 by Cockleert, or avoie, chell wamdy.^
WUmot Tell^^ ma one Word 'more o' Neckle Halse chell
skull tha, tha hassent a be' a sknll'd 20 Tor woiie while.^ Ya
gort Fustilagsl The Old Mag Dawkins es bet a Hnokmnck to
tha. Zet tha about ort, why, tha dest Thengs yor&^tnd-back,^
120 a cat-hamm'd,^* a yore-reegrt^ and vramp^shaken,^ like a Totle.
Thomasin, How! ya long-hanged Trapes! Ta blowmonger
Baaige ! Thee wut coal-vaity arbedf ayore be voor days. Tha'rt
so deeye^* as a Haddick in chongy Weather. Or whan 'tes ayore ^^ or
124 a scratcht the le-ast Theng out,^ or whan snewth, or Unnketh,^^
^ A litenuTum— the Temaciikr would be laa'k; want is scarcely ever
heard m this sense— a wmU is the only name known for a mole (Talpa).
* Like yoa'h (see note, L 38), so gtroa'k is shortened by the added qrllable
to ttruukreen^ tiruuk'ud (intnns.) : the traniiiive inflection not adding a q^lable
would be ttroo'kt.
> Still a common expression for abominable. The r is distinctly somided
in all words ending in atton,
^ This expression is still very commonly used to women. It is equivalent to
'get on with your work.' A farmer's wife would say, Ztauur dhi tuwm to a
maid who was idling at the wash-tub. It is clearly a relic of the time, not so
long ago, when all country women were spinsters. Well within the present
century, not only did they spin for home consumption, but for hire. This
is implied in the text, * carry home thy pad,' t. e. home to the employer,
who gave out the wool to be spun, and who paid for spinning at so much a
pad (q. V.)*
* Carry is a literaryism — ^the y is always dropped.
* Home has no longer the soimd of tr in this district — ^but in Dorset and
other Southern shires this is still common. In North I>ey. and W. Som. it is
aum — the precise sound of om in Tom,
^ Meet^ sweety keep, peep, deep, and some others have the ee short, some-
thing like the sound of i in pU^ knitj of lit Eng. Some, as sleep, teat, are
zlee'up, lee'fU,
* {Note to Ed, of 1778.) It (or Eet) a Tore all, means, Yet notwithstanding,
t {Note to Ed, of 1778,) Goal-Tarty a-bed, to warm the Bed with a Scotch
Warming-pan ; that is, with Half a Fart-hiug.
AN EXMOOR SCOLDING. 37
Dhee oast u-laet dhu kae'ee goo zeo* vur wau'nt^ u struuk'cen.^ Eet 110
uvoaT au'l,* dh-aart un ubanm'inae'iiishun^ punchvaart vur dhi oaun
ee-nz. — Aay, Aay! Sh^o-iirt, Wul'mut, shfeo'urt ! Zwnur dhi Tuum/
ur uls dhu taeda ntit kaar** woa'in^ dhi pad, un meef Naeki Aa'ls
bi dhi wai. — Ee ul meet dhu een dhu Vuuz-Se paark® Koa'iindur*
bi Kauk-lee'iirt, ur uvoaT, ch-61 wauTnd-ee.^® 115
Wilmot Tuul^^ ma woon wuutd moo'ur u Naeki Aa'ls ch-ul
sky^ol dhu, dhu aas'nt u-bee u-sky^old zoa vur woon wuyul.^^ Yu
guurt fuus'tiluugz ! Dh-oal Mag Dau'keenz iiz but u Uuk'muuk tu
dhu. Zaet dhu abaewt oa'iirt, waay, dhu dus dhaengz voaT-n baak,*'
u kyaat^^-aam'ud, u voaT-ree*urt, un vramp-shee*upm,i* lik u toa'tL 120
Thomadn, Aew ! yu laung-an-jud Trae'iips ! Yu bl^'maun-jur
BaaTJ ! Dhee wut koa*l- vaar*toe u-baid t uvoaT bi voor dai x Dh-aart-
zu dee*f-B^® u ad'ik een chaun'jee wadh'ur. Ur haun taez avroa-r*^ ur
u-skiaa'cht dhu lee'iisdhaeng aewt,^®ur haun sn^*th,ur blaeng'kuth,^^ 124
* Pcark is constantly used as a name for pasture lands. I know many such
names, as Broad-park, Combe-park, Higher-park, Park farm, &c., where
nothing but pasture is meant
* Oonier is always so pronounced ; so tailor is tcta'yuldur. (See also
W. 8. G., p. 19.)
*® rU warrant ye. .
^^ Tell is the equivalent of say or talk, Aay yuurd um tuvl'een tugadh'ur,
'I heard them talking together.' Doa'un tuvl aup zich stuuf, is the usual way
of saying, ' don't talk nonsense.' Aay yuurd um tuvl a^ew wee bee gwai'n vur
t-ae'u aard wee'ntur, ' I heard them tell (t. e. on dit) how that we are going
to have a hard winter.'
^' Om while means a very long time.
^ An equally common form still in use is haak-^i voa'r, botli signify back'
ioards, or rather back in front.
^^ Cat when emphasised is always kyaat or kyat.
^ Shee"&pud would be said at present. I suspect the en of the text is a
literaryism. The shaken is a misprint for shapen, in 7th Edition 1771, it is
shap^n — n is always sounded m after p. (See W. S. Dial., p. 17.)
*' Dea/vi one of the words in which the / is sounded sharp. 1 have no
doubt of the v of the text being a slip of the transcriher. * Deaf as a Haddock/
is still the constant simile throughout W. S., used for the superlative absolute of
deaf. (See W. S. Gram., p. 22.)
^^ Misprint in the text ; avrore in Ed. 1771. See the Glossary. Compare
Germ, g^froren,
^* BiSm a common idiom— the out has rather an intensitive force. ' A very
small piece' is generally dhu lai'stees beet aewt.
^* Misprint in the text for blenketh. See Glossary.
125 or dovoth, or in scatty Weather, or in a tinglin
than thn art tlicckliftcd,^ and ba liang'd to tlia.
WilTtKt. And thee art a lami^d in wone o' thy Tearms,* and eaieent
see a Sheen in tby Beart Ee.
Tkomatin. Bex-bosh ! — Fath ! tell me o' tha Hoxbush,
■ teeheeing Pixy' — Ea niuti' who's more vor Kiggiiig or
^nmping,* Steehopping or liagrowtoriiig, Giggluting," or Gam-
bowling than thee art tliyzcL— Pitha, dest'nt romemberT whan
1 com'st OTOr tha Clam wi' tha Oid Hugh Hoeegoi>d, whan
tha Wawter was by Stave, how thit vel'st* in, aud tlio Old Hngh
tde thee out by tha Torked Eend, wi' thy dngged Clathen
Eo Tur as thy Na'el,^ whan tha wart jnst a hnddled t
WUvua. Lock! dest dwaUee, or teU doUl Pitha tell
HunahlB,^ or hold thy Popping, ya gnrt Waehamoath.
Bo aids thefirtt Bout.
■ Words ending in gUng oi ging, never sound tffe ^a, as in lib Bug. ting-
ling, or Lancashire ting'ging,
* The partdt^nol prefix omitted in tite text— it omld not be >o by the
speaker. Bee W. a G., p. 49.
* I never heard any y sound in ornw when spoken alone, bnt when pre-
ceded by a close vowel in rapid speech there is tiie soand of y. The same
applies to other words.
* Marvd is thus pronounced — the marl of the text is not a tme mono-
syllable ; doubtless Uie transcriber was accUBlomed to sound the I more
distinctly than is now common, and his orthography in that case is good ;
marl, i e. day is maariU.
AN EXMOOR SCOLDING. 39
ur doa'vuth, ur een skaat'Se wadh'ur, ur een u tengieen^ vrau's, 125
dhan dh-aart u-thaek'luf 'tud,' un bee ang*-tu dhu.
Wilmot. Un dhee urt u-laamst een woon u dhi ae*unnz,* uu kas'n
zee u Shee'n een dhi ree'urt ee\
Thomasin. Eaeks-b^o'sh ! — Faa*th ! tuul mee u dhu raek8-b6o'8h,
yu tee-hee*een pik'see. — Es maaTul* iie'-z moo'iir vur rig'een ur 130
ruum-peen,* stee'aupeen ur rag'gruwtureen, giglteen,® ur gaam*-
buwleen-un dhee aart dhi zuuL — Pudhni, dus-n rai'mumbur^ haun
dhu kaumst oa*vur dhu klaam* wai dh-oa'l Yue* Oa'zg^od, haun
dhu waa'tur wuz bi stae'tiv, aew dhu vaakt® een, un dh-oai Yue*
drae'iid dhee aewt bi dhi vaur'kud een, wai dhi duug'ud Kiaa'dhurz 135
aup zu vur-z dhi naa'ul,^ haun dhu wust jist u-buud*ld 1
Wilmot, Lauk ! dus dwaa'lee, ur tuul dauyul? — Pudh*u tuul
rai'znubl,^^ ur oa'l dhi paup'een, yu guurt Waiysh-umaewf. 138
Zoa ai'nth dhu fuua Baewt
• Eomping is still so spoken— so Juub for Job, ruuh for roh^ &c.
* Giggling — this word is still pronounced with ^ in it. I heard a man
abusing his daughter, call her ' yu gig'Ueeii yuung biUh ! *
^ Literaryism — remember would be fine talk. Thomasin to Wilmot would
have said muyn, 'mind ' — to the parson or a ' real gentleman,' rai'mimibur,
» Spelt valst in 1. 169. .
» Navel— so daa'vZ for clavel, shooiU for shovel, graa'ul for gravel.
10 This is a very common expression still = talk sensiUy.
AN EIMOOE SCOLDING,
D
BOUT THE SECOND.
1ST liira tna, Demi CMl ha tethor Tumy wi'
) id Rnmping, Steehoppiog and Itogrowteriiig, Gigglcliug
'i jyiing.* "Wiat's me-on by thato)* Uut thoo, ttoe
icjcee, and sqiuttee, and doattee' in the ChiuLlay Coander
an' Axwaddle; and wi' the Eame tha wut rakee up/ and
DKee, and tell doil, tell Dildianu and Buckicghiua Jsn-
Kins. — Ay, ay, poor* Andra Vuredon wud ha' hnil arig-mutton
Bnmpatall in tha, nif tad net ha' be' atiat." A wad ha' had
a coad, riggelting, paibeaking, piping Body in tha ! olwey wone
Glatn or nether. And more an zo, there's no Direct to hot tha
IfiOtell'at.!" Tha wut feb et heartily. i^ Na, tha wut lee a Bope
' There is no aonnd of the <2 or the t after the I in this word.
' Literaryism — qf= av U only used before a vowel.
* Spelt gamhowling previously — I never heard ^ambogting-
* I have written thus in deference to original note to Kd- 1778, p. 1 of file
' Courtship,' but my opiniou is that thatt is much too long a sound to have been
used ; if not, it is now quite obeolete. (See W. 8. Oram., pp. 29 to 8% on tha
use of thai-)
' Here the Bimilar vowel sounds — doaSUe ten ^ doatUe in — of the text
would in rapid speech be slurred together, as previously noted. (5eenoteS,L6.
AlsoW. S. Gram., p. 27.)
■ Here, on the other hand, there is no such elision— but the distinguiahing
adjective « stands before % vowel as well as a consonant. {^e» W. S. Oram-,
p. 29.)
41
U AK'SMOAR SKOA^LDEEN.
BAEWT DHU SAEKUNT.
WUmot. TPVUST uyur mu, Daem? Ch-ul ae*u taedh'ur vun'ee wi
M ^ dhxL — Dhu toa'ls ^ mu naew-ree'urt, ur u wuy -ulae'iir, HO
u* rig'een un ruum'peen, Btee'aupeen un rag'gruwtureen, gig'lteen
un gaam'baw'leen.^ Haut-s mee'iin bi dhae'utl^ But dhee, dhee
wilt ruuk'ee, un skwaut'ee, un doa*utee-n* dhu chum 'lee koa'iindur
lik u* aks'wad'l; an* wi dhu zae'um dhu wut rae'ukee aup-m^
g^'kee, un tuul dauyul, tuul Dul'drumz un Buuk'eenum Jing'- 145
keenz. — ^Aay, aay, poto'iir^ An'dru Vuuz'dn wud u-ad a rig-muutn
nium'psl een dhu, neef t-ad nut* u-bee etraat.^ U wud u-ad
11 koa*ud,rig*lteen, paar'baekeen^puypeen bau*dee-n dhu I aul-wai woon
glaam ur naedh*ur. Un moo'ui>n zoa*, dhur-z noa durack* tu haut dhu
tuuls.^® Dhu wut faeb ut aar'ti luyk.^^ Naa, dhu wut lee u roo'up 150
^ The and in rapid speech becomes shortened, and after j9, bf/,v,iB always
sounded as m, as before noted, 1. 120.
* The use of poor generally implies that the person spoken of is dead, and it
does 80 very probably here ; though there is nothing further in the text to
confirm that view.
* The participial prefix might be dropped in very rapid speech, or become
scarcely perceptible, particularly when following another p. part This word
gtrat id the same as is elsewhere, e.g. 1. 105, spelt stnid. The former is the
commoner form. Deliberately spoken, net ha* be' a strat.
^^ Tell throughout the dialogues is used for gay and talk. See note 11,
L 116; also. 1.137.
n This whole sentence reads apocryphal — I never heard the word ^ in the
dialect, and no one ever heard heartily. Moreover the word hearty would not
be used in this sense.
42 SPECIMENS OF ENGLISH DULECTS.
151 np-reeit.* ^ Chad a most a boist my Guts ^wi' laughing, whan's
zeed tha whilere tiapsee hum from tha Yeoanna Lock,^ thj
Shoes oil besh — ,* thy Hozen^ muxy up zo vurs thy Gammerels
to tha yery Hucksheens o' tha, thy Goro Coat oil a gined,
155 thy Aead-Clathing * oil a' foust; thy Waistcoat oU horry, and thy
Pancrock a kiver'd wi' Biiss and Buttons.
Tkomadru Why thare zo ! ^ Bet dist net thee thenk, ya
long-hanged Trapes, that tha young Josy TealT-field^ wud ha* be'
plasad, when ha had zitch a crewdliug Theng as thee arti £art
160 lunging, eart squatting upon thy tether Eend. Zey ort to^ tha,
why tha wut twitch up thy Teal, and draw ^ up thy Noaze, and take
Owl ^® o', or take Pip o'. Nif won ^^ zey the le-ast Theng out,^*
tha wut purtee a Zennet arter.
Wilmot. How, Hussey! ya confounded Trash! Dist remem-
166 ber^* when tha wenst out in the Vuzzey-Park, in the Desk o' tha
Teayeling, just in tha Dimmet, wi' tha young Humphrey Hos^;ood, —
and how ha muUad and soulad about tha f Ha bed ^^ tha zet down ; —
and tha zedst tha woudst net,'^ nif ha dedent blow tha down. Zo ha
blow*d, and down tha valst. Who shud be hard by ^^ (vor 'twas in
170 tha Dimmet) bet tha Square's ^"^ Bealy, — and vorewey ha' cry'd
* If this saying was ever commou, it is now obsolete. At present this
would be expressed thus— Z>Am w(U tuul luyz zu vaas uz u aws kn gaal'up,
* Thee wilt tell lies as fast as a horse can gallop.'
^ I have made carefid enquiry at different times, and from several persons,
who know every comer of Exmoor and of the district of Parracombe and
Ohallacombe, but can hear of no such place as Yeoanna Lock. I therefore
conclude it to be a fiction.
' BeshHtn,
* Now quite obsolete, but it was not uncommon so lately as fifty years ago.
Stockings only are now heard of.
^ ifearf-clathing in Ed. of 1771.
* This is still a common exclamation— of no particular meaning— like OA, 1
never ! Good gracious ! &c.
^ Joseph Heathfield. (SeeW. 8. Dial., p. 22.) A common name in these parts.
^ The r is always sounded in this word, but the t is dropped in rapid speech
when followed by another t,
* {Note to Ed, of 1778.) To lie a Rope upright, contains a Pun on the
Word Llcy and means the telling such a Lie as implies a Contradiction in itself ;
or what is as impossible to be true, as for a Rope which lies on the Ground to
stand upright at the same Time.
AN EXMOOR SCOLDING. 43
aup-ree*urt.* ^ Ch-ud umoo'ees buus mi guuts wai laar'feen, haun-fl 151
zeed dhu wuyulae'ur trae'upsee uum vrum dhu Yoa'an'ur Lauk,' dhi
sheo'z aul besh — ,* dhi oazn * muuk'see aup zu vur-z dhi gaam'iinilz
tu dhu vuuT'ee uuk'-sheenz u dhu, dhi goo'ur koa'ut aul u-guur-ud,
dhi ai'd klaa'theen*^ aul u-fuwst; dhi wae'uskoo'iit aul aur ee, un dhi 155
pang'krauk a-k6vurd wai brus -n buut'nz.
Thomasin. Waay dhae'iir zoa* ! ® But dus nut dhee dhaengk, yu
laung* an'jud trae'ups, dhut dhu yuung Joa'zee Yef -ee-iil ^ wud u bee
plai'zud, hauQ u ad zich u kr^o'dleen dhaeng uz dhee aart. Ee'iirt
luun'jeen, ee'iirt skwaut'een pun dhi taedh'ur een. Zai oa*ur-tu® dhu, 160
waay dhu wut twuch aup dhi taayiil, un droa* aup^ dhi noaiiz, un tak
owl ^® oa, ur tak pup oa. Neef waun ^^ zai dhu lee'iis dhaeng aewt,^^
dhu wdt puur*tee u zaennit aar'tur.
WilnioU Aew, uuz'ee! yukaun'faewn'dud traarshi D^s rai-nium-
bur^* haun dhu wai'ns aewt-n dhu Yuuz'ee-Paark, een dhu dusk u dhu 165
Yai'vleen, jist een dhu d<im*ut, wai dhu yuung ITum'fri Oa'zgeod, —
un aew u muul*ad-n suwlud ubaewt dhu 1 U bai'd^* dhu zut daewn ; —
un dhu zaeds dhu wuts nut,^^ neef u daed-n bloa dhu daewn. Zoa u
bloa*d-n daewn dhu vaals. Ue shud bee aard buy ^^ (vur twuz een
dhu dumnit) but dhu Skwai'yiirz ^^ Bee'ulee, — un voaTwai u kruyd 170
• Draw is always drae'H = trahere^ but droa' ^=. designare. In Ed. of
1771 this word is draw = throw, doubtless the correct reading, t. e, 'toss up
thy nose.*
^^ This expression is quite obsolete.
^^ I believe this to be a literarjism — the indefinite pronoun is now always
anybody. (See W. 8. Oram., p. 38.) This should be NeefHwee hawdee zaeth.
" The use of out in this sense is still very common — Dhu lai'stee^ beet aewt
means a very small dice. There is not the least connection with the modem
Cockney owl—* the finest thing out.' See 1. 124.
" I think remember too * fine talk * — it would most likely be ddts muyn.
*^ This word is rare (though forbid is common) ; in the past tense it is still
pronounced precisely like bed (cubile). The literary transcriber felt this, and
80 wrote it ; but I doubt not that then, as now, it was sounded bai'd.
1ft The negative being here emphatic, the ?u>l is fully pronounced ; the
ordinary form would be dhu iptUs-n,
*• This is too literary. I never heard hard by used by a native— the usual
form is dhaeHr-buy, (See W. 8. Gram., p. 84.) Neef twavd-n dhaeur^ twm
dhae'ikr-bwy : ' If it was not there, it was close at hand.'
*^ I think Square in the text fails to convey the sound^the diphthong is very
long. Bailiff is often beeuUe, but more commonly bae'uUe.
44 SPFXIMENS OF ENGLISH UlALECIS.
^171 out that on ■Wiuavalls » bdongad to's Measter. Wi' iht.
Mme* thft splettest away — do-wn tha Pennet — hilter akilter —
aa if tha Dowl liiul he,' be' in tha Heels o' iha.
Tbomann. OIi tlie Dowl splet tha ! who told Iheckoe' Strammort
Jl75 WUmoi, "Why, twos thee thy own zel op to * etooling o' Term'a.
Thomasin. Oh ! a Plague confound tha ! Jeel tha thonk «es
ded tell't to tha to ha' et a drode Tore^ agenl Well 'tcs well
a fine." — Efl can drow voie wotsq Spalls than thet to thee : — Ad !
es cod rep tha up.
Wilmot. What, a Dowl, and be hang'd to Uia, canst tha drow vore
to mel
TJiomatin. How many Times hare ea a hoard' tha, and a seed
tha, pound Savin, to make M'etcens,^ and Lcckcra, and Caucherias,
and Zlottets ) — ^Tes good to know vor why vore."
I 185 Wilinol. Oh ! a Plague rat " tha ! — Ya multigrub Gurgin I
ya ehug Meazel ! — Th'art good vor nort bet a Gapes-nest. — A
gottering hawcbamouth Theng 1 — Whan tha oom'st to good Tack-
ling, thee wut poochee," and hawchec, and scrumpee ; tha wut net
' A short syllalile is very frequently inserted between two nouns when Mm-
pounded, as in ichid/alU. My hou»e is colled Fantowti, but this is generally
proDouticed Foxyd'>«n by the labouring people. In Kd. of 1771 this word is
irindfalla — at present it would be weenviuilz, but I have heard treennvaali
occadonally. Compare wdt-a-Jiiie, 11. 81, 178.
■ The construction of this paragraph, except the literaryianis referred to,
is excellent, aud conveys an admirable notion of the idiom. 'With Uiesame'
is the uearl; invariable expression, often repeated in every narration. It is k
more forcible term than itutantt// or imTHediafdj/ ; it conveys the idea of an
action so quickly foUuning as to be almost performed at the same instant as
the cause.
■ In West 6om. generally it is dhik'le, but in North Devon and Gxmoor it
is dheU'ie, as in the text.
* To when thus used implies employed at or in the act qf. Baun aay wut
tit pluie'een dhik-it vefAl u yra«irn — means 'When I was in llie act of
plougiiing that field.' This genmdive form is veiy couimon, aud has another
meaning. See W. 8. Gram., p. 80.
" To droic vore is to twit, t« rake up old offences. In the Volt district this
is to droa'aewt. Some time ago some poultry was stolen from my premises,
but the thieves were not caught. Subsequently a man said b> me, Aay kn tutd
ee, sr,ie ad yur vaewAU d/iiti tuym. Indeed ! who llien 1 Au! aay wut
'.-a dliu KaiU'ey (a public-liouse), ?m dhaeir unu u« ; itn dluti
AN EXMOOK SCOLDING. 45
aewt dhut Aul weentivaalz* bilaangud tiie'z Mae'ustur. Wai dhu 171
zae'um* dhu splut'us uwai — daewn dhu Pen nit — ^til'tur skul'tur —
z-auf dhu Duwl ad u-bee -n dhu ee'iilz u dhu.
Thomasin, Oa dhu Duwl splut dhu ! tie,toa'l dhek'ee,^ straammr %
Wilmot. Waay, twuz dhi oa*n zul aup tu* st^l'een u tuur'uz. 175
Thomasin, Oa ! u plaa'yg kunfaewn dhu ! dus dhu dbaengk es
daed tuul-t tu dhu t-ae* ut u droa'd voaT^ ugee*un1 Wuul taez wniul
u f uyn.* — ^Es kun droa voaT wus-ur Spaa'la-e dhaet tu dhee*. — ^Ad !
68 kud nip dhu aup.
Wilmot, Haut, u Duwl, un hi ang* tu dhu, kuns dhu droa voaT 180
tu mee 1
Thomasin, Aew mun*ee tuymz uv es u-yuurd^ dhu, un u-zeed
dhu, paewn saaveen, tu mak mact'sunz,^ un lek'urz, un kau'chureez,
un zlaut'urzl Tez g^o'd tu noa* vur waay voaT.*
Wilmot, Oa ! u plaa*yg raat^® dhu ! Yu muuMgniub guur'geen ! 185
yu shuug mai'zl ! — Dh-urt g^'d vur noa'urt but u gyaaps-naea — U
guut'ureen au'chumaewf dhaeng ! — Haun dhu kaums tu g^o'd taak*-
leon, dhee wut- pooxhSe,^^ un au'chee, un skruum'pee ; dhu wut nut
daed-n zee mee ; un dhae'ur dhai vhzuz Vrdraa'een aewt tu waun ur tuudh'ur^
un zoa aay yuurd He stoa'ld yoa'r vaewulz.
* i. e. ' it is ftU very fine ' (obsolete phrase).
^ Nothing like the hoard of the text can now be heard. See L 81.
* Medicines still pronounced thus.
* See note, L 89. The emphatic prep, here spelt vare is precisely the
same as var in L 89. Occasionally this is pronounced very long, when final as
in the text, but when so emphasised it may be taken that the preposition is
always redundant.
*® t. e, rot — still always pronounced thus.
11 This common word is pronounced thus. A former editor has ieltpochee to
be wrong, and hence has written poochee in the Glossary. In Ed. of 1771 it is
poochee in the text It may be well here to remark that this infinitiTe inflec-
tion, so frequently used in these dialogues, was no less common in the xiii. cent,
as the following extracts from Robert of Gloucester, all taken from a few con-
secutive pages, will shew —
'Reign of Will. Conqueror' (ed. Morris and Skeat)—
' He let gadery is kni\tes,* — ^L 478.
* <& big an sone to grony^
& tofebly also:— I 490.
^\>athene mi^te ofscttpie no\te:—L 495.
46 SPECIMRXS Of HKGUSH UIU.ECIS.
look' Tor Liitliing, chell wnrndy;* aniJ nif et be* LoljloUy, tha
■190 wilt slop et oil up.
T/iomasin. How a Man a Zed I* Hov dedst thoo poochee and
hawctiee, and scrumpee, whan tha young Zaundcr Vnrsiloii and thee
Btuy'd^iip oil tha Neert a roasting o'Tatieat prit<ili Uiavormel*
— "Why, than tha wut be a prUlud, or a muggard, a Zeimet out-
R-ldd rc«rt ; and more an to, thea wut lowcast, nif et be tby own
Vautlier, Jfil' tha beeat' a Zend to Yield wi tha Drenking, or
ort,* to tha Vnaken," whnro they be shooling'" o' Boat, bandbeeating,
or aDglc-howlng,* nif tha coin'st athert Eager Hoeegood, tha
wut Iflckee an overwhile avore tha com'st, and ma' be'' net
lO trapeses '^ hum avoro the Desk o' tha Yeavliug, ya blow-uiaunger
fia-aige. Oil " vor palobing about to Uire '* Lees " to viiie-dra
■ Me of St- Duutan ' [ibid)—
* Jii letc hit do to GliMn£buri/
to jwrisehi and tofede.'—\. 26.
' Serui ht iBolde poare men
t>e wyle he mi^te deore.'—L 63.
These examples might be multiplied, but only in the last here ^ven bare I
been able to Had a verb hnviiig this inflexion need transitively, or rather in cou-
nectioii with its direct object — and even in this itiataoee, the peculiar construc-
tion seems to remove the obje<:t, and to imply tliat we should read, ' He would
tenff (if those served were) poor men.' In Robert of Qloucerter's time (l!98),
we may therefore take it, that this inflection was, as it is te-dny, alfixed to
verbs only when used intransitively. See W. S. Qram., p. 49>
> Wail /or or ejjiect. Still a very common eapresaion. A person unex-
pectedly piud for a sei-vice would say aijulogeticajly, Shoirvr aay diud-n liok
vHr noajUk dhaeng; ' Sure I did not expect aoythiDj ol the kind.' CoDi|iara
Acts xxiiL 21, also 2 Pet iii. 12.
' i. e. ' I'll warrant you.'
' TluB form of the couditional is most nnusual. I incline to regard it aa a
spurious literarjism— it flhoidd be un-trf tiirz. Thennrf ni/'is iinposdble —
tlui d is not Bounded, and the two words are slmred iut^i one, dropping one of
the Tu as before expl»iied.
• {Nolt to Ed. of I77S.) Angle^bowing, a MeWiod of fencing the Grounds,
whenon Sheep ore kept, by fixing K'^ls like Bows with butli Ends in tbo
Oreund (or in u dead Uedgc), where they make Angles with each oilier, aome-
whftt like the foUoft-ini; Fiyui'o.
AN EXMOOR SCOLDING. 47
l^ok^ vur laa-theen, ch-ul wauTnd-ee;^ uQ-eef ut bee^ laub'laul'ee, dhu
wut slaup ut aul aup. 190
Thomasin. Aew u mae*un zaed 1 * Aew daeds dhee p^o'chee, un
au'cheo, un skrum'pSe, haun dhu yuung Zau'ndur Vuuz'dn un dhee
steyd * aup aul nee'urt u roa'iisteen u tae'udeez 1 purch dhu vaur mi !®
— Waay, dhan dhu wut bee u-pr6ld, ur u-mug'urd, u Zaen'ut aewt-
ree'urt; un moo'iir-n zoa, dhee wut ruwkaas, neef ut bee dhee oa*n 195
vau'dhur. Neef dhu heest ^ u-zai*n tu vee'iil wai dhu draeng'keen, ur
oaiirt® tu dhu Voa'kn,® wae'iir dhai bee sh^oieen^^ u bai't, an'bai-teen,
ur ang'l-boa'een,* neef dhu kaumst u-dhuurt Eaj'ur Oa*zg6od, dhu
wut laak'oe un oa'vur-wuyul uvoaT dhu kaums, un mu bee ^^ niit
trao-upsoe ^2 uum uvoaT dhu daesk u dhu Yai'vleen, yu bluw-maunjur 200
BaaTJ ! Aul ^^ vur pau'lcheen ubaew-tu uyur ^* lee*z,^^ tu vuyn-draa
*' How is constantly used for as and that (conj.) in connection with say —
Yu€ kaa'n zai aew yUe ttv'ur zeed mee dha^'ur ; * You cannot say howjou.
ever saw me there.' Uur zaed aew mUsus wavd-n aum; *She said how
mistress was not at home.' The whole phrase is very common. See note,
1.84.
^ I never heard stay in this sense, it is always bide. I am not therefore
able to write it in Glossic, and so leave it like the text. The only stay known
in the dialect is the verb and noun signifying support. This is pronomiced
staa'y,
<^ I do not understand this exclamation, nor does the Glossary throw any
light upon it—X/a pritch or pirtch, i. e. to pmich a hole with a smith's tool called
a pritchellf has no connection with the sequence.
' Thov- beest is quite obsolete, if it was ever current, which I doubt (See
W. S. Gram., p. 65.) Art is used elsewhere. See 1. 186, &c.
* Or ought is a very conunon phrase, tacked on to any clause of a sentence,
and usually means nothmg. Here it adds nothing to the sense, as it does not
necessarily imply that she might be sent to the field for other errand than to
carry the allowance liquor.
• This plural in ^n is now quite obsolete, nor can I find any one who
remembers to have heard it. The work-people on a farm are always called the
voaksj whether male or female.
*® t. e. shovelling the broken-up turf. Sods are called tuur'uz, i. e, turves,
only when intended for house fuel. See W. S. Dial., p. 71.
" May 6«— still a common expression for perhaps ^ probably.
^' This word used thus is peculiarly scornful, beyond the power of lit Eng.
It implies sloth as well as dirty untidiness.
*' This all for signifies * entirely devoted to ' — a very common phrase. Uur-z
aul vurflaa'wurz, * She is entirely devoted to flowers.'
»* Obsolete.
1^ Lies are still pronounced thus, but it is more conunon now to hear lai'z.
48 SPECIMENS OF ENGLISH DIALECTS.
202 Yoaks. Whan iha goast to iha meQang o' iha Kee, in tba
Yozzy-Park, thee wat come oU a dogged^ and thj Shoes . oil
muzy and thy Whittle oil besh — . Tha wut let tha Cream-chom
206 he oil honyif and let tha Melk be buckard in buldering Weather;.
Wilmot Tell me o' Hager Hos^ood, chell make thy Eep^ hoppee.
— Ay, ay, es marl hot to tha Yengance the young Zaunder
Yoisdon wad ha had a do ^ wi' tha, nif ha had a had tha. Yoi why t
Tha hast' no Stroll ner Docity, no Yittiness in enny
210keende8t Theng. — Tha cortst^ tha natted Yeo now-reeit^ or
bet leetle rather,'^ laping o'er the Yoanna Lock: (Chell tell
Yauther o't zo Zoon es ha comath hum yrom Angle-bowings don't
quesson't). Hot ded tha Yoe do, whan tha had'st a cort en^ by
tha heend Legs o'en * — (but vuist ha button'd ; — 'tes a Marl ted net
215a vailed into tha Pancrock, as^ ha uzeth to do); bat thof ha
ded viggee, and potee, and towsee, and tervee,^ and loustree, and
spudlee, and wriggled^^^ and pawed, and wraxled,^^ and twined, and
rattled, and teared, vig, vig, vig, vig, yeet rather than tha wudst ha'
enny more Champ, and Holster, and Tanbast wi'en, tha tokst en,
220 Slid dest wetherly host tha Neck o'en.
Thomasin. And nif tha dest pick Prates upon me^ and tell
1 Cap is pronounced hep throughout North Devon and the hill country of
W. Somerset, but not in the Vale district.
* Here the transcriber tried to convey the elision of the tmto after the <i in
had by writing a for to.
> This is too literary. I think it should have been in the text — ' Tha liast
net agot no stroil.'
^ CaughUt is a very doubtful word. At present it would be dhu kaechd.
t (^Note to Ed, of 1778.) Horry— for Hoary, mouldy or finnew'd.— Vid.
Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet ; where Mercutio puns upon the Words Hare
and Hoar :
• Mercutio, So-ho !
Romeo. What hast thou found ?
Mercutio. No Hare, Sir, unless a Hare, %, in a Lenten Pie,
That is somewhat stale and hoar e're it be spent.
An old Hare hoar, and an old Hare hoar, is very good Meat in Lent;
But a Hare that is hoar, is too much for a Score,
When it hoars e're it be spent. ^
Hony also signifies foul and filthy (see the VocahiUary) ; and, perhaps
this is its true Meaning here.
AK EXMOOR SCOLDING. 49
Toaks. Haun dha goa'us tu dhu miil'keeii u dhu kai'ee, een dhn 202
Vuuz'ee-Paark, dhoe wiit kau'm aul u-duug'ud, un dhi shfeo'z aul
muiiks, un dhi wut'l aul besh — , Dhu wut laet dhu krai'm-chuum
bi aul auree,f un laet dhu mulk bi buuk'urd een buul'dureen wadhnir. 205
Wilmot Tuul mee u Eaj'ur Oa'zgfeo'd, ch ul mak dhi kep^ aup'ee.
— Aay, aay, es maa*rul haut tu dhu vai'njuns dhu yuung Zaimdur
Vuuz'dn wud u-ad-u ^ due wi dhu, neef u ad u-ad dhu. Vur waay 1
Dhee as' noa strauy*ul nur daus'utee, noa vut'inees een un*ee
keen 'dees dhaeng. — Dhu kaurts^ dhu naat'ud yoa* nuw-ree*urt, ur 210
but lee'dl raedh'ur,^ lai'peen oa'iir dhu Yoa'anur Lauk : (Ch-ul tuul
vau*dhur oa ut zu z^on uz u kaumth uum vrum angi-boa'een, doa*n
kwaes'n ut). Haut daed dhu yoa diie, haun dhu ads u-kaurt-n ^ bi
dhu eend ligz oa un ® — (biit vuust u buut*nd ; taez u maai'ul tad nut
u-vaald eentu dhu pang'krauk, uz ^ u ytie'zuth tu diie-); biit thauf * u 215
daed vig'ee, un poa'utee, un tuwzee, un tuur'vee,* un Ifeo'stree, un
spuud'lee, un vrig'lud,^® un pau'ud, un vTaak'slud,^® un twuynud, un
laat'lud, un tae*iirud, vig, vig, vig, vig, eet raedh*ur-n^^ dhu wuts ae*u
un*ee moo'ur Chaamp, un Oal'stur, un Tanbaas wai un, dhu teoks-n,
un dus waedh'urlee buus dhu naek oa un. 220
Thomasin. Un-cef dhu dus pik prae'uts upaun mu^ un tuul
' ' Or but a little while ago ' — novhright implies only a moment past.
' — * Here are two good examples of the use of the masculine pronoun for a
feminine noun. (See W. S. Gram., p. 32.) * How is the cow V * Au ! aa'y-v
u-saard-n un u-tain un zu wuul-z tiy*ur u kan ; biid ee M-n noa badT ' — ^ Oh !
I've served him and tended him as well as ever I can ; but he isn't no better.' —
March, 1879.
^ Two literaryisms in this clause —1, cu is improbable ; 2, the verb do would
be omitted. It should be sae-Um-z or eens u yiU'zuth ttU.
* Although. (See W. S. Gram., p. 94.) There are other examples of the
gh of lit Eng. being/ in the dialect, e. g. ought is au'f(t. See W. S. Dial, p. 74.
Rob. of -Glouc C Life of St Dunstan '), ed. Morris and Skeat, p. 19, 1. 15, has—
' Ne non nuste xpannes hit cam.
bote }fwrfoniTO Lotterdes grace,'
* This paragraph seems to have been composed for the purpose of bringing
in a string of words, many of which are synonyms, and it seems to me to
exceed all probable repetition of the most verbose scold.
10 — 10 Most words written wr are now pronounced very distinctly vr, as vruyt
(write), vraeth (wreath), vrai-dh (wreathe), vraung (wrong), vning (wring),
vraach'eed (wretched), and many others.
" Should have beiwi toonder, not rather.
50 SPECIMENS OF SKOUSH BULBCm,
222 VanUiflr o", ehell tell a sweet BabUe-iote upon thee^ looks
Yor when tha shadst be abont tha TesTliii^s Chnen^^ tlia wut
spudlee ont the Yemon,' and screedle oyer man :* And mum uA
226 zOy tha wut roily eart upon wone, and eart upon another,
zet Yoaks to bate, lick a gurt Baaige as^ tha art: And than Getfisr
Badger Sherwell he must qualif/t agen. When tha art
zet* agog, tha desent caree^ who tha scullest: Twos (dwajB
thj XJze; and chem agast^ tha wut so vore' thy Een. Tha hast
230 tha Teiy Daps o* thy old Ount Sybyl* Moreman upaiet
Wilmot. Why, ya gurt Boil, chant^ so bad's thee. Thee
wut ha' a Hy to enny Kesaen SouL Than tha wut chocUee, and
bannee, and blazee, and roundshave enny body that deth bet ley
Ay to tha. Tha wudst buy tha Ck)t up to Town^ rather than thy
2d6LiYe,^butthahas8entthawharewey; and tha wudst kiss tha Yeas of
Qeoigo Hoeehood to ha'en ; but tha hasent tha Why for Ay.
Thomasin, How ! ya gurt mulligrub Gui]g^ t
Wilmot And thee art a long-hanged blow-monger Baaige yor
tolling me^ o' Neckle Halse, and tha Square's Bealy, and tha
240Z08S.
Tkomcufin, And thee art a conyounded^^ Trash yor telling
mo^^ of an^^ Under Bed-blonket, and o' pounding ^^ gavin,
* This i« a very common word, pronounced choar, choaTeevi, in West Som.,
but chco'fir still in N. Dcv. Written char, charrinrfy in lit. Eng. Its use in
the dialect ih strictly in accord with its ancient meaning— viz. a turn or job, a
duty or service. Vide * Ancren Riwle/ ab. 1280 a.d. (ed. Camden Society),
p. 36—
' \>Q l^ridde time riht also, and D>e] f eorthe cherre, & to
vifte cherre, & nout ne chaunge ^e.'
« Spelt Yewmors in Ed. of 1771.
* The res^ular objective plural them of North Devon. See W. 8. Gram.,
p. 37 ; also * Courtship/ 1. 416.
^ As would not be used thus— een« or Me'ilmz dhee aart would be a more
vernacular reading, but the whole clause is scarcely dialect ; it is stagy.
^ The p. i)art. of set is always u-zaiU. I think the zet of the text must be
an error of tiie transcriber.
< Caree is still used thus, intransitively, but Thomasin would have also said,
dhu diis'n kee'Ur upeein, &Cf when using the word to care in a quasi-transitive
iense. (See W. 8. Gram., p. 49.)
^ Affett In Bd. of 1771, but I consider agcut the proper reading.
AN EXMOOR SCOLDING. 51
Vau-dhur oa, ch-dl tuul u zw8et Rab'l-roa-ttt upun dhee, l^oks zee. 222
Vur hauQ dhu sh^ods bee nbaewt dhu Yai'vleenz Chio'urz,^ dhu wut
spuud'lee aewt dhu yaem'urz^un skree'dl oa'vur mun:^ Un moo*ur-n
zoa, dhu wut rauylee ee'iirt upua woon, un ee'iirt upun unuudh'ur, 225
zut voaks tu bae'ut, lig u guurt Baarj uz* dhee aart : Un dhan Gaet'fur
Eaj'ur Shuur'wuul, ee muus kwaul'ifuy ut ugee*un. Ilaun dh-urt
u-zaut^ ugaug, dhu dus-n kee'uree® ue* dhu sky^ol'us : twuz aulwai'z
dhuy yiie-z ; un ch-um ugaa's ^ dhu wut zoa voaT ® dhi ee'n. Dh-aas
dhu vuur'ee daaps u dhi oa-1 Aewnt Sublee* Muunnun aupuzut*. 230
Wilmot Waay, yu guurt rauyul, ch-unt^® zu bae*ud-z dhee. Dhee
wut ae--u Haay tu iin*ee Kaes'n soa*l. Dhan dhu wiit chauklee, un
ban'oe, un blae'uzee, un ruwn'shee'uv iin*ee baud'ee dhut ddth b\it zai
Aa*y tu dhu. Dhu wiits baay dhu Kaut aup tu Taewn ^^ raedh'ur-n dhi
luyv,** biit dh-as-n dhu wae'urw.ai' ; un dhu wiits kees dhu Yaes* u 235
Jaurj Oa*zg6o*d t-ae'-un ; biit dh-aa-n dhu waay vur aay.
Tkomasin, Aew ! yu guurt muul'igruub Guur'geen 1
Wilmot. Un dhee urt u laung-angud bluw-maun*jur baaTJ vur
tuul'een mee^^ u Naek'l Aa'ls, un dhu Skwai'yurz Bee'iilee, un dhu
Zaes. 240
TJiomasin. Un dhee urt u kaun-fuwn-dud ^* traatsh vur tuul'een
moe^ uvun^^ uun'dur bai'd blaun'kut, un u puwn'deen^^ Saav.een,
^i. e. until thy end, as long as you live. Voa'r is constantly used in this
sense. See note 11, p. 35.
' Sybly In Ed. of 1771, probably the true reading.
*® This form is quite obsolete. Now it would be aay bae'urUf or more pro-
bably es bae'ufU, I think chant is an exaggeration of the author, in his desire
to bring in the peculiar ch as often as possible.
^^ i. tf. up in the village. The word tovm is applied to a very small cluster of
dwellings — sometimes to a single homestead.
1' ' Sooner than thy life ' is a very common expression to denote extreme
desire. Bather in this sense is a literaryism. Wilmot would certainly now say
z^-nduTf and I believe that to have been the idiom 100 years ago, from the
fact that in other places, & ^. 1. 211, rather la used to express earlier,
w — w — »» cy is nearly always used after the gerund— these should be tutU'een
u mee, puwn'deen u saaveen,
^* I never yet heard convaundj but kaun'fuipnd is very common. It is spelt
confound twice before— 11. 164, 176.
>> Oa u uun'dur would be much more correct. The use of of and an are
rather " fine " talk. (See W. S. Gram., p. 29)
E 2
52 SFECIMENS OF ENGLISH DIALECTS.
243 and making^ Caachories and Slotters wi't. Tha art a Beagloi
Chun, pritch tha ! vor another Trick. Chad et in my Meend, and
245 zo chave still. Bet chawnt ^ drow et out bevore tha "begen'st
agen, and than cheH
Wilmot, Heigo ! IVIrs. Hi-go-shit ! • A Beagle 1 And hot
art theel Tha wut drew,* and hen,* and slat, — slat tha Fodgers,
slat tha Crock, slat tha Keeve and tha Jibb, host tha Cloam.
250 Tha hast a most a stinned e*ery earthly Thing in tha Houz. Ab-
sleutly* tha art bygaged. Ay, ay, Ount Magery was Death
the near vor tha.^ Her moort® ha' vet* it, nif zo be tha hadst
net let her totee up and down zo ort.^®
TJiomasin, Why there low ! Bygaged I And hot dedst thee
255 do bet jest now-reerti Tha henst along thy Tom, tha wud'st
ha* borst en ^^ to Shivers, nif chad net a vung ^^ en, and pung'd en
back agon. Than tha wut snappy, and than tha wut canifiQee,
and than tha wut bloggy.
WUniot, And hot art thee) A brocking Mungrel, a skulk-
260 ing Mea-zel ! — And eet a vore oil ♦ good vor nort bet scollee,^'
-A avore^* tha art a hoazed that tha cast^* scarce yeppy. Petha,^*
d^st thenk enny Theng will goodee or vitte wi' enny zitch a Trub
' es ^( thee art, — that dest net caree to zey thy Praersl ^^ — bet — wut ^^
-U
* This should be mae'tikeen u kawchureez.
^ i. e.l will not throw, &c.
' Very common exclamation of coarse but extreme contempt.
* Drew is a misprint, it is spelt drow (= tlirow) elsewhere. Here it is drow
in the Ed. of 1771.
* This is now the commonest word for flinj or throw. Drow rather implies
to throw down, and would be used in connection with heavier objects than hain.
Roberd of Brunne (a.d. 1030), in his '.Handlyng Synne' (ed. Fumivall, Rox-
burghe Club), has, L 6616—
* Far \>e stone he take a lofe.
And at \>epore man hyt drofe,
Ye pore man hente hyt vp belyttey
And wa» \>erofful ferly bly\>e,'
"^hfBt 'fine,' but it is possible.
through you. For often means on accownt of—* I could
H. This form, i. e, merst, is very rare, if not obsolete.
^fttehed vpf recovered. See note 3 to Preface, p. 10.
/IT78.) See Note in Page 36.
AN EXMOOR SCOLDING. 63
un mao'ukccn ^ Kauxhureez un Zlaut'urz wai ut. Dh-urt u bai'gl, 243
Chun, piirch dhu 1 vur unaedh'ur trik. Ch-ad ut een mi mee*n, un
zoa cli-aav stee'iil. Bdt cli-oa'n * droa* ut aewt uvoaT dhu bigoe'na 245
ugee'iin, un dhan ch-ul.
Wilmot Haaygoa! Miis'us Haay •goa-shoet* ! ^ Ubai-gll Unhaut
urt dheel *Dhu writ droa,* un hai'n,* un slaat. Slaat dhu pauj'urz,
slaat dhu krauk, slaat dhu kee'7 un dhu Jiib, buus dhu kloa'm.
Dh-ast umau'st u-stdnd ae'iiree ae'urth-lee dhaeng oen dh-aewz. Ab*- 260
81^01.166® dh-urt u-bigae'ujud. Aay, aay, Aewnt Maa'juree wuz dath
dhu nee'ur vaur dhu J Uur moo'urt/ u viit® eet, neef zu bee dh-ads
niit u-lat ur toa'utee aup-m daewn zu aurt.^^
ThoTnasin, Waay dhae'ur loa 1 Bigae'ujud ! Un haut daeds dhee
diie bdt naew-ree'iirt 1 Dhu hai'nst ulaung dhi tuurn, dhu wdts 255
u-buus-n ^^ tu shdvurz, neef ch-ad niit u-vuung ^^ un, un u-puungd-n
baak ugyun. Dhan dhu wiit snaap'ee, un dhan dhu wiit kan'eeflee^
un dhan dhu writ blaug'ee.
WUmoL Un haut urt dhee? U brauk*een muung'grul, u skuul'k-
een mai'zl 1 Un ect u-voaT aul,* geod vur noa'urt but skyfeol'ee,^* 260
uvoaT ^* dh-aart u-oa*zud dhut dhu kas ^^ skee'iis yaep'ce. Piidh'u ^*
dds dhaengk lin'ee dhacng-1 geod'ce ur viit'ee wi un*ee zioh u truub
liz i^'dheo aart — dhu diis*n kee*uree tu zai dhi prae'urz]^^ — biit — wiit ^'
>^ This passage is obscure. I think it means, ' She might have fetched yet
[i. e. been living still], if you had not [through your laziness] let her totter up
and down so often.' Moori is not an uncommon form of might— it is more
emphatic than the usual miid.
" The Tom, t. e, the spinning-wheel, is spoken of here as mascnline—un, -n
= him. (See W. S. Gram., pp. 32, 36.)
^' Vun^ is obsolete. The verb is quite common, but is now conjugated —
pres., vawf or (intr.) vang'us; past, vanjd or vang'ud; p. part., u-vangd or
U'Vang'ud = to hold, to seize.
" Spelt icutl, 1. 228 ; akuU, 1. 117.
^* * UntU thou art hoarse.' See note 11, p. 35.
1' Canst 8carce{ly). This would generally be kcu-iij i, e. canst not scarcely.
*• Spelt pt^Aa elsewhere— 1. 57.
^^ Here we have e9 doing duty for <u; elsewhere it stands for /, for tM, for
if, and he is.
>^ This should he praa'j/urz. Perhaps these scolds talked a little ' fine ' now
and then.
'* The omission of the nom. pronoun is very common, and implies extreme
familiarity or contempt, even more than when the second person singular is used.
(See W. a Gram., p. 35.)
Innlaiift Md nnfiv aied. AM mi \j gut W^^'ih^ 6uA kj
■n iM (A, Of HiiiiTnii^ ^t> hiilrr,— thof Ifca «t
*M&M ««a ■ SmJ—Tm • Mai if aW 1^ oMt lo Hm'
■Ir to «7 nen;* anMS tlik m'bt m^ ■«, ekd rand;, bol
An th» ait half ad^Bt kalf d«^, or m r a kUa^ a* * thj ■a W w l
Taa^ -wlua tfaa ut a eoaMartiBe" abed,* ja gait LoUipoi! —
1 ban't tfaa S«t»e la atOe Uif own Drfame. Twvhr, et wd
liii artM tha, elber antlebea" lick l&e Dogma of ft Door, «c
vttMrwsy tvel ut »4ai^ ta k" veaww. or eJl a poeiDeriiag.
llw xedit twda afo^ttnng and wIkX^ irliile'ta^ Ad! tha Met
be adckloi and a Peered «f Uw CoU von T Andn'* lli^'*
riiaii, iiir llii iliiMiiil liiij llii"a an II Tniilllii
Tkoman*. Why, 7a gmt KiaUtaBUMr Bagfpigal Umo ait
^ vor no 8aaca.°^ Tha wat net " bnak Um CanUeboao 1/ thy
tf^ MJ ^^ >* wf dineiii^* chdl waindj j tha wot net taka at ao
Tieadie, ja aaimbnng Troant t
'ThiiqndMtstiDcMiinKHil Ii it the patent of AvO^Mrf
' Cataath in Ed. of 1771, bat profaaM; a miqiiiiit.
> Tliem, i. t. pnyera. Spelt mun, U. 224, 9% 268, m«n twice in L 270, auJ
min in L 419. (See W. S. GnuD., note 2, p. 37.)
* Common eiprenion ^ ' by great chance.'
* Thin ii a peculiar though freqnent me of *haU not, and it u eqnivale&t lo
nivrr urUl or Tieiier do,
*i.e.' though thou canst rtoop down very welL' See note 8, p. 33.
* Itiftveuo idea what the trsoscriber meant to be thepronund^on off eira,*
heaven ii always aebm.
*i.e.' onl; by Baying them '—an eumple of the common ose of the infini-
tive for the gemnd.
' Here the transcriber has inserted the usual o/" after the gerundive (we nol«
13, p. 01), but he omita the prefix- It shoold be ^i-tkntubeen u.
>" I cannot explain tUa phrase ; it is quite obsolete and imkiiowi), so far as I
can ascertain.
" In tho Ed. of 1778, now reprinted, there is a clear misprint, utwiU;\a
tliat of 1-771 it is d lael zet. This is so evidently the true reading that it is
iLdojitcd here.
" i. e. 'all oeroBs.' The nmUe is cumbrous, but therefore the otoie tnia
* {Note lo Ed. of 1778.) See Note in Page 13.
AN EXMOOR SCOLDING. 55
siraam'ce, un fub'oe, nn blao'iizee, un baii'ee: Un moo'iir-n zoa, wiit
koa'ltee, un rig'eo wi lin'ce troa*luubur * dliut kaum'uth^ udhuurt dhu. 265
Un haun dhu diis zai miin,^ taez but wuyiilz dh-urt skruub'een,
eo'streen, un nit'leen u-bai'd. Un neof bi guurt aap* dhu diis zai
mun ut aul, dhuy maar*u-boo*unz shaa'n^ nee'iileo, — thauf dhu kas
ruak'ee wuul u faayn.* — Toz u maar'ul neef ae*ur dhu kaums t-aeb'm^
uun*ee tu zai miin ;^ zaenz dhu nao'ur zaes miin, ch-dl waur'nd-ee, biit 270
haun dh-urt aa'f uzlai'p, aa'f doa'uzeo, ur skruub'een u® dhi skabnid
yaes, haun dh-urt u-koa'1-vaar'teen^® u-bai*d,* yu guurt laul'ipaut !
Dh-as-n dhu sains tu stuyul dhi oa'un dras*een. Vur wuy, ut ul
ziit^^ aar'tur dhu, ai'dhur an'tlbee'iir ^ lik dhu duumz uv u doo'ur, ur
waudh'urwai twiil ziit ai'laung ur u^^ wee'wuw, ur aul u-puuk'ureon. 275
Dhu zaeds twuz skwuul'streen un aut ** wuylae'ur. Ad ! dhu wiit
bo6 u-mik'Id, un u-steevud wai dhu koa*l voa*r T-An'durz Tuyd,^^
Chun, neef dhu dus-n baay dhu ^^ u nho' wiit'l.
ThomastTU Waay, yu guurt Kik*aam*ur Bag'eej ! dhee urt-n noa
gbo'd vur noa saars.^^ Dhu wiit niit^® braik dhi kantle-boa*un u dhuy 280
taedh'ur eon^® wi ch^oaireen,^^^ ch-ul waumd-ee; dhu wiit niit tak ut zu
vrai'ch, yu sauntureen troa'imt !
^' This a or u before an adverb is common, and is identical with the a in
asketOy aiory, the lit. synonyms of a weeioow — a word very frequently used in
the dialect.
^* Whot in the text must be a misprint. There is no sound of w, and there
never could liave been.
" St. Andrew's Day, November 30th.
i« This should have been baay dhirzdL
" The text has but the ordinary literary nep^ative. This is quite wrong-
there would certainly be two and most prohaUy three negatives in this clause,
as written in the Glossic.
IB The negative here is emphatic, otherwise it would be dhu wfU-ri,
*• A common expression signifying * you are too lazy to hurt yourself.' That
the tether or tothew is not a modem provincialism, but veritable English, is cer-
tam. Vid. *The Stacions of Rome' (Vemon MS., 1370 a.d.), E. E. T. Soc.,
ed. Fumivall, p. 3, L 79—
' ^at holy Mon ' Ananias,
Him crisnet * \>(yrw godes gras.
And deped him Paul 'petres broiler.
Far \>e tan schiUde ' cun\farte \>e to\:er.*
^ See note to chuers, 1. 223.
Go pe7 ' tl» Scan TCT Ihs LedDK *■ bHt m lad » art bi tfaj Te»-
mg Batik.— Tki^iaB«iMe.'C^>!
WamaL SiflhiyoM^Ow^niwu.' ri ^■^•^'Khg "°rt'
4we cO.** ft«aw YimkP tts nt habe^ ad tawtn. ml dmnres,
I ba d i l M ; nd tcai; nuke vist^t> m" aajboij ftmaA; bat
«E t^ ZMfk a tfMB M ToUe m emi V ke»tdect Tboag."
noauMniL Tlijr, tbsre'i Odds'* Ictve' Sk-^ig ud T<vnng
"wTa TcH. W«B tBDSBent cdvep be a hnni*>riwg ; wioKt mX^ —
t Uwe, — tliM vnt Bteelicppe^ and txiif, ■»! hotAij, and Bggj,
'canr KcMon ** Zonl : on ** TCT whntedDg «nd pbtesiB^ Slid bMHiig
od kalKuing, (tt raffing a Tale *
WOmot. AdI Idl IDS o^ bobtn« and i^^i« cbd ^ao to> Uta
i^ttcTtha. [iWbJhriVA
TTiMMHui. Obi— <dL>— UmOmc! — K&aUwtl — Hndvl —
Ohl Ht^ather!— Her hath** a chocked mavf tiu Chinerter.— Ei
■ Then it at cmnmoD in (rtcrj-d»j bUt ■« dock it in Oenun. The exptes-
■kni ue tbe exact eqidraleiita of each other.
' ThU u smpl; tbe emphaiiaed Tedimdaot prepoaiticHi, ^for wAy ^, —
t|uite dirtitict from the RUT in (jmu voa-r jnit bebir, U. 286,309; tbelatterii
an Mlrerb. See note to L 184-
■ The lue of PM u a prononD b lare. The tuoal expnaBOD ii <in'M bandit.
(Bee W. 8. Oram., pp. 38, 39.)
* R-u*hrbiuk \t itUl 10 pronounced except when a v is loanded— t>be oommoo-
furni— aa vraekt-biiMh. (See W. S. Oram., p. 7.)
* TliU Nhould have been Un mir waag voa'r. See note to D. 184, 383.
' Thin would now be broad paa-y. I fancj Misa Thomada most have beeo
talkin;; 'fine' if ihe s^Apai.
' TliiH U obscure. I think it means tA«r«'«^ur«Aa>v«.'—tiieie'fl a Rowland
for an Oliver.
* Mvjht, ipelt merd, L 10. Obsolencent, but s^ used.
* Time is rauch too literary. She would have said ' ui a little bit,' but
more probabl; ' a houd in a quick ilick.'
'* Neeertheleu — a very common phraae-
'> li^ore/dk, i. t. in the praaence of strangen— still the regular idiom.
■> 1. 1. ' make believe.' ' in pretence '—an eveiy-daj phnue.
AN EXMOOR SCOLDING. 57
WilmoL Haaygoa ! sauii tureen troaiint dhun ! ^ vur waay voaT ^ 283
dds tuul woon,' dhan, u dhu raeks-beosh ^ un dhu aay-peok, un dhu
Zaes. 285
Thomasin. Un waay voaT* diis dhee droa voa'r zich spaa'lz tu meel
Goa pai® dhi skoaT vur dhu lek-ur dli-ast u-ad zu aurt een dhi teen*-
een bau'tL — ^Dhae'iirz u ruum*pl/ Chun !
Wihnot Neef dhu yuung Jaurj Oa'zgeod ud u-ad dhu, ee muurt *
u-oa'uzd een u lee*dl tuym.' U wiid zeo'n u bee kuundud'ld. — ^Eet 290
uvoa*r au'1,1^ uvoa-r voak,^^ dhu writ l^os'tree, un luwzee, un ch6o-reo,
un buukl-ec, un tae'iir, mak wuyz,^^ uz^^ uu'eebaudee paa'suth j bud
aowt u zee'urt, u spae'ur^* toa*tl een lin'ee kee'ndees dhaeng.^^
Tliomasiru Waay, dhur-z audz^® twee shuyteen un tae'ureen
woonz Yaes. Woon muus'n aul-waiz bee u-beo'stureen, muust u] ^^ — 295
Bud dhee', — dhee writ stee'aupee, un koa'ltce, un aub*ee, un rig*ce
wai linee Kaes'n^^Soa'I : Aul*' vur wiis 'tureen un pii8*tureen,unoa*lSen
un aal'zncen, ur kuuf'een u tae'ul.^o
WilmoL Ad ! tuul mee u aub'een un rig*een, ch-iil vlee tu ^^ dhu
kcp^ u dhu. [Peolz urpoa'L 300
Thomasin. Oa ! — oa ! — Mau'dhur ! — Mau'dhur ! — Muur'dur ! —
Oh! Mau'dhur I — Uur-dh^ u-chuuk mu wi dhu chee'nstai. — Es
^ This is an undoubted literaryism— a« in this sense is not used, ffaun
(when) or eens would be the vernacular idiom. (See W. S. Gram., p. 66.)
^^ ^^are is the usual word to express slow^ dilatory. A ' spare workman ' is
a slow one. Gardeners talk of certain plants as ' spare growers.'
IS Common expression =: anything whatever,
^*i, e. a great difference. A very frequent comparison is dhik-s had'r (or
icr^) bi audz ; * that one is better (or worse) by odds,' i. e. by a great difference.
*' 3ftut one f the common form. (See W. S. Gram., p. 96.) A very good
example of the use of this, the natural vowel, for the indefinite pcrs. pron.
^^ This is a very common phrase. Ben Jonsou has (' Tale of a Tub,' Act 11.
sc. ii.) —
' Clay. No, as I am a Eyrdn soul, would I were,' &c.
»• See note to 1. 201.
^ TaU is a word seldom heard. Here in the text, and whenever now
employed in the dialect, it means piece of scandaL At present the word more
commonly used is stoa'r (story) — * There's a pretty stoar about her.'
'1 Always ^y to, not at,
•* Cap is pronounced very short, almost kp, in N. Dev.
** HtUh is quite literary— the pronunciation is always uur<lh. Eedh = he
hath.
38 SPECUIBXS OF EXGUSH DIALECTS.
303 Terlj bleire es chell^ ne'er Tet' et — ^And mfs dont vet et^ looks
lee, in a Twelvemontli and a Dej,* Cnzzen Keater fiioom chdl^ ne
305 tha a tiert up a Gioond.^ — He chell ^ see tha zwinged, ilith !*
Enter the Oid Julian Horeman.
Julian, Labbe, labbe, Sose,* labbe. — Gi' o'er, gi' o'er ; * — ^Tam-
sen and Thee be olweys wotber ^Eging or Teaking,^ jswing or
aneering, blazing or racing, kerping or speaking enited,
chittering* or drowing Tore o' Spalla, parting or jowering,
310 jening or cboonting, taking Owl o' wona Theng or Pip o'
tether, chockling or pooching, ripping np oi roondshaying
wone tether,* stivering or grizzling^ tacking or busking^
a prilled or a mnggard, blogging or glomping, rearing or snap-
ping, vrom Candle-donting to Candle-teening^^ in tha Yearlings —
315 gort Hap else.^^
So ends the SCOLDING.
1— i_i This inust bo wrong. AcoordiDg to the text it would read / / 9kalL
Instead of cAcff it should be dki2/ in the text In Bd. o£ 1771 it is sA«ff, the
true reading.
* See note to rfit, 1. 253.
' This is in reference to the old custom of sentencing women to be hung after
a twelvemonth and a day.
* I . e. trussed up alwve ground — ^hanged.
> Still the comniouest of all expressions of asseveration := by my faith.
(See W. S. Dialect, p. 95.)
* The transcrilKT is quite correct in spelling this word with s and not z (sec
W. S. Dialect, p. 73), hut it should liave been soce, not ioze,
' This word being quite obsolete, I do not know if it is veernkeen OTvai'keen.
» This is a common word. Vide John of Trcvisa, * Description of Britain,
De incolanmi linguis' (ed. Morris and Skeat), p. 241 —
^ Mdbjng furst wi\> Danes £ afterward ici\> Xormans, in menye ]>e contray
Imxgaije //.< apeyred, £ som vseY strange rclaffywj^ chyterywj^ harryng <]C gar-
ryng y gn'sbUtyivj.*
By this we sec that the use of strings of particii>loe is by no means peculiar to
the liLst century or to the * Exmoor Scolding,' especially considering tlie above is
an extract from the sober literature of tlie period (1387).
* {Note to Ed. of 177S.) Speaking to Wilmot, who had pulled Thomasin's
Cap.
AN EXMOOR SCOLDING. 59
vuur leo blai'v es shiil ^ niivur viit* ut. — ^Un neefs doa*n viit ut, leok-s 303
zee", een u twuul-muunth un u dai,' Kuuz'n Kaes'tur Brfeo'm sh-P zee
dhu u-tnist aup u graewnd.* — ^Ee shli zee dhu-zwingd, faa'th I * 305
AifiUir dh-oa'l Jtie*l-yiin Muurinun.
Julian, Lab'Se, lab'ee, soa'iis,* lab'ce. — Gi oa'ur, gi oa-ur :* Taam*-
zeon un dhee beo aul'waiz wuudh'ur ag*een ur vee'iikeen/ jau'cen ur
sneo'uroen, blae'iizoeii ur rae'^een, kyuur'peen ur spai'keen kuutnid,
chdt'ureen® ur droa'een voaT u spaa'lz, puur'teen ur jaa'wureen,
yuur*een ur chaewn'teen, tak'een Owl u wan dliaeng ur piip u 310
taodhnir, cbaukieen ur peo'cheen, nip'een aup ur raewn-shee'uveen
^van taedh'ur,* stiivureen ur guur'zleen, taak*een ur buus'koon,
u-pnild ur u-muug*urd, blaug'een ur gluum'peon, rae'iirecn ur snaap*-
con, vrum kan'l-duwteen tu kan'l-teen'een ^^ een dhu Yai'vlcen, —
guurt liaap uuls.^* 315
Zoa ai-m dhu 8K0A LDEEN.
• One another. The more common form is tpan ur taedh'ur,
>® t. e. candle-lighting, the evening. To teen a light is still a common
expression. We find the word twice in the ' Life of St. Dunstan/ Rob. of
Glouc, 12d8 A.D. (ed. Morris and Skeat), pp. 19, 20. Speaking of his mother's
miraculous taper —
* )>er-of hi tende here H^t,
Alle in \>e place.
What was }pat oure Louerd Crist,
\>e li^t/ram heuene sende.
i& ^folc \iat stod aboute.
Here taperes ^perof tende,*
In both places the verb is in the past tense. The e may have been pronounced
long, and if so it is identical with our teen.
^^ This is quite vernacular and very common. It is here the alternative of
the al-ways at the beginning of this long sentence,—!, e. alicat/s, either, &c.,
&c. — great chance if otherwise.
60
POSTSCEIPT.
Tab whole of the foregoing pages were in type and printed before
I had an opportunity of comparing the later editions with the earlier
ones. I had two or three editions in my possession, one of which
was a copy formerly belonging to Sir F. Madden ; in this are many
notes in his handwriting, and signed by him ; from which I gave
extracts in my Preface. I believed that I might rely in the main
upon 80 careful a person, especially when he made so positive a
statement as that quoted in my note to p. 11; and I therefore took it
for granted, that as there were but very few and slight variations
between Sir F. Madden's copy of 1771 and mine of 1788, from which
the text is reprinted, I might accept his assertion as substantially
correct, although I ventured in my note (p. 11) to question its entire
accuracy. Relying upon Sir F. Madden I suffered the proofs which I
had read to be printed — ^but having now compared the reprint with
the First Edition as it appeared in the Gentleman's Magazine, the Third
edition in the Bodleian, and the Fourth in the British Museum, I
find that I am obliged to subjoin the following list of variations,
which will be found to be strangely opposed to Sir F. Madden's
statement. Fortunately the Courtship was not so far advanced
— consequently the most important of different readings are dealt with
in the notes. It is true that the variations are generally confined to
single letters in the spelling of words, and may therefore have been
thought trifling, but in a great many cases the student will find the
change of much importance. In the very first line is a case in point —
the second vor, I knew well, must be accentuated, and therefore in
writing it into Glossic had so marked it. The author knew this too,
and so wrote in his First Edition^ vor why vore. Again, in 1. 104, the
POSTSCRIPT.
61
first Four Editions have nifs vauther, which means if his father instead
of the nif vauther found in the later editions. If father of course
implies our father. The difference is immense ; in the first case the
taunt is conveyed that ^hia father prevented the match, because you
were not good enough for his son.' In the later text all this piquancy
of abuse is diluted by making it appear that the father of Thomasin,
whom Wilmot is abusing, had prevented it
On the other hand, some of the variations are undoubted
corrections of much value.
In the following list the readings (unless specially referred to) are
those of the First, Third, and Fourth Editions, which are dated
respectively 1746, 1746 (three editions in one year), and 1760; of
these, the two latter are almost exact reprints of the former.
The figures opposite each line denote which edition, in my opinion,
has the true reading, if the difference is of any moment
In many cases my notes upon the text will be found to be entirely
confirmed by earlier readings.
Line
Line
1
read
vor why vore
1
76-8 read
f zitch ybr zich
3
9>
zitch for ach
77
99
wastecoat for waistecoat
4
»
betoatled for betwatled
1
78-9
strat for strait 1
11
>»
will'st for wutt
9
82
99
tannybr tan
11
t>
bet for but
1
85
99
add /or ad
12
99
zee whare for zee nif
1
85
99
squeak'st for aqueakest
16
99
zwopping for zwapping
1
90
9t
dedst for dest 1
18
99
is /or ise
1
91
99
losting for losing 1
21
99
ghowering for jowering
92
99
out to /or out a 1
28
t»
tonty for twenty
9
93
99
a word for i/ej a word
30
99
meazel for meazle
98
99
zitch for zich
32
99
zest for zess
9
104
W
nif's vauther for nif
40
99
zower-zwaped
9
vauther l
42
99
know for knowth
9
105
99
strat/or strad, lY . ed. only
43
99
heavy for je&yj
1
106
J»
ya for ye, I. and III. ed. ;
46
99
hobbey for hobby
ye in IV. 1
60
99
vore-reert for vore-reet
1
107
99
olweys for always
54
99
he-at-stool/or yheatstool 9
112
99
9'y,J9>lfora,j,t^j\ 9
55
. 99
chun for mun
120
99
Tramp-shapen far vramp-
67
99
think for thenk
9
shaken 1
58
99
baggage-tooth'd for haggle
122
99
bevore for bevoor
tooth*d
9
123
99
zo /or so
73
99
thy zell for thyzel
123
99
avoore for avore ^
SFEt. lE^S OF EXGUSB DIALBCTS.
r«
d CK^daet/rcMKU 9
218
rwrf jHfbrjeA
»
r«rt>-i«t
23)
„
de4st/ordest I
r»>-je 1
221
„
yevmon for yemori 1
i>
wi«rt>-a»-rt
SS4
men .Ar man
«M/«-«M
229
„
•grat/oragart 9
„
KunUejb- nuHUe
329
„
wut Tore for wnt »> TOre, in
„
dMtM>-dMttee
IT. ei only 4
n
<hiiol7>-d»nkr
329
„
ana'en/or Uiyeen 9
,
hentOrA-hmilr
230
„
old moiy Oont SjVif 1
H
oat-retrt /»■ i^reert 1
23S
„
y«B 0" /»■ yws of 1
n
bont/wbort 9
237
„
ya molHgrob for ya gurt
„
tnpewe/ertaine 1
342
„
pcmnJingo' savin 1
»
hodJb-Mtd I
S«5
„
drowt/ordro^-et 1
-IK
M7
„
Str».ni-go-riiit-a-bo>glo:i
li»e«d 1
248
„
drow for drew 1
„
pb»<i>-p)«»l 9
230
„
e-ry for e'ery
„
crowdaig ybr crewdHTg 9
250
„
boiue far hoiu
„
lundgtog>- tanging
251
„
abseutij for absleotlj 9
„
twitch /of- tvich
253
„
et>-il
„
drow /or d«ir 1
25t
„
dert/wdedst 1
„
tlia /(v the letwt
2K
„
«*uit /or chad 9
„
rianet/urieonet 9
2iS7
„
conniilix for canilflai
„
jest/>rjiMt 1
363
„
la/orea 1
„
drfnet/(»-dedent
263
„
auj/oreaiee
„
wimlvttlla /or wioaTalla 9
2?S-
2«8
iiiCD'tes/orraun-tis 1
-179
!/«■«
267
„
rilling /or ritaing
slottera >r zlotten
273
„
et twul /or et wel I
„
th& /or the
275
„
wothervey tmil let along 1
-212
— 222Toather>ryairther
275
„
weewow/or&ireeiroir 9
or hand-beating /or
276
„
wut /or wet
278
dcst net /or desaent 9
„
goest /or goaat
280
„
gauze for saate
ee«/we« 1
230
„
tha/orthe
„
Dated /or natted
283
„
Higo!/orHago!)
,,
teet/orleetle 1
284
„
dedst for dest
^
Cometh /or comath
286
„
zetch for dtch 1
„
questioDt />r quesson't 9
289
„
ba for he 1
„
yoo for roe
290
„
it for yeet 1
»
be /or by [o'en
heend legs/w heend legs
292
;;
and for but 1
toaUe for totle 1
-215
bet for but
295
wone'B for won'a
"
tad /or ted
295
,,
most net for musscnt* 9
as uzoth for as ha iizeth
296
„
„
wroxled and rattled— 'and
300
„
kepp for kep
twinned' in III. ed. only
302
„
eeaforea 1
POSTSCRIPT.
63
Line
304 read shall see for chell zee 1
306 „ Gi' o'er, gi' o'er, Tam'zen.
And thee be —
307 „ agging /or egging 1
307 „ gawing /or jawing 9
Line
308 read sherking /or sneering
309 „ ghowering /or jo wering
311 „ father /or tether
312 „ grizzeling for grizzlng
314 „ yeaveling for yeavling
»
While collating these early texts of the " Scolding '* and ** Court-
sliip,*' I came upon the letters by Devoniensis referred to in pp. 9,
10. These letters are so important, and the original Vocabulary
referred to in them never having been reprinted, it has been thought
best to reproduce them in full, even though a portion of the matter
will be found to bo repeated in the Xotes and Vocabulary issued
with the Seventh Edition (1771).
August 1746. — CrentlemarCa Magazine, vol. xvi. p. 405,
"Exon,Aug. 12, 1746.
"Mr Urban.
" On perusing those curious pieces, the Exmoor Courtship
and Scolding, in your Magazines, I find several words marked
with an asterisk, as wanting an explanation ; and having heretofore
liv'd a good while within a few miles of the forest of Exmoor*
where that dialect is spoken, and heard a good deal of it, I well
remember in what sense all those words are used; which induc'd
me to draw up the inclosed Vocabulary, for the service of your readers
in other parts, and perhaps it may afford some help to their under-
standing of old books.
" I have added several words that are not to be found in either tho
Exmoor Scolding or Courtship (though not less common in that
quarter), and I believe I could recollect as many more if they would
be acceptable. You will in this vocabulary find all the words that you
have mark'd, and you may depend on the truth of my explanation of
every one except two, of which being in doubt, I have mark'd them with
a Q. (Boneshave — ^horry). It may not be amiss to observe that tho*
it is caird a Devonshire Dialect it is not the dialect of the whole
county, and that it would be as unintelligible to the inhabitants of
the southern parts of it as to a citizen of London. Every county,
doubtless, has its peculiar dialect, which, among the vulgar, and those
who are far removed from the more considerable towns, is generally
barbarous enough ; and therefore Devonshire is no more to be ridiculed
on that account, than any other large county : for I dare affirm that
there is as good English in general spoken in some parts of Devonshire
as in any part of England.
* This forest is in Somersetshire, and is called Exmoor from the river Ex
having there its rise.
64
BPECIMEKS OF ENGLISH DIALECTS.
** I can't help obsenring that the Transcriber of the Exmoor OourMip
has committed some blunders, having used the word Thek in many
places where an Exmoorian would have said That^ and the V instead
of JTy.&c. For though it be very common with them to change F
into Fy 8 into Z^ I7t into D, &c., yet there are a great many words
in which they never make this chax^, as Flask, Fashion, Fine, 8ea,
Soul, Sad, Sarrani (i. e. Servant), Third, and many others. It should
be observed that they use To instead of At; Ise, ees, and ieh for I;
I cham or 'eham for / am ; 'CheU for / shall, &c. ; which was once
the general mode of proper speaking throughout the kingdom, and
may be found in many ancient English authors.
*'Iamy&c.
^'DXVONUBNSIB.''
A YocABULABT of the ExMOOB Dialect contaiuing all such
words in the Exmoor Scolding and Courtship, the meaning
of which does not appear by the sense ; with the addition of
some others ; all accented on their proper syllables, to show
the Method of their Pronunciation. (With notes.)
Ag'est, or aghast, (tfrctid.
• Agging, murmuring, raising quar-
rels,
♦ 'egging, or 'egging-on, is an ex-
: pression frequently used in most
counties, perhaps, to spur on, from
aigUf Fr, a point of a spur, or
needle.
'Alkithole, a fool, a silly oaf.
'Allembatch {probably of AUderp,
elder, arid Bosse, a botch), a kind
(f botch or old sore,
A-pu'rt, sullen,
Aqu'ott, see Quott
Art, eigJU,
Arteen, eighteen,
Avro'Te, frosty,
A'xen, assies.
A'xwaddlc, a dealer in ashes, and,
sometimes, one that tumbles in
them.
Azoon, anon.
Bagga'ged, or Byga'ged, mad, be-
witched.
To Bank, to beat.
Banging, large, great.
B'amgun, a breaking out in small
pimples, or pushes in the skin,
Ba'rra, or Ba'rrow, a gelt pig.
To the true Ben, or Bend {possibly of
Bendan, Scuc. to stretch out, to yield
to). To the purpose, orsufJUciently,
to the utmost stretch,
Bewhiver'd, lost to ones self, bewil-
dered,
Biird, or Berd, bread,
Blaking, crying till out of breathe
Blazing, spreading abroad news.
To Blo'ggy, to be sullen,
Blo'wmaunger, a fat blow - cheeked
person.
B'oneshave, {perhaps from bone spav-
in, a bony crust growing on a horst's
AN EXMOOR SOOLDIKG : POSTSCRIPT.
65
heels, or the scratches), a kind of
homy tumour. Q.
Bo'ostering, Uibouring busily, so as to
sweat.
Bovam,yee8L
Br'andires, a trivet.
Brawn, or Bioan, a cleft qf wood for
thefire,
* [As a seem of braunds, is a horse-
load of billet- wood ; a rick of brands
is a stack of wood cleft for the fire :
so weaken, or dm^n braunds, means
oak or elm billets.]
Briss, dust.
Broach, a spit, spindle.
Buckardy or Bucked {spoken of milk)
soured by keepvruf too long in the
milk-buck^, or by afoul bucket.
Buldering {weather,) sultry, hot.
Burnish, to grow fat, or increase in
bulk, look bright, rosy.
Butt, a bee-butt, or hive,
Cat-ham'd, fuiMing, without dex-
terity.
Ga'uchery, a medicinal composition,
or slop.
Champ, a scuffle.
Cha'nnest, to challenge.
Oha'ngeling, an idiot, one whom the
fairies have changed.
Chaunge, a shirt, or shift
Cho'ckling,'Aec^orin(7, molding.
Cho'unting, quarrelling.
Chu'er, a chare, orjobb of work.
Olathing, dothes.
Clavel, a chimney-piece.
Cloam, earthen-ufare.
Coad, unhealthy.
Ooajerze'end {ue. a cordwainer's end),
a shoemaket^s thread.
Goander, a comer.
Co'ckleett (i. e. cock4ighf) day-break,
or {sometimes) the dusk of the even-
ing.
Cod-glove, a thick glove without fin-
I gers^ to handle turf .
Condiddled, disperjt^d.
Conkabell, an icicle, [in ^A«' Somerset
dialect Clinkabell].
Copper - clouts, a kind of splatter
dctshes, worn on the smaU of the
leg.
To Gotten, to beat one soundly.
To Creem, to squeeze, or press to-
gether.
Cr'ewnting, grunting, or complain-
ing.
Crock, a pot.
Crowd, a violin.
Crowdling, slow, dull, sickly.
Crub, or Croust, a crust of bread or
cheese.
Cu'fting, expounding on {applied to a
tale).
Culvers, pigeons.
Baps, likeness [the very daps of one,
the exact likeness in shape, or
manners.]
Dear'd, hurried, frightened, stunned,
Dem ! you slut.
Dimmet, the dusk of the evening,
Dinder, thunder.
Dinderex, a thunder-bolt.
Doms, doorposts.
Do'veth, it thaws.
Dowl, the deviL
Dreade, thread, \ and in general all
Dree, three, ] vjords beginning
unth Th sound D instead thereof.
To Drou, to dry.
Prumbledrane, a drone [or humble
bee,]
Dul)bed, Uunt,
Du'gged, or Puddled, draggle-taiVd.
Eart one, eart toHher, now one, then
the other,
E'el-thing, or Ill-thing,' iST^. Anthmifs
fire.
El'ewn, eleven.
Elong, slanting. \
Elt, see nt.
Ewte, to/xmr in.
P
66
ta-ECIMEKS <:
Fitchole, a pola>it yite^er «rJlt<Aa
in other aniiUie*\
Foust, dirty.
FaB - Btoted, rpoken tf a lautMd
tttale, tAat hai tkrtt lieu tuhtiMiiiy
istilQKgs, a big-bon'd ptnoK,
lEbagger, a tm-j-lKar.
nliment, a yrtal/righL
■ maierell, tKt tmnll ^tht It-j.
'and or Q'vaAvr, 'jo j/oitdfr.
inny, a turkq/.
'^'oiling, rkiding.
peraest, a rarte ^unc, a Jiae ti/jht.
o'wering or Jcmnvig, 'imtrrdtonu.
"^ti, or Jinged, bticilch'd.
■ or Jjat,joinl.
ed, dra/ujle-tai^d.
n, a wound or *ort.
u wing, itarinij.
u'mpug, ruUgn, or tour-hotiwj.
iiUle, a grid-iron.
izJedaniuDdT, a lavgh ing fool, ona
ihaC grivA at evtrythituj.
Grizzling, IfragMttg, tnlUiiig.
Oubb, a paadar, or go-bateeen.
Outt,<;reat.
Qu'ttcring, eaCiniy greediljf Iffvltliiigi.
lls.'iisas^ a dattern,
lia'baning, pr«iic(<By the «wrf Ihat
eati hapjien.
Uaoje or llani^, the purteaaaee of
anff ereaturt [in Soiueraet, lamh'a
head and pufttiance, t* the head,
heart, liner and Ughtt\
1 1 a'ntick, Jrantiek.
HarK, A<T. alio itidfor she.
1 lurrrat, harveat.
U'awchamouth, one that talkt indt-
Iltt'wUiern, a tiiid of hitch, or pin,
eitt out in, an erect board, to hang a
co'it on, or the like.
2'u llciiij, to throui.
Be'ntriug, ihort-lireaih'd, mheetuig.
Horry, moul'ly. Q-
Tb tloppy, to hop, or eapir,
He'Efe, to ht badtji off.
llu'clauuck, a liOU tingfdloie [(Awi
HncktihMiu, tht hockt, or hanit.
niukiug, $hiijjliiuj ami ehriisiiltfj up
muii fhotddcn.
Jackctaint'd, <in lynu Fattatt.
Dt, or Ett, <i gdl mu.
Kre, ki-m, or eoitt.
Kep, '1 <ap.
Keqjin*, carjH'iu/,finillruffaiUl.
Kitlepncks, a iti'nd ofbmUitu.
La.hh.ablab.
To Lsi'kee. to bt trantiitfj fnm kvote.
Lamps'd, laoi'd or harted.
Lathing, invitation.
Leevh-wdy, the path in uh ich the dtad
are carri^l to be bvried.
Ije'ery, empty, aidoaden.
lx>b]onj,anodd7iti-rlvn q/ijpoonwait.
Lode! What! Segdagl
Loir, low.
Lo'iigojipplo, a riper.
Looze, a hog-ily.
To Loustrec, to trark hard.
Lowini;, piling tip out thing on
another.
To Liindge, to Iran on angthiiiif.
Lyraptwigg, a laptfing,
M&Ur, the menile*.
6!ar!, a marvd, a vonder.
Masa, Ofxrru [mail].
Maz*)], mad, craei/, [m n nia/'d tn-tn
for maJmanJ.
Min, or Men, th^m, f.g. Put niiu up,
i.e. rut them up.
Moyle, a mule.
To Moyley, to labour hard lite a
Miiggard, tullen.
Muggotts, ehitterlinga, alao a oalf't
AN EXMOOR scolding: POSTSCRIPT.
67
To Mull, to pull and tumble one
about.
Mux, chit.
Keeald, a needle,
Niddick, the nape of the neck.
Kinniwatch, a Umjing deaire or ex-
pectation of a thing.
Nose-p;igg, a toe-piece on a ehoe,
O'avis, the eeves of a houee.
Over, material^ important^ e.g. I have
an over errand to you (p. 298 H).
To take Owl, to take amiss,
Ownty, empty.
Pa'ddick, a toad.
To Pa'ddle, to tipple.
Pa'lching, patching or mending
clothes.
Pa'lching, walking slowly.
Paine, a christening blanket, a mantle,
Pa'ncrock, an earthempan,
Pa'nking, panting,
Pa'rbeaking, fretful.
Peek, a prong, or pitchfork.
Pestle, or leg, of pot k.
Pilm, dtut raised by the wind.
To Fuig,toptuh,
Pingzwill, a boyl.
To take Pip o^ a thing, to take it ill.
Pistering, whispering.
Pixy, a fairy.
Pla'sad, in ajine condition.
To Plim, to swell, or encrease in hulk,
or to make anything swell by
heating.
Plump, a pump,
Po'dger, a platter or pewter dish.
To Po'mster, to act the emperick.
To Po'ochee, to make m/yws at a
person,
Pook, a cock of hay.
To Po'tee, to push vnth ones feet.
Priird, sour'd.
Prinked, teell dres^d,^fine, neat.
To Pritch, to check, or withstand,^
t {A term for making holes in the
leathers of cards to admit the wire.'}
Pro'sets, buskins,
Pung, push'd.
Purting or a-pu'rt, sullen,
Putch, to hand up (pitch), sheaves or
the like with a pitch-fork,
Qu'elstring, hot, sultry [sweltry],
Querking, grunting,
Quott, or Aquott, iffeary of eating ;
also sat down.
Rabble-rote, a repetition of a long
story, a tale of a tub,
Ragr'owtering, playing at romps,
Ranish, ravenous.
Rathe (not rear, as Gay has it), early,
soon, e.g. a leet rather, i.e, a little
while ago, a little sooner / [why do
you op so rathe ; or rise so early].
To Ream, to stretch.
Rearing, mocking, by repeating
another^s words with disdain, or the
like,
Reart, rig?it.
Re'artmg (i.e. righting) mending,
Rexen, rushes.
To Rey ones self, to dress ones self
[aray].
Ripping one up, telling him all his
faults.
Rittling, wheazing [quasi rattling],
Roundshaving, chidiiig erceedinjly.
Rumple, a large debt contracted by
little and little, [Somersetshire,
^TwUl come to a rumple, a breaking^
at last].
To Scorse or Scoace, to exchange,
Sewent or Suent, even, regular, all
alike,
Sheenstrads, splatterdashes,
Sherldng or sharking, an eager dosire
to cheat or defraud another.
To take a Shoard, to drink a cup too
much,
Shool, a shovel.
To shoort, to shift for a living.
Siss, a great fat woman.
Skotch or Squotch, a notch.
f2
68
SPECIMENS OF ENGLISH DIALBCCB.
Blotter, fuuUnesB.
To Qowly to tumble ones Mha^ to puU
onetiboutf dtc*
8pall8y cAtpf y aUo ihmg$ oatt in onM
teeth,
Spewiingy a boarded partitiofL
Bprejf eprtieey ingenioue.
To Sp'udlee, to itir or epread a Mng
abroad,
Squelstriiig, miJUiry.
Ste'ehopping, playing the hobby-horee.
Stewardly, like a good houeewtfe.
Ste'jran or Stean^cm aarM«r»po^ Uke
ajar.
To Stile or Stilee, to iron dothei.
StirmpBy a kind <if buskim,
Strn'mmer, a great lye.
Stro'akiDg, milking qfter a eaif hat
euctd.
Stroll, strength and agilUg.
A good Stabb, a large ewn f^f money.
Stare, a eteer, also a duet raieed,
Su'ffing, eobbing.
Swill, to swallow down ones throat,
Swillet, growing turf set on fire for
manuring the land,
Ta'Uet {i.e, top-loft) a hay loft,
Ta'nbaste or Ta'nbase, scuffling,
struggling.
Taply or Tapely, early in the morn-
ing.
Tatchy, peevish,
Teaster, the canopy of a bed.
Ted or Tet, to be ordered or permitted
to do a thing, as I Ted go home, i,e,
I am to go homo*
Terra, a turf.
To Tarvee, to struggle and tumble, to
get free,
TMtiet {Jrom Teats), breasts,
Tbak, or Th'eckee, or The'cka this is
{genercdly, not always) wfd for
That when it is a pronoun demon-
strative, but never when it is apro-
noun relative, or a eof^wnctum, in
which earn Thet «r Thaie U tk$
wordu^d,
Tfaarle, gfoifftf , Itfem.
To Thhr, Thear, Der, Dear or Den^ to
fiighien, hurt or strike dead,
Iho, tbm, at that time.
ThnmpiDg, great, huge.
To Ting, to chide severdif,
Totle, a slow, latypersonB
To'tiing, slow, idle.
Tonm, a spinning wheeL
To T(M», topuU abroad wool, dlft
Troant, a foolish fdlow, and some-
times a lasy loiterer, a irmemL
Trohibber, a husbandmanf a day-
labowrer.
Tnih, a dfitf (noe a Htfle aquifc noman,
as Bailey has ii).
Twine, iMtdbAiveRi.
To Vang, to take or reeewe.
To Vang to^ to stand sgpensor to a
chad.
ye'tilang,Jretfulness, peevi^eiess.
Wgging, sse Poteei
Vinnied, mouldy.
Vinny, a scolding-bout.
To Vit, to dress {meat, <tc),
Yitty, decent, handsome, welL
Umber, number.
Voor, a furrow.
Yore, forth.
To drew Yore, to ttoit one frith a
fault.
Vo're-days or Voar-days, late in the
day.
Vore-reert, forth-right, without cir-
cumspection,
Upaze't, in perfection,
Upze'tting, a gossiping, or christening
feast.
Vmig, receit^d,
Vull-sta'tad, see FuU-statod.
Vmxiin, a farthing,
Vm^vo^e, far, forth.,
Wo,'ng^, flabby.
Wa'shamouthe, a bUM.,
AN EXMOOR S00U)ING: POSTSCRIPT.
69
Wa'shbrew, flwmmery.
Wassa'il, a drinking song on Uodfthr
day eutf throwing toast to the apple
trees in order to have a fruitful
year; which seems to be a relick of
a heathen sacrifice to Pomona.
li Wassail, or Was-heilj to icish
health.
See Observat on Macbeth, p. 41.
We'therly, vnth rage arid violence,
Whe'nret, i a great blow;
Whi'sterpoopy ) {perhaps a back-hand
stroke).
Whitwich, a pretended cor^urer t?iat
discovers, and sells, charms for
witchcrqft,
Who'tjeoomb, w?iat d'ye call him.
Whott, hot.
MThy-vore, or for why vore, wherefore.
Wop, a vHup.
Wraxling, vjrestling.
Yallow beels or Yellow boys, guineas.
Yead, head.
Ye'aveling, evening.
Yees, eyes.
YeevD, a dwng-fork.
Ye'ning, noisy.
Ye'wmors, efmbers, hot ashes.
Yeo,afnewe.
Zennet, a week, a se^ night.
Zess, a pile of sheaves in a bam,
Zew, a sow.
Zewnteen, seventeen.
Zigg, urine.
Zinnyla, son-in-law.
Zive, a scythe.
Zo'werswopped, iU-natur^d.
Zowl, a plough.
but
** I could muster up many more words in this barbarous dialect.
Ne quid nimis.
" Devon."
" What is between hooks [ ], and the notes, is an addition
to the Vocabulary ; and we hope will not offend the author."
Gentleman's Magazine, November 1746, p. 567.
''Exon, Sept 15, 1746.
''Sir,
" On perusing the Exmoor Scolding, I find the following
words marked with an asterisk, which are omitted from the Vocabulary.
"Yours, &c.
" Dbvonibnsis."
An^e-bowlng, a method of fencing the grounds, wherein sheep are kept {in and
about Bxmoor), by fixing rods, like bows, with both ends in the ground, where
they make angles with each other; somtahat lik^ the foUotoing figure.
70 SPSCnCBNS OF VNOLISH DIALBCTB.
Antie-beer, eras vise, irregvlait,
Cnnniffling, dissemblingy flattering.
Dwalling, taUbing tumsense, ortuif ddiriouM.
Bart, or Aeit (i,e.oft),hut generidlyu»edofp(mi3Mdibm,a$mii^tAB'm^
eart that way, i. e. now thie way, now that way.
Hoaxed ! timdy qff [spoken ironAoaUyl, also koarse.
Jibb, a stiller to fix a barrel of liquor on^
Lathing or LeathiDg, invitatian,
lApj^ loose^/roe ; and sometimes the In'eaking out <{f stitchm in needUwork,
or the like,
Ort, ought f anything.
Ott, Orten, often. See Bart
RigSingy pktying the hobby-horse,
Stertlee, to startle, or hop up and down, or the like,
Tnib, signifies not only a sluttish woman, but is sometime masculine, and
denotes a slovenly looby.
Widford, a widower.
Gentleman's Magazine, Deo. 1746, p. 644.
**Exon,Dec. 8, 1746.
** Having lately been in the north parts of our connty, I
enqniied the meaning of the woid baneshave which I was doubtful
o^ and I find 'tis the Sciatica ; so that I was mistaken in my con-
jecture (p. 64), I send you a ridiculous charm which thoy use for
curing it. Had I leisure I believe I could trace the etymology of
many of our Devonshire words, and show that the worst part of the
dialect is not so barbarous as that^of Lancashire,
" A charm for the Boneshave (as the Exmoorians, who often use
it, call the Sciatica),
* The patient must lie on his back on the bank of a river or brook
of water, with a straight staff by his side, between hira and the water ;
and must have the following words repeated over him : —
Bone-shave right :
BoDc-shave straight ;
As the water runs by the stave
Good for Bone-shave.
In the name, i&c,^
" They are not to be persuaded but that this ridiculous form,of
words seldom fails to give them a perfect cure.
" Devoniensis."
I have never been able to meet with a second Edition of the
tfaig and Courtship, nor of the fifth or sixth ; but although the
W flnife appeared in a Magazine in July 1746, yet ihe third
AN EXMOOR scolding: POSTSCRIPT. 71
edition, a square 12mo.y of which a copy is in the Bodleian, bears
date 1746 — showing that the demand arose immediately after the first
publication. In this third edition the two dialogues are both printed,
but with separate titles, no mention being made of the Courtship
upon the title-page of the Scolding, which is however put first in the
pamphlet.
The same applies to the fourth edition, of which a copy is in the
British Museum, dated 1750. This fourth edition is by far the most
sumptuous I have seen ; it is small 4to., large type, and has a frontis-
piece representing two men and a woman in a disordered house.
Tables are upset and dishes broken, but there is no incident in the
dialogues which can by any stretch of imagination be supposed to be
illustrated. The printer, Andrew Brice, Exeter, is the same as the
publisher of the third edition, who is said by Sir J. Bowring to be
one of the authors. This copy bears the name "W. Upcott," and
appears at some time also to have belonged to Sir F. Madden, who
has written :—
" Bought of Bradbury, No. 2 Mortimer St., 22nd. Feby. 1850.
" I never saw another copy, and I have made large collections on
the subject. " F. Madden."
Besides this curious fourth edition the British Museum has three
copies of the seventh (1771) (which seems to be the commonest now
remaining of those printed in the last century), but no other. In
the Bodleian, besides the third edition (1746) there is the sei^enth
(1771) and a reprint of the seventh dated 1793. This last is printed
in double columns, thus explained on the title-page :
" To which is adjoined a Collateral Paraphrase in Plain English
for explaining barbarous words and Phrases,"
T. Brice, Exeter, is the Printer, but he has omitted all the notes
and the vocabulary found in the editions of 1771 and onwards.
In the Bodleian is also an exact reprint of T. Brice's issue, but
the title has " To which is prefixed a translation of the same into
plain English " —
" Exeter,— J. McKenzie & Son "
" Price only three pence "
1795.
72 /SPECIMENS OF ENGLISH DIALECTS.
This last was probably a piracy upon BrioOy wboee issne is priced
*' four pence."
*I hoped to have fonnd in this paraphrase some help towards
explaining the words not found in the vocabulary, but the entire
translation into ** plain English" is utterly worthless and beneath
contempt.
The Bodleian also possesses a "New Edition" "containing mar-
ginal notes, and a vocabulary at the End for explaining uncouth
Expressions, and interpreting barbarous words and phrases." Exeter.
" Reprinted from an Edition of 1771 by Penny & Son." 1818.
The dialogues may now be bought at the Eailway Book Stalls,
apparently reprinted from the ed. of 1771, with the preface and
vocabulary, price sixpence. •
In the Monthly Magazine^ Sept. 1814, p. 126, is a letter which
may well be reproduced here, inasmuch as it throws light upon the
pronunciation of the ch when used for the first person singular.
Monthly Magazine^ September 1814, p. 126.
" Sir,
*' Seeing lately in your Magazine a list of provincial words
used in Essex, and a wish subjoined that your correspondents
resident in diirerent places would transmit such lists from their re-
spective counties, I beg leave to offer to your notice the following
scanty vocabulary of the provincial words of Somerset, together with
a short essay on the dialect of this county, which I hope will not bo
deemed altogether unworthy of notice.
" SOMERSETIENSIS."
" Taunton, July, 1814."
Af'guefy, argue.
Aus'neyj to anticipate bad news.
Brack, flaw.
Dqff, take ofl:
D<mt, put out, extinguish.
Dumps, twilight.
VOCABULARY.
^«^' 1 simpleton.
Gawkey, '
Dumpy, short, squat. I Lissom, active.
Hell, to pour.
Hend, to throw.
Latch, fancy, wish.
Lie-a-hier, lie-dead.
AN EXMOOR SCOLDING: POSTSCRIPT. 73
Net hatfiovedy foolish.
^^'"*^'} luncheon.
Nunch, *
Ort (aught), anything.
FUlom, diut.
* RoUey, to rafl.
* Rowl, fair, leveL
Skiver, skewer.
Swant, proper.
Thick, that
Tottle, totter.
Trapes, slut.
* Upsetting, christening.
Wap, to beat.
''Those marked thus* peculiar to
Exmoor.
"It is a very common observation that the pronunciation of
Somerset is more vitiated than that of any other county, so much so
that a thorough-bred Somerset-man is with difficulty understood in
various parts of England. The cause of this does not consist so much,
I think, in the use of provincial words, the inhabitants of this county
not making use of so many as those of various other counties, but
from a mispronunciation of those words which they make use of. It
has always been my opinion that this fault arises in a great measure
from a sort of indolence which prevents the people of Somerset from
making use of those consonants which require an effort to articulato
well, such as / and s, and relaxing into v and z, as father, vatker ;
Somerset, Zomerzet ; and of those combinations of consonants which
not only require an effort to pronounce them, but are offensive to a
delicate ear, in which cases they either interpose a vowel or omit one
of the consonants, as posts, posies ; desks, deskes ; needle, neel ; with
me, wV me ; a pound of butter, a pourU o* butter,
" Another effect of this indolence is the lengthening or dwelling on
the vowels, so as to make them sound almost like diphthongs, as, none,
WHin ; fool, v(H>L ; door, doo-er, &c.
" They also make use of the word he nearly through the whole of
the present tense of the verb to be, as, / be — thou beest (pronounce
hi8t)y lie is, we, you, they, be. They terminate the preterite tense and
participle past of most verbs, in d — as, I saw, or have seen; / zeed, or
have zeed ; gid for gave or given, &c. They always use 'en for him
{ihn, Grerman), and ^em for they or them, both in affirmation and
interrogations, and *er (Grerman er) for he in interrogations only, as,
did they see him 1 did ^em zee^en? did he give them anything ) dicTer
gC *em ort (aught) / give him, gi^ ^en, &c.
"They change the snt in such contractions as isn't, was'nt, into
cf 71, as, isn't he 1 id^7i er 1 was'nt he 1 wad'n er ] but they say lianH er f
for hasn't he 1 to distinguish it from hcufn er, hadn't he )
"Beside these generad corruptions there are a few peculiar to different
parts of the county. At Marlock, Yeovil, and the adjacent places,
they make use of che, (pronounced almost like the French je), for /,
as eh'ill, 1 will ; ch'ave, I have, &c. Nor do they pronounce the final
r at all ; except by relaxing the sound of the vowel that precedes it
into that sound which the French designate by eut, in the word pent ;
and if it exists in English, in the syllable er in porter, &€., in the
74
SPETtME^ie OF ESGLian mALEPTS.
r 03 the modern Paristana pronounce Jille (fi-eu), door,
doo-eu; ppar, pKa-eu, &a.
"Of the dialect of the inliabitonts of Esmoor, the moat nestom part
of this caunty, I can give you little ot no information ; it is 90 very
corrupt thut no one can understand it who hag not been bred araocg
them. If you could pracuie a pamphlet, piibUshcd aonietime Binuu,
entitled, I think, " the Esmoor Scolding,' you might give your
readera a Dpecimon of it. If I meet with it you niny depend on a
Commnuiciition. It is from seeing that work soma yeira since that I
have been enabled to recollect tboao two or three (1 words) inserted in
the vocabulary marked with an asterisk.
"I must conclude with the hope that, if any of your readers sfaonld
eome into Zomorzctshire, they may Snd this essay of real utility, both
ill underntauding the inhabitants, and in making themsetvee undemtood
by them."
In the Monthli/ Magazine of November, 1814, p. 330, Mr. J.
Jennings writes a long letter from HiinlepiU, dated September
loth, 1814, in reply to the above, and stating many particidars
as to tlie dialocti ea«t and west of the I'arrott, all of which,
together with a considerable li«t of words accompanying the letlcr,
have since been published in Jennings's ' Dialect of the West of
England,' John Kussell Smith, ISCU.
A N
Exmoor COURTSHIP;
O R, A
SUITORING DISCOURSE
IN THE
Devonf/iire DiALECT and MODE,
NEAR
The FOREST of EXMOOR.
CR3NCRQK;H3CH88SfCCRCRCK9a<XKX^
The Perfons.
Andrew Moreman, a young Farmer,
Margery Fagwell, his Sweetheart.
Old Grammer Nell, Gramxner to Margery.
Thomafin, Sifter to Margery.
A N
7S
AN EXMOOK COUETSHIP;
SCENE Marfftr^t Home.*
To Ma^gBij eMier Andrew.*.
SIC Amdrem. TTOW goeth et, Coaen Vaqga^ t«
Margery. Hoh! CoBsa A]idi% how d'ye tijt
Andrew. Come^ let^s ahake Hondsy* tboff KiMiiig be*
320 Margery. Kiflsing's plenty enow '^ bet cbnd so leefe* kisB the
Back o' ma Hond es e'er a Man in Cballacomby or yeet in
Paiacomb ; no Diapreze.*
^ Ccurtihip u aliteiaiy word-Hfcy^-firtom, 'ooortiDg,' alone is heaid in the
dialect
< Another Uteraryinn— a person's home is never heard of— It would be
Maarjuriez aewz, H<mi£ ie vaedojAy in iheseoaeotiU home ; Bs^lunuMeiUiur
aumf 'is master at home?' In early editions of 1746 it is house,
* Again, this would be— jTm Maa'jurie hawaUh Anrdr— enter is altogetber
too stagy a word.
. * This salutation is thcmraghly Teroacular. See Prefooe, p. 15.
* J have never heard Aoiuit— this pronunciation is obsolete, but only
recently so. Jennings (W. of E. Dialect) gives hon for hand as used so lately
as 181^ in East Somerset No doubt hond is the old West Countiy pronuDcia-
ikm-^kx Robt ol Glonoester (Will the Conq., ed. Monis and^^Skeat^ L 41),
* d %or Harold adde ie o^ (broke
M Ae euor mid i$ ri^ hond J
77
U AK'SMOAR KOO'URTSHUP;
SAIN Maa'Jureez au'm.*
Tu Maa'juree avntur An'dr.'
Andrew, A ew gooth ut, Kuuzn Maa juioe 1^ 316
Margery, Hoa* ! Kuozn An'dr, aew d-ee tiaay )
Andrew, Kauin^ latns aheeiik hauns,^ thauf Kees'Sen bee^
8kee*)i8.
Margery. Keee'een-z plai'nteeunfeo* ;^ biit ch-iid zu leev^ kees dhu 320
iMiak u mil haan uz ae*ar a mae*tin een Chaal'iknm, or eet een
Paarikmn ; noa deespiaa'yz.^
So abo ^niliam of Shoreham, k,j>, 1307 (I>e Baptismo, 1 121), says^
' Ye prest takep \>at ilke child
In Ms honden by-thuixte.*
* This be is emphatic, otherwise it would be thauf kees'enrt shee&s.
^ See ' Somerset Man's Complaint,' p. 9.
* This 18 still the usual phrase, alternating with tu zeo *t»— it implies readiness
more than [neference. In the ' Ohronicon Yilodunense,' a.i>. 1420 (ed. Hoare,
1830), we find Stanza 274 referring to St Editha—
' For leper here was \>epore tojffedu'
Tins b also a good example of the use of A^ as a nominativa (See W. S.
Gram., p. 35.)
' Spelt dispreise^ L e9-^ispreise in Ed. I. to IV. 1746. It must haye beea
pronoanoed as with long i— precisely like the modem Cockney praise.
78
Amdrm. £• doot bdiere fltftB* ;i joet «* befiovB ^vdl ftooL
[Swop! hmlammm^wmagi^
32S Maryerff. Bempb—Ohl tha veiy Vei^asan oofc oT Oftt^
Hm hast A eieeni*d m Tesiiii%> and Anioit a bort naSadL — Wall,
lei» Tor all, liow dort tij, ei* wej. Omen Andmt Si kanfc a aoed
je^ Agnrt wliik.
AMdnw* Whjy £ith, Coaen Maigutj, iiati 'MarrT—tiMn^
330e'fe niica ea acoart* a Taek or fcvo vaj B^gar Tngwdl lathar
Daj.— Bet aaga :^ ea tient'd en & Tagged an ao^ tliat ball rmi ak tot
wone whOe, chcQ wamdj.'
Mcu^er}^ How, Cooen Anlra ! Whj aa tlioit* yoa coodant a
TOrt'io.
« I Mfw heard cAa«e-4ie der of tiie origmal uile ■ aure Oa the
lona. (SeeW.aGnuiL,pu31) In Fint Bd. it b cAafc, dwrfy aa cnnr of Ab
offigiDal aixtbor. See letter of 'Defoiiiani,'pw M.
s In E<fitioiif L to IT. ae find awl Mf at Maipfli^ Jc TMi liiaiiaaTaliw
of yeC is the oolj eorreet one. I cannoi aeeoont Cor tile loHaliaa €< tfaa f ia Ae
tart, CTcept that it ■ fooad and aoanded in tha I fcaai j fiC flaaaolato
L 110, pu 38.
* The spdfingof arm» iritt W%^ tidnk, an cn ca a y aaoad aadU be
ineiitable, with a dlphthonsr afler a dose Yowd, ai ait mtmwu^ dki miid^
which caoDOt be uttered without the y soond.
* In the first four editions, both ea^ in this fine are written eet, a fonn
which is still common in interrogatire sentences^ (See W. 8. Gnm., p. 34.)
^ I am confinned in the concla^^ion expressed in Note 2, by the transcrihcff't
writinfj y« with a y which is never sounded — aew b-te'i 'how ye be?' d-te
dhaewjkt-4 <xz7 tue u vran'sf 'do you think it wiQ hold to a frost?' (very
common idiom) ; you in 1. 333 is spelt etm 1st ed.
* In the early editions this wurd is written Kor$t — which still rqneeents
the sr>iind more nearly than the text.
^ A quasi oath, still heard occanonally, but I cannot interpret it
* Here the transcriber denotes the 2nd pera. pL by simple jf— pronoimoed
precisely the same as when spelt y€, as aboTe in L 32S.
•—• In many words ending in ugfu this r is inserted, as in noit, L 329 ; mi^
L 167 ; hrort » brought ; bort — bought ; ecrtj 1. 3S9.
• {Sou to Ed. of 1778.) Thate is the proper Word here, according to the
Bzmoor Dialect ; thou;;h Thek was in the former Editions improperly inserted
fnsteal thereoi TLs true the Word Thek, as well as Theckee or Thecka, is
(generally but not always) used for That, when it is a Pronoun Demonstrative :
but never when it is a Pronoun Relative, or a Conjunction, in which Cases Thet
or Thate is the Word used. The Devonians however in their Distinction
AN EXMOOR CX)UBTSH1P. 79
Andrew. Es doan bleev dliaet,*^ eet es^ bleev wuul tde*.
[Zwaup ! u keeeih un smuuglth ur.
Margery, Haemf — Oa*l dhu vuur'ee Vai'njuns aewtu dhu 1 — 325
Dh-as u-kraimd mi ae-urmz,* un umaus u-buus mu Nak. — Wuul,
bdt Yur au'l, aew d(is traay, es^ zai, Euuz*n An*dr1 Es aa'n u-zeed
ee* u guurt wuyuL
Andrew. Waay, faa'th, Kuuzn Maa'juree, noa'uit xnaarcbuntubl,
ae'ur sdnz es skoa'urst^ u taa*k ur tiie wai Eaj'ur Yraugwiil taedh'ur 330
daL — Biit z'uugz 1^ es tremd un vag'd-n zoa, dhut u-1 veeill ut vur
wan wuyul, ch-dl wauTnd-ee.®
Margery. Aew, Kuuz'n An'dr ! Waay es dhaurt® yiie kk)dii u
vaurt^ zoa.
between Theck or Theckee, and That, do not altogether conform to that which
our Saxon Ancestors made between Thyilic or Thylc, (whence the Scotch Tliilk)
Thyllice or Thylce, hie db hcec tcdU, and their That or Thaet, by which they
commonly expressed, ic?, illum^ illudf isitidf hoc^ istoc, &c The Devonshire
Use of these Words may be exemplified by the foUowing Phrases :
" Hot* s thet tha zest 1 What a gurt Lee es thate ! The Man thet told
tha thecka Story, thof a murt zey theeze Theng and thicky, whan a had a
Parwobble weth tha, to make hes Tale hang vittily together, coul*dn't bleeve et
'es own zell : Shore and shore, thek Man should a' had the Whitstone."
This is the proper Exmoorian Language, and in plain English runs thus :
''Whafs that thou sayest? What a great Zye is that ! The Man who told
thee that Story, though he might say this and that Thing when he held a
Parley (or Conference) with thee, the better to connect and embellish his Tale,
could not believe it himself : Verily and indeed that Man should have had the
Whetstone."
And here it may be requisite to observe, that the Whetstone is deemed a
proper Present for a notorious Liar, or one who has asserted the Truth of an
incredible Story, by Way of Allusion to the following Anecdote, from whence
we learn the real Origin thereof :
'* Two Journeymen Shoemakffl*s working together in the same Shop, in or
near Exeter, had a Dispute concemmg their Property in a Whetstone, (a neces*
sary Implement of theirs) each cliuming it as their own : At length it was pro-
posed that he of the two that could tell the greatest Lie, in the Judgment of a
third Person then present, to whose Decision it was referred, should have the
Whetstone to his own Use : This being agreed to, the One to make sure of it
asserted, that he once drove a Nail through the Moon; the other readily
acknowledged this to be true, swearing that he at the same Time stood on the
other Side of tiie Moon and clinch'd it Upon which this latter was immediately
adjudged to have an indisputable Title to the Whetstona Hence the Whet-
stone came to be deemed a proper Present for a notorious Liar ; and hence
every great Lie^ when intend^ to corroborate another, is called a Clincher."
80 SPECIMENS OF ENGLISH DIALECTS.
335 Andrew. Why, 'twos oil about thee, miin; vor ee cban'i^
hire an* eel Word o' tha.
Margery. How ! about me ! Why, why vore about me,
good zweet' nowl Of a Ground* ha can*^ zey no Harm by* ma.
Andrew. Well, well, no MaterJ Es couden hire tha a run®
340 down, and a roilad upon zo, and zet still like a Mumchanoe,
and net pritch* en vort
Margery. Why, whot, and be hang'd to en, cou'd a zey o' me a
gurt Meazell
AndretD. Es begit tha Words now; — bet ha loilad zo, that
345 es coudent bear et — Bet a dedent lost^® hes Labour, fath; vor
es toz'd en,^^ es lamb'd en, es lace'd en, es thong'd en, es drash'd en, es
drubb'd en,^ es tann*d en to the true Ben, fath : Bet step ! ^ cham
avore ma Story. ^^ Zes I, Thee, thee art a pretty Vella!
Zos he, Grar, thee cassent make a pretty Vella o' ma. No
350 agar, zeys I, vor th' art too ugly to^^ be made a pretty
Vella, that's true enow. Gar, a was woundy mad^* thoa.^''*
1 This is clearly an error— it could not have been es chanty but the common
tharU for shall net.
* This an is a literarjrism. (See W. S. Gram., p. 29.)
• Good now is a very common phrase, but I never heard good sweet now I
* This is quite obscure.
* Another literaryism — the double negative, u kaa'n zai noa; 'he can't say
no ' would be the tnie idiom.
• This h>/ is the rejjular idiom, and means against, as appHed to conduct
or character — the sense would have been identical if the word hann had been
omitted, and it had been written, ha cant ze^j nothhij by ma. The wonl is
used here precisely in the same sense as — * I know notliing by myself.' — 1 Cor.
iv. 4.
' No ma^^er— impossible for a native — no odds would have been the
expression.
^ run is always uurn, the true descendant of the O.E.
• r followed by a short u or short i always changes places, as huursh, bOrj
(bridge), firch (rich).
i« To lose is still io lost. (See W. S. Gram., p. 49.) Here the editor of 1771
has rightly corrected the text — in the early Editions it is looze.
" All these different words, to repeat the same act, are thoroughly character-
istic of the custom still in use, though perhaps a little exaggerated. I have
often heard boasts nearly as verbose and absurd.
♦ {Note to Ed. of 1778.) Tho or Thoa is used for Then when spoken of
Time past; but Than when referred to Time future. (See L 360.)
AN EXMOOR COURTSHIP. 81
Andrew, Waay, twnz aul ubaewt dhee, mun ; vur es-shaant^ 335
uyiir u^ ee'ul wuurd u dhu.
Margery, Aew ! ubaewt mee ! "Waay, waay voaT ubaewt mee,
g^od zweet^ naew ? Uv u Graewnd* u kn^ zai noa aaTm buy ^ mu.
Andrew, Wuul, wuul, noa maat'ur.^ Es kk>d-n uy-ur dhu u-uum®
daewn, un u-rauylud upaun zoa, un ziit stee'ul lik u muum'chaaDSy 340
un niit piirch-n® vaur-t.
Margery. Waay, haut, un bi ang* ttie un, kted u zai u mee, u
guurt Mai'zl ?
Andrew, Es begit* dhu wuurdz naew ; biit u rauylud zoa, dhut
es keod-n baenir ut — Bdt u daed-n laust^^ liz lae iibur, faa'th; vur 345
es toa*uz-n,^^ es laam un, es lae'iis-n, es dhaungd-n, es draa'shd-n, es
druub-m,^* es tan un tu dhu triie Bain, faa'th : Biit staap !^' ch-iim
uvoaT mi stoaTee^* — Zaez aay, Dhee', dhee urt u puur-tee vael'u !
Zaez ee", GraaT ! dhee kas-n mak u puur'tee vaelni oa* mu. ^Noa
AgaaT, zaez aay, vur dh-urt ttie* uugiee tu^* bee mae'M a puur'tee 350
vaelni, dhaetrs trtieunk)*. GraaT, u wauz waewn'dee^* mad dhoa.^^
" Drummed in early Editions.
'3 Sup in the text is an error— in the First Ed. it is itctp — which is still the
only pronunciation of stop.
i« Uvore my story is the regular idiom for * I am digressing.' A scandal is a
stoa'r,
IS This clause is too literary, it should be, * tiU uug*Ue vwr tu hee u-mae'ud
upuurtee v<iel'u oa',* with distinct stress on the final preposition of. The
speaker would certainly not have omitted either of the prepositions. The for
before the infinitive of purpose is nearly invariable, as in O.E. ; and the final qf
is equally a part of the construction. See note 16, p. 83.
i« Clench. * An In-and-in : a woundy brag yov/ng veUow,
As the *port went c^ him then, and in those days,^
Ben Jonson, Tale of a Tub. Act I. Sc. 2.
Medlay. ' Indeed there is a woundy luck in names, sirs.
And a vain mystery,*— Tale of a Tub. Act lY. Sc. 11.
" (See W. S. Oram., p. 86.) Tho is used for then, throughout the Wilton
Chronicle, a.d. 1420, as—
* Five monerpepuU here dweUyd }^o, — Stanza 12.
To wex \>e Bretonesfor hurr^ synne ;
Pictis and Scottys and Hyrisshe also ;
And (^ Denmarkes come ^ first ynne*
' )h> aUa baysdi/ette,* — Stanza 217.
. ' To WyUon ano ]>o come he ytpys.^StuoA 351, ed. Hoare.
o
»PECI)fBX3 OF RXGLKU DIALECTS.
dl try Umle, seys he. — As' mora that wut, ms I.
lO np a rose, luid to'l wk' went Vurst a geed nia a Whister-
poop under tha Year, and voiewey a geod ma a VvUcli in tha
■er. Ad, iboa^' ea lakod^ up, and tuck en be tha Collar, and
hos'd en, and ilapp'd en, that es made hes K.«p hoppy, and hee Yead
idle to« en,
Margery. Well, ea thent ye, (Joien Andra, vor taking wone's'
eart w>. — Bet cham agest he'll go Tor a Vatraot • vor ye, biuI take
bevore tha Cunsabel ; and than ye mey ' b« bound over, dnd
I vorat* to g* in to Exeter to Zisee ; and than a mey ^ xwoar
iPeace of e8,*ytin know. — Eaen'" et bettertodienk Yriendfi and make
upt
Andrew. Go vor a Tarrant I • Ad, lot en, let en go ; cheU net
inder en : Ver there's Tom Vusz can take his comoral Oath that
he begun" vurst. — And if he deth, cheU ha' as'* gooda Varmnt* vor
I, aa he can vor me, dont (juesaon et : Vot the Turuoy into**
MoulUin knowth me, good now, and has'* had Kome zweet Paunda o'
Vautliec'^ bevore ha dy'd. And if he's a meonded to '^ go to La, ee can
peiid Vorty'* or Vifty Shillijiga as'^ well's be. And zo 1st en go,
' This is quite wrong— «u MO'n-i dhu wtU ia the correct idiom.
' We ia a iiteraryism— it should be e« or uut jcarnt.
* i^ e., wake up aa out of sleep — rouse oneself . The same word is used, 1 IH.
* Aadle vor'n would be the true idiom — aadU to nt as in tiie text Bounds
quite foreign to the dialect.
' Thisespreasionisimpossibleintbedialect The espressiou in this case would
certainly be—lakeen u dn-abawdeez pafurt-io. (See W. S. Oram., 38, 39.)
'— '— • Wan-aTU is a common word, and it is quite foreign to tbe
dialect to pronounce w ta v. Id Ed. 1746 the word ia spelt warratU—the
change t« vatranl is an eiror of tlie editor of 1771, who doubtless desired to
make his dialect as marked as pos^ble.
'— ' May blitenuy; never heard in the dialect {SeeW. S. Ol«m,,p. 71.)
The ^ in ^e i» never sounded, althoogh so persistently written throughout tbeae
dialogues. It is clear that p is a very doubtful consooaut ia such words aa
j/earmt, I. 326 ; i/eet. See note 2, 1. 323.
" Tbe transcriber has made two errors in this word— it is one of those which
always keeps the / sharp, while it drope the r; as a noun the word Jbrce ia
unknown. A third error is the omission of the partidpial pretix.
' Here, where it is manifestly first person plutal, is the same spelling as is
throughout supposed to represent /.
'° L e. I^ni it better. Here et stands for Is. This it ia emphatic^ otlterwise
iroold be oM-n vt. (See W. S. Oram., p. DS— 61.)
AN EXMOOR COURTSHIP. 83
Ch-dl tray dhaet, zaez ee. Uz^ z^'n-z dhu wiit, zaez aay. 352
Zoa aup u roa'zd, un tde-t wee^ wai*nt. Vuust u gid mu a wiis'tur-
p^op uim'dur dhu yuur, un voa'rwai u gid mu u vuulch een dhu
lee iir. Ad, dhoa* ^" es raeiikud^ aup, un tuuk-n bi dhu Kaulur, un 365
zoa bauks-n, un zlaap-n, dhut es mae'tid liz kcp aup'ee, un iz aid
adl tiie* un.
Margery. Wuul, es thaengk-ee, Kuuz'n An'dr, vur tak'een waunz*
pae'urt zoa. — But ch-iim agaast-u-1 goa vur u Waar'unt* vaur ee, un tak
ee bivoaT dhu kuun'subl ; un dhan ee miid^ bee u-baewn oa'vur, un 360
bee u-foo-iis® tu g-een t-Aek'stur tu Suyziiz ; un dhan u miid^ zwae'fir
dhu pai's oa es,^ yu noa. — Uz-n^® ut bad'r tu draengk vrainz un mak
ut aup?
Andrew, Goa vur a Waarmnt !* Ad, lat-n, lat-n goo ; ch-iil ntlt
een'dur-n : Vur dhur-z Taum Vuuz kn tak liz kaur-nural oaiith dhut 366
eebigeend^i vuus. — Un-eef u diith, ch-iil ae'u zu^^ g^du Waanrnt* vur
ee, z-ee kan vur mee, doa'n kwaes'n ut : Vur dhu TuumSe een*tu^*
Moaitn noa'tith mee, g^od nuw, un-dh^* u-ad zum zweet paewnz u
vau'dhur^* uvoaT u duyd. Un-eef ee-z u-mee*ndud tu^^goo tu Laa, esktln
spai'n vauT'tee ^® ur veef 'tee shdl'eenz uz *^ wuul-z ee. Un zoa lat-n goo, 370
^1 Begun is literary, not dialect. (See W. S. Gram., p. 46.)
^* ^« is impossible here.
>' The market or neighbouring town is always spoken of as into — ' Send into
market *— * He livth into Lynton town.' Maulton here means South Molton.
^* Has of the text is literary— Ao^A is the proper word contracted after and
intodA.
^ In the Editions up to 1750, Father is in this case, and generally elsewhere,
spelt veatheff pronounced vavdhur. In a few cases only in those editions we
find vauther.
** Should be vur tu goo tu Laa, Law is still pronounced tiius. The use of
the prep, for before the infinitive of purpose is nearly invariable. (See W. S.
Gram, p. 52.) Just as it is in the old writers—
' Swete Itfdi geinte Marie, uor )^e mucheU blisse ]>et tu h^dest ]^
\>u iseie \nne brihte Ui^ful sune \>et te Gyus wmden vorto
A}^ru9emeny ase ano]^er dea^lich num.*
(Ancren Riwle, ed. Camden Society, p. 40.)
See also Chronicon Yilodunense, ed. Hoare, Stanzas 100, 101, and through-
out the poem. Of this use endless quotations might be given.
" See p. 80, 1. 351.
i> Forty vioAffty are generally pronounced with tiie/ quite sharp as in lit
Eng., while ybur and^e are always vaau-ur^ vai -v. See remarks by DevonieDsis,
p. M. 1' Should be, to wU a$ he,
o 2
STECimSft UF BSGUSB OULBCTS.
d wluiw* what a zeta* npon a' Zendeyv mj hes TamnL* But
ug to, let's Im nam mon to ny «boat eo ; tot cIutc better
■CHDK* u Hand k gut duL*
[Ha takes lioU of Ler & [udiUea in ber Keck & BoMtn.
MargtTjf. Cotn«, be qtut«,' — be quite, es loy,' a grabbliDg o'
tmei'i* Tettics. — £s woot ha' ma Tetties a grabbled co; iwr 6S
iDt be* mnlUd «od •oolad. Stand uide,'* come, gi' o'er.
AnJrvic. Lock, lock ; how skittuh we be now ; yon
rent '^ so skittuh wejr Rester Hoscgood op to DtaaXitj
at'a Up-aiHing. — So, no, joa weraot" ao aklttiah thoa,
r Ba aquearaiab netbei. — He mttrt moll; and sonUy tell" a
■9 weary."
Margery. Es belieye the veij Dowl'a in Yoke vor loeing.
Andreie. Bow ; sore and sure you wont deny et, wuU ye,
^n oil tba Voaken" took Xote^ o' et.
Margery. Why, Cozen Andrs, thes wofl the whole Fump o"
r Besenese.'* Cbaw'r" in wey en'" to tiaunoo; and whan the
innce was out, tha Croud cry'd Squeak, squeah, squeak, (as a
«tb to do,'^ you know) and a cort ma about the Neck, and wouJ«nt
ja a sed,** but a woud kias ma, in spitti o' ma, do wlmt es coud to
bender en. — Es could a botst tha Croud in Shivers, and tha
Crouder too, a void*" Zlave as*' a woe, and bes Yiddlestick into
the Bargain.
' ThU word is Tery cmphstdc, and hence the strong aspirate.
' Id the Exmoor district the tk inflection is quite the rule, and psrtieulsriy
with such words as »i(, wet, fret, eat, vmlk, (ai«— which all have (A only, and
not eth ; late becomes tafukth or takth.
' Mtsprint in the text See Betenete, I. 387.
' Id rapid apeeeh the t of gwirt glides iuto the d of dttd — thus it ia alwayi
u guvr-dae-al for a great deal.
* Quitt is always a mooosyllable. Id the early editions this was written
giiiet— hut has been very property amended in the 7th.
' See p. 82, note 6.
' En zeySa improbable — the two nbilants destroy each other, in rapid epeeih.
' 'Y\as»\\o<AA\iegr<A-leemifineebavdeeit6i-eei. 8eeW.8.Gram.,pp.38,39.
' In early editions this was inotU be io mullad, a much better reading than
the test.
'" This ia quite Utei&ry— aside it unknown. 8he would not have used such
an expression under sucb provocation — she would have said ffit wot'. Tbe
idiom of ttand atide is ttan u wan tuj/d (stand.on one Ride).
AN EXMOOR COURTSHIP. 85
nn hwuyp^ haut u ziit-th* upaun* u Ziin-dSez wai iSz Waar-unt.* But 371
ang un, lat-s ae'ii noa'urt moo'ur tu zai ubaewt-n ; vur ch-uv bad'r
biis'unees* een haund u guur-dae'iil.*
[TJ takth oa'ld oa ur, un pad '1th een ur nak-n bunz'um.
Margery. Kau'm, bee* kwnyt,* — ^biekwuyt*, u zai' u grabieen u 375
waunz® tut'eez. — Es oa'iint ae*ii mi tiit-eez u-grabid zoa; nur es
oa'ont be® u-muul'ud un suwlud. Stan uzuyd ;^® kau'm, gi oa'ur.
Andrew, Lauk, Lauk ; aew skiSt'eesh wee bee naew ; yiie
wae'iirant^^ zu skilt'eesh wai Kaes'tur Oa'zgted, aup tu Daamtee
Vuuziiz aup-ziit'een. — Noa, noa, ytie wae'iirunt^^ zu skilt'eesh dhoa, 380
nur zu skwai'meesh naedh'ur. — Ee muurt muul'^e un suwlce tael^^ u
wiiz wae'iiree.^*
Margery. Es bleev dhu vuur'ee Duwl-z een voak vur lee'een.
Andrew. Aew ; 8hoa*iir un shoa'iir yiie oa*n denuy ut, wul Se,
haun aul dhu voa-kn^* t^k noautees oa ut. 385
Margery. Waay, Kuuz*n An*dr, dhiis wuz dhu woai fuump u
dhu busninees.^^ Ch-auT^* een wai un*' tu dau'ns ; un haun dhu
dau'ns wuz aewt, dhu kraewd kniyd skwik, skwik, skwik (uz u
jrue'zuth tu diie,^® yu noa) un u kau'iirt mu baewt dhu nak, un wiid-n
bee u-saed,^* biit u wild kees mu, een spuyt u mu, diie haut es kfeod tu 390
ee'ndur-n. Es k^od u buns dhu kraewd een shiivurz, un dhu
kraewdur tiie, u vuwul*^ Zlae'uv uz^^ u wauz, un liz Fdd-lstik een'tu
dhu baar'geen.
11 _ii xhe present form would be yiU waud-n. The werent of the text sounds
too bookish.
" I doubt if till or until would have been used— it should be gin or vore.
*' I never heard weary in the dialect—it should be vore u vmz u-tuy-urd.
^* Quite obsolete. See note, 1. 197.
^' This being rather a *fine' word, it is lengthened out into its fuU three
syllables. This is doubtless intended to be conveyed in the text
^^ Quite obsolete. This form evidently stands for / war or were,
^^ This phrase * in with him * is peculiar, but thoroughly vernacular— it
implies in the ring made by the company while two of the party performed a
reel or some other pas de deux. Square dances were not known, and are not
now danced by tiie real peasantry at the revels, gossippings, or club walkings
when dancing is the usual evening diversion.
^* Do here is literary— the dialect omits the verb, uz u yiU'zuth tiU,
^* t. e. refused, resisted. Compare gainsaid,
^ This is not a dialectal word. It may have been used, but I doubt it
'^ Am is literary. Slave that he wa$ is the more probable expression.
SPECIUBHB OF BKGLISH DIALECTS.
Andrew. Well, well, ea b'ent angiy, mun.^ — And m lot's
«. a and Vriends," [Kisses her.] Well, bet. Cozen Ha^eiy,
Dii thea while' ea hant told tha ma Arrant; — and chava an ovur
Arrant to tha, mun.'
Margery. [Simpering.] Good sweet now, wtot Arrant ea ctl
^ marl whot Arrant yn can ha' to me.
Andraic. Wliy, vath,* chell toll tha. Whot Eigai»ie8* et la
leoco tha Materl'^ Toa thoal halna Dolus wut ha' mal
Margery. Ha mal Whot'a thatet Es cant tell whot ya mc-ii»
Andrem. Why, than, chell tell tha vlat and plean. Ya know ea
} Challacomb-Moor in Hond;' tes vull elated:' But cham
ehonge a Live* for throe Valtow-beels. And than there's tha
int np to Parracomi) Town ; And whan ea bo to Parracorab, ea must
\' wone'" that es can trest to look arter tlia gerred-teal'd MeaieU,
id to zar" tha lit and tha Barm, and melk tha Kee to Ghallu-
nb, and t« look arter tha Thenga o' tha Houze,
Margery. Varjuice! Why, Cozen Andia, a good steddy
Tanf can do oil thee.
Aivlre\e. Po, po, po ! chell treat no Zarrants.^' — And more bs
10, than they'll ley by" me, aa" they ded by" Gaffer Hill tether
116 Day : They made two Beda, and ded g* in to wona — No, no, ea
bant ta mad nether. i* — Well, bet, look, deat zee,'* Coien
' — * See note, I. KL Kitreme familiarity is here implied, as also in L 355.
' The omission of the Terb 6^ aa in this mstance, is very ccramon. (Bee
W. S. Gram. , p. 57. )
* AV. this ichile is not dialect, and has no bosineaa here. Some such
eipresaion as aa-dr au'l (after all), or haum tu laa'i (come to last), the latter
noBt likely, would liave been used.
* This word is pronounced faath, with the / quite sharp— it is spelt so in
many places in the teit ; i. g. 11. 345, 317.
* Not a (Ualectal word — such words, and indeed this whole sentence, tends
to bring the entire ' Courtship ' into discredit as a fitithful record.
* What do Bxmoor natJTea even now know about mineing tht matter .'—
hefvt-baewt-dku bfoth (beat about the bush), is wiiat the; would comprehend.
' An owner is said to keep land in hand when he farms it liimeelf.
* Futl-ttaled, a technical quasi law-term, impljing that ' the three lives' are
all now surviving, but the context shows that one of the lives was not a
and hence he was to substitute a better upon peTment of a fine.
AN EXMOOR COURTSHIP. 87
Andrew, Wuul, wuul, es bae'unt ang'groe, mun.^ — Un zo lat-s
kees-n Vrai-nz.* [Keesth ur.] Wuul biit Kuuzn Maajuree, 395
aul dhiis wuyul' es aa*n u-toa*l dhu mi Aar'unt ; — un ch-uv u oa^vur
Aarnint tu dhu, mun.^
Margery, [Siim-pureen.] Gted zweet naow, haut aarunt liz ut?
Es maar'ul haut Aar'unt ee kn ae'u tu mee.
Andrew. Waay, fiaath/ ch-iil tuul dhu. Haut zign-eevuyz* ut tu 400
maens dhu Maat'ur]* Taez dhdsl boa'lus noa'lus wiit ae'ii mul
Margery, Ae-ii mu? Haut-s dhact? Es kaa'n tuul haut ee mai'n
bi dhaet.
Andrew, Waay, dhdn ch-iil tuul dhu vlaat-n plae*un. Yu noa es
kip Chaalikum-Moa-ur een aund -y"^ taez v^ol stae'iitud :® but ch-aam 405
tu chaunj u loyv* vur dree yal'ur bee'iilz. Un dhan dhur-z dhu
Lant aup tu Paarikum-taewn : Un haun es bee tu Paar-ikum es mtis
ae'u wan^^ dhiit es kn trds tu l^ok aa'dr dhu guur'ud taayiild Mai'zlz,
un tu saai^^ dhu tLlt un dhu baar'u, un miilk dhu Kae*ee tu Chaal*i-
kum, un tu l^ok aa'dr dhu dhengz u dhu aowz. 410
Margery, Oa Vaar-jees ! waay, Kuuz'n An'dr, u g^d stdd'ee
Saar'unt^^ kiin dtie aul dhiis.
Andrew, Poa, poa, poa ! ch-iil tnis noa Saarunts.^2 — Un moo'ur-n
zoa, dhan dhaiul zai bi ** mee,uz ^* dhai daed bi^^ GaafurEe'ul taedh'ur
dai : Dhai mae'ud tu^ bai'dz, un daed g-een tu wan. — Noa, noa, es 415
baeiint zu mad naedhnir.^* — Wuul biit, Ifeok, d-ee zee,^^ Kuuz-n
* In North Devon, the district here named, a good deal of the land was*
until very recently, held upon leases for lives, renewable upon payment of fines
and quit rents. The custom was and is to pay a smaller fine during a survival for
the right to exchange an old life for a younger one. This is still called ' chang-
ing a life.' This tenure is becoming rarer, as the Ecclesiastical Commissioners —
the great reversioners of these lands — are refusing to continue the system.
»• This would be somebody, not one,
" Serve is always aciar, not zar. See * Devoniensis,' p. 64.
II — II So servant is never zarrant. See * Devoniensis,' p. 64.
18 — u ^y is used when what is said of a person is derogatory. Natives would
never think of speaking well by a person ; they always speak well q/'him. See
p. 80, Note 6, also W. S. Gram., p. 89.
^* Aa here is a literaryism— it should be sae'tim-z (same as) or ee'nt, (See
W. 8. Gram., p. 66, Note 1.)
" This would now be nuudh'ur,
** In a coaxing, persuadve sentence, a native would never use the 2ud pers.
idng. except to a child. He would invariably use thepIuraL (See W.S. Gram., p. 35.)
Sl'KCIMENS OF KSOLISH KIALECTS.
Hagery; zo vur vore ea tha wul' hn" mo, chell put thy- Live
pon Parracomb Down. Tea wor' twenty Nobles a Year au<l
sPoss to put min in.''
' Margery. vile ! whot many t — No chmt' ha' tha ber^t
m in Challacomb, nor yeet in Parracomb, Na, cbell ne'er
uiy, vor ort'a know. No, no ! they eey* Iharo be mon-
marry 'd aready than can boil tha Crock o' Zundeys. — Nu,
, Cozen Andra ; es coud amoi'st swear chudent ha' tha bei>t
IqoATe in oU Inglaud. — Bot come; prey,' Cozen Andra, aet down'
I bit Es must g' up in Chember, and speak a Word or two woy
ester Tamzin. Hare's darning up oi^ old bloukets, auil
arting tlia FoeU, and snapping o' VIeaa. — Es ell come agen
wwently. "^
Andrew. Well, do than; bet make Haate, d'ye see. — Mo-antime"
dull read o'er the new Ballot cheve'^ in ma Pocket,
Margery. New Bollstl O good now, lefs hire y« ring
'» up."
Andren. ZingI — No, no, tes no singing Ballet, man; bet
) a godly one good now.
Margery. Why, whot'a't about, than t
AndTetB. Wliy, tee about a Boy that kill'd hes Vanlher ;
' Here too he would say yAf6l or «'(Ii. Thee milt is most improbable ; it
ia slightly hectoring and not in the least persuadre.
» The foregoing remarks apply equally to thy. It should be yoa'&T.
' I Dever heard wor~it is always uoefA or wulh.
• i.A 'twenty nobles and a purse to put them in.' (See W. S. Oram.,
p. 37.) Very common phrase, in speakine ot T^ue.
' Chani is a misprint or mistake.
■ This ' t/iey tar/,' or as is most usual, ' tKey do toy,' is the precise equivalent
of on dii—&DA it is just as commonly used. Usually in such a sentence as ttiis
it would be, ' they do say hom,' die, or ' they do my ten* there,' &c.
'■ Pray in this sense is bookish, not dialect A native would say PidA'ie, I.e.
priihee. See I. 201.
" 5i( is spelt tel elsewhere. Here in rapid speech the t final and d inittal
become one, and the whole becomes one word g&-daeiiin.
* This of is quite vernacular, and conveys a fine shade of meaniog beyond
the power of lit. Ent[. in so few worda It gives the idea of general occupadon.
i.e. darning blankets in a frequentative sense, and not any particular old
blankets. The same applies to the tnapping o* tAea*, but these pnnmila are
contiHted with rtarting the Peelt, which conveys the impressioa, through the
AN EXMOOR COURTSHIP. 89
Maa-juree; zu vuur voaT uz dhu wiit^ ae'fi mu, ch-ul puut dhuy^ luyv
pun Paar'ikum daewn. Taez waeth' twaun'tee Noa-bk u Yuur un
u Puus tu puut miin een.*
Margery. Ou vuy "ul ! haut maaree 1 — Noa, shaant* ae*ii dhu bas 420 .
mae'iin een Chaalikum, nur eet een Paar'ikum. Naa, ch-iil nae'ur
maar'ee, vur oa'urt-s noa. Noa, noa, dhai zai® dhur bee moo'iir
u-maar-eed urad'ge-n kiin bwuuyul dhu Krauk u Ziln'dSez. — Noa,
noa, Kuuz'n An*dr ; es k6od umauis zwae'iir ch-^d-nt ae'tl dhu bas
Skwaeur-n aul Ing-lun. Biit kaum ; prai,"^ Kuuz-n An-dr, zii-daewn* 425
u beet. Es mus g-uup-m Chiim'bur, un spaik u wuurd ur ttie wai
Ziis'tuT Taam'zeen. Uur-z daar-neen aup uv® oai blaun'kuts, un
ree'urteen dhu Pee'xdz, un znaap'een u vlai'z. — Es ul kaum ugee'iin
prazunt luyk.^^
Andrew. Wuul, diie dhan ; biit mak ae'us, d-ee zee. — Mai'n tuym^^ 430
ch-ul rai'd oa'iir dhu niie baal'ut ch-uv^^ q^j^ jj^^^ pau'gut.
Margery. Niie* baal'ut ! Oa gkA naew, lat-s uyur ee zing
ut^^ aup.i*
Andrew. Zing ! — Noa, noa, taez noa zing-een baal'ut, mun ; but
taez u gaud'lee wiin geod naew. 435
Margery. Waay, haut-s-t ubaewt, dhun ?
Andi'ew. Waay, taez ubaewt u bwuwy dhut keeuld liz Vau'dhur ;
absence of the prep, of righting {i. e. mending) the pillows actually in use by the
household, while the blankets would be understood to be spare ones.
i<> This word sounds rather literary. Presently when used at all implies nowj
and not as is politely understood, after a little time, I think Margery would
have said — * Es ell come agenpurty quick.*
^1 Not dialect Andrew would have said, vmyiil yds bee u-goo — certainly
not meantime.
^> He would have said here, hatU chruv u-gaut—have is not used alone in
this sense, and he would not have omitted the relative in this case.
^' A song or ballad is a thing used, not an abstraction— the pronoun there-
fore would be he, nom. uUf objective, itj in reference to a song, is not
vernacular. (See W. S. Oram., p. 32 ) It should read zing un aup.
I* This up is very peculiar, but perfectly true to custom. To sing a song
would imply an ordinary, sober, or sentimental one ; but to sing up a soncj
would convey an idea about the song that there was something outre about it —
extravagant or indecent Familiarly to tell a taU would imply a sober, orderly
story, but to tell up a tale implies something that nobody believes— a cock and
bull story.
SPECIMENS OF ENGLISH DIALECTS.
and how hes Vauther went agea,^ in Shape of^ a gurt Toul*
iug, wey a cloven Voot and Vlashes* o' Vire, and trottblwl
e House so, that tha Whatjeconib, tha Wbit Witch, wos Total*
' lay en in the Eod-Zea;^ and how the Boy repented,*
went diatmcted, and wo3 taken* up, and wos hang'd vor't
sung"' Sanms, and Bed his Praiira. 'Twull do your Heart good to
ra et, and maka ye cry lick enny Theng. — There's tha Picture
in too, and tha Pareon, and tha Dowl, and tha Ghoat, and tha
Margery. Bet ea ct true, he eurel
Andrew. Truol O La ! Yea, yos i" eaolways look to thato. Look
' tea here in Prent'^ — * Lisec-rte'l acmrd'tiig to Oriier. — That's
ifoys pronted on what's true, man. — Ea took care to sue
ate whan ee Irart en.
Margerif. Weil, well, read et ; — and chell g' up to Zeetor.
SCENE th« Chambei^
To Thomasin enter Uaiffery.
Margery. /~\H ! Zeater Tamzen ! — Odd ! eo ea a come a long,
454 V^ andvathand trath" hathaput vore" tha Queason
' 1. e. appeared or walked after death — iMn( aj<nn is the common idiom tfl
express the reappearance of tlic dead. I well knew a ca<te of an old man, of
whom it was said, after he was killed, that he went again. The SMCceediog
tenant (stiU living, 1879] of hie cottage was a man with a wooden leg, who
could only live in the cottage a very short time, because the previous (dead)
tenant was so ' troublesome ' — for he used to come every night and drag ttie
wooden leg all about the plancheen (lloor) by the buckle-straps. This occurred
less thau 25 years ago, and all the circumstances and people are welt-known to
me. Similar stories are very common, and so is the belief in both the re-
appearance of the dead, and in the power of white-witches to lay the ghoata.
' This is quite a Hteraryism. It would be lig u guarl, &c., 'like a great.'
' FoiU is not a West Country word— it is Lancashire in tbia aense. Here
it should read giirt ugly thing. (See W. S. Oram., p. 102.)
* An 7- is sounded in moat worda in aik, as aardi ^ ash ; snMOTik, Ittartk,
waifrsh. Comp. t»rt, thort, &«., of the text, 1. 334 ; fioA too is not Bounded
vlask, but the/is quite sharp — vtaarth )iJU»h, (See W. 8. Dial, p. 71.)
• {Note to Ed. of ms.) So Country People us"d to read Licemed, &c.
AN p:xmoor courtship. 91
un aew liz Vau'dhur wai*nt ugee'un,^ een shee'up^ uv u guurt vuwP
dhaeng, wai u kloa-vm v^t un flaar'shiiz* u vuyur, un truubld
dh-aewz zoa, dhut dhu Haucheekum, dhu Weet Wuch, wuz foo'us^ 440
tu* laa*y un een dhu Huurd-Sai;^ un aew dhu bwiiwy raipai'ntud,®
un waiTit deestraak'tud, un wuz u-t6okt® aup un wuz angd vaur't
un zingd^® Saa*mz, un zaed liz praa*yurz. Twdl diie yur aart gk)d tu
huy*ur ut, un mak ee kruy lig lin'ee dhaeng. — ^Dhur-z dhu pik'tur
oa un the'f un dhu paa'sn un dhu Daewl, un dhu goa*ii8, un dhu 445
gaal'Ses.
Margery. Bdt uz ut trtie*, b-ee shoanir ]
Andrew. Triie 1 Oa laa* ! oes, ees ;^^ es au'vees l^ok tu dhaet. L6ok
zee tdz yuur een pumt^^ — ♦ Liis'nd ukoaTdeen tu au'rdur. — Dhaat-s
au'vees upiirnlnid pun haiit-s triie, mun. — Es t^ok koc'ur tu zee tu 450
dhaet haun es baurt-n.
Margery, Wuul, wuul, rai'd ut ; — un ch-iil g-uup tu Zaes'tur.
SAI-N dhu Chiim-ur.
Tu Taam'zeen avntur Maa'juree.
Margery, /^a ! Zaes-tur Taam'zeen ! — Aud ! ee uz u-km u lau'ng,
\J unfaa*th-ntraath,^*u-thu-puutvoaT^*dhuKvvao8*n 454
* F<n'ce is always/oo"!)^, not voo^Ut. There is no sound of r in the dialectal word.
* This ought to read/oo*w« vur tu laay un.
^ Red-Zea is impossible ; red is uurd, but emphasised it is huurd. Sea is
always jat, neyer zai, the latter means say. See p. 64, where ' Devoniensis '
confirms this.
* Repented is rather a ' fine ' word, but it is used in the dialect, and is then
uttered yery deliberately rai-pai-rUvd.
* La was apprehended — the regular idiom for arrested. Taken up is
impossible ; past part, u-t^kt, (See W. 8. Gram., p. 48.)
*® (See W. S. Oram., p. 76.) SungSa a literaryism.
" Yes is never heard— it is always ee's.
1' It is still a very common saying. Oa I aay noa' tm trtte, kuuz aay zeed
ut eenpdmt. Print is always purnt. See note 9, p. 80.
*• This is the only way in which troth is used— ^ my troth is never heard.
The pronunciation is much broadened to rhyme with/o^—the vath of the text
18 a mistake, the /is pronounced sharply.
^* To put vore is the common idiom = to out with
92 SPECIMENS UF ENGLISH DIALECTS.
468 to ma b' ready, — Ea vetly beleivo thy ' Bancs will g' in next ZinJoy.
— ^Tea oil es ho' * vor. — Bet es tell en, Marry a-ketha ! and tell en
dowmeot ea chant morry tha best Man in S her will
Hundrad. — Bet deat tha hire ma, Zeater Tamzen ; dont ye
be a Labb o' tha Tongae in what cham a going to aey, and than
:hell tell tha sometheng . — The Banes, cham amont Bore,
wall g" in ether a* Zindsy or a^ Zindey-aenneert to* TordeoL
Eb* net ahoo Two and Twonty; — a spicy Velia' and a Tit^
VeUa" Tor enny keendert Theng. — Th«e knoVst Jo Hosegood e^
leokon'd a vit^ Yella': Pool £b* a aooterly* Yella to Andia;
there's no Compare.
Tfumuuin. Go, ya wicked Cunterreitl^ why dest lee m
ag.enet thy Meend ; and whan ha pnt vore tha Qaeeson tell en tha
wudsent marry t — Besides, eo var as tha knoVat, ha mnrt* take Fp o',
and meach* off, and^" come no more anearst tha,
Margery. Go, ya Alkitotlel ya gnrt voolish^^ Trapes!
Deet thee thenk a beleer'd^* ma, whan es sed chudent mairy 1 £e
ee net so aarf'-a-baked nether. Yor whyt ee wudent be too
Tnrward nether; vor than ee mnrt dm back. — No, no; rot
oil whof a sed, es hope tha Banes wuU go in, ea aey, next Zindey. —
476 And vath, nifs do vail over the Desk, twout thir ma, ner yeet
boTBt ma Bones, — Bet nif they dont g* in by Zindey-aenneert,
chell tell tha, in short Company,'* es chell" borat ma Heart —
478 Bet es must go down to en ; vor he's by ees zell oil theez while.
' This U evidently a raUprint. Margery coiild not have believed thy Baniu,
i. e. her sister's would go in. In the early Editions of 1746 it is lAa Baae*.
'^' This short sound — a in the tent— is the contraction of on. (See W. S.
Gram., p. 99 ) It is precisely the same as the a in amitt. In the Chronicoo
Tilodunense, Stanza 279, ed. Hoare, ve read : duiU on myt =- did amits.
' To is used for at. (See W- 8. Gram., p. 89.) Also Devoniensis, p, 64.
•— ' Here u, which usimlly stands for u* or /, means he it.
'— » — t Felloiii is generally /uiiZur, a word in very ooniraon use— this sharp
pronunciation of the/ distinguishes /riteir hom/dloe oi /dig, which is alwaja
pronounced imvl-ur.
* i, e. WhippeT-snapper, a iwbwly.
' This is not dialect, but the epithet is probable.
' This would certainly now be^-u m6d tak = he might take, 4c.
< Meech and meecher are still very common terms for sneak — skulk— and the
word is also old—
AN EXMOOR COURTSHIP. 93
tu mu urad'^e. — Es vnur-lSe blaiv dhu^ baeiinz lil g-een naks Zdn'dSe. 455
— ^TiSz aul es oa** vaur. — Bdt es tunl-n, Maar'ee u-kaedbni ! un tuul-n
daewn-ree-iirt es sbaaii maar'ee dbu bas mae'uii een Shuur'weel
Uun'durd. — But diSa dbu huyiir mu, Zaes'tur Taam'zeen; doa*n ee
bee u Laab u dbu tuung een baut cb-ilm u-gwai*n tu zai, un dban
cb-iil tuul dbu zaumfeen : — Dbu Bae'iinz, cb-iim umauTs sboa'iir, 460
wiil- g-een aedb'ur u^ Zun'dee ur u* Zun'dee zaen'ee'iirt tu* vuur'dees.
U-z^ niit ubeo* tiie un twauniee ; — u spuysee Vael'u* un u viSt'Se
Vael'u^ vur lin'ee keen'dees dbaeng. — Dbee noa-s Joa Oa*zgk)d uz
u-raek'nd u vut'Se Vael'u^ : Pk)* ! u-z* u sk)*turlee® Vael'u t-An'dr* 5
dbur-z noa* Kumpae'ur. 455
Thomasin, Goa, yu wiknid Kuun*turvai*t !' waa*y dus lee* zoa
uguns dbi meend ; un baun u puut voaT dbu Kwaes'n tnul-n dbu
wuts-n maar'ee? — Uzuydz, zu vuur-z dbu noa's, u muur-tak® Pup oa,
un meecb* oa*f, un^® kaum noa moo*ur unee-iirs dbu.
Margery. Goa, yu Aal'keetoa'tl ? yu guurt f^ol'eesb*^ traeiips 1 ^^q
Dtis dbee dbaengk u blai'vud^^ mu, baun es zaed cbk)d-n maar'ee ) Ee
uz nut zu zaart-u^^-bae-ilkud naedb'ur. Vur waay ? es wud-n bee tue.
vuuT'wurd naedb'ur ; vur dban ee murt draa baak. — Noa, noa ; vur
aul baut-6 zaed, es oap dbu Bae'iinz wul g-een, e-zai, naks Zun'dSe. —
Un faa'tb, neef-s diie* vaal oa'vur dbu dus, t-oa'n dburr mu, nur eet 475
buus mi boa'iinz. — But neef dbai doa'n g-een bi Zun'dee zaen'ee'iirt,
cb-ul tuul dbu, een sboa'ort Kau'mpmee,^* es cb-ul^* buus mi Aart. —
But es mus goo daewn tiie un ; vur ee-z bi eez-zuul aul dbeez wuyul. 473
^ Ny in <dU \f€ tyme of his regnyng,
(Cnronicon Vilodunense, a.d. 1420, ed. Hoare, Stanza 206.)
^® Here a negative should come in, un n(U kaum noa moo'ilr.
^* Fool and its compounds are pronounced with the/, sharp and distinct.
^' The inflexion would in this case be fully sounded. In the early editions
this was ee beli^vad.
^^ Spelt zart elsewhere in the text, I. 54
" t. e. in few words. For change of n into m. See W. S. Dialect, p. 17.
^' This cannot be right. The pronoun is in the text used twice over := I, I
shall, it should read, es sh^l ; as the chell can be only intended for shall. In
Ed. 1746, we read shall borst, which is of course right The change is in the
later editions, and the alteration was doubtless made to get in as many instances
as possible of the ch — ^which after all is the main feature of the dialogues.
• {Note to Ed, of 1778,) ffo' is here an Abbreviation of Hope,
SPECIMENS OF ENGlISIl DIALECTS.
SCENE Uie Oround-Koom ^ again.
To Andrew enter iiaig&Tj.
■w^
J"ESJL, CoMn Hageiy, diam gUd 700*18* come
agan : Yoi tliee Ballet ea so tm; good,
at et makea ' wone's Heart troubled to read et.
Margery. Why, put et up than,* while e« git a Putcher o'
"^jder. Wnll ye eat a Crouet* o' Brid and Cheze^* Owen
ndral
' Andrae, Ko, ea thankee, Coien Magery; tot ee eat a
Cruhoa' ea come* along; beaidee* ea went to Dinner^' jeet stok.
— ^WeB, bet Cosen Mageiy, whot Onser dert " gi' ma to ti>a
Qneaeon es put toto now-reert.
Margery. What Queason was eti
■ Oromtd-room El not diotecfc The ground-ioor roomi are iKnau (the
booN) and baak-a»m (back-bouw). If either are ipokeo of ou the upper floor
the eipresaioD is daeiim-aev)Z~t\i.a precise equivalent of the ordinary doim-
ttairs. Neither up-ttairi Dor doicn-ttain are direct. In houaea of greater
pretension the family living room ia dh-aal (the hall), and the room far com-
pany, seldom used, dhu. paa-ldur (the parlour).
' Literary. lu tho dialect it ia yAe bte, or in N. Dev. very often yil«"m, or
emph. pU haam. See W. S. Oram., p. 55 ; also W, 8, Dial, p. 19.
' This whole clause is too literary — no native would thus eipresa himself.
Maka is not used in K. Devon or Bxmoor district, it is always mak-lh.
The impersonal pronoun is not oTiebut anybody. See W. 8. Oram., pp. 38, 39.
TrouMtd so used would be it-(ru«6-W — prefix never omitted except for
euphony. The natural rendering of the clause would be, in the spelling of the
text, * that et troubleth anybody's Heart to read it.'
* This would be nearly unintelligible to a real native. Such a phrase as
put U up is impossible. The pronoun would always, even judging from the
transcriber's own context, be en. Margery would have stud puut-n utptit
* Crust and crumb are peculiar in pronunciation— they have more of the 00
sound than is conveyed by the cnmtttA the text.
' Chfzee is a misprint. The pronunciation of chette is the same a< in
received English. Erid is rather too fine talk. It would be said probably by
Slarijery if speaking to a ' real gentleman.'
^ This use of iM is much too Uterary— it has not the soise of wAiftf w
AN EXMOOR COHRTSHIP. 95
SAI'N dbu Graewn-reom^ ugee*un.
Tu An'dr avntur Maa'juree.
Andrew. ^mTUUL, Kuuz'n Maa-jur^, ch-iim glad y6oiir* u-kaumd
T T ugee'liii : Vur dhds baal'ut liz* zu vnur'Se g^o'd, 480
dhut lit maks^ wanz aart truub'ld tu rai'd lit.
Margery, Waay, puut lit aup dhan,* wuyl es git u piichiir u
Suydur. Wuul ee aii; u kr^st* u buurd-n chee'z,® Kuoz'n
An'dr]
Andretc, Noa, es dhangk ee, Kuuz*n Maa'juree ; vur es ait u 486
krdob uz ' es km® ulaung ; zuydz ^ es wai'nt tu daen'ur ^® jest uvoaT.
— Wuul, biit Kuuz'n Maa'juree, baut aun'sur diis ^^ gi mu tu dbu
kwaesn es puut voaT naew-reo'tirt.
Margery. Haut kwaes'n wauz lit 1 489
during in the dialect. Andrew would have said ee'ns es km tUaung (see W. S.
Gram., p. 66), or still more probably ecns es wuz u-kaum'een ulaung,
* In the early editions we read camey but this was quite literary, and was
correctly altered. The past tense of come is still come (or corned before a vowel).
See W. S. Gram., p. 46. Cam>e would seem to be a modem form. Robert of
Gloucestw uses com :
* Wende a^en to Normandie '
from wan he com er.'— Will Conq. L 262.
' A Sein Nicolas day he com,' — L 254
In the Chronicon Yilodunense come is used for the past tense throughout, comen
for the plur., and y come for the p. part :
* To Wylton ano \h) com^ he y vrys^ — st 351.
^ And sekemen come \>edur mony andffde.* — st 586.
So Trevisa always uses com for the past tense :
* Whanne he com tovore \>e due,' — Norman Invasion, L 33.
* This word generally loses the first syllable. It is spelt bezides in earliest
editions.
*® This idiom is still the common one, and means not went to dine, but
actually portooA; of sjid finished dinner.
^^ This persuasive question should have been in the 2nd pers. plur. — haut
aun'sur dtle' ee gi mu f In the next sentence he addresses to her Andrew uses
the plur.
aPBCTMETTS OF TUiGLIBH DIALECTS.
Andrem. Why, sure ya bant so voi^etvul,' Why, tha
^ueasoii ea put' a little rather.^
Mar^jeri/. Es dont know whot Queasou ye mean j cs bi-yit wbol
leBBun twos.
Andww. Why, to tell tha vlat and plane ^ agen, twoa thes;*
"lit ha' ma, ay ot no 1
Margery. Wliot ! marry to Earteen?^ — Es geo tha same
user OS goed avore, Es wndent marry tha beat Man in oil
tgland.' — Es end amorst zwtar chud never marry at oil,' —
id mote anil zo, Cozen Andra, cham a told ya keep Company
'■ey Tami&i * Huseffoad, thek gurt banging, thonging, musy
Bwbreech, daggle-teal'd "^ Jade, a zowor-zop'd, yerriog, chook-
jg Trash, a buzzom-chuck'd haggaging Moyle, a gurt Fueti-
;." Haru's '^ a Trab ! And nif ya keep hare Company, 08*11 ha "
7 more to zey to tha.
Andrme. Ay, thcs es Jo Hoaegood'a Flimflam. — Oh, tha
aiy Vengance out o'en !
Maryeri/. No, no ; tea none of Jo Hoscgood's Flimflam ;
t zo tho Crime o' tha Country goth.
Andreip. Ah, bot twoa Jo Hosegood'a zetting vorc in tha vtirst "
510 Place. Ha wull lee a Rope upreert. — Whan ha hath a took " a
Shord and a paddled, ha wnll tell Doil, tell Bildrama, and roily
' The tcaDScriber ia wrong in spelling thia -/ul with S v. Adjectives in /al
have tlie/qiiite sharp. {See W. S. Oram., p. IS.)
' El aaku oaeeu lu-di rae-^hur ie much more veniacnlar than the teit
To put a qvettian i» bookish.
' ' VoT he hadde yloM Tntny ttalword mtn in M ra\ier halayV
Treviaa, Norman Invasion, L SS [ed. Morris and Skeat).
' ThejifcteaicU day, thai bathe
Sal be mad Tteioe aiidfairtfid rathe.'
Homilies in Terse, a.i>. 1330, Signa of the Doom, L )44
' Ltti not (>t luft hand ' latt tiiot m^,
Bea war what pi riXt hand ' worch^' or deUW
Kers Plowman, Pass. III. L 56 (ed. Morris and Skeat).
* This pronnnciatJDD is obsolete— the broader plaayn has become usual,.
especially m tlic Eicmoor district, but in 8- Dev. and Cornwall it U not so.
° Andrew would certainly have said dh&* yuur ^ ' thia here.'
■ I do not know the meaning of this word, but from the to pTOceding it,
conclude it meaoa out-right or all at imct (the word is quit« obaolete).
4 <lK«»::rac
Wanr, skiHrsr jitt laM-'tufi. xl «'iu|!ii friiL* ^vxir, aim 4M
kwies-ii « pot' m lerffi nf^Bfimr.^
£■ dflA' »» Ikb: kinuTA -w 3iik:&, •» )ni*n lius
ifininsB;. Wanr, ta taxi, ^m -rbl t |iSg^* igmr, nrm ^&is;^
Wiitae-ivi^arjvrwml IK
Margery. HaH! kbv^ la € g iiaeB at^^-& ^w dkn
aiin*siir « gid vfoki; «i vn^ mor^e dkn las mwrn
Ing-lan.^ Eb Ind Maim iw wt la ck^oA nina joaaar^ la aai.^ —
XJn moo-QT-n um, Ksmrm An-^ A^km -^^xm^ jht ki^ kn^a^moe
wai Taam^BOi* Oi^^gBod, dkek gimi laxi^rHB, d ki an gT ea moaikiwe Mt
diaa'baaicli, di^ teeild ^ jorid, maft'irar xai^rad. TvanaoiL dtaalr-
leen t»aaiali,n liag£UM diflat'ad,agr«|Bea mbb j Til, a gamt faasii-
li]gz.u Qaerarx^aliaab! Un-ee£TaekipkKvkBaiBpniee;ee-ala^
noa mocor ta zai ta dha.
Andretc. Amtj dhis az Joa Oan^boiz flam-llaaiB. — Q^ dha 505
imur'Se Tainjans aefwt oa an'.
Margery. Xoa, Xoa; tib noa'an a Joa Cb-igeodz fiiba^bua;
btLt zoa dha kia jm a dha kaan'tree gooCh.
^luirnr. Aa, hdt twaz JoaOi-igeodz zat^eea ToaT een dha fiias^^
pkema. U wdl lee a loo-ap aop^eraii. — ^Haan a aalh a4^<^ ^ a 510
shoa'fiid ar o-pad'ki, a mil toal daayal, tual diil-dnimi, an lanyl^
1 TCngianii is ahrajs 80 tM OPo aD ced, nerer as in recehred speech with two g^
* In the fiist foar e£tioDs Maigery adds here, * No more diont— vor oit*8
know.'
* Thomaan, witii its fiminotm Tonuy, pronounced Taamieen, TaamiSe,
was a Tery oornmon name, hot is heooming ram.
^^ This fonn is rare now, hut I have heard it TaUy like jitoin, is somided
much broader, taoTftiL
n This q[athet is always in the plural, and it is so giten elsewhere,
Llia
» This is Tery emphatic, hence the aspirate and the drawling out of aar, the
usoal fAe, into Ao^'tir.
w Have. (See W. 8. Gram., p. 96.)
^* Fint is pronounced generally with / sharp, fuus. Occasionally this is
thickened into v as in the text, but the r is not sounded. Vuus is a noun— the
technical name of the ridge-piece of a roof.
» Always t^-Uoki. (See W. 8. Oram., p. 4a) See also * Nathan Hogg/
u
I'M SPECIMENS OF ETiOLISH BIALRCTC.
612 upon oiiny Keaaon Zoul.' — Ad; nif es come alhert en, cliell gee en
a I.ick ; — chell ly en o'er tlia Years; — clieli pliiu en, ehell tose en,
cliell cotten en, cliell thong en, i;heU taan ea ; — chell gee en a
( Slrat in tlia Chiips ; — chell vng on, chell trem en, chell 'drash en,
chell cwrry has Coat vor en ; — chell drub en,* chell make hea Kep
lioppy. — Ad ! chell gee en zutch a Zwop ;— chell gee en a Whappet,
and a Wheiret, and a Whisterpoop too ; — Ad chell baate en to tha
tnie Ben.
[Speaka in a great Passion, and shews with his Hands
how he'll beat hia Adveraary.'
Margery. Lock, lock, lock. Cozen Andral Vor whj vore*
be ye in litch a Tustin Vumol — Why, es dont zey twos Jo
Hosegood zes to. but only zo tha Crime of tha Country goth.
Andrew. Well, well, Cozen Magery, be't how twuU,* whot
caree If— And to. Good-buy, Good-buy t'ye,^ Conn
Magery. — Nif Voaken, be jealoue avore tliey be married, to
they mcy arter. — Zo Good-buy, Cozen Magery. Chell net
trouble ye agen vor wono while, chell wamdy, [Going,
MargiTij. [Calling after him.] Bet hearky, hearky a Bit, Cozen
Andra ! Es wmlcjit ha yo go awey angry nether. Zure and
CSOmre yoa wont deny' to zee ma drenk) — Why, ya hant
a tasted our Cyder yeL [Andrew returns.] Come, Cosra
Andra, here's t'ye.*
Andrew. Na, vor that Matter,^' ea owe no ^' Ill-wUl to enny
Kesson, net I. — Bet ea wont drenk, netber, except'* ya Tui«t
635 kisB and Vriends. [Kiases her.
' SW is always pronounced with sharp ». A loa'l is a plough, azkd natiTCa
never make mbt^es in namea. See Devouieusia, p. 61 ; ^ note, L 297.
> Afterji, 6,/, w, then changes to i». (See W. S, Qi«Di.,p. 60.)
* Not a dialectal Hard.
•Seel. 1 ('Scolding').
■ This is a very common phrase, but the it is usually omitted. Bi at*
tw&l, spoken almost like one word, is the precise equivalent of the Codwy
anyhom.
■ This is possible, but most improbable. ItwouldnowbeAdu^ti-aciy tw'iir/
or haiU audi us ut tu met? This is the fint appearance of 7 in either
Scolding' or 'Courtship.'
'' In salutations and farewells it is most usual to add t-tt •• to j"u.
AN EXMOOR COURTSHIP. 99
pan linoe kaesn Soai.^ — Ad ; neef ee kaum udhuurt-n, ch-iil gt>o uu 513
a lik ; — ch-iil laay un oa*iir dhu ynu'rz ; ch-dl pliim un, ch-ul toai-n,
ch-iil kau<rn un, ch-iil dhaiing un, ch-iil tan un ; — oh-iU goo un u
straat-n dhu chuups; ch-dl vag-n, ch-dl tri&m un, ch-iil draash-n, 515
ck-il kuuree liz koant Taur-n, clmil dniub-m,' ch-iil mak lii kcp
aup'ee. — ^Ad ! ch-iil gee un ziich u zwaup ; — ch-\il gee un u waup'uti
un u wuuruty un u w43*turp^op tiie*. — Ad ch-dl bae'ii8-n tu dhu
trile bai'B.
[Spai'kth een u guurt paar^shn, un shoa^th wu lix ani
aew u4 bai1i-6 advereaiy.*
Margery. Lauk, Lauk, Lauk, Kuuz*n An*dr I Vur waay voa'r^ 520
b-ee een zdch u Tuus*teen y^emt — Waay, es doa*n zai twuz Joa
Oa*zg^d zaes zoa, hiit uun'ee zoa dhu kruym u dhu kuuu'tree gooth.
Andrew. Wuul, Wuul, Kuuz-n Maa*jur§e, bee*t aew twill,* haut
kee-uree aayl^ — Un zoa, Gfeod bwuuy, Giod bwuuy t-ee,^ Kuuzti
Maa'jurSe. Neef voa'kn bee jdl'ees UToaT dhai bee u-maar'Sod, zoa 525
dhai miid aar'tur. — Zoa G^^ bwuuy, Kuuz'n Maa'juree. Ch-\ll mU
truub'l ee ugee'iih vur wan wuyiil, ch-iil waum*d-oo. [Gwai'n.
Margery. [Kau'leen aa'dr-n.] Biit aar'kee, aar'koe u boot, Kuuz'n
An'dr! Es wiid-n ae-ee goo-wai ang'gree naedh'ur. Zhoo'ur un
Zhoonir ytie oa*n dinaay® tu zee mi draengkl Waay, ytie aa*n 530
u-tae'ustud aa*wur Suydur eet. [An'dr rai'tuurnth.] Kaum Kuuzn
An'dr, yuur-z t-ee.'
Andrew. Naa, vur dhaat Maat'ur,*^ os oa noa ^* ee'til wce'tll tu lin'co
Kaes'n, mit aay. — Btit es oa'n draengk, naedh'ur, saep ^^ yfio fiiU8
kees-n vrai-nz. [Koenth ur. 535
Mtturneen t-ee (good morning), 0^1 nai't-ee (good night to you), kc. Buy in
good-buy is always bwuuy = be wV ye.
* This is the real old intransitive form of the verb— simply to refuse. It is
sun used conmionly in this form, but is rather rare as a transitive verb.
* This is the most usual form of pledging. In a hay-field the first drinker
usually says before putting the cup to his lips, Kaum itoa'us^ yuur-t t-ee' (come
mates, here's t-ye).
>* I neTcr heard tius phrase — matter is not dialect Andrew would have
said, Naoj tu wuwr-t dkaat gooth.
11 This is titerary. In such a sentence a double nepUive would be invaml^fe
—Em dant owe no iUrwiU.
1^ Exeqpt is mikiiown~sa<7> or taep* are conjmou.
n 2
100 SPECIMENS OF BNOLISH DIALKcre.
Margery. Ya wont be a zed.^ — [He drinka.] — Well, bet
liearky, Cozen Andra ; wont ye g" np and ^ zeo Grammer aTore ye
g' up to Chollacomb 1 Tes bet jest over tha Faddick, and along
tha Park.'
Andrew. Es carent much* nifa do go* zee Old Ont Nell: —
And bow do haro tare along t^
Margery. Rub along, d'ye zey? — Ob I Grammer'a wor^
Vower Hundred Pounds,* reckon tha Goods indoor and out a
door.
Andrew. Cham glad to hire et ; vor es olweya thort hor
to ha be* hare Buckle and Thongs.
Margery. Oh, no mun; hare's moarty well to pass,"* and
maketh gurt Account i' o' me, good now,
Andrete. Cham glad to hire o' thet too. Mey"be hare ^' may
[ee tha a good Stub, — Come, let's g" ender '* than,
[Takes bet Ann '^ under his, and leads hi?r.
w. r^ ooD 1
VT tryl
SCEITE Old Qrammer Nell's.
To her enter Andrew and Margery.
DEN, good Den, Ont NelL— Well, how d'ye
How goth et wey ye.^*
' You won't be answered or contradicted, gain-aaid. Common phrase.
• ^n^in lapid speech would become m after p. See note, L 616.
'See note, I. 114.
• This expression Bounds quite fordgn to the district. Et doali heeir
muuch would now be said,
• This is qwte characteristic t« leave out the pr^. to before the iufinitiTe^
but it should have been <2d« goo var zet,
' Common plirase = how doe* the do f Another eqnallj common would be
How do her bmr't up t
' Worth is now always waeth.
' Margery would never say htmdred pounds, but would say hundred* of
pmuuU. (See W. 8. Oram., p. 11.) Sundr»i is spelt hunderd in early
editions.
' Here the part, prefix is omitted (or euphony. At length it would read to
/ui a Ik. Robert of OloiiceRter usually wrote ibc lot the p.p. alto be.
AN EXMOOR GOUBTSHIP. 101
Margery. Yie oan bee n-zaed.^ — [u drengkth.] — Wuul, biit 63^
aarkSe, Kunzn An*dr ; oaii ee g-uap-m ^ zee Oiaamnir uyoa*r ee
g-unp ta Chaal-ikom) IMz bdt jeet oa*yTir dhu pad'eek^ un ulaoiig
dhu paark.*
Andrew. Es kee'iinit munch ^ neef-8 diie goo * zee Oai Aunt Nal : 540
Un aew du hae'&r tae'&r laimgl^
Margery. Enub ulaimg, d-ee zai? Oa! Graammr-z wuur^
vaa-wnr oim'diiid paewn,® raekn dhu g6o*dz eendooiir-n aewt u
doo*tir.
Andrew, Chiim glad tu huyiir nt; tut es au*yeeB d&aort uur 645-
tbe a bee® bae'&r bunki-n dhaungs.
Margery, Oa^ noa mun; hae'iir-z maxur'tee waul tu paas,^^ un
niakth guurt ukaewnt ^^ u mee, g6o-naew.
Andrew, Ch-tbn glad tu buy lir u dhaet ttie. Mai"beeuur**miid
gi dbu u g^ atuub. — ^Kaum, lat-s g-yaen*dur^^ dhan. 660
[Takth ur aann een ^ uun'dur eez, un lai'dth ur.
SAI-N Oa'l Oraam-ur Nalz.
T-uur ai'niur An*dr un Maa jurge.
Andrew. /^ EOD-AI'N, gJod-ai-n, Aunt NaL— Wuul, aew d-ee
\^ tiaay 1 Aew gooth ut wai'ee 1 1®
Mr king WiUam adde the king
VoUiche |>r« j^.'
Reign of William Conq., L 317 (ed. Morrii and Skeat).
10 Mighty weU o£
" t. tf. sets great store by me. Very common expression.
1' Mayhap, mee-^ufp^ is much more common. May be is very booldsh.
i> The transcriber persists in spelling her, hare, but it cannot be right when
unemphatic. Ear is more like it, but too broad. May is not so used
" * Let ns go yonder then.' Yonder is a very rare word— /a^-« g-yaen dhan
18 the usual dialect form. Yaen is very common. (See W. S. Gram., p. 84.)
1* Although this is mere stage direction, it is as well to point out that in the
dialect UTider is not used alone, but with either in or dovm or down in to
qualify it — * Es voun un down in under the jib.*
1* This form is the common one in the hills of W. Som. In the vale it is aew
di^ ut goo wai' ee f
SPEHMENS or ENGXISH DIALECTS,
Ol<i NfU. Why, vat.h, Coeen Anilra, prjtty vitty, wLot's
chur.^ Chail a Glam or two about mu-^^l'had a Crick in dm
6 Bade and in ma Niddick, Thoa ^ chur a lampn'd in wone o' ma
Yearms. Tho^come* to a Hoartgim. Vcirewey atruck'ont and
ome to a Bamgun. Tbo come* to an* Allernbatcb ; and
jrewey fell* in upon ma Bonea, and como to a Boiie«h»TB. —
Bat e'er zeinz tha Old Jillian Vrinkle ijlesaed voro tea pritty \itty ;
md cham come to my Meat list agen. — Well, bet hearky,
Cozen Andra: Ea Lire ya lick a lit* about ma Cozen M^ery;
', and have smelled abont her a pritty wliile, Chawr^ a told
that * ye simmered upon wono tether up to Grace Trogwill's
Bed Ale.*— Weil, Cozon Andra, twull"* do vary well tot
joth. No matter*' liow Boon, Cham all Tore,'* and bo chawr^
fflj zoon's es hired o'et. — Hare's net as'* zome Giglets, zome
preuking mencing Thongs he, oil '* Tor Gamboyling," Rumpicg,
Steehopping,'" and Oi^leting ; bet a tyrant. Haid tot Work, and tha
stewatliost *^ & Tittiest Wanch that comath on tha' Stones o'
Moulton, DO Difipreisc.
' Quite olisi'li'te. 1 Ihiiik tlic * a iiiLsliike in t!ie text. It Rlioiild Lave been
tehot chur, otfaerwise it would read what 1 1 wert. On the other hand there is
authority for a pronoun preceding the ch (eee Glossary, cham) ; but it is gtrsnge
that in the text just below, L sse, Ute same speaker naea chvr alone Ivi I vert.
HaiU aay vrauz is the present fonn, t. e. ctm^partd to what I wu,
1— < I. t. then. (See W. fi. Oram., p^ 87.) This was tits regular liteiaiT
torm Id the olden time—
'Bot lehi he had brouit ^o/mit' kindam*l9h^,
And won ^ cyl« of Chetf alto,
Be cdmaadede all men to d^ie
All hit Umd Englcnd |)0.'
Chron. TiL (ed. Hoare], st. 22.
t^i is Qsed throughout the Chronicon. See p. 81, note 17.
' Due Willam wa* }fo old ' nyne attd fnHtti jer.' — L 196.
' tx) Ail bataile vxu ydo ■ due Willam let briiige.'—l 197.
' <fi Jiichard ]>atmui^a chiW—l 107.
Robert of Qloucester (ed. Morris and Skeat).
•— •— » Examples here and following of the still very common oniiasina of
the nominative. (See W. S. Gram., p. 34.)
' The article an is literary ; not used in the dialect eTcn before a Towd. Set
W. S. Gram., p, 29.
• Fell is unknown.
AK EXMOOR COVBTSHIP. 103
Old Ndl Waay, faaih, Kuoz-n Andr, piirtee Tutee, hauU 553
ch-ur.^ Ch-ad a glaam or tiie ubaewt mo. Cb-ad a krik een ma
baak un een mu Nud'ik. Dhoa ^ ch-ur n-kainpsiid een wan a mi 555
ae'unnz. Dhoa ^ kaum ' tiie n aart-gaun. YoaTwai str^kt ' aewt un
kaum tiie u baam-gaun. Dhoa kaivm * tiie a ^ Aal'ombaacb ; nn
▼oa'rwai yaald ^ een pun mu boa'onz un kaum tiie a boaiin-sheeiiT. —
Biit ae*iir zunz dh-oa*l Julyun Yiingkl bbis*ud voaT tuz pur'tee vut'ee;
un ch-iim u-kaum tu mi Mai't lust ugeenin. — ^Wuul, but aar'kee 560
Kuuz-n An'dr; es huy*^ ee lik u leet* ubaewt mu Kuuzn Maa*-
juree ; aay, un-v u-emuld ubaewt ur u pur-tee wuyuL Ch-awr^u-toa'ld
dhut ^ ee summid pun wan taedh'ur aup tu Grae-us Yiaug-wee-iibs
bai'd ae*ul.* — Wuul, Kuuz*n An*dr, t-PP dtie vuur'ee wuul vur
bk)*dh. Noa maatnir^^ aew z^-n. Ch-um aul voar,^^ un zoa ch-awr^ 565
zu z^o*n-z es huy*urd oa ut Uur-z ntit uz ^' zaum Gigiuts, zaum
prengkeen miin'seendhaengz bee, aul ^^ yur gaambuw'leen^^^ruum'peen,
stee'aupeen '^ un gig'lteen ; biit u tuy Tunt maa'yd yur wuurk, un dhu
8tiie*urlees '^ un mit'ee-ees waunch dhut kaumth pun dhu stoaiinz u
Moa'ltn, noa dee8pTaa7z. 570
* Pay a little attention. Not an uncommon expression, borrowed from canine
ooortship, and the idea is developed in the next line by the tmdling about,
^ — "^ I was. The form in the text quite obsolete. This is the same word as
spelt chur, IL 554, 655.
* That as a conjunction is far less frequently used than how or een$,
* Ben Jonson, ' Tale of a Tub '—
' A man thafs hid to a bride-ale, if he have cake
And drink enough, he need not vear his staked
Act II. sc. i. (Turfe).
* And by that means the bride-ale is d^erred,^
Act III. sc. i. (Turfe).
>® The w is quite dropped in it wUl—mAesR emphatic, always tki or fl,
^^ No odds is much more natural. No matter is quite literary.
" / am aUfor it {or in favour), and so I was, &c. Lit I am all forward.
Common expression.
*> As is not dialect) like is the proper word.
" See note, 1. 201.
>^ Spelt gambowling elsewhere, the correct sound.
^* In early editions we read steehopping, ragrouting, and gtgletting. The
last word is always pronounced with t in the final syllable, precisely as written
in the text — giggle-ting. This reading is an improvement on the first ed.
>^ Stewardlest, vittest (no and), in early eds. Vittiest Lb the better reading.
SPECIMENS OF ENQtlSH DIALECT.
■genj. [Softly aside' to ber.] Tlienk ye, Orammcr,
enkec keeutlly, — And nif m ahudent ha en ahou'd boret ma Heart.
-[Aloud.] Good Grammer, doiit tell mo of marrj-mg. Chave
old Cozen Andra ma Meend already, that * ohell ne'er marry
ort es know.
Ohi Nell. Sttip hether,' Cozen Magery, a lit and tarn
:e Cheeaen.* — [Protendedly privalfl to her.] Go, ya Alki-
' why dedat' tell'' zo, tha wert* ne'er marry I Tha wnttfin
tha leek;* a comely sprey vitty Yella Tor oany keendeat
ig. Come, nif tha wnt ba en, cbell gee tha '" good Stub.
ire's net a Bpreyer Vella in Cliallacorab.
MarQery. liet Grammer, wnll ye be ao good's ya zey, nif ta be,
your Zttke, C8 vorce ma ibI to let en lick a bit about ma t
Old Nell. Ay, os tell tha— [Aside]— Cbam agest" hare'll dta
into a Proraish wone Dey or wother,
Andrew. Well, Ont Nell, es hired whot ya zed, and es thank
too, — Bet now chave a zeed ye, tea zo good aa chad a eat ye, as "
y uze to zey, Es must go home now as vast as '* ee can. — Cozen
[ery, wont'* ye go wey ma a lit Wey,
Margery. Mey be " ea mey go up and zee Oat Moieman, and mey
be " es mant. rEzenntk
1 U wan tuyd :=. on one aide, is the leraaculsr for atide. This la hut itage
directioD, and perhaps not intended to be in the dialect
' Hoa is much better.
* This is still the usual form of amu htre. St^ is alvaya pronoonced ilaap.
I * This plural is quite obsolete.
» Alketole in first ed The leit is the correct reading.
* Dot in first e4, the evidently true reading.
"> Tell is always used for tali: — ' I heard them telling together,' ' He ml
telling lip all sorta of stuff.' Bee note to L 116.
' tVtrt is evidently a misprint, it never can have been need for wtZt. Id
first ed. it is thifrt n^er.
* Luck. Ltek is Burely a misprint in the text. It is the same in all editiou^
but I have never heard anything like it.
" Here the article is dropped on account of two ^milar vowels coming to^Uier.
Spoken sluwlj it wculd be gi tha a good itvb. In first ed. re*d gi^ ba gee.
" This word is spelt agatt, L 229— the correct reading,
' S itfolc tier)' mid him ' <u hii uiert agaste.'
Robert of Gloucester, Will. Conq., L 142 (ed. Morris and Skeat).
AN EXMOOR COURTSHIP. 105
Margery, [Sau-flSe uzuyd ^ tie ur.] Dhaengk ee, Graam'nr, 671
dhaengk ee keendlee. — Un-eef es shkxl-n ae-un, shiid buus mi aart.
— [Ulaewd.] G^d Graam'ur, doan tuul mee u maar'ee-een. Ch-uv
a-toa*ld Kuuz'n An*dr mu meend uiad'ee, dhut ^ ch-iil nae'iii inaar*ee
ynr aurt es noa. 575
Old Nell. Staap aedliiir,' Kuuzn Maa'jur^e, n leet un tuum
dhai'z cheezTi.* — [Purtai'ndeen pruyvut tu uur*] Goa, y-Aal*ki-
toa'tl,*^ waay diSs^ tuul ^ zoa — dhu wiSt ® nae*ur maar'ee 1 Dhu wtSt-n
ae'ii dhu luuk ;® u kaumiee spraay viit'ee Vael'u vur dn*§e keen'dees
dhaeng. Kaum, neef dhu wtSt ae'-un, ch-iSl gi dhu ^® gfeod stuub. — 580
Dhur-z niSt u spraaynir Vaelni een Chaalikum.
Margery, Biit Graam'ur, wiil ee bee zu gted-z ee zai, neef zu bee,
Yur yooiir zae'uk, es foo'iis mi zuul tu lat un lik u beet ubaewt mul
Old Nell, A&'j es tuul dhu — [uzuyd] — Ch-dm ugaa's ^^ uur-iil drae
un eenliiie u piaum'eesh wan dai ur nuudhur. 585
Andrew, Wuul Aunt Nol, es huyurd haut ee zaed, un es dhaengk
ee tie. — Bdt naew ch-uv u-zeed ee, tiiz zu g^d-z ch-ad u ail; ee, uz ^
dhai yiie'z tu zai. Es mus g-au*m naew zu^^ vaas uz es kan. — ^Kuuzn
Maa'juree, oan ^* ee goo wai mu u leet wai 1
Margery, Mai bee^'^ es mai g-uup-m zee Aunt Muurmun, un mai 590
bee^ es mant. [Exeunt.
^Falmeue for fere \k> 'flegh to Yefreres^
And gyle dvd hym to gon * aga«tfor to deye,^
, Piers Plowman, C. Pass. IIL, L 221 (ed. Skeat, E. B. T. S.).
* Of this meruaiUe agaat was all the prees.
As mased folk they stoden euerichone,*
Chaucer, Man of lawes tale, 1. 677.
* pe Englysshmi ftey woxe a gast,^
Chronicon Yilodunense (ed. Hoare), st 71.
^' As in this sense is not dialect It should be scte'tm-z (same as), or eens
they use to zey.
" This as is also literary, and impossible to Andrew.
" The w in wont is quite dropped in the dialect.
i6_i§ Mayhap is much more common — may he is * fine talk.' This sentence,
to be yemacular, must be thus — * Mee-aa*p es miid g-uup-m zee Auunt Muur*-
mun, un mee-aap es mdd-n.* Mant is a word in an unknown tongue.
SPECIMENS OF ENQLISII DIALFXTS,
SCENE the open Country.
IMer Aadmw fi^toved bglSMiffBTj.
rgery, k D ! eall zee en tip to Cliallacomb-Moor Stile.—
Xi. — Now mnat cb' make wise ctuwr* a going
Ont Jtoreman'B, and only come tlieez' ^^y. [Aaida.
Amlrew. [Spyiug hor.] Cozen Magery, Coien JIagery !
[) a lit.* Whare ao vast niunt^[ShB stays.] — Zo, novr
Eee ya be as good as yer Word ; na, and better ; vor tha zedst
ifty be chell, and mey be chont.
Al'jrgenj. Oh, ya take tha Words tether "Way. Es led may be
U, and may be chont, go up and zee Ont Moreraan. Es zed no
re an zo, Es go thea Woy vor to zeo liare* that es oU.
chuJent go zo vwr to meet* enny Man in Challacoinb, nei
racoiob, ner yeet in oil King George's Kingdom, bleas hes
ship I Meet tha Men altetha ! — Hah ! be quiet, es zey,'
ireeming a Body' zo. And more and zo, yer Beard prccketh
ftvourdly.'' Es marl '** what Iheso gurt black Beards bo
good vor. Ya ha made ma Chucks buzzora,"
Andrew. Well, whot'a sey, Cozen Margery? Chell put in
tha Banes a Zendey,^* botns nolus.
610 Margery. Then es ell vorbed " min, vath.
' In this form the first person 'singular is still Terjr often as in the teit
Naew mu4 ut mat wuyt would be the common idiom at present. It is written
set in fiiBt ed.
■ Chuwr must be a misprint. It is spelt chaar on the last page ^ / wtra,
and also spelt cham- in first ed.
* TkU is usually dheez in North Dav-, dhetHz in West Somerset.
' I think this must have been intended for bit, itaap u beet is so ver;
common a phrase, and more in harmony with the context.
* Her is here emphatic.
* Mett is proaounced very short, also tiveet, /eet, keep, be. Tbe fine if in
ml, &&, of received Eng. exactly represents the sound.
Bpc^en rapidly, the t before e is lost. See numerous instances in W. S.
im., abo see L 697-
■ This irould be far more commonly Anee bawdle than u baa-die.
■ I never heard this word in the dialect. It might b« used, but if bo the/in
wour would be pronounced sharp.
AN EXMOOR COURTSHIP. 107
SAI'N dh-oa'pm Kuun'tree.
Avntur Aii'dr wvaul'eed hi Maa juree.
Margery. A D ! es-1 zee un aup tu Chaalikuni Moar Stuyul. 592
XjL Naew mus ees^ mak wuyz ch-awr* u-gwai'n
i-Aimt Muur'muiiZy un uun'ee kaum dheez ^ waL [Uzuyd.
Andrew. [Spuyeen oa ur.] Kuuz'n Maa-juree, Kuuz*n Maa jurSe ! 595
Staap u leet** Wae-iir zoa vaas, muni — [XJur staapth.] — Zoa, naew
e-zee jhe bee zu g^d-z jut wuurd ; naa, un badT ; vur dhu zaeds
mai hee ch-til, un mai bee ch-oant.
Margery. Oa, yiie tak dhu wuurdz taedh'ur wai Es zaed mai bee
ch-iil un mai bee ch-oant g-uup-m zee Aunt Muur-mun. Es zaed noa 600
moo'iir un zoa. Es goo dheez wai vur tu zee hae'iir ^ dhaat tiz auL
Biit ch-^od-n goo zu vuur tu mit* iin*ee mae'iin een Chaal'ikum nur
Faar-ikum, nur eet een aul Keng Jau'rjuz keng'dum, bias liz
wuushup ! Mit dhu mai*n ukaedh'u ! — Aa ! bee kwuyt, e-zai,^
u-kraimeen u bau'dee ® zoa. Un mooiir un zoa, yur bee'urd praekth 605
eeiil-fae'iiYurdlea* Es maar'ul^^ haut dhai'z guurt blaak beenirds bee
gfeod vaur. Ytie'v u-mae*ud mi chuuks buuz'um.^^
Andrew. Wuul, haut-s-zai, Euuz*n Maa'jureel Ch-dl puut een
dhu bae'iinz u Ziin-dee,'* boaius noa'lus.
Margery. Dhan es-1 vurbai'd ^' miin, faath I 610
*® ' Where t> your 9weetheart nowy I marie f *
Ben Jonson, Tale of a Tub, Act II. sc. I (Hilts).
" I have not heard this adjective verbalised, but it is quite in keeping with
the spirit of the dialect, only in the case here given it would certainly be
buuzumie. (See W. 8. Oram., p. 49.)
" On Sunday. This a or u has many meanings. (See W. S. Gram., p. 96.)
* Ac sone a^en to Engelonde • a Sein Nicolcu day he com,'
Robert of Gloucester, Will Conq., L 254 (ed. Morris and Skeat).
^y-pyned onder potms pilate ' y-nayled a rode,'
Dan Michel (a.i). 1340), Credo (ed. Morris, E. E. T. Soc.).
" Curiously this word is always] pronounced thus, and it was so doubtless
when the ' Courtship' was written. Both bed and bid have the same sound,
hai'd.
108 SPECIMENS OF ENGLISH DIALECTS.
611 Andrew. Oh I chell treat tiiayor thate. Es dont thenk yoall
take zo much Stomach ^ to yer sel as to yorbed min avoie zo
memiy Yokes. — Well, Cozen Magery, good Neart
Margery. Cozen Andra, good Neart — Es wish ye well to
615 do.
SCENE Margery's Home.
To Thomasin enter Margery.
Margery. JESTER Tamzen, whare* arti Whaie art> a pope-
mLA ling and a pulchingi Dost hire ma 1
Thonumn. Lock, lock, lock I Whot's the Matter, Magery,
that tha leapest, and caperest, and sing'st so) What art tha
620 hanteck %
Margery. That's nort to nobody.' Chell whistley, and
capery, and zing,* vor oil thee.*^ — Bet yeet avor oll,^ nif tha
wuttent be a Labb of tha Tongue now, chell tell tha sometheng —
Zart!^ whistery! — Ma Banes g* in a Zendey, vath, to Andra,
625 the spicest Vella ^ in Sherwill Hunderd.
Thomasin, La! why thare lo ! Now we® shall be
marry'd near together ; vor mine be in and out agen ; —
thofi^ my Man dont yeet tell ma tha Dey. Es marl ha dont
pointee whot's in tha Meend o'en.^^
630 Margery. Chell g' in to Moulton To-marra pritty taply, to
buy ^2 some Canvest vor a new Chonge.
* L e. * You will not have the face/ &c.
' The first wJiere art lias the acceot on the verb, the second on the adverb.
* One of the commonest sayings in the dialect.
* Tliis ought to be singy in the text, as much as capery.
* Common phrase = in spite of thee or notwithsiaruling tJiee.
* This phrase, very common in the district, is the equivalent of the howsom-
wer of other dialects, and of nevertheless of lit. Eng.
^ I think Zart / is a common quasi-oath like Zounds ! and not as given in
Hie Glossary.
AN EXMOOB COURTSHIP. 109
Andrew, Oa ! ch-iil trds dhu vur dhaet. Es doaii dliaengk yiie-al 611
tak zu muuch stuumik ^ tu yur-zuul-z tu vurbai'd miin uvoaT zu
mtiii'ee Voaks. — ^Wuul Kuuz*n Maajur^, gted neenirt
Margery, Kuuz'n An'dr, g^d nee'iirt. — ^Es weesh ee wuul tu
due. 615
SAI'N Maa'jurSez Aewz.
Tu Taam'zeen aifitur Maa'juiSe.
Margery. ^ AES'TUK Taam'zeen, wur ^ aaTt 1 Wae'ilr urt u-poa'p-
mLA leen un u-puul'cheen 1 Diist uy 'ur mu 1
Thomasin. Lauk, Lauk, Lauk 1 Haut-e dhu maat'ur, Maa jurSe,
dhut dhu lai'pus, un kee'upurus un zingus zoa) Haut, uit dhu
hanidkl 620
Margery. Dhaat-e noa*iirt tu noa'baudee.^ Ch-M wAs'lee, un
kee'iipuiSe, un zing'ee,* vur aul dhee.*^ But eet uvoaT aul,* neef dhu
wut-n bee u Laab u dhu tuung naew, ch-iil tuul dhu zaumieen. —
D-zaart ! ^ wusiniree ! — ^Mu bae*unz g-een u Zun'dee, faath, tu An'dr,
dhu spuysees vaeln® een Shuur*weel XJun'durd. 625
Thomaein. Oa Laa! waay dhae'&r loal Naew wee^ shl bee
u-maar'eed nee*iir tugadh-ur ; vur muyn bee een un aewt ugee*iin ;
thauf ^® muy mae'iin doa*n eet tuul mu dhu daL Es maar*ul u doan
pwuuynt^e haut-s een dhu meend oa un.^^
Margery. Ch-iil g-een tu Moa'ltn tu maam ptlr'tee taap'lee, tu 630
buy ^' zum kan'viist vur u ntie chaunj.
* Fdlow is spelt vdla throughout in the text, but this is one of the errors
like those referred to by Devomensis, p. 64. See note, L 462L
^ We\& not heard in the district. This is evidently a slip of the transcriber.
Should be im, or rather e«, as in the text throughout, except in L 378.
^^ Thau/ia always pronounced with sharp th, the direct converse of though,
its equivalent in received Eng.
^^ This form of possessive is much more used than his. (See W. S. Oram.,
p. 13.)
*« Here it ought to have been vur tu buy, (See W. S. QraoL, p. 62.)
SPECniBSS OF ETiOLISS DIALECTS.
Tiiotnojiin. Ay, ay; bo do; vor tha cassent tell what mey
'pen 1 to tha in thy middJefl Banes.
Margciy. How! ya gurt Trapes! — Whot dest me-an bythal«t
Bcora* tha Wordi. Ded ort hap to thee in Uiy middle
leal Happen obetha .'
TIiaraagiH. Hah! Ort happen to me in my middle Bancs 1 £s
TH et to tha Dert o' ma Shoes, looks jwe, ya mencing, berp-
!! Baggage. — TareweU.'
' Bapima is unkuomi. This ia a ninple IJteraryiaiii.
' Scorn is a rare word In tlie direct
' This word a pronounced with/sharp.
The Thitd BditioD baa
^Sd end aH tht VialoQwt,'
*ro those who are unacquainted with the Gi.ossic Ststem, or who
'e not the key referred to in page 16, the following hrief ahstract
ill be found convenient.
'theConu>naniib,d,f,j,k,l,m,n,p,f, p, u, ^, f.and thedigraphg i7A,jA,
th, have their usual values; g is always hard, as is ^g; h initial as in ho!
(Mtlyusedforemphssisbthifi dialect); « as in to, oeTer ag in bif ; r is reversed
or cerebral, not dental or alveolar, and ougfat properly to be written ,r, but for
coDTenience simple r is printed ; n^ aa in Ang, think ■=. thingk ; njg as in
aiiTer ^ ang'"j7ur ; th b used (or French j, U» English sonnd in virion =
vi«A'un ; and dh for the voictd form of fA, as in {Aat =: dAat. The Vowdt,
found also in English, are a as in man ; aa- in bazaar ; aa short, the same in
quality, but quantity short ; ai- in aid ; ao-, like o in bore ; <m- aa m loud ; an
the same short, as a in watch ; eeiaut; t<, the same short, as in French fint ;
t as in finny ; oa as in moon ; Sa, the same short (not found in English) ; ov
in chooK ; u in up, carrot ; uo, u in bull. Dialectal vowels are oe, opener than
« in n<t, French i in uetl« ; to, French nt in jeune, or nearly ; io; the same
long, as in j^nc ; t)«, French u in due, or newly ; iia; the same long, as in dtf ;
AN EXMOOR CX)URTSHIP.
Ill
Tkonumn, Aay, aa-y ; zoa dtie ; vur dhu kas-n tuul haut mud 632
aap ^ tu dhu een dhi mudi baeninz.
Margery. Aew ! yu guur-trae'ups ! — Haut dus mee*un bi dhaet 1
Es skaurn ^ dhu wuurdz. Dud oa*urt aap tu dhee, een dhi mud'l 635
bae'iinz 1 Aa*p ukaedh'u !
Tliomasin. Haa ! Oa'urt aap tu mee'-n mi mudi bae'iinz 1 Es
skaurn ut tu dhu duurt u mi shtiez, l^k-s zee, yu maen*seen, kyuur*-
peen bag'eej. — Faar'wuul.'
639
uuj a deeper sound of tt in tq) than the London one, but common in England
generally ; uc^ a still lower and deeper sound ; 6 (now used for Mr. Ellis's oe
No. 28, and i, ^, t^, No. 90) is the natural voted heard with I in kind-^^ r=
kiiid*^. It lies between in and un, and etymologically is a lowered and
retracted t, as t&m'ur, M == timber, silL The diphthongs oa'ir, as in Qerm.
hatu; aa'yy long oo, finishing with I, as in Ital. fnai; aay^ the same with
shorter quantity (a frequent form of English /) ; aewy ae finishing in oo, some-
times heard in vulgar London pronunciation, as kaew = cow ; aupt as in hoy
(nearly) ; awy^ with the first element longer or drawled ; uwz=.owm how ; uy,
as in huy = t, y in bite, hy ; uuy, the same a little wider, under influence of a
preceding ir, as ptouuyzn = poison. Imperfect diphtf^ang*, and tripthongs,
or fractures formed by a long vowel or diphthong finishing off with the sound
of S, or the natural voweU are numerous ; thus ae'S> (nearly as in fair = fae'H);
ao'U (as in more == maotL) ; ee'ii (as in id^a, near) ; oa'H (barely^distinct from
ao'li, say as in grower = groa'il) ; oo'U {as in yroo'er = woo'ii) ; aawU (as in
our broadly); aayU; aewii; uwH (as flenrtfr z= fluwH) ; uyit (as in tr0=:
uyH). Of the imperfect diphthongs ee'il and oo% from the distinctness of
their initial and terminal sounds, are most distinctiy diphthonal to the ear, the
stress being also pretty equal on the two elements. The turned period after a
▼owel, as 00', indicates length and position of accent ; after a consonant it indi-
cates shortness of the vowel in the accented syllable, as vadh'ur = v&dh'tir.
As a caution, the mark of short quantity is written over Se^ da, when short, as
these are never short in BngUsh; and it is used with S when this has the
obscure unaccented value found in d-bove, mann<j^ nation, etc. The peculiar
South-western r must be specially attended to, as it powerfuUy affects the
character of the pronunciation. It is added in its full strength to numerous
words originally ending in a vowel, and whenever written it is to be pronounced^
not used as a mere vowel symbol as in Cockney unnder, tomerrer, etc. That
sound is here expressed by t^ as wvn'dHf maar'H,
POSTSCEIPT.
List of variations in tlie Toodings in the first, third, and fourth
tions OS compared with the t«st. (See note to p. 11, also
tscript, p. 60.)
The figures opposite each lino denote which edition, in my
ion, has the trae reading, if the difference is of auy moment.
read Tamzin aster to Margery
for Thomasin (Title)
„ Margeryi) House ,
Margerjv Home
„ diaiireUe^r dispreze
„ tliek /or tliatfl
( „ and eet/or ycet
1 „ vary for very
f „ morst /or most
1 „ burst /or boat
I „ weU/oc waU
' „ oU/orall
„ eea ray /or es My
„ oes liant a zee'd for
bmt a zeed
I „ e'erziDce/ore'refliiice
I „ BCorat/or scoast
„ father /or tether
„ eo/oryou
„ Matter /or Mttt«r
„ cou'iien/or Couden
„ leke/or like
„ zej o' me/or zey o' me
„ looze /or lost
„ dnimm'd/oj- drubb'il
' read stap/or step"! j
I „ thee I thee/or thee, thee 1
I „ Oar!/oj-Gar, I
I „ Caitu't^ CasBent
I „ zea I for zeys I i
„ ha wiL£ /or a was
„ mad tliau/or mad thoa 9
„ thek,/or tliftle 9
„ zes he /or leys be 1
„ Add, thea ees for Ad,
thoB es 9
" ee!/or hell 1
„ Warrant /or varmnt 1
„ t' Bieter^ to Bxeter 1
„ TomVuss/orTom Viui 9
„ hes /or hia
„ thet /or that
„ he begun /or he begiin
„ do's for deth 9
„ knows /or knowth S
„ Teathcr/or vauther 1
„ wipe/orwhipe
„ rindeys vnfor zendeys wey
„ Bet /or But 1
AK BXMOOfi OonBTSHIP: POSISCUIPT.
373 read bemSK /or besense
qmet/orqiute(2)
zaj/or ray
M(3)/oreea{3) 9
beiomuUad/M-bemuUad 1
than/o/-tli™. 9
■quMunesh^r squeamUh
ees/ores 9
aire [2)formn (2) 1
notei/e: for notese
hemej^Jbr lieseuese
doace Jbr d&unce
uzeth/M- Mteib
% zed/or a ted I
«es/orM 9
hft voejor a wm
Teddlevtick^ riddlestick
ba^en /or bvgain
ees/br M 9
ee/or ye I
Dgnkviea/ir tigniviea 1
to/wto
volus nolm /or bolus ndiu
tiiek(S}/)rauite(2) 9
ye /or ya 9
yo*/*r j» 9
stikUvl/or stnted
dreeybr tlirce t
girred /or gerred
of/oro' 9
tUJier/ir tether
lock, dt«t/ur look, dart 9
vurjrore/oj-viirvore 9
twanty/or twonty
puree /ur pass 9
nereet/ornoTyeet 1
mairyd/ir manv'd
cud/M* ci coad 1
Ewear chndu't Jor swear
chndoit
Squaer /or Square 1
nt^set 1
a lit^ a bit 9
ew mnnit/or ee nuut 9
chamber/or chembei
Line
427 read
Zmtei/or Zester
blankets for blonkets I
ee« 11/or es ell 1
preiently /or presently
you /wye
Veather/w Vauthur I
we /or way S
lo/orw 1
whotjecomb /m' wbatje-
tJia Boy far the Boy
was ta-en/or woe taken
xuDg sad for sung aed 1
ZauDU /or Saums S
jam for ye
Ihare's /or There'a 1
bezure/or be sure 1
Look's zee for Look see
Li«seii'd/(W LList'iicd
nliiit a
wliiit's
lee that/or see thate 1
Taiiizi:ii Kiittr/or Tbomauu
tath/ir vatli 1
b'leive Uia Banes wnll /or
btleive tliy flaneft will I
dowureert/ir duwiireet 1
dont wfir dont ye 1
My /or sey 1
zuiiietlieng/orsometbeiig 1
aniost/or aniorst 9
lam/orsare 9
tjllier/wtUier 9
Zniidey(2)>rZindey(2)
i^mi^Ttfor senneert 1
B'b Dot abo' for Es net
aboo
Ees a zooteiiy for S« a
sooleiiy 9
thare's/ir there's
Countervit/or Cuiit«rvpit 9
tha tue«iid/or thy meeud 9
wud.itn'1/or wuiisent
BerideSiio/orBffiidw.aol
5PECnE?(5 OF KSaUSB G
lAi-Ecra,
Line
m kiwnt ^ M tfa>
49C
mid
ne'er /or nerer
knowM 9
496
„
No more dwat tw Offt
Kp&Mt^^ I
kaiFo/iarmuTyitoBl
jvw iMMe fir j% AM-
497
„
rm/H-ja 1
totfe 9
499
„
www - zop'd /or icwer-
jow glut nllHb M yt
^T-d '
gtrt-TOOM
501
„
yoo . . . eeeU >r ;& . . ■
eebeBerad/fTftbdeeT'd 1
Mil
e(a»>dcl)Ddn-t>-«8Wd
503
„
this isj^ theses
ctmdent I
506
„
otth*.. goeth>r»-tta
..goth 9
Doa, and ten >■ Doil,
easwndn-t/wawod
99
vujvmJ Wr Tuf BAfa
tdl
«(»)>■« (2)
10
„
Add! . . . bT >- Ad;
sed . . MjjW Bed . . ser 1
BM
Zondey/orZhKkj
U
,
hy .... the y«n >
ner bont ma /or uer
ly OMjtma I
Iwrtn*
ri
„
tf«e>-toM I
Z«>dey-«Mmeert >r
IS
„
Add!., -gi'. ..p^M
de;-Kimt«rt
Ad ... gee ... gw
■hooit/x- ibort
IS
„
nhappcr/w whiq^ I
M il.*n>r e* Chen ,
17
„
BeoD^Bei)
ea . . «8iel>r«B . ,
19
„
M>5>rje
aeU
19
„
luiH. . . emJi)rmB»
tho/or theez
9
... 68
zo/3rso
1
620
„
onlythatwi/flrooljT.) 9
get/or git
9
620
^
gocth/orgoth 9
Zyder/or Cyder
9
62S
„
yow_/brye 1
will ee/or wuH ye
1
827
eea . . . away/«- «a . . .
bread and cbeeze /or
brid
awey
indcheMe
1
S2S
^
ma(irenk,wiiIlyeI/)rlDe
came /i/r tome
9
dtenkt 1
beiiJ<ri/(wl*^iiea
I
628
„
ym/orn 1
Denner/ur Dinuer
1
029
„
ZjdcT/or Cjdec 9
doat/ordert
9
S30
„
tee /or fye
Edre/ornire
9
632,
^
yow(2)/orja(2)
yow ar'n't/or ya bant
9
536
„
hearkee/orhrairky
vorgetvul/orvoreetful
9
638
,,
Ees careu't/or Ea carent
ees «a >■«,...
ea
HI
,,
TOur/or voirer 9
«e mean /br ye mean
I
6«1
1,
Ilunderd/or Hundred 1
what/oj- Bhot
H5
^
Oh,i»nomnii>-0h,i»
Eos /ores
mun 1
zaiiiu/w same
1
647
„
thdi/arthet *
c«s (3)>r ea <3)
647
^
moyybrmay
wudn't/or wudent
648
„'
gi'/wg«e
AS BXHOOB COt;Bl«BIP : FoencBiPT.
I Ttad Onnt Nell/or Out Ndl
) „ goetii et in' /or goth et
wey S
I „ Tho chawT for Thoa chur
I „ Tell>r fell
r „ wixjorvssa 9
r „ JiluD for Jilliui
} „ Bee . . . ymijom ... fa
1 „ Bmeled . . . pritty for
■melled . . . prettj
I „ yow . . . father for ye
. . . tether
! „ tweU /or twuU »
I „ eohiredo't/iwesIiiredo'etS
> „ Steetiopping, ragToutic^
(uid giglettjng/or dteo-
hopping cuidgiggletJng
r „ steirardl€8t, vitlert >r
Etewarliertaudvittieet 9
) „ Thenkee/or Thenk ye 1
} „ DiTB ihudn't for nif ee
■hndent ; 9
I „ ifforot I
! „ that^/or thrt
) „ . ort's/orortes 9
1 , hatheiycwbeOier 9
I „ Uteaudtcni/orlituidtani
S „ alkctole/aralkitutle 9
{ „ dest^dedrt 1
S „ tha' Afar tha vert
) „ (pryer/or gpreyer 1
) „ wnllee . . . jowfor wull yo
...ya 1
I „ ees do rone fir ee Toroe 1
S „ chkt Mt >br chad a eat 9
1 „ woQtee go rn'fa- wont ye
go wey
) „ eea m^ g* np /ir ea mey
go up
> „ ees/wea
> „ Add! eea'n^Adl ea'll
1 „ eei . . . chawT fbrta, . .
ehnwr 1
! „ thea^rtbeei S
15 read yow be za for ya be as 1
IS „ may (2) for mey (2)
'7 „ yow . . . father /or ya . . ,
17,698 ee8{2)/oreB(2)
18 „ cbell ... K* up /or chel
... go up . 1
>9 „ Bai/orea
„ Wey to loe /or Wey *or
toiee 9
•9 „ that'g>p that 68 9
K) „ cliiidu't for cliudciit
« „ ner vet for aot yeet 1
e „ ecs zey/or ea zey
H n eea marl whollJif?/! /wee
marl what these
C „ jam for y»
•6 „ aey . , . Uageiy for sey
. . . Margeiy
17 „ TuliismiliL'f /or ImIiie Dolus
18 „ eosll vorbed tticu lutli fitr
eaellTorliedniiuvnth 1
19 „ thek . , . yow'U for thate
youTl S
„ yare zel . . . men for yer
sel • . . min I
,1 „ many /or menny
:3 „ Tamdn .... pojtling f>r
Tamzen .... popeUng
.4 „ Dcst for Dost
6 & •??. Tnuixiii for Tiioniaara
6 „ ang'stio /or mng'stao I
9 1, yow /or thee 9
»r oil for yeet a»or
oU
1
*fat
zometfaeDg/TBometheng 1
fatb/or vaUi 1
eet toll me . . . .
yeet tell ma . .
zomo^Bome
nhfAfor what .
tha>rtlv
thek^brthak
tu^)pen/or hap
Wiforttt
A VOCABULARY OR GLOSSARY,
ESPLAISINO
THE MOST DIFFICULT WORDS IN TEE FOREGOING
DIALOGITES.
The original Glossary is repriuted verbatim from Lho Edition of
1778.
It will, of course, be understood that the etymologiea here given
Lre exact reproductions, and are by no means to be considered as
rect. Many of them are wrong ; as, for example, Djck! from the
A.S. word lo look ; which word, moreover, is said to be Joean, instead
of Idcian. Many more of these etymologies are simply ridiculous.
The present editor's remarks upon each word are inserted at the
end of the respectire paragraphs, and oonmenoe with the prMent
pronimciatioii of tlie word, unless obsolete, in Glossic between
equare brackets [ ].
The reference figures have been inserted immediately aftn the
word, and apply to the lines of the text.
In many instances words are said to be ' from Ang . Sax.' where
no A.S. word is given. In these cases the word pissumed to be
intended has been inserted in italics and within brackets [ f].
When no further definitiou of a word is given, it must be undei-
etood that the original Gloseary gives the full meaning as understood
at present.
The words of the text which are not in the original Qlonaiy but
which seem to need explanation have been added, and artf printed in
Italica, their pronnnciation in Glossic immediately following the word.
AN EXMOOR SCOLDING AND COURTSHIP: GLOSSARY. 117
I desire gratefully to acknowledge the many valuable hints I have
received from Professor Skeat, as well as the kind assistance of Mr.
Chorley, of Quarme^ in the remarks following.
Abomination, 111 rubaum*inae*iir8hn], this word is scarcely dialect,
though it is very frequently used by the working class as an exple-
tive. ' Abomination shame/ ' abomination lie/ are very common.
Ad/ 17, 72, 85, 93 [ad], an interjectional quasi oath, still very
common. Of the same meaning as Qar !
Aead-Clathing, 155 [ai'd-klaa'dheen], head-dothing or covering, cap
or bonnet (rare). uUUhinq is very commonly used for covering, pre-
cisely as cocU is used in ht. Ens. — as ' a good clathing o' thatch/ ' a
thick clathing o' dung/ In both these examples coai would be the
idiom of received Eng.
Agar, 350 [u gaur], a quasi oath.
Agest, 359, 584, aghest, or agast, 229, Afraid, terrified ; and some-
times nsed to express such great Terror, as if a Ghost had appeared.
[ugaa*s] (common). See note, 1. 584.
Agging, 75, murmuring^ provoking, egging on, or raising Quarrels,
[ag'een] nagging (very common).
^9^y 228, going. At present this would be Zaut ugoo' instead of
Zet agog, as in the text All agog is still common in the sense of ' all
np for aD3rthing/
AketTia, 456, 604, 636, AketJier, 76. See note, p. 32 (obsolete).
AUdtoUe, 470, 577, a silly Elf, or foolish Oaf. Perhaps, a foolish
Creature troubled with Fits or Epilepsies, to which the Elk, in Latin
Aloe, is said to be subject, d [aal-kitoa*tl] (obsolete, but not for-
gotten).
Allembatdi, 24, 557, an old Sore: From the Angl. Sax. ^Elan,
accendere, Botdi ut Supra ; and then it may signify a Carbuncle or
burning BoiL [aal'urnbaachj (common).
A-long, as spelt in some former Editions, but should be E-long, means
slanting, [ai'laung or ulaung]. At present this word means Jlai, not
Biajitmg—<Ul along « at full length. I have no knowledge of E-long.
Slanting, in the ordinary sense, cannot here be meant ; warped or
drawn awry is the meaning. Halliwell gives avelong, elliptical, oval.
In the Promptorium Pai^nlorum (ed. Way) avelonge is translated
chhngus, with a note : * This word occurs again hereafter, warptn,
or wex wronge or auelonge as veeseUe, oUongo, In HarL MS. 1002,
f. 119, oblongo is rendered to make auelonge ; and in the Editor's MS.
of the Medulla, oblongus is rendered anelonfi;e. Moore gives the word
avellong, nsed in Suffolk, when the irregular shape of a field inter-
feres with the equal distribution of the work.'
Aneesi, 80 [uneeHis], near. Used indifferentlv with a-nigh, but always
with some verb implying motion. It would not be used to explain a
118 !ipectme:(s of ssglish dialuhs.
aituAtim, raich «a ' tfae haaao Men aneat the road '—bare it would b«
nigh or hatuig (Ac road ; Irat it voold be mid, 'I md-n atuett the
pl^ce.' beoLoae the >nu im4 implies ifAJ nol go,
Angle-bowiiL^, 193, 212, « Kind of Fencing against Sheep : From
And. Sax. [aiiycJ /] A Hook, or Beodingof aPiahm^Bod. foug'l-boa'-
eeaj. MotetUitonwf oeljiaaoimded, not lim as m lit Eng. Angh-
feMMH*. aa deBcribed n. 46, i* rtill o^cd on the tiirf-<Kiped walls of the
id; Mid wmdd ■bo now be nndeiBtood to mean a kind of
by meuia of an ai«^«-iou' ur wire noose fixed at the end
I
of a rod. To it anglt-bom, ia to set wirea fbr gama. Any running
nooae ia called ang-t-boa; See angglU, PrompL Parv. ; also note to
Ed of 177«. p. 46.
Antle-beer, 274, Cross-wise, irregular : Ah AnUe, tLe Door-Post*.
[an-tl-bee-ur] (rare, still in nae). The form of two uprights ajid ono
CTOe0-[iie<«, hke a door-frame. I fnil to see any sort of coimevtiun
between badly-ironod linen and a door-frame. ' Antlo-boor, g&UowB
Cuhion,' is oommoD.
A-piill'd, 191, 313, Sonr'd, or Beginning to turn soui; when applicl
to Milk, Bi-cr, 4c. ; sometiaiee to be prickt or gored, 90 as to be made
to tret or fame- Vide Skinner, [u-pfir'ld] (rare, obMileeocnt). It is
common to speak of cider as ' pricked ' when tuniing bout, and thsre
i» connoctioa between pritch (q. y.), or friok, and priUhtllt a black-
smith's punch.
Apart, Sullen ; ilisdainfuUy dlent, with a glouting Look - in a sour
doggod Diapoedtion. [upuurt]. It is still coutnion to say ' hor'e a
g«ne off aport.'
Arrnnl, 396 [aar'unt], errand; always so pronounceil.
JUerl, 198, 512 [udhnur-t], athwart, acTDes. This word, prononnoed ae
above, ia tbe on^ one to expreaa acrott or crotturite in use in the dialect.
A eroM-cut taw la always a dhtuirt laa.
Aoore, 17, 29, 73, 108, 122, 199,261 [uvoaT], before ; also very fre-
quently vntit, or hy the Umt that. U-l kip aun uwaT t«-v n-broaU-n
ubroa-ad, ' He will keep on until he has broken it to pieoea,' was said
in my hearing very recently of a child playing wit^ a pictnre-book
Dhik ul lede di/'urnt uvoa-r re-z v~/in-er*h, ' iWt (article] will look
different by the time that (not be/on) he is finished.' See note, L 108.
Aeore oil, 291 [uToaT ao'l], neTerthcless, notwithstanding (the
regular phroae).
ATioar, 123, or ATraur, Frozen, Frosty, [uvroa-iii] (ran). Seo
note 17, p. 37.
An Aiwaddle or Axvaddler, 144 (from the Devonshiie Word Axcn
for A^es), an Ash-padder or Pedlar ; one that collects and deals in
;. AshoB ; sometimes one that tomblea in them. — Henoe an Axen Cat;
and sometimoB one that paddlos and draws lines in tliem with a elick
or poker, [aaks-waud'l] a woU-remembered but obeoleto trade. Not
many years ago, coal firos were unknown in the Exmoor diatriot, and
ashet meant only the ashe« of burnt wood or peat ; even now the two
kinds are carefully distinguiahod as oar'iAu and koa'l aar'thn. BefoiO.
the cheapening m aikalit* for waahing, xeoadfutht* ased to be, and
AN EXMOOR SCOLDING AND OOUKISHIP : GLOSSARY. 119
BtiU are, placed in a large box strainer ; water is thrown upon them,
which, when poured o^ is quite dear and of the colour of porter ;
this ifl called lie [luy], and oeing strongly alkaline is still used in
some places for washing, to save soap.
The cucwaddUa used to go about with a pack-horse and collect the
surplus dry ashes from &rm-houses, paying for them in drapery or
other pedlary wares, but seldom in money. Cottagers used only to
have sufficient to make their own lie, Axen for ashes is now spoken
by some very old men, and the word is also retained in the names of
several fiums, &o.
Ay, 234. See Hy.
B
Ba-arge, 122, 201, 226, 238, from the Saxon [bearkf], Majalis, a
Barrow-pig, generally used in Devonshire to si^ify a fiat heavy
Person, one that is unwieldy as a &tten'd Hog. (Obsolete.)
Baggage, 44, 279, 639 [bag'eej], a common term applied to females
only. Puur'tee oa'l bag'eef, uur ai'g, shoa'r nuuf. l^iis word has no
connection with Baggag^ Bundle [bun'l] is an equally common
epithet for a woman.
Bafi^gaged, 4, or By-g^ed, Behagged, L e. Hog-ridden or bewitched,
[bag'eejd, bigae'&jd] (common), over-looked, hag-ridden.
Banes, 455, 460, 474, 609 [bae'iinz], banns of marriage ; also bands,
middle-bands, q. y.
' Andr. Would that were the worst.
Fox. The very best of our banes, that have prov'd
Wedlock, Come, VU sing thee a catch I have
Made on this subject,^
* The Women's Conquest,* 1671.
Banginff, 6, 500, large, great, [bang'een] (very common). This word
is usea only in connection with gurt, and generally seems to be merely
complimentary to it, adding no particular force as to size, but implying
a coarseness of quality, predsely like the Italian accij as in carta,
cartaccia. In the text (6) it implies a hoidemsh bouncing as well, in
consequence of its being separated from gurt, A gurt hanging lie, a
gurt hanging dog, are common phrases.
Bannee, 233, 264 [ban*Se], to rudely contradict (still used, not
common).
Bare, 546 [bae'ur], simple, plain, unadorned (very common as used
in the text).
* Polish. Be/ore her as toe say, her genUeman usher.
And her cast off pages, bare to hid her aunt
Welcome,* — Ben Jonson, ' Magnetic Lady,' Act ii. sa 4.
' FitzdottreL Thafs your proportion ! and your coathman hold,
Because he shall he bare enough*
Ben Jonson, ' Devil is an Ass,' Act iL so. 1.
Bamgnn, 557, some fiery Pimples breaking out upon the Skin ; or,
perhaps, a burning Sore of the Erysipelas £ind, vulgarly called St.
120 SPECIMENS OF EKOUSH DIALECTS.
AntlioiiY's Fire : Bat tihis is what the DencmuuiB call ffl-ihing, firom
the An^ 8ajL (beoman Fj to bum. [bauii'gaim], an inflammatorj
skin disease. I belieye it to be Mngle», which I haTB heard called
homey-gun (rare, but still used). See Heartgon.
Barra, 409, or Barrow, a gelt Pig [baaru], this word is not now naei
alone, bnt always witii pig — ^banow-pig (the only term in use).
Risie^ 93, 518 [bQe'us(t], to beat so thoroogbly that the beaten one
shall steam. All the words for thrashing haye Taiious fine shades of
meaning.
Bate^ 226 [baeiit], to contend, to qnaneL A haie^ a passiony a rage.
' And \>€U ]f^ repentyd hem wonder wrt^
y etf pey maden aytfn hurr^ bate or dryff,*
Chronicon Yilodunense, ed. Hoaie, stanza 7d9.
Beagle, 243 [bai-gl]. I cannot find that as an epithet this word has
now any particular force. Its use here seems to mean simply hitch.
Beat, 197, or Peet, Turf burnt for the Improvement of cold land,
commonly called Bum-beating, and in some Counties Denshiring,
because frequently used in some Parts of Devonshire, - [bai% beet]
(daily use).
Bed-Ale, 564, Groaning Ale, that which is brewed for a Grossiping or
Clhristening Feast fbai'd aeHil] (very common). We do not now
talk of groaning ale but of groaning drink, I doubt if the former
term was ever used, the latter is stUL quite common. The term ale
applies to the festival, not to the drink, as in Two Gkntlemen of
V erona, Act iL sc. 5 :
* Launce Not so much charity as goto the ale in a Christian,*
So also Piers Plowman, ed. Skeat, Pro!. 42 :
* Feyneden hem for heorefoode ' fow^ten atie ale.'
* Drid^-AhSy church-ale^, clerk-ales^ give ales, lamh-ales, leet-ales. Mid-
suiujuer Ales, Sad- Ales, Whitsun- Ales, and several more,* — Brand's * Pop.
Antiq.' (4 to. ed.), vol. i. p, 229.
See note 9, p. 103.
Bf'esf, 196. This I believe to be a mere piece of literary dialect. I
have often heard beeth [bee'dh] constiniod with a plural nominative,
but never with a singular. See Bobert of Gloucester, William of
Shoroham, Chaucer, &c., who all use b€];> with plural construction.
Brrjit, 493 [higit*], forget (very common still).
To the true Ben, 19, 519, or Bend, soundly and to the Purpose, [tu
dhu true baj'n] (common).
lit Icf'fle rftfharj 210 Phut lee'cU rac'udhnr]. liafh^jr meann earlier in
jxiint of time in the dialect, and is never used to imply a preference,
for that the word is zeo'ndur, sooner. See note 3, p. 96.
Botwattled, 4, seised with a Fit of Tattling, or betotled and turned
Fool, [bitwaut'ld] (obsolescent).
J)c viKtr (lays, 122. See Vore days, I quite dissent from the defini-
tion here given, which appears to be contrived to render the text
A.N EXMOOR SCOLDING AND COURTSHIP : GLOSSARY. 121
intelligible. The present term is uvoa'r daiy meaning before daybreak.
In the ' Ancren Kiwle ' (ed. Camden Society), p. 20, we read :
* <fc UsUn vort efter prime i\>e winter erJiche ; %\>e sumer hiuor deies,*
To this is a note referring to the Cleopatra MS., giving another
reading, * / sumer hifM& mare^en,* Here we have the identical phrase
as old as the XIll cent, clearly meaning he/ore daybreak. 1 think
the true meaning of 1. 122, however small the connection may be
with the text, is ** Thou wilt coal varty a-bed until (just) before day-
light." One of the very commonest similes for a person who fusses
about without doing anything is '* jist like an old hen avore day."
BlazeCf 233, 264 [blaeiizSe], fly into a rage and scold loudly and
abusively (very common still).
Blazing, 42, 308, spreading abroad News, or blazoning and proclaim-
ing Sie Faults of others, [blae'iizeen] (very common). Bels;. oor-
hlaesen t to blow in one's Ear, meaning to whisper. One often hears,
' So-and-so will hlaze it all over the place.*
To Blenky or blenk, 124, to snow but sparingly, resembling the
Blinks or Ashes that sometimes fly out of a Chimney, and fall around
the Place. [blaenkSe^. Possibly to whiten. This word is rarely used
respecting snow, but is very commonly applied to the falling of sparks
or flakes of fire. See Snewth.
Bloggyy 258. See Blogging.
To Bless vore, 26, 559 (i e. to bless for it, with a View to cure it), to
use Charms or Spells to cure Disorders. — * She should have needed no
more SpelL* — ^Vid. Spenser's Calender, 2Egl. 3d. & Theocriti IdylL B.
Ver. 90. [bias voa*r] to charm, very commonly spoken about warts.
The word probably is used in the sense of to wave or brandish, as in
passing the hand backwards and forwards over the affected part while
reciting the hocue pocus : this meaning may be derived from the
common action used in the benediction :
' And burning blades about their heads doe blesse.'
Spenser, * Faerie Queeue,' Bk. i. c. 6.
Blogging, 313, looking sullen. (Obsolete.)]
Blotoze, 16 [bluwz], rough red-faced wench, hoiden. As a substantive
this word is now very rare, but blouzy, rough, romping, hoideniah, is
not an uncommon word applied to females.
* Whiles Oilletty his blouse, is a milking the cow.
Sir Hew is a rigging thy gate or the plow.*
Tusser, ed. £. D. S., p. 43.
Blowmannger, 121, 200, 238 (perhaps from the French Bknc-
manger. White Moat, a Kind of Flummery), used by the Exmoor-
ians, ftc, to denote a fat blown cheek'd Person, as if blown up with
Fat by fuH feeding and juncketin^ ; or perhaps it may be applied to
one wno pu£b and blows while he is eating. (Obsolete.)
BocUiize, 13, 83, 84 [baud-eez], the stiff' leather stays worn by coun-
try women. I have often seen them worn with no garment covering
them, and in that case the state of deshabille favours the description
in p. 84 {Courtship), where ' He takes hold and paddles,' &o.
122 SPECDfEXS OF RSOLISH DIALECTS.
Bolus ncim, 401, 609 (Wlos noalosl ndens voienM. This is still a
common e^neaaioii, picked up no doobt OTiginslly at the Swf'uz
(AssizeB).
BmMhaTe, 23, 258, The Sciatica. See Note to Page 26, also p.
70. [boaiin sheemr] (common).
Booftering, 295, Labouring busily, sc as to sweat [b^'staieen]
impetuous, bustHng, working in a fdssy, blustering manner (common).
Barsi, 256, 391, 572. See Bost.
Bost, 50, 249 [buust], burst. This word is constantly used in the
sense of break — ^in L 50 this is the meaning ; she is like a firesh-yoked
steer, so headlong that she would burst, i. e. break, the plough tackle,
however strong. So in L 220, bogt dha neck o* en, t . e. ' break the ewe's
neck ; ' L 249, bogt tha cloamj L e. ' break the crockery.'
BoBom, 63, 72, 607, or, BiUBoni-chiLek'd, 502, The having a deep
dark Bedness in the Cheeks, [buuz-um chuuk'ud] (still used, rare).
See note, L 607.
Bresh, 82 [brish, buursh], beat, thrash ; indefinite as to implement
BriflS, 156, Dust — ^Briss and Buttons, Dust and Sheep's Buttons or
Sheep's Dung, [briis] (very common). This word does not mean
simply dtut — for that pilm [pulmm] is the word — but the fluffy kind
of dust found behind furniture, or in old bams. So in the text, br%8$
and button* moans the fluffy, cob- web sort of dust to be got from an old
shed, or from pulling aliout fusty hay, and the clinging bur$ of
thistles or dy. In this place and connection, I do not Qiink buttons
mean sheep's dung.
A Brooking Mungrel, 259, a !Mungrel Jade that is apt to throw her
Rider. — From the Saxon [Z^roc /] Caballus, [and ?] a Monger, [brauk*-
oon muung'gnil]. I wholly dissent from the above explanation.
Brockiug (quite obsolete) meant badgering^ hence bothering^ aggra-
vating. Mongrel was not applied to horses but to dogs, and hence the
epithet in the text is perhaps simply equivalent to aggravating hitch,
l*rof. Skeat says : ' The place in A.S. where broc is applied to a horse
is contemptuous ; the true sense being badger only. The epithet means
literally a mongrel dog used for badgering or brocking, without regard
to the fact that a mongrel would be of slight use for such sport' The
word mongrd is verj' commonly applied in a contemptuous sense to
any creature, man or boast, and conveys the idea of low or bad
breeding. * A mongrel-bred bullock,' * a lot of mongrels ' (sheep), * a
guit mongrel ' (a coarse, ill-bred man), are every-day expressions
Buckard, or, Bucked, 205, when spoken of J^Tilk, soured by keeping
t<>o long in the Milk-I5ucket, or by being kept in a foul Bucket. —
"\V1icn spoken of other things, — hircum olens, having a rankish Taste
and Smell, [buukud] (very common). The word is not now used in
the senses here given, but is applied to cheese only, when instead of
being solid it has a spongy look and is full of cavities.
To Buckle, 291, or. Buckle to, to gird up the Loifis, — to be diligent
and active, [buuk'l tue] (very common).
AN EXMOOR SCOLDING AND COUBTSmP : GLOSSARY. 123
Buckle and Thongs, 546 [buak*l-n dhanngs], an expression (still used)
to imply emptineBSy as of the straps and buckles to bind a burden, but
without the materials to be bound. See Bare.
Buddled, 136, Drown'd, Suffocated, as if in the Buddie Poll, and
sery'd as Tm Oar, when washed, [buudid] ^rare, but in use). A
luddU-hoU is a hole made in a hedge for a dram.
Bniiy (Ab. A.S.) (J), Busky my Boys 1 [This word does not occur
in the text — ^Ed. J
Bnldering Weather, 205, hot and sultry, tending to Thunder,
(Obsolete.)
Bnddng, 312, running up against one-anothers Busk {sic) by Way of
ProYocation. Q ? [buus 'keen] (very common), raising the busk— or
Americano, * rizin the dander.' The husk is the hair or hush, growing
along a dog's back, which when angered by another dog he raises on
end, or iHver$. A cat raises her fur also, but I never heard of a cafs
busk. So hvMng means doing or saying something to excite another's
choler.
Buttons, 156, besides the commonly known meaning of the word, is
sometimes iis'd to express Sheeps Dung, and other Buttons of that
Kind; as also the Burs on the Herb Burdock, but these in Devon-
shire are call'd Cuckold- Buttons, in some other Places Beggars-
Buttons. See Briss.
Buttoned, 214. See Buttons.
Bnnom and Bnzzom-ohuek'd. See Bozzom.
Bygaged, 251, 254. See Baggaged.
Candle-teeningy 314, Candle-lighting. — ^To teen and dout the Candle
means to put in and put out &e Candle, [kani-teen'oen] (common).
Teen the candle = light the candle, is a common expression. See note,
L 314.
To CaxiifBle, 257, or, Canifflee, to dissemble and flatter. (Obsolete.)
CanUebone, 280 [kan*tl-boa'un] (common), usually the collar-bone.
In the text the expression is equivalent to ' break the back.'
Cai-ee, 228, 263, care. See note 6, p. 50.
Cassent, 127 [kas-n], canst not. See W. S. G., p. 64.
Cat-ham'd, 120, ungainly, fumbling, without any Dexterity, [kyat-
aamd or aam'ud] (very common). Generally applied to horses, and
especially to moor- bred ponies ; but I have heard it used respecting
persons, and then it implies aplay-fooUd, The more usual form is
cai'hocked [kyat-uuk*udj.
Cancheries, 183, 243, perhaps for potential Cauteries, Caustics or
burning Medicines ; but in Devonshire means an^ Slops or Medicinal
Compositions without any Distinction ; the same with Couch or Cauch,
perhaps from the Gr. (nc) miscere, to mix or mingle, [kau'chureez].
Cauch is still used in tne sense here given, but I never heard of
caucAmea. The word implies rather a phuster or salve than a potion.
124 SPECIMENS OF ENOLISH DIALECTS.
Chad, 244, 256, 564, 556, I ha<L
Cham, 405, I am.
Champe, 219, a Skuffle. (Obsolete.) I doubt this definitioiL It
is quite oommoii to say, ' I ont ha no more chim-diam,* i. e. no more
nonsense, objection, hesitation.
A Change or Chonge, 631, a Shirt or Shift ; — ^because it shoild be
often changed, ^chanj]. This pronunciation is not like Eng. change,
but the same as m flange. Still the regular name for a $ki/L
Chant, 231, I am not.
'Chave, 206, 211, 372, 396, t. e. Ich have, I have.— And so'ch for Ich
is prefixed to many other Words, viz. 'Mey be ohell and mey be
chon't ; ' i. e. It may be I shall, and it may be I won't or will not
[This form of / is entirely obsolete and forgotten in the district. I
cannot but think that its use in the text is much exaggerated, and
the more so as it is in one or two instances used in evident error.
Before Shakspere's time all these words were written y chave, i cham,
icholle, y chtUt, &c. See * Essay' by * Somersetiensis,' p. 73.
Cliawnt, 245, I will not ; Chant, IL 598, 600.
Chawr, 563, 565. See Cliur,
Chell, 246, 404, 413, 421, I shall.
CJiingstey, 302 [cheen'stai], chin-stay, the cap-strings tied under the
chin. The leather strap which fastens a bridle by passing round the
jaw is called a chin-stay, but I never heard the term apphed as in the
text.
Chittering, 63, 309 [chiit'ureen]. This word (still very common)
inii)lios somothing botwoon chattering and tittering. The noise made
by a 1 lumber of Hparrows is called chittering. Applied to a person, it
HJ^nifieH somothing lower than chatter — something as meanmgless as
the twittering of sparrows. See note, L 309.
* The fenthtTed spar r owe cold am I ;
In Sfnete and pieasaunt spryng
I greatly doe delight y for then,
I chitter, chirpe and 8yng.*
Kendall, ' Flowers and Epi grammes,' A.D. 1576.
Choclchic, 232, to cackle. See Chockliiig.
Chockling, 44, 45, 311, 502, the Cackling of a Hen when disturbed;
and when spoken of a Man or Woman, means hectoring and scolding.
[chaak'loen]. A hen always chackleSy never cackles.
To chongp. a lifo.. See Dotc 9, p. 87.
Chongg, 123 [chaun-jt'el cliaiigcable, unsettled, stormy — applied to
weather (very common}.
Chounting, 39, 310, taunting, scornfully reviling, or jeering. This
is not derived from chanting, nor has any relation thereto, unless
meant in a harsh disagreeable Tone. Vide Chun, [chuwn'teen] (still
used). The word implies mumbling or mouthing, but more m tiie
way of complaint than abuse.
AN EXMOOR 800LDINO AND COURTSHIP.' GLOSSARY. 125
Chucked, 302 [chuukt], choked. ' This word is still always pro-
nounoed thus.
Cbner, 223, in other Countiefl a Chare, a Jobb of Work ; generally
applied to the Work of a Person who assists on all Occasions, and in
different Kinds of Work: Hence a Chare-women or Chewrer, who
helps the Servants in a Family, [ch^o'ur in N. Dev., choaiir in W.
Som.] (very common). See note 1, p. 50.
To Chuery or Chewree, 281, 291, to assist the Servants, and supply
their Flaoes occasionally, in the most servile Work of the House,
rchdo'tir^, choa'iir^e]. Uwr du c?ioa'UrH, means that she goes out
for hire as a charwoman. See note, 1. 223.
Chun, 14, 244, 278, 287, Quean, or Woman, Q?— But a Quean
formerly meant a Whore, and generally now a bad sort of a Woman.
IChun is obsolete, but quean [kwee'iin] is very common. ' Her's a
nice old quean ' may be often heard.]
Chupa, 101 [chuups], chops, i. e. cheeks.
Chur, 554, 555, 1 was. See note 1, p. 102.
Ohuwr, 593. See Chur.
Clathing, Cloathing — Claihers, 135, Clothes. [klaa-dheen,klaa'dhurz]
(very common). See Aead-Clathing.
Clam, 133, a Stick laid over a Brook or Stream of Water to clamber
over, supplying the Want of a Bridge, a Clap or Clapper, [klaam]
called also more frequently a dammery is still a common name for a
board or pole laid across a brook for a foot-bridge.
dome, 249, (perhaps from Loam), £arthen-ware. [kloa'm] (the
common name for crockery). Spelt doam in the text.
Coad, or Caud, 148, unhealthy, consumptive, or cored like a rotten
Sheep, [kao'd] common disease of sheep, through feeding on wot
land. C£ A.S. cd^.
CoaJrvarty, 122, 272. See note, p. 36.
Caander, 143 [koa*ndur1, comer. The insertion of a (f in this and
other words, as taa'yuldur, tailor, is still a peculiarity of this dialect.
See W. S. G., p. 19.
Cookleert, 110 (L e. Cock-light), Diluculum, the Dawn, when the
Oock crows: In the Evening, Crepusculum. [kauk-lai*t] (very
common).
Cod-Olove, 92, a Furze-Glove without Fingers, [kaud gluuv] (obso-
lescent), now generally called ' hedging glove.'
To Coltee, 265, 296, to act the Hobby-horse, to be as playful as a
young Colt [koali;^] (very common).
Cclting, 46 [koaiteenl, romping in a very opprobrious sense, when
applied to a woman (common). Chaucer has coUUh (Halliwell). See
also Cymbeline, Act iL sc. 4.
Compare^ 465 [kmpae*iir], comparison (very common).
126 SPEaMEXS OF ENGLISH DIALECI8.
* ThU offspring of my hraine, which dare wA icaTcdy make compare
with the foulest.^ — < Optic Qlasse of Humours,' A.D. 1639.
To Condiddle, to waste, dispeiae, or convey away secretly or impeiv
ceptibly. [kundMl] (still in use). *rd a got ever so many old
spade guineas wan time, but they m all a oonoiddled.'
Condiddled, 290, insensibly wasted away. — Spoken of Goods or Sub-
stance, clandestinely and gradually spent and consumed.
Camoral Oath, 365 [kaurnurol oa-iith], an oath as solemn as that
sworn before a coroner (common).
CoH, 210, 213, 389, intended for the past tense of caieh. No such
form of tense now exists in the dialect, but if it ever did the r would be
sounded as in tJiort =r thought. See W. S. Oram., p. 46.
Cottony 77, 514 [kaut*n], to beat, to whack. The use of this word
implies an instrument, and not a drubbing with fists or bare hands.
See Zoce. (Still very common.)
To Creem, 326, 605, to squeeze, and as it were to cramp. [krai*m]
(still in use).
Crewdling, 159, a cold, dull, unactive and sickly Peison, whose Blood
seems to be as it were curdled, [krto'dleen] (still used). %
Crewnting, 43, 45, or Cnmin|^, Groaning like a granting Horse,
[krdonteen] grunting, complaining, lackadaisical (common).
The Crime of the Country, 508, 522, the whole Cry, or common
Beport of the Neighbourhood, [kruym u dhu kuim'tr^] (still in use).
Crock, 248, alwa3r8 means a Pottage-Pot, when not distinguished by
an Adjunct ; but besides this Porridge-Crook (as *tis sometimes call'd)
there is the Butter-Crock, by which the Devonians mean an Earthen
Vessel or Jar to pot Butter m ; and the Pan-Crock, which see in its
place, [krauk]. The crock is an iron pot of peculiar and well-
known shape. It is nearly a globe, haymg a swinging handle, by
which it is nung up to the chimney crook, and has three short projeo-
tions by way of legs. Moreover, it has always three horizontal nngs
upon its circumference. Other vessels and utensils change their
mshions, crocks never do.
A Croud, 388, 391, a Fiddle, [kraewd] (obsolescent).
* This fiddle is your proper purchase.
Won in the service of the churches ;
And by your doom must be aUou^d
TobCjOrbeno more, a crowd.'
Butler, * Hudibras,' Pt L a ii. 1. 1002.
' A lacauey thai can . . . wait mannerly at a tahle . . •
WarbU upon a crowd a little,*
Ben Jonson, ' Cynthia's Bevels,' Act i. so. 1.
Crouder, 392 [kraewdur], fiddler (common).
Croumy 86 fkraewn], to strike on the head ^rare, but not obsolete).
The use of some instrument is implied in this word.
AN BXMOOB SCOLDING AND COURTSHIP: GLOSSARY. 127
A Crab, 486, a Cromb of dry Bread, with or without Cheese, [kreob]
(obeolesoent).
To Cuff a Tale, 298, to exchange Stories, as if contending for the
Mastery ;— or to canyas a Story between one and another. (Obsolete.)
Curry, 89, 616 [kuur-ee], to thrash, to whack. * 111 curry your hide
for you,' is a very common threat. Some weapon is here also impKed.
Gutted^ 107, 308 p^uut-ud], a word of rather general meaning,
implying crabbed, ill-conditioned, snappish (rare, obsolescent).
Daggle4edtd, 501. See Dugged.
The Very Daps of a Person, 230, — The Aptes, Aptitudes or Atti-
tudes : The exact Likeness of another, in all lus Qestures and Motions,
[dhu Tuur*^ daaps] (very common).
Deevey 123 [deef], deal See note 16, p. 35.
Bern! 106, 139, You Slut! Tdae-toi] (very common). This word
does not now mean you dut ! but its use in speaking to any woman
would be insulting, without conveying any definite impKcation.
Good Den, 551, Good E'en, Good Even. — An Afternoon Salutation.
— ^Yide Shakespear's Eomeo and Juliet :
' Mercutio. God ye Good e'en, fair Gentlewoman I
Nurse. Is it Gk>od e'en P
Mercutio. 'Tis no less I tell you,' &c.
[gdod ai*n] (common). The good den of the text is impossible.
Deny, 530 [dinaa'y], to refuse. . This word is still commonly used as
in the text, p. 98 — *You wont deny to see me drenk.' A quite
authentic story is told of a man standing up in a church, not very
&r from Parracombe, nor verv long ago, to forbid banns thus : * /
deny U and defy U, iK wfnmun$ mine I "
' And now he left that pilgrims might denay
To see Chriit*s tomhy and promie'd vows to pay.*
Fairfax, « Tasso,' I 23.
To Dere, to huny, frighten, or astonish a Child. — See Thir. (Obso-
lete.)
Dest, 35, 87, 46, 57, 60, 79, 129. See Diet.
Dethf 366 [deth, diithl, doth. This pronunciation is still that most
heard in N. Dev., and has certainly been so for above 600 years.
' ^ King Phdip of France * )>« "UiMe \>o of him tolde,
A drof him to bueemare * as me ofte de\> \>an olde*
Bobert of Gloucester, WilL Conq., L 463 (ed. Morris and Skeat).
' Ac v/f ]>ou nart, ich cristni l>e;
Ana de> pat his to donne,*
William of Shoreham, A.D. 1307, * De Baptismo,' L 125.
To tell Dildrams, 511, and Buckingham-Jenkins, 145, to talk
strangely and out of the Way, — The latter seems to be an Allusion to
128 SPECIMENS OF ENGLISH DIALECTS.
some old inoredible Storv or Ballad oonoeming one Jenkins of Buck-
ingham : Q. Whether that Jenkins, who is said to have liVd to the
Age of 167 Years was a Buckinghamshire Man ? or what other Person
of that Name may be alluded to ? (Obsolete.)
The Diminet, 163, 170, the Dusk of the Evening, [ddm-ut] (veiy
oommon), the evening twilight.
"So Direct, 149, no plain downright Truth, and consequently no Trost
to be given, [noa durak*] (very common), no reliance.
Dispreisey 68, 570 [deespraa'yz], a very expressive phrase, still very
common, for which no precise equivalent exists in lit. £ng. In L 68
its use implies that in proclaiming Boger Hill's character to be equal
to any other, she by no means wished to put a slight upon the rest.
' Pandarus. / will not dispraise your aider Cassandra* a wU,^
Shakspere, ' Troilus and Cresaida,' Act L so. 1.
Disi, 31 [du8(t], dost. See W. S. G., p. 35, on the use of the 2nd
pers. sing.
Diatractedy 442 [deestraak'tudl, mad. This is a word of very common
use. *■ I be amost distracted wi the tooth-ache.' * Poor blid, her's
most distracted, ever zince he died ; ' t. e. her husband died.
* Better I were distract,
So should my thoughts he severed from my griefs,*
Shakspere, ' K. Lear,' Act iv. sa 6.
To Doattee, 143, to nod the Head when Sleep comes on whilst One
is sitting up. [doa'iit^] (very common). The action is occasionally
to be noticed in church.
Docifi/, 209 [daus'utee], gumption, knack, handiness (very common
still).
To tell Doil, 137, 145, 511, to tell like a sick Man when delirious.
(Obsolete.) Compare To Dwallee.
The Dorns, 274, the Door-Posts. [duurnz] (the usual name). This
word is quite technical, and is applied to the frame to which a door
is * hung,' when this frame is made of solid, square timber, such as is
usually the case iu buildings of the cottage^ atahhy or bam class. The
framework of doors in better-class buildings is usually flat, and is
then called door-jams or door-linings. See Antlebeer.
It Doveth, 125, it thaws, [doa'vuth] (obsolescent).
The Dowl, 173, 174, 383, 445, or DsBul, the Devil [daewul] (rare,
but not unknown).
Dowl vetch tha, 29 [dhu Daewl vaecli dhu], the devil fetch thee, a dis-
ease of which the context sufficiently explains the meaning. It would
be quite well understood nowadays what was meant by such an
expression, but it is rare. It implies the almost severest reproach
that can be uttered to an unmarried woman.
Drade, 135 [drae'iid], drew. See note 9, p. 43. This is a good
example of a strong verb in ht. Eng. remaining weak in the dialect
See W. S. G., p. 46.
AN EXMOOR SCOLD INQ AND COURTSHIP: GLOSSARY. 129
Draahy 94, 346, 515 [draasb, draarsh], to thrash. When used for
drub it implies some weapon, as stick or cudgel. The word would not
be used to signify a mere drubbing with hands or fists. See Lace.
A muxy Braw-breech, 7, 501, a lazy filthy Jade, that hangs an A-se
as if overloaden by the Dirt at her Tail. [draa*-b(irch] (common).
Drenking, 196 [draeng*keen]. In Devonshire this is the food, i. e,
meat and br^eid and cheese, given in the afternoon to labourers
during hay-making and harvesi Called in Somerset vomer o*clocks or
artemoans. It has nothing to do with the cider allowance, which is
^uite understood to be going on all day, often ad lib. The word drink
IS appKed to malt liquor only. ' A ir&p o* drink ' means ' a drop of
ale. ' A dinner and drinkings' is the usual term for a landlord's
feast, meaning the dinner with pipes and grog to follow.
Dressing, 273 [dras'een], clothes, linen.
Drow, 245 [droa], throw.
Drow vore, 175, 176, 180, 309 [droa voar], to twit (very common
still). See note 6, p. 44.
To drub, 347, 516 [druub], to beat, with or without weapon (seldom
used — ^more Cockney than provincial). See Lace,
Bngged, 101, 135, 203, Diimed-teal*d, 16, Dugged-yess, 44, and
Daggle-teaI'd, Wet, and wit£ the Tail of the Gkument dragg'd along
in the Dirt [duug'ud] (conmion). Sheep when in a well-known
dirty state are said to be dugged-tailed*
To Dwallee, 137, or Dwaule, to talk incohereutly, or like a Person
in a Delirium, [dwaui^] (still used). A man in his cups, who talks
in a rambling hiccoughing style, is said to dwallee,
E
Earteen, 496. See note 6, p. 96.
Eart one, eart f other, 159, 160, 225, — Now one, then the other.
(Obsolete.)
Ee, 128 [ai*, rarely ee*], eye.
Een, 229 [ee*n], end (common).
Egg^ing, 307, spurrilig on, or provoking, [ag'een] (See Agging.)
«
E-long, 275, slanting. (See A-long,)
Elt, See nt.
En, 364 [un, 'n], him; 214, her. See note 6, p. 49.
< B^d what was that Zin Valentine f
Did you ever know 'un, goodman Clench t
iKfi Hfi Hfi Hf^
\ those days,*
L sc. 2.
T T -r "w
As the *port went o* bun then, and in those davs,*
Ben Jonson, * Tale of a Tub,' Act i
Et, 2, 10, that is Ise (the Scotch of the Pronoun Ego) which, as well aa
Ich, is sometimes used in Devon for L — (See Chave.)~Es or Ez is also
K
130 ffPEClNEXS OP EKGL1SH DIALECTS.
•mneliiiiea need for ia. ri cmtirdy di«eiit from thiti. The nas of a in
II10 text ia exaK«rat«l but not Unpoe&ibly frequent. It is the recular
•M cf DeTODHhiT« used as a aotm&atiT& It is to be heard aaHf
fbiaagboat N. D. proDoimoeii r*t, aad is nothing more than llie rerj
eommon rab«titatioii of the plur. for the sing., as in the Cockney UtU
tank for M lae iaJt. This word is spelt eu, U. 2. ITS, but when so pro-
id it is need mteRogatiTely oalj. See W. S. Oram., p. 31.]
Falhr 19, 345. 3i7[Iaa-th], By my faith IstiU about the moBt frequent
exclamation of a^everation to be heard in N. Dot. and the £uacKir
district of Som. It occuib manjr timee in the text, but ia generally
spelt rath. This, however, is wronp In some instances, e. g. 1. 19, it
ia/alh I tbe true pronnnciation. See Fy.
Fihb^, 264 [f6b-ee], to Ue (rare).
Flim/lam. 505, 507 [flilm-flaam], idle talk (very common still) : quite
diflerent from chtm-dtam. See Chsunpe.
' Thh it a pTttfy flim-flam.'
Beaumont and Fletcher, ' little Ft. L.,' Act ii.
* Tht»t are iii> flim-flam Jbfn'«i.'
Ozell, ■ Rabelais' (Trans.), ProL Bk. ii toL iL p. 4,
Foiut or a-foTut, 155, Dirty and soil'd; bnt this Word is not uaed
in Devonahire to express monldinese, aa in some other Counties,
[fawit] (very common}. Thia word imptiea dusty from tbe winnowing
of com, or from hay, nther tbaa dirty ; or if soiled by mod or other
filth it must have become dry or ' driod on ' before it would be culled
fouJit.. Tbe word /ovitij ia applied to hay or straw when in a bad
condition.
Fuloh or Vnloli,67,a pushing Stroke with the Fist, directed upward;
—from fuldo, foldre, to prop Up or snpporL [Tuolchj (used bnt
rarely),
Fnll-itated, 405, Spoken of a Leasehold Estate that has Three lives
BubeiBting thereon ; that is, when it is held for a Term, which mil not
determine till the Death of the Survivor of Three Persons stall living,
[v^ol stae-utud] (very common). See notea to IL 40fi, 406.
The whole Fnmp of tlie BniiuesB, 34, for Frump, (Samu) (t) — The
whole of the Jeat ; or all the Circumstances of a Story, and the
Ueans by which it came to such an Issue. (Bare.)
Furty-logs, 118, 502 — spoken of a big-boned Feraon, — a Great foul
foolneea impUes
Fy/ [faa'y] ^ par foi, aa common an expieesion in Devonshire its
its analogaeia in France — 'Are you quite suieP Eea^ /* Oh fie I ia
a common exclamation of disapproval.
In Prompt. Parv., p. 159, ed. Way, Camden 800., 186S, is a note:
'In the 'Widliffite version occur the following passages: "Sethat
seith to hit brotluT Fy (al. fugh) tchal be yilU, to the rouMelt"— Matt
AN BXMOOR SCOLDING AND COURTSHIP: GLOSSARY. 131
y. 22. *'AndaB theipa$8iden forthf tJiei hlcufemeden hirrit movynge her
heddiBy and ieiynge^ Yai^ tJtou that distrid the temple,** <kc. — Mark
V. 29.'
Compare alao Ps. xxxy. 21, and Ps. xL 18, Prayer Book yersion.
Cktmhowling^ 131 [gaambuwleen], gambolling, frisking. This yery
common word is always pronomioed thus — aooent on pennlt. Oamr
hoyling, 141, 568.
The Oanunerels, 153, the lower Hams, or the Small of the Leg.
[gaamnirulz] (common), of a quadruped, the projectine joint or elbow
of the hind legs ; of a human being, the under sides of uie thighs just
aboye the bend of the knee.
A Gh^pesnett or Ghtpesness, 186, a Wonderment, a strange Sight. —
' Fit only for a Cfapesness,' i e. Fit only to be stared at, as some
strange uncommon Creature, [gaaps-naes] (yery com.), a gazing-
stock.
Gar, 349 [gau'r], a quasi oath, still one of the commonest.
Oeowering, 309, or Jowering, Brawling or Quarrelling, [jaawureen]
(yery common), growling, crumbling in a quarrelsome manner. In
the Prompt. Pary. this word is lorcwre and lurowre^ sueurro, and in a
note (p. 268, ed. Way) is said to be onomatopeic, in the same sense that
the sound of some birds is termed jurring or jarring. In the ' Liber
Yocatus Femina' (MS. Trin. CoU. Cam.^ it is said ' coluere jurrut, and
cok »yng€\>,* Cotgraye giyes * Bocguer, to outte or iurre; * also *Heurter,
to knodc, jur, or hit yiolently.' Surely the dialect word to j&wer is
more expressiye than any of uieee for a murmuring, grumbling growL
Oerred, 47, 48, 154, or Oirred, for Groired; Dirty or bedanbU
[guumd] (hee^rd occasionally).
€terred-t6al*d Meazles, 408, Filthy Swine; — Because frequently
scrophulous, or, in many Places, spotted. (Obsolete, unknown.)
Get/eTf 226 [gaet-fer] (Ge/ter in some editions), gaffer, neighbour.
Gigleting, 131, 141, 568 [gig'lteen], giggling, silly, laughing at
nothing. See note 6, p. 39.
Giglet, 566 [giglut], a giddy, silly romp, one who grins or giggles at
nothing, when applied to a woman ; a wastrel, a good-for-nought,
when applied to^a man (yery common). The Prompt Pary. nas
gala. Ben
Moxon,
sc. 1;
* 1 Henry IV.' Act y. sc. 1.
'I/thUhe
The recompence of striving to preserve
A wanton giglet Jionestf very shortly
*Twill make all mankind pandars*
Massinger, ' Fatal Dowry,' Act iiL sc. 1.
K2
132
SPECIMENS OF ENGLISH DIALECTS.
Olaniy 1 49, a Wound or Sore, a Cut or Bruise, Botch or Swelling, &c
an accidental Hurt. Yide Lampsed. [glaam] (obeolescent).
' A pottage for a gleymede gtomak,
l>at may no^t kepe meteJ — See Prompt. Parv. p. 198.
Olnmping, 39, 41, 313, Looking sullen ; Dark and loweiing, gloomy
or glum, [gluum'peen] (very common).
Gooddee, 68, 262 [geod'eel to impioYe, to get on. Used very com-
monly in speaking of came. Dhai 87ieep4 shoa'r tu geod'ie^ * Thoee
sheep will (he) sure to thrive.'
To Oookee, 145, To have an awkward nodding of the Head, or
Bending of the Body hackward and forward, [g^k'to] (common),
to hend hackward and forwards, like a cuckoo's well-known swing.
To act the cuckoo [gdok'eo].
A Oore-Coat, 154, A Gown or Petticoat gored, or so cut as to be broad
at the Bottom, and narrower at the upper Part ; such as may be seen
in some antient Pictures, particularly of Q. Elizabeth ; from Gk>re a
Pleit or SUp.— Yide BalTs Edit of Spenser's Calander, JEgh 3.
[goa'ur koo'iit] (conmion).
' Betere ia \x>lien whyU sore
]^en moumen euermore,
Oeyneat vnder gore,
Herkne to my rounJ
Alysoune, 1. 41, < Specimens of Lyric Poetry,' A.D. 1300
(ed. Percy Soa).
* An elf-quene shall my leman be
And alepe under my gore.'
Chaucer, * Cant T.,' L 13,719.
' Gooro of a smocke, poynte de chemise.' — Palsgrave.
* Oheroni, the gores of a woman^a smocke.' — Thomas, * ItaL Gram.'
Gotteriuffy 187. See Guttering,
To Grabble, 376 — for Grapple, [grab'l] (very common), to seize
tightly, to hold firmly.
GrammeTy 537, 542 [graam'ur], grandmother; applied to any old
woman.
To Grizzle, 312, to grin, or smile with a sort of Sneer, [giir'zl] (very
common), to laugh in a mocking manner.
A Grizzle-de-mnndy, 78, a foolish Creature that grins or laughs at
any trifling Incident. [gur*zl-di-muun*d5e] (very common).
Gurt, 6, 15, 39, 118, Great, [guurt] (always thus).
Guttering, 10, 11, 187, Guttling and devouring, eating greedily,
[guut'ureen] (very common).
AN EXMOOR SCOLDING AND CX)URT8HIP : GLOSSARY. 133
Ha, 167, 2U [u], he, she. See note, L 214. See also W. S. G., p. 96.
* Nixt }^n : ha zeUe tttreng\>e • \>di \>e vyendes
]>€t 8lei]>e zent to zygge to keate otU.*
Ayenbite of Inwyt (a.d. 1340), B. R T. 8., ed. Morris, p. 263.
The * Chronioon Yilodtmense,' which is a life of St Editha, speaks of
her throughout as he. She is not once to be found.
' And Kyng Egbert nuire also he waa
And \>ere inne also hee was ybore.* — Stanza 35.
' Erie WoUtons wyffforsothe hee was
Or he take ye mantell and >e ryng
And to make a rdygiose house of hur owns place
He prayede hur brother Egbert }pe kyng,* — Stanza 36.
' His owne spencer's dou^f he wa$.' — Stanza 44.
I much doubt if this is from A.S. heo. See En.
Ha-ape, 51, Stop, or keep back, — (To Ha-ape,) is generally applied
by Plowmen, to the forcing the Oxen backward, to recover the proper
Direction of the Furrow, which is termed Haaping them back ; and
the Word of Command to the Bullocks in this Cfase is Haape I Haape
back ! — ^L 61. — * nif Vauther dedn't haape tha,' i e. If Father did not
stop, restrain, and force thee to a contrary Course, [hau'p] (very
common). The use of this word would convey an extra insult, as
implying that the father would treat his daughter, and use the same
lan^age to her, as ho would to a bullock. The word is thus very
forcible in connection with eiure, L 49, just above.
Haddick, 123 [ad'ik], haddock See note 16, p. 37.
Haggage, 27, an awkward slovenly Hag, or Slattern, [ag'eej] (very
common), baggage.
Haggagingy 64, 502 rag'eejeenl slovenly, awkward, beggarly, or
dressed like a hag (still in use, but rare).
Eaggle-tooih'd, 58, Snaggle-tooth'd. [ag'l-tio'dhud] (common).
Having teeth growing across or projecting.
Halzening, 298, predicting the Worst that can happen, [aal'zneen]
(common). Predicting or divining with the halse or hazd rod, hence
predicting evil to an enemy, and hence, as now used, speaking or
wishing evil generally.
Handbeating, 197 [an-bee*uteen], digging up the turf to bum it in
the process of bum-beating. There is a process of cutting the turf by
a sort of large flat knife pushed forward by the chest— this is called
spading the Ssat ; but in stony ground, or where there are many roots,
tne turf must be dug with a mattock — ^this latter is handbeating. See
Beat.
Hange or Haiqe, 30, 158, The Purtenance of any Creature, join'd
by the Gkdlett to the Head, and hanging all together, viz. the lights.
Heart, and liver, [anj, hai\j] (the only term in use). The word doea
iSi ftPBcraiBNS OF BSOLISH DIALBCTS.
not iocliiile the hfad of the animal, as here stated : when sold to-
gether, the whole ia colled ai'd-n auj, ' head and luuige.'
HftUteck, 620, dntic or frantic [antik, empJi. han-tik] (very common
fM a nonn, bat nue as an adjective), cracked, mad.
^171, 267, 315 [aap], chance, gurl-iiap = unusual chance (in d^l;
um). Happen, is Any sense, is never heard.
' ^ totAtrdt* hound tnri tint; ' aa hnppe hij-Udde,
/dd/<MU o/)w c*iW ■ nnJ/iiri ),ider fuhcf»:
William of Paleme, L 32, od. Bosburgh Club.
See also Prompt Parr. p. 22e.
' It <ri^ trtmr tofuJ! begoa,
That if (f bappe piTi-fm,
y KhuU bf ritbt bicti firr eart.'
Qower, ' Talo of the Coffers,' L 62.
Bufl, — Her ; by the Exmoorians also used for She.— Ey the Corniah
jon tho contrary) and also by some few Devonians, She is often oaed
inateod of Her, viz. in the Accusative as well as Nominative Case,
[unr, emph. huorl. The hare of the test is too drawn out, even if
very emphatic. It is in tho Exmoor district a broad Bound, almost
har. See W. S. Gram., p. 35.
Unrest, 33 [aafus]. harvest. Always eo pronounced.
To Hawchee, 188, 102, to feed fouUy. [au-chee] (still used, rare),
to make a loud noise in feeding.
Eawohemonth'd, 187, One that talks indecently, or rather makes no
Distinction between decent and indecent Lang'Uaee, but moutbee out
what comes uppermost ; and whose Discourse therefore is a mere
nok'h-potch. [au-ch-maewJhud, au'chPo-niaewdhud] (oommoii),
loud, obtrusive, gross in talk. Hatichmtxith is a common epithet.
Hfuj-pooic, 88, 284 [aa-y-pfeok], ha^-cock — tho nauBl word. Pick v
aii-y is equally common, but axk is unknown. See Pook.
Heart-OuL, 23, 556 (Cardialgia — Tabum quoddam Cordis :) Some
great Sickness in the Stomach, or Pain about the Heart, rather worse
than the common Heart-bum. [oaTt guon] (stiU in use), ffun aa a
BufGx, probably A.S. gmid, seems to mean ailment of an inflammatory
kind. See Bam- gun.
To Henn, 248, 255, to take and throw. [Vide Spenser'H Calend. .^1.
3. ' The Fumie Stones I hastily hent and threw.'] Bnt this Wcwdia
seldom used in Devon, tho' frequently in Comww. C"""}! ^ie moat
commonly-used word for to fling or throw, as to htnn a tlone. It does
not mean to take and thrmo. It is in daily use im N. Dev. and W.
80m., where to tkrow fdroa'] means either to oast down in wnatling
or lo fell. Trees are always u-droad. See note 5, p. S2, This VOIfl
in no cose moans to leize or take hold.
Hewstring, 48, 267, Houstring, coughing, wheezing. [^O'streen] (ytnj
Ilmj ill)! 15, 247, 283 [aa-y go], Hoigho ! The g is always Bonnded
ill this intutj.
AN EXMOOR SOOLDINQ AND COUBTSHIP : GLOSSARY. 135
Hire, 31, 139, 444, 566, 617— used for Hear. (Still used by a
few old men, obsolescent.)
Hoazed, 261, Hoaise. — see Hozed below, [oa'uzd] (very common).
Hoaxed [a-oa'uzd, empluxtic n-boa'uzd], become boarse; used as a
verb only in the past participle (still very common). Hoarse [oa'iiz]
is a noun in the malec£ Uur-dh u-guut u tuur'uhl oa'tiZy * She has a
terrible hoarse.' Pro£ Skeat says, * Why not ** cough P " Surely it
is here = M.E. TioBt, a cough ; not the a^j. hoos, hoarse. The r in
Mod. R hoarse is an absuni intrusion, never sounded, and wrong.'
Mr. Ghorlejr says, ' I once heard a clergyman say that on going on a
Saturday ni^ht to do duty for a brotiier clergyman, he found the
sexton walking up and down the river (the Barle) to get a hoazty he
said, as he was to sing bass in church next day.'
To Hobby, 296, 299, to play the Hobb^-horse, to be at Eomps with
the Men. [aub'ee] (very common), to jump on a man's bac^ to act
the romping, wanton hoyden.
Hobby-horsey 46 [anb'ee au's], a sham horse moved by a person inside,
a stage horse. In olden times, and even in living memory, the
hobby-horse formed part of the sports of the village reveL Applied
to a woman the epitnet is coarse and offensive. See Ben Jonson,
' Entertainment to the Queen,' vol. v. p. 211, ed. Walley ; also
< ShaU tK hobby-horse he forgot thm.
The hopeful hobby-horse »haU he lie foundered f^
Beaumont and Fletcher, ' Woman Heasei,' Act i.
In the same act we are told how the horse was carried :
' Take up your horse agairif and girth him to you,
And girth him handsomely^
Holing, 297, Calumniating; ab. A. S. Hoi, Calumnia. [oa*leen],
picking holes. Prof. Skeat suggests that probably the phrase * picking
noles ' arose from a misunderstanding of A.S. hoi, detraction.
Horry, 47, 155, 205, foul and mthy. (Obsolete.)
* Of vche best ]>ai berei lyf ' busk \fe a cupple,
Ofvche dene comly kynde ' enclose seuen make^.
Of vche horwed, in ark • halde hot apayre,*
Alliterative Poems (a.d. 1360), E. R T. S., ed. Morris, 1. 833.
' pat ]fis synfull world )fat so horry ys,*
* Ohronicon Yilodunense,' ed. Hoare, st 467.
In the above quotation the meaning is ' adulterous,* * lecherous ' — ^hence
it may have readily come to mean fiUhy as applied to clothes.
To Holster, 219, to hustle and bustle, to make a confounded Noise.
(Obsolete.)
Hoppee, 95, 206 [aup'^e], to hop, to jump. A good example of the
inflection He to the intransitive infinitive, which often lends a frequenta-
tive force, as in the text. See W. S. Ghram., pp. 45, 49.
Hot, 149, 207, 213, 254, 259 [hautl, what. This is the true pro-
nunciation, although generally the literary what appears in the text.
r«4 HoUfe(KDi»ur
CHltT. [m-s11 IfcBJbt Ammtjlnm^im h— gw^. Ksvori 11
ft Bnvci'a BKkmwfc, L & ■ Md «r Wibr atmiiwr wVi to pf«-
1ca«SM0niM>»l ICack fan nnniae oat with tka Wort. rmO:-
■nnkl vary oombob m •■ epttlwt fe * f^^- ^amu, obuEmg
■woB. A« « "— """ iiii|liMiiiil n iwiu g . it rmmitif ot » nere
bmdb <tf twigi pkMdatthabDUtmoftkiMiking'kiera'Cat tlw
avnMi Bfw kkm. " p.i.-. u .- -i — ij.-ii;-j t- i — n^
orfiaaA Ct back, B. D. & Gk«. B. 11. p. SCl
Bb »"*■»—". 154, the Lf^ np to Okie Huna, ot Hckcks. [nok-
Aam} (oammm). bod-daw. imdtf ade of Oi^ Sea OoaMnfe
^BM, 1S3. 300, 212 [nam, aam], boDML 8peh wihom^L IIS. See
note 6, p. 30.
To ksre a Hy ta erefj-bo^, 233 — to call aftet, — fa> haT« eomff-vliit
to aay to:~Heaa! Heigli Sir! Yon Sr! [huf !] (vety commoti).
uiplied to gowftp* and forward women, ' rudf to talk to any maa
t£&t cornea along.'
Jamtig, 307 [jan'een], mouthing, growling.
Ibe Jibb, 249, a Stiller bn fix a Barrel of Liquor upon, [jiib], the
only name in nae for a cafik-stand.
Ill hearty, 103 [ee'Ql aar'tSe], nnhealth;, ailing, delicate (Ter;
0-
The nt, 409, the apayed female Figs. (Obeoleto, bodi word and
cnstjnQ.) This word wan formerly gilt or yilt. The Prompt. Parr.,
p. 194, baa Qylte. idem qnod OalU (ne&endus); and adds in a note:
' Bishop Eennett in his glossatial coll. givoH " gaits and gilts, boar-
pi^ and eow-pigs, from old Dan. gallU, porcua." .... Any female
Bwme is called a g^t in Staffotdshire.'
Joveriug, 21, 309, Geowring. See Geotcering,
Ife, 1 7. See Ei. I believe this form of ego does not and never
did oxist. I'ze means I has ^ I have, but it is not Western. I
have been told by educated people that t*e is still used for ' I will,'
or ruther ' I shall,' ■• I ^, bat I can find no dgn of it. and I think it
is the literary dialect of Shakspere and Ben Jonson, which haa been
AN ^XMOOR SCOLDING AND COURTSHIP: GLOSSARY. 137
taken to be infallible — and hence if the form is not used, it ought to
be. Professor Skeat agrees with me that it is no more than * con-
ventional play-writers' slang/ and sa3rs that it occurs also in a song
in * Two Noble Kinsmen.'
Jump, 107 [junmpj, a loose jacket or slop, a man's gannent, and hence
the piquancy of the abuse ; called now & jumper.
The Kee, 110, 202, 409, the Kine, or Cows. [kae*ee]. This is
a common pronunciation. In the singular it is a cow [kae*ee]— <xni;«
are [kae'eez].
Any Keendest Thing, 210, 293, any Kind of Thing,— all Sorts of
^Aiings, ever so much. [kee*ndees] (very common).
Keeye or Kieye, 249, a Mashing Tub. [kee'v]. This word generally
means the mcuh, i, e. the malt in process of infusion. The malt as
soon as wetted is left to stand a certain time before the mashing or
ttirring takes place, and this operation is called setting the kieve. The
word kieve used alone in reference to a vessel would be understood to
mean a cider^vat, but the same utensil is constantly used for brewing,
and then it becomes the mcuhing^kieve [maer'sheen kecy].
A Kep, 94, 206, 300, 516, a Cap. [kep, kp]. This is still the usual
pronunciation in N. D. and Exmoor district Spelt hepp, 1. 94.
Kerping, 308, 638, Carping. [kyuur*peen] (very common), discon-
tented, grumbling.
Kesson, 232, 297, 512, 534, Christian. (Obsolescent; now hirsteen.)
See note 18, p. 57.
A Kickhammer, 279, a Stammerer. [kik-aam*ur] (very common), no
longer a stammerer, but an insignificant, bumptious little upstart.
Kiver'd, 156 [kuvurd], covered.
A Labb, 3, 459, 623, a Blab, [lab] (common).
* Labbe, or he that can not kepyn non counsel*
Prompt Parv., p. 282.
' Quod tho this sely man, I am no labbe,
Ne, though I say it, In^am not lefe to gahhe*
Chaucer, * Miller's Tale,' L 3506.
To Labbe, 306. I am quite uncertain as to this word. I assume it to
.be pronounced lab'ee, and if so it might mean let be (obsolete).
' JEfet^l purchase induction by simony ,
And offers her money her incumbent to bee.
But still she replied, good sir, la-bee,
If ever I have a man, square cap for me J
Cleaveland's Poems, A.D. 1661 (NaresX
138 8PBCIHEXS OF ENOLIBU DIALECTS.
To Laoe, &e., 80, SI, 346. — S«o below in the Note subjoined to this
Page, [lae'us] (reiy common). Implies the nse of some pliant instru-
ment; the word would not ho used to express a drubbing with the
hands 01' >e. The words referred to below ore not aU eynonjTaous,
and are therefore iuserted separatoly, if in the text Some imply it
particular kind of beating, others the use of some weapon or instru-
ment, others that no other weapon than hands or fists is used.
To Lackee, 199, to loiter, or l>e long lacking or wanting from Home.
Qaak'Se] (very common). The word want ie scarcely eTer heard in
the sense in which it is used in lit. Kng. — / want is always / UkIi or
do lackee. Do(f6ii look but tai'n Tn6n'telt tu dree u klauk, ' It wtmto but
t«n minutes to three o'clock;' lit. (/() don't lack bat,
To Lamb, 346 [lanm], to beat, with or witbont instrument. 8ee Laa.
Lamps'd, 1 27, Lamed, or disabled by a Wound or otherwise : vol ab
A. S. Lama claudus, debilis, enorratus; vel a Lat Barb. Lanceatua.
Vide G. J, Vosfdum do vitiis Sermonia, Ijli, i. Cap. 12. (Veiy rare.)
This word is spelt tatas'd in the text, hut there can be little doubt of
its being the old lainpau, a disease common to horses, here verbalised,
like rheiimatued, ipavined, &o.
'Biondello. His horte .... haidts, posstMed with thf glandert, and
like to mote in tlie chine, trouhUd u»'fh Ike lampass, in/tcted urilb tht
/athions.' — Shakspere, ' Taming the Shrew," Act iii sc. 1.
Lattt, 407 [Ian], land, i. e. freehold property as distinguished b<m
any other tenure. It is still very usual in speaking of a farm or any
piece of ground, ' he'v a bought m the hves and made land of it,' i. t.
he has paid for the enfranonisement. A very common saying of a
man who has an unattractive daughter is ' ber's land to un,' meaning
tliat there is Jio more thaDce of her being removed from her homo
than li pioce uf freehiild, or that in her hu liaa an abiding tenure.
Z<aping or Leeaping, Leaping. (Ifot dialect.)
Lathing, 189, Invitation. [laatheeD^. Kennett aayB this is a
Staffotdsbire word, and Halliwell says it is still in use. I believe it
is to be heard in N. Dev., though rarely.
Lecker, 287 [laekur], drink. Quite another thing from Ledtert.
Lechers, 183 Qaek'urz], mixtures, or compounds of fluids for medicinal
Eurpoees. To express ordinary drink the word is singular — loatrur,
quor. I have heard a sick person esk for mi 2a«ifc'urz, meaning my
phync
' Ei^t vw^t he do int feiwfe wafer,
And non o^ lioour.'
William of Shoieham, ' De Baptismo,' 1. 13.
• Se mtde, neforye, no of-er licoUT
^ai ehavng^ wateru kmde' — Ibid, L 22.
Note,— To Lace, to Lam, to Lick, to Linae, to Liquor ; as likewise to baste, to
cutton, to curry, to dnib^ to drum, to fag, to tan, to thoug, to thresh, to toze,
to trim, cum multts aliis,— are metaphorically used to agiufj,—'Eo give a
sound Beating, aud wont little or do Exphcation : It was therefore thought
needless to insert them under their several IntHal., but only to hint uus
much conceming Uiem.
AN EXMOOR SOOJjDlSQ AND COURTSHIP : GLOSSARY. 139
* Ac 3J(/ \>er wer y-mengd lioour
0)>er wid kende watere
Ich wo^t wd ^nne to cristnye
Hit nere ne/ur pe betere,* — ^Ibid, 1. 42.
* And haiJied every vein in mch lioour
0/ which virtue engendred is the floiver.^
Chaucer, * Prologue,' L 3.
Lee, 150, 201, 510 [lee, oftener lai'], to lie. See note 1, 1. 151.
The Leer, 355, the Leer-Eibs, — * He ^ve him a Fulch under the
Leer,' i. e. in the Hollow under the Biba See Fulch. [lee'iir], the
most usual name for the flank between the ribs and the * pin ' or hip.
Li speaking of animals that part is always called the leer (very
common).
Licky 71, 513, 561 [lik], a blow with the hand ; no implement under-
stood.
Lick, 226 [lig], like.
Lipped, 18, to be let pass ; to be loose and free ; and sometimes the
br^iking out of the Stidies in Needle- work, or the like. [I think
this should be ' lat dhu lUp ut,' i e. slip it = get off] (obsolete as used
in the text, but common as in the last definition).
List [Idst]. See Meat-list.
Lit, 561, 576, 589 [leet], little (still used, but rare). See note 6,
p. 103.
Live, 235 [luyv], life.
Lock ! 1, 137, 520, 618, What! Heyday! Alack ! Lo ! ab A. S. Locan
(nc), to look, [lau'k !] (very common). This is a quasi oath — a variety
of Lor f
Loblollyy 189 (so call'd, perhaps, quasi Lubber-loUy, as being the
Broth of the Country Lubbers ; or rather Laplolly , because it may be
lapp'd up and eaten without a Spoon) an odd Mixture of the worst
Kmd of Spoon-meat : The Word is also sometimes used for thick Beer.
[Laub-lanl'^] (common). This word is applied to any of the milk
eompounds or puddings, such ea junket, blanc mange, syllabub, &c«
Lollypot, 273, a common epithet, meaning booby, softy.
Lonching, 64, quasi Launching, or making long Strides, [launcheen]
(rare, still heard).
' Who lukee to the lefte 9yde, whenne hie horse launches,
With the lyghte of the sonne men myghte see hie lyvere,*
< Morte Arthure,' 1. 2560.
* That long-legged fellow comes launchinff along,*
Eoroy, Gloss. E. Anglia.
Long-hanged, 30, 121, 158, 238 [laung-anjud]. See Hange. This
epithet means long-bodied; it is still very common.
Lounging or Lnndging, 160, leaning on any Thing, such as a Crate or
Stile, like a lazy Creature tiiat hatibi nothing else to do. [luim*jeen]
(very common). Spelt lunging in the text.
140 8PECI1IS9S OF SNOLISH DIALBCIB.
Lougtree^ 216 (obsoleteX See Lautree.
To Lnstree or Lewstery, 291, to bosUe and rtir about like a lustj
Wench. [Uo*8tr6e] (oomiium).
Ljfj 513 [laa^], to strike, to beat ; a weapcm is latho' implied in the
use of this word.
To Hak^Wiie, 12, 292, 593, to pretend,— to make as tho' Things
are so and so, when they are not. Fmak imyz], to feign, to prelend,
to make beliere, to counterfeit (stul yery common). Used also for
preiending, as Ee paasi ulau'ng mak wayz u ded-n see mil, * He passed
along pretending he did not see me.'
' Besides to make their iidmcnitions <Mnd reproo/t seeme graver amd of
more efficacie, they made wise as if the gods of the woods . • • • shoM
appear and recite those verses of rebuke,' — ^Pottenham, L L ch. 13, p 24
(Nares).
Maid, 568 [maayd], girl ; the only word ever heard in common talL
C^rl [ganr-ld], if used, is Jine^ for gentlefolks^ ear&
The Kails, the Meazels. (Obsolete.)
Marchantahlej 329 [maaT'chuntabll, perfect, fit for sale ; thence applied,
by the bucolic mind, to state of health. Nori marchauiahU means
* nothing to boast of (still yery common^
Karl, 130, 207, 214, 269, 628, a Marvel or Wonder, [maar-ul] (com-
mon). See notes, IL 130, 606.
MarrahoneSy 268 [maar'uboa'iinz], knees (very common).
Meach off J 4G9 [mee'ch oa*f], to slink off, to play the truant Meacher
[mee'chur], a truant (yery common). See note 9, p. 92.
' Some meaching rascal in her house.'
Beaumont and Fletcher, * Scornful Lady,' Act v. sc 1.
* Ophelia. What means this^ my lord ?
Hamlet. Marry this is miching malecho; it means mischief.*
Shakspere, * Hamlet,' Act iiL sc. 2.
* Falstaff. Shall the blessed sun of heaven prove a micher and eat
UarkherriesJ — Ibid, * 1 Henry IV., ' Act iL sc 4.
The Prompt. Parv. has * Mychyn^ or pryuely stelyn smale thyngys,^
Mt'di'tii, 547, mighty (common).
Meat-list, come to my, 560, L e. Stomach, Appetite, [mai't, always]
(c<jmuion phrase).
Meazels, 30, 49, 104, 186, Soavs or Swine. [Obsolete. Spelt
mfizU\ 30. I doubt if it meant swine^ as here stated. In * The
StacioDs of Eome,' Yemen MS., ab. A.D. 1370, ed. Fumivall, E, E.
T. 8., 1. 2-17, of the Emperor Constantine we read —
* A . Mesel /or«o>?f , we fynde he was.
Til crist sende him • of his gras.^
Pope Siluestre ....
AN EXMOOR SCOLDING AND COURTSHIP : GLOSSARY. 141
1. 255. ^ai pe wcUer wesch * a-wey his sinne
Andal )^ftU\>e * \>at he was Inne*
Here the word clearly means leper. See also 'Piers the Plowman,* ab.
A.D. 1370, ed. Skeat, Pass. X 179. Chauces uses both me$dy a leper,
and mesdrte, leprosy — * The Persones Tale ' (De Ira). From the con-
nection in the text with long-hanjed the glossarist probably concluded
the word to mean sow, but ne might just as well have put cow. Prof.
Skeat reminds me that the dictionaries confound meazd, leprosy, and
measles (see Webster), which are totally distinct.
Men, 270. See Min.
Mencin^ 22, 568, 638 [mlin'seen], mincing, affected (very common).
Si>elt also mincing J L 22 in the text. See Isaiah iiL 16, ' walking and
mincing as they go*
Merst (obsolete) = mightest. L 10, the he is here, as it still is very
commonly, omitted. See W. S. Oram., p. 57.
Kickled with the Cold, 277 (a Lat micare, tremere,) (?) shrunk'd
up and benumb* d, the same with Steev'd, which means also stiffen' d
and benumb* d. (Obsolete.^ The glossarist has here given a good
example, ouite unconsciously, in the word shrunk^d, of the addition oi
the reidunaant weak inflection to the past participle of a strong verb.
See W. S. Oram., p. 48.
Middle-haneSf 632, 636 [mddi bae*iinz], middle-bands, the waist (rare,
but not obsolete).
Min or Jiiin, 224, 268, for Them ; as 1. 266, ' When tha dost zey
mun,' L e. when thou dost saj them. — and 1. 419, ' A Puss to put min
in,* i. e. a Purse to put them m. — ^Mun is cdso used vocatively for Man,
and sometimes even in speaking to a Woman, L 335, but then it seems
rather to mean mannus, for the which the Saxon Word was also man ;
thus 1. 397, * chave an over Arrant to tha, mun.* — i. e. I have an im-
I>ortant Errand to thee, my little Hobby. — See the Word Over,
explained in p. 143. [m(ui] (common in both senses here given). See
W. S. Gram., p. 37.
Hoil or Hoyle, 64, 502, a Mule. (Obsolete.)
' 'PjTgOB. 8iry Agrippa desires you to forbear him tiU the next week ;
his moils are not yet come up,* — Ben Jonson, ^ Poetaster,' Act L sc 1.
See also Beaumont and Fletcher, < Scomftil Lady,' Act iL sc. 1.
To Hoily, to labour like a Mule, to be an incessant Drudge. — ' I
have toiled and moiled aU Day,' i e. I have had a very hard and
toilsome Day's Work. [mauylSe] (common). Prof. Skeat doubts if
there is any connection between a mul€ ana to moiL Naros says,
' Probably firom moUe, a mule, being an animal very useful for labour.'
More arC zo, 63, 140, 195, 499 [moo'ur-n zoa], moreover (very com-
mon).
Hnllad or Hulled, 167, 377, closely rubb'd and tightly squeezed,
[muw'lud], pulled about, mauled, tiunbled about
Hngpurd, 194, 313, and Hnggat^, sullen and displeas'd, at a real
or sappoa'd Affront. [muug*urd] (obsolescent). Way, in Ihe Prompt.
JM^ »1 [BBTfie^ tD inD ibeal. to hukdk anrmach (ct
A Waa^mk OBfJB, 185, 33T, ■ UmI Onib ll^t feeds odI; upon
Ovnw or 0«ni<Mbdw«MnMl Cni at Uvl, wi the conmoa
A Wmb rhiW. > I'iaol dnfit m it wen bj^ dianoe, or by tbe
FintiH: V tea vho i* ibr Ae noit But atapid and Hl«Dt, and nersr
■■h,Mt fciMt aottot^rmjiJW.brt by mw dance, [antuu-
S^] («»»».> '^
faM«r'— 'ITnwtBml lfiidMc/l«M (Naiw^
& arib» ia Ite htmIbwA omtarT tba 'mud iMmt * kind of game
erW vttb fioa or caida, in vlocA ailenoe «« aa anaantial pMti
tw it eana to imh a pataon atsiNdly dmiK
Km, Tidan|nlliiL
A 1— it i ig MoifraL — See Brackiiig.
Uurl, 468, 473, nuBbt (obeolete).
Xbx, 304, UiKk tx DiiL [mimka] (my common), mod, the oidi-
OMXf soft optfon oorering of a bini-jard. See Film.
Kvxjr, 7, 153, 500, Dirty, Klthy. [muuk^ee] (very wnnnon),
mi^i^, de«p in mira; also, aa in the text, plastered vitli the contents
of a nm-jwd.
ThB Hatted Teo, 210 (for Xotted, or ITofr-beaded, becaose witiioiit
Antlere,) the Ewe vithont Honia. [nantiid yoal. Thia term ia
applied to both aheep and cattle. A sheep vithout Aonu is a 'no0,-*
a cow without hoina (a distinct breed) ia a ' nett builoelc.' In Qie dia-
trict of Exmoor the sheep are still, as they were then, nearly all
homed, and an ewe without home would be an exception, hence we
find WUmot in the text apeaUng of the natted yeo aa one in paitioular,
and therofbre to be specially described as tuMed,
';StMtt Sirope I hai* a lami.
Newly xoeaned from the ifani,
Ofiht right kind, U u notted.'
DnLyton, ' llusea ELyaiom,' Nymph 2.
The word in Chauoer^ 'Prologue' (L 109), which in modem
popular editions ia ' translated' aai-head, and so is ■nrifinlms, alioald
be Ttott-head, i. e. dose cropped.
Nether, 149 [naedhur], anotber.
The Hiddick, 34, S55, &a Nape or binder Part of th« Neck.
[nbdik] (common).
Nif, 12, 162, 195, 196, 198, 306, 221 [neefj, it This ii i(ill the
AN EXMOOB 800LDIKG AND COURTSHIP: GLOSSARY. 143
oommon, indeed the nearly inyariable, form ; t . e. an t/, so common
in old writers.
A Vinniwateli, 36 (q. d. the Watch of a Ninny or Fool,) a foolish
Expectation, — rain Hopes or Fears, [niin'ewauoh] a state of great
excitement (yery common).
Nartf 621 [noatirtl, nought, nothing. Still the inyariable pronuncia-
tion — the r yery distinct.
How-re«rt, 31, 140, 210, 255, 488 (i. e. now-right,) just now. [naew
reenxrt] (obsolescent).
Odds, 294 [audz], difference. See note, 1. 294.
Ort, 10, 119, 160, 197, 253, 575, 635, sometimes us'd for Ought, or
Aught, any Thing ; at other Times for Oft, often, as in L 253. [oa'iirt],
always thus pronounced when meaning ought or anf^htng, but it is not
now used for often. This is quite a dmerent word from orta, leayings.
Ouni, 25 (pronunciation obsolete). The use of this word does not at all
imply relationship. It is the ' aunt ' of Shakspere, and is equiyalent
to the Cockney Mother — ' Mother Shipton,' < Mother Bedcap,' &c ; and
simply denotes an old person.
Over, is frequently us'd to express oyer great, material, or important;
as ' he hath an oyer Mind to such a Thin^,' that is, a great Inclination
to it : — An oyer Errand, an important l^tessage. — See Min or Mim, as
explain'd in P. 141. [oa*yur] (obsolescent in this sense).
OvorBj 14 [uyoa*r]. This is the same word as is elsewhere spelt
avoTt^ but the meaning in L 14 is slightly different — ^here it means to the
front. The passage means ' whether he would come forward or no.'
' Pan. My ancedor To^pan, hecU theflrst kettle drum
Ayore hun, here vrom Dover on the marchj
Ben Jonson, * Tale of a Tub,' Act L sc. 2.
To take Owl o*, 162, 310 (i e. to take unwell of it) to take it ill,
or amiss. ([Obsolete.) Perhaps the phrase suryiyes in the yery
common saying, ' / do live too near a 'ood, vor to be a frightened by a
OwV
Pad, 113 \v^\ a bundle of yam consisting of twenty-four small
slipes or hanks, each consisting of four skeins, each skein measuring
360 yards ; consequently a j>ad of yam always contained the same
number of yarde, whateyer its size or weight. Before the days of
machinery, but tax into the nineteenth centmy, the country manufac-
turers gaye out wool to the peasants to be spim at home, and the size
of the uiread required was noted by ordering the pad to be spun to a
certain weight, or in other words — 24 X 4 X 360 = 34,660 yards, to
be eot out of so many lbs. of wooL In some factories eyen now this
mode is still retained, and instead of spinning 20s. or 30s. they spin at
14# flRBTSKXSSf
Ffd-
Tm Paiflk. K FTl. fll. wcinfHff iin a&}rt» dattle m tiie Water, &t.
dOIif o! 'Lilt- *« .' M7 n " "!*' KjhZjMFC.
lun^ itE«aL vracst iz. ffiepoD^
rr ^ot iiilir'v^zzif 1
ti tiani£f :JMm ^miput^ it f«tf ki» >ifg iaM fiwr iila flrfaitaM, fo K«
tfren m m-7f-u>. i^ . |m ibwtf iv nv]^ fwmHimr l» ■« <Aeai of tkai
b FllK^ ak^. ^M— Tr SaZk. cr Walk » Mfihr,— To Fdch, also
iC' iiK^E^ cr 3D9iid Ok^Bb. &■! k tt> foi a Bdcb or PaDiage
frosa 1^ Wsi PkBaSfi. viic^ lagaifiiii citker ta diag^uiae
cr iz" pasc^ xr a Maaaec (Obaokte.)
A Fsm^cnck. I>f. f 1^ a BsIp EbuImb Fui. [panglniLk] (toj
ccBESzirK. Tiag vjid » a3ao giD ased onnaiMnanj iar a dKW or jxtfi-
cMdL nk; iLSiC be iSF iwi 'iij^ in L IMl as aa aa ith a u . pan eorend
"vi^ iri« cKi ivdJiMivToUbeaeaztclTprobalife. Thewndmiuibe
fWAii'^waL I cazsKC MMsal fior&frl wood, batflabmiitliat jNui-
rvor v^mU he qaise irlrJhgMe, Xke IVompL Parr, kaa ' /\iiie of a
/vr^^fyj" ' pjvfcf, a ^fzz^. feC or hSde.'— -CotgraTB. Asain pam<
15 "ilr rrlir-^ry rj^nr :f "tbr diz^r-1 -srrirper with irhich babies are
c» vrT^i. -:•: «7»-x-LiIlT. i5 RilliV'.Z siy*, when they are * going to be
thrifTcCLr*!.* Xir^ iriT^'f r»->rf, eh ci«rrizig or diTiaon in parts of a
* • «•
Fynes ' Monrson,' Part iL p. 46.
* Fi>:i ii - ":i?. Sf^ihrf :f ' ^.c-^f •:/' a f'.i'-tf-7'j«*i mfin douhiei I had,
7iX": '.n**. /V%»- f.7_~7^:«, r*^^ •-_f ^r*> jxanes ertb^rcvi^rfi tcith pror// —
Ber. JozL^n^ * ETery M^n ou* of his Humoor,' Act ir. sc 5.
Beann :•::: and Fletcher. yCnshen, Xlasssinsrer. Warton, all speak of
*/»T»^i I:*?,' which seens to have meant #^i/-^i; hence a pan-k^rock
iiuiy have be^n a ttrii^yi f^fttioxii. Germ. r\'<k.
Prof. Skeat say?, ' Perhaps /-j .'.it- r»>:.c = pmi-rc'ck = pan'd-rock.'
To Pank. 4S. to pant, fpangk] < always thus). A man who saw a
locomotire for the first time exclaimed, ' Lor ! how a panketh I '
Parbeaking, 1 48, Belching : — perhaps a Corruption of Parbreaking,
vomiting, — stomachosus, facile in Ii^m prorumpens. [paarbai'keen]
(very rare;.
' Her filthy parbreake all the place defiled has,'
Spenser, * Faerie Queene/ B. L c. L st. 20.
AN EXMOOR SCOLDING AND COURTSHIP: GLOSSARY. 145
Pawed, 217 [pau'd], dug or beat with the fore-feet.
Peels, 428, for Pillows, [pee'ulz] (generally so pronounced still).
See note 9, p. 88. * Peel is the older word.'--Skeat.
Pennet, 172, a little Pen, a Sheep or Cow-Pen. (Obsolete), a cow-^n
is always now a pine [puyn],
PetJia, 261. See Pitha.
Pick prates, 221, to tell tales (still used).
Pilm, 83, 84, Flying Dust : hence in P. 16, TU make thy Boddice
pilmee,' means, rU thresh thee so as to make the Dust fly out of thy
Boddioe. [piil'um] (very common). See Brisa, I have seen in some
local Society* s Traiisactions, I think, but cannot find it, a story of a
witness who was asked by a Judge what he meant by pillum, * Pillum,^
my lord, why th(U*9 mux a drwifd* Judge, in despair : * BvA w?iat ia
tJuU V ' What mux a drau/d, my lord f Oh ! tha^B pillum a wd*
Pinohyart, 111, or Pinohfart, a miserly Niggard, who pinches and
saves that which is not worth Half a Eart-hmg. [pOnchfaart] (very
common). Cf^ Prompt. Pary, * Pyncliar, nyggarde.'
To Pinkf 256, to push. — In the PraBter Tense pung, as * he pung me,*
L a he push'd me. [paeng], ping is the word now used (rare). The
idea is rather to prod or to push with some instrument, as pitchfork
or broom, and the glossarist seems to consider it the same as to pink,
which means to pierce or stab, as * To pink a man,' t. e. to ru n hi m
through. Shakspere speaks of * her pink'd porringer * (* Henry Vlll.'
Act V. so. 3), and of ^pwnps , , . all unpmk'd i* t?ie hed^ (*Tam.
Shrew,' Act iy. sc. 1), which evidently mmxiB pierced with holes. The
pung*d of the text is another good example of the super-addition of
the weak inflection to the strong verb. See Mickled, also W. S. Gram.,
p. 48.
To take Pip, 162, 310, 468, and meaoh off,— See P. 92— to take
amiss, or be out of humour, and so steal away. (Obsolete.)
Piping, in L 148, means wheezing. — *A parbeaking and piping
Body' — a Person subject to belching and wheezing, [puypeenj (very
common). Of a {>erson with a short hecking cou^h it is often saia,
* Her'y a got the pip.' The well-known gaping disease of chickens is
alwavs called the pip, * Pyppe, sekenesse.* — Prompt Parv. * Pyppe,
a sicxenesse, pepye* — Palssrave. * Chervel, y-dronkyn with muU, o/tyn
for-dop )»ci»j)pe.'— Arundel MS. 42, fo. 66.
Pisteringy 297, a Word which whenever used, is always joined with
Whistering, i e. Whispering, (as in P. 56) perhaps from the French
pester, to rail at, or teU Tales ; and so Whistering and Pistering must
oe understood to mean telling Stories to the Disadvantage of others
in Whispers, or with an Air of Secrecy. [p(is*tureen] (common), a
mere pleonasm, still used only in connection with whistering^ adding
nothing to the sense, but only a further onomatopoeia, to represent
the sound of whispering.
Pitha, 57, 132, 137 [pidh'u, pddh-u; now pronounced piidh-^e],
prythee ; very commonly used, but no r is ever heard in the word.
See W. S. Dial., p. 20.
146
SPECIMENS OF ENOLISH DrALEClS,
Pixy, 130, pigsnye, a Fairy. — (ab lalsndic Puke, Damon.) — Tee-
heeiug Pixy, V. 38. Laughing Fairy or Goblin, [piksfe]. The
woU-known ' little folks ' or fainoB are etdU firmly bolioved in. Thoy
are known in the West only as Pixiee. A. very common expreHBion is
' PlaKO God and the Pigs,' the latter word bojug no doubt a corruption
o( Piiioa. Hence we baxe pixt/'itmiU, taagi ; piaj-riwifs, in tho
pastures ; pixi/'teording, or hoarding, in the orchanis; piitf-rided, to
guard agauiat which a horseshoe is nailed against the stable-door.
' Thee pixie-led in Popisli pifly.'
Clobery, ' Divine Glimpses' (1659), p. 73.
Plat-vooted, 56, broad and flftt-footed. fplaat-v&ot'ud] (very wm-
mon). The word is now used to imply ijaay-foufed, abo thamblvig in
gait.
To FUm, 67,513, to swell up, as new Bacon, &c. in dreaaing. — ^"Chell
plim tha,' L 67 ^i. e. I shall or will boat thee, so as to make thee swell
like a young Fowl put to the Pire;-^o to make the Cheeks plim, is
to beat them so as to make swell and look plump, [pliunj. This
word is still constantly used to express tho thickening or evelUng
process caused by boUing rice, flour, or pease ; hence any penoB or
animal becoming fatt«r is said to pUin, Compare plump.
Podgier, 248, a Platter, whether made of Pewter or Earthen "Ware; bnt
the former is generally term'd a Podger-dish, and the latter a cloamen
Podger, or frequently a Podger without any Diatinotion, [pauj'tir]
(obaoloBcent).
Poinlee, 629 [pwanyntSo], to appoint, to make known (common).
To Pomatery, 26, to nas Slops or Salves, and play Uio Empiric and
Quack. [paum'sturSe] (obsolescent). Compare pomander.
To PoDohee, ISg, 192, 311, to make Howes or Uonthes, or soew up
the Mbuth like a Pouch. [pto'ohSe] (very common), to poot, to pro-
trude the lips.
Pook, 88, a Haycock, quasi Peake or Cone , — Comn-Brit Fooc, or
Funk, a Heap. See I)r. Borlaae's Cornish Yoeabulary. Ipiok'], the
only name in nae for hay-oook, to he heard every day.
Pcpelwg,Gl6 [poa-pleen], poking, loitering (obsolete). The word now
is ' polung,' t. «. very alow in movement, dilatory.
To Popple about, to hobble abont (Not in the text.)
Popping, 138, Blabbing, like a Popinjay or Parrot. (Common.)
' For a lurdie this /dotoe vraxeth aB folytht, d(Ah wfferfa or aU togjf'
ther doit, or it a vtry poipyng fboU.' — ' Aoolastns,' 1040 (Halliwell).
To Fotee, 216, to push with the Feet. [poa'ttSe] (very eommon).
This word means to strurale and kick with the feet while lying down
— it would not be apphed to the kicking of a standing »ni»Mi or
person. A sheen while being shorn is said to peaiMt; « bed-Mlow
who kicks is said to poa'uUe.
' Uom. poat, to kick like a horse.'— WiUiama'a ' Cran. Diok'
•Welsh, pwtio, to prick.'— BJchard'a 'Welah Diet'
AN EXMOOR SCOLDING AND OOUBTBHIP : GLOSSARY. 147
* PwHo, to biifct, to thrust'— Williama's * Com. Diet.'
This very oommon word seems to be a veritable Celtic relio.
To Powt, to thrust out the Lips and swell the Cheeks in Token of
Anger, [puwt] (very common). (Not in the text.)
To Prink, 22, 109, 567, or prinkee, to dress fine, or set one's self off
to the beet Advantage, [pringk, praengk] (common).
' To he piinkt up, io he dreat up fine or finical like children or vain
vfomenJ' — Lansdowne MS. No. 1033 (Halliwell).
PriU'd, 194. See A-priU'd.
To Pritch, 193, 244, to prick Holes in ; — to make Holes for the Wires
in the Leathers of Wo(U-Cards. [piirch] (in daily use). At present the
word is <^efly used to express the punching of the naiUhdtes in horse-
shoes. The instrument iiised is called Apur'ched or priich'ed, written
prUehd,
Pnckering, 277, in EoUs and Wrinkles, — all zig-zag and awry,
rpuuk'ureen] (very common). This word is chiefly applied to sewing^.
If two edges of doth are sewn together unevenly, so that one is
wrinkled while the other is smooth, the work is said to be piu^ered.
To pucker is to sew as described.
Patching f 616. See Patch. Stalking about very deliberately.
To Pnmmel a Person, BO — ^to beat him soundly, — ^to box him.
[pnumtd] (very common). This word implies the use of fists only —
no weapon.
Pung, 256. See Ping (1 Pink).-
To Pnrt, 21, 163, 309, pnrtee, or be apnrt, — ^to sit silent or sullen,
[puurt] (common). See Apurt.
Puss, 419 [puus], purse. StiU always thus pronounced — precisely the
same soimd as in fuse.
To Putch, 33, 71, to pick up Com or Hay to the Mow or zess with a
Pitch-fork. See Zees, [piich]. This word still means not merely
to take up hay or com on or with a pitchfork, but to load it on the
wagon in the field, or from the wagon on to the rick or the zees. IDus
is accounted tiie hardest work in the hay or harvest field, and is the
post of honour for the ablest man. Hence we infer a kind of -compli-
ment to GkNorge Furze, 1. 32.
To put voTCy 467, to put forward, a phrase used in a variety of ways.
To put vore work, is to set it on, to start it ; to put vore any animal or
thing, is to exhibit it^ or to place it in front of something else. In the
text the use is quite vernacular.
QuaHfyf 227 [kwaul'ifuy], to bear witness, to testify.
Ouelstring, hot and sultry, or sweltry. (Common.) Not in (he
text. See Squelstring.
l2
SPBCIMEK3 OF BNOLISH DIALKCT9.
Auerkittg, 43, the deep slow breathing of a Person in Pain ; a. Ti
deney to groaning, [kwiiur'koen] (ver; ' ....■■
ally of iU-health, croaking, granting.
deneyto groanin" [twiiur-koen] (very common), compliiiiiing geaer-
~"-of iU^hea'"- '-^ ---
Xabble-Tote, 232, a Repetition of a long Story; — a Tale of a TiiK
CObsoIete.)
Bacin^, 63, 308, raking up old Stories, or rabbing np old Sores.
(Obsolete in this aanse.)
Aa^owtering, 131, 141 (from ragery and rout, tumidtus) playing at
Bomps, and thereby rumpling, roughening, and tearing the Clothes to
Eaga; or playing the Eoguo, tiz. in a wanton Frolic [mgtnw-
tureen] (common), going on the rampage.
Riikee up, 144, 355 [rae'ukee aup], to rouse oneself as from sleep, to
gather oneaelf together, fig. to gird up the loins ; to move like young
cattle do after a rest, stretching, yawning (very common still). I haro
very often heard, ' Why I thee didan't rakee up avore just «ght
o'clock.' See roily for nnoarks upon the past tense inflection, ra/aid.
' Benedieitf he hy-gan with a hoiks ' nnd hut breet knocJcede
Eaaelod and remed ■ and routle at fw UuU.
" WJiat a-uiake, rent," quail repeniaanct " " rape ^ lo thTt/fU .'" '
Piers Plowman, C viii. 8, ed. Skeat, E. E. T. 8.
Kathe, (not rear, as Gay has it,) early, soon ; e. g. ' a leet-ratber,' or
aa in 1. 211, 'bet leetle ratbor, i. a but a Uttlo while ago. — a little
sooner. I would rather, i e. 1 would sooner do so and so. — In
Somerset, ' Why do you op bo rathe,' i. o. get up or rifle so early F
[rae'ijdb] (common). See llathor.
' Bring the rathe pn'mroM, that fortaktn diet.
To itreui the laureat herte where Lyad Uei.'
Milton, 'Lycidas.'
Sather, 211,491 [rae-Hdhur], earlier; the comparative of ra(fi^, early.
A well-known early apple is called the Bathe-ripe. This word is never
used in the dialect to eipresB preference, but for that zeo-ndur, sooner,
is the word ; occasionally it is let-vur, Uefer. The uae of raUter is L
218 is a literaryiam — zoonder it should be. See note, L 491.
' The rather lambt be »tarved vrilh edd.
All for their m/uter it JtutleeM and old.'
Spenser, ' Shepherd's Cal., Feb.,' L 83.
Bathe-ripe Tniit, early Fruii
A rathe-ripe Wench, a Girl of early Puberty.
' So it is no leise ordinary lltat theie rathe-ripe uiiU pre«fni their oum
yer/editm,'— Hall's ' Quo Vadia,' p. 10 (Nares).
To Seam, 18, to stretch or strain.- — Bread is said to ream, when mnde
of heat«d or melted Com, and grown a little stale ; so that if a Piece
of it be broken into two Ports, the one draws out from the otlier »
kind of String like the Thread of a Cobweb, stretching from one Piece
AN EXMOOR 800LDINQ AND COURTSHIP : GLOSSARY. 149
to the other. — ^Note, Corn is said to be melted when put together
before thoroughly dried, and so heated and fermented in the Zess or
Mow. [raim], the only word in use for stretch or enlarge. The
implement for enlarging holes in iron is called a reamer [raimur].
Cider is said to be u-rai'md when it becomes adhesiye and capable of
being stretched, f. e, when it runs like oil or treacle, a condition by no
means uncommon ; called also ropy.
* His full growen stature, high his head, lookes higher rise,
His pearching homes are ream'd a yard beyond assise,*
' A Herring's Tayle,' 1698 (Nares).
See Rakes,
Bearing, 106, 313, Mocking, by repeating another's Words with Scorn
and Disdain, [rae'fireen] (obsolescent in this sense).
Beart, 128, right — So Light is pronounced Leart; Might, Meart; and
the like Pronunciation prevails in almost all Words ending in ight,
among the Eusticks in I)eyon. [This pronunciation is obsolete, it is
now rai't.]
Bearting, 428, righting or mending.
Bewden Hat, 91, a Straw Hat; — a Woman's Hat made of Eood or
Beed, that is of Combed Straw, [ree'dn] i^ewden is obsolete).
Bex or rather Bix, a Eush; Bixen, Eushes. — ^The Bex-bush, 129,
284, a Bush or Tiifb of Eushes. [raeks, vraeks, pi, vraek'sn]. In the
particulars of a' sale of land (1879) one of the fields is described as
* Wrexens Plot * (always thus).
A Bigg, an impudent wanton Girl. Minshew. [rig]. This word
now generally means a horse imperfectly castrated.
JUggee, 265, 296 [rig'ee], to act the wanton.
Bijgging, 63, 130, 141, 299, acting the Wanton ; ready to bestride any
inactive Stallion, and give him a quickening Spur. [rig*een] (very
common).
' Wantonis is a drab !
For the nonce she is an old rig ;
Bvi as for me, my fingers are as good as a live twig,*
* Marriage of Witt and Wisdome,' 1679.
* Nay fy on thee, thou rampe, thou ryg, with al that take thy pari.' —
* Gammer Gurton ' (Nares).
Blggleting, 148, Wriggling, Twisting and turning, or playing the
Eomps, and riding upon Men's Backs, [rig'leteen] (very common),
wanton, riggish.
* Enobarbus. For vilest things
Became themselves in her ; tJiat the holy priests
Bltss her when she is riggish.'
Shakspere, ' Antony and Cleopatra,' Act ii so. 2.
A Bigmutton-Bompstall, 146, may sometimes mean a rammish
Eid^l; but is generally used to denote a wanton Wench that is ready
to nde upon the Men's Backs : or else passively to be their Eomp-
stalL (tlommon epithet.) The word mutton, when applied to a
150 SPECIMENS OF BHOUSH DlALMCn.
woman, whether alone or as part of a oompoond €pilli0fc» fleeniB
^ways to haye been opprobrious.
' Speed. Ay air; J, a lost muUofif gave y&ar letter io her, a laeed
mutton ; and ahe^ a laced mutton, gave me, a loH mutton, noiMng for
my labour.' — Shakapere, * Two Gent, of Yerona,' Act L so. 1.
The same expression is used by Ben Jonson and othera^ We also
find mutton-monger used by Beliafront (* Honest Wh.') in seyeral
places, by Webster (' Appius and Yirg.'), Chapman (' May Day *), and
m * Sir J; Oldcastle.'
Bipping, 311, taking off the Hind and exposing our Nakedness ; — or
ripping up our Character and laying open all our Faults, [riip'een]
Yery commonly used in this sense, out in that case it is always to
rip up,
* They ripped up aU thai had heen done from the beginning of the
rebellion.* — Clarendon.
This word, when used alone, commonly means the pealing off the
bark from oalc for tanning. Bippin^time is the season of spring, when
the sap is rising in the o&s, and wnen the bark will run, i, e. come off
easily.
ittling Brhejit 267, Wheezing, nttling, routing, and snoring.
(Obsolete.)
See above.
Bixy, 59, Quarrelsome, scolding, a Lat Rixa (t). [lik'see], caiping
(rather rare).
A Boil, 16, 31, 231, or Beyle, a big, ungunly Slammakin ; a great
awkard Blowze or Hoyden, [rauyiil] (common), a scold, a loud-
tongued railer.
To Koily upon One, 1, 6, 7, 225, 340, 344, 511, to raU on him, or
traduce his Character, [rauyl^e] (very common), to abuse, to villify.
The past tense and p. part. (11. 340, 344) have the full inflection
(roilad) in the text. Compare this with all the transitive verbs in
II. 34(3, 347, fur a striking confirmation of the rule given in W. S.
Gram., pp. 45, 76, 80, as to this inflection marking the intransitive
and frequentative form of verbs.
Boundshaving, 233, 311, Spoke-shaving, reprimanding severely,
[raewn-shee'iiveen] (common), abusively scolding.
Boustling, 16, Eustling and Rattling, [ruwsleen] (sometimes heard).
A Bouzabont, 56, a restless Creature never easy at Home, but roaming
from Place to Place. Also, a Sort of large Pease, which from their
regular Globosity will hop or roll about more than others, [ruwz-
ubaowt], spelt rouzeahout, 1. 55. I disiigree with this definition. The
word implies a rou^h, slap-dash, bustling hoiden — much the same as
TonstUitg^ with the idea of gad-about added.
To Bowcast, 195 (i. e. to rough-cast), to throw Dirt that will stick,
[ruwkaa.s] (very common), properly the technical name for a parti-
cular kind of rough ])lastenng, in which the mortar is thrown and
made to stick against the wall ; hence to * throw mud * means to abuse
with strong epithets.
AN EXMOOR SOOLDIHQ AND OOUBTBHIP : 6L0SSART. 151
Bowl or Bealy 2, a Bevel or Wake ; the Anniversary of the Dedica-
tion of a Church. ^Obsolete ; the word is now Totv'vl,'] Nearly every
village in the district still has its revc/, when a kind of rostio fidr »
held, with wrestling, bell-ringing, and much drunkenness.
BnbbaOFOOk, 56, a filthy Slattern that is as black as if she were con-
tinually rubbing herself against a Boiler or Kettle, [ruub'ukrauk]
(common epithet). See Crock.
To Bnokee, 143, 269, to quat or crouch down, whether on a necessary
Occasion or otherwise. [ruuk'Se] (very common).
' B\A now they rucken in hire nesU,
And resien as hem liken heeteJ
Qower, MS. Soc. Antiq. 13^, £ 114.
< TJiai md/or thrysU the hefed eowke.
Of the neddyr thai on thaime eal rowka'
Hampole MS., Bowes, p. 198 (Halliwell).
' Have hvsie winge^ be ever kane, in wUen comere rucke.'
Warner, 'Alb. Eng.' p. 186, ed. 161 a
* Thefuriea made the Mde-grcomea led, and on the houee did rucke.'
Gelding's Ovid, p. 73, ed. 1603 (Nares).
Chaucer also usee rcuike.
Rumping^ 131, 141, 568 [raum*peen], romping. Several words spelt
with o are still pronounced «, as ruuh = rob, juub = job, ruump =
romp.
A Bnmple, 288, a large Debt contracted by little and little. FSomerse^
'Twill come to a Bumple, or breaking, at last: But itumple in
Devon means not the same as Eupture, but a Thine ruffled and
drawn up tofi^ther, as a Garment rumbled up tp a Wad, with many
Plaits and Wrinkles.] (Obsolete ; the word is now ruwm'pue,) Pro-
fessor Skeat suggests that this word means runkle^ i. e. wrinkle or
hM. Bee note, L 288.
S
SaVy 409 [saar], to serve, to feed. To give their food to pigs or cattle
is always to ear them. It also means to eam^ i, e, to eerve for— ' I
shant ear zixpence to-day, to this work.' This word is never zar. See
' Devoniensis,' p. 64.
8art a bakedy 472 [saart u-bae*&kud], soft or dough-baked — a very
common deecription of a eofty.
Sauntering^ 282, 283, idling, dilatory.
Savin, 183, 242 [saaveen], the well-known shrub Jtmiperus Sabina.
A Scatt or Skatt, a Shower of Rain. [There is a Proverb at Kenton,
in Devon, mentioned by Eisdon, * When Hall-down has a Hat, let
Kenton beware of a Skatt' See Brice*s Topograj^cal Dictionary,
Art Kenton.l fskad] (very common). Scatt is not Exmoor but Exeter
dialect ; in N. D. and W. S. it is always ecad. Here is one of the
k
SPECIMENS OF EMQLI8B DIALECTS.
evidences that theee dialogiiea, aa well as the gloBsary, were wtittMi
or tranacribed by a South Devoner. Tho proTerb relatiiig to Ilalduii
(a bill near Exeter) BtilJ fiirtbdr confirms tSifl.
Soatty Weather, 125, Showery, with little Skuds of Eain. [akad'M
vratih'urj (comiaon). Tte ikiid hero is literary or elie ' Shropdui'Q '
(Skeat).
Scoarce or Sooaoe, 330, to exchange. ' Eb Scoost a Tuck or two,' P. 78,
L 0. I exuhangod a Blow or two,— I Bwopp'd with him a Futty-CulT or
two. [skoa-rs].
' Pan Would not miM you, for a teore on ut,
WTirn he fin 'acourw of the gnat cAorCy Ut ut.
Pup. What's that, a hortef ain 'Boourse nought but a horte.
And that in Smilhveld. Charli/ ! I ne'er miao' him.'
Ben Jonson, ' Tale of a Tub,' Act L sa 2.
I
SfuUce, 260. See SkulL
SoTfttch'd OT a-toratch'd, ISl, just frozen ; the Snrfaco of the Earth
appearing as it were scratch'd or scabby, [u-akraacht] (oommon).
When water shows the ali^htest film of ice, when the appearance lis
only of lines or scrat«heB, it is said tt) be tcraUhrd. ' Twad-n very
sharp n'moriiin', 1 zoed the water was only jist a scratcfted.'
To Screedle, 224, or BCnine over the Embers, to hover over them,
covering them with one's Coats as with a Screen, [skree'dl] (rare, not
obsul('t(I).
Bcmhhing, 266, 271 [skmnb'eeii], scrapiog, scratching, rsbbtDg the
To Scmmpee, 186, 192, to scranch like a Glutton, or as a Dog eating
Bones and all. [ekraum'pte] (rare), to craunch.
Sad [u-zaed], refused, prevented, hindered (still common as in the
t«xt). See Zed.
Boggard, 108, Safeguard, a kind of outer Garment so call'd. (Obso-
lete, but not quite forgotten), a akirt for riding, to be pat on over alL
' Makt you ready straight;
And III thai goum, which first you came to town in.
Your safeguard, dnke, and your hood tuilablt.'
Beaumont and Fletcher, ' Noble Gentleman,' Act ii. ec 1.
' On with your clonk and saveguard, you arrant drab.'
'Bam Alley '(Nans).
' The men booted, the gentlewomen in doakt and eafeguards.' — Stage
direction in 'The Merry Devils' (Nar"'
Shncn, 128 [shee'n], shine, a glimmer.
Eng. are still pronounced long w.
Shh'cre, 256 [shuvurz], pieces, atoms.
es).
Many worda In long t in lit.
AN EXMOOR SOOLDINO AKD OOUBTSHIP : GLOSSARY. 153
Bhoatd, a Piece of broken Earthen Ware, a Potsherd, [shoa'urdl
(very oommon).
To take a Shoard, 5, 511, to take a Cup too much, [shoa'iird] (very
common). Spelt ehord in the text. The Prompt. Parv. has * Scherde or
schoord, of a hrcke vesselle.* Potsherd was potaheard in early editions
of the Bibla Shakspere spells it shard,
* Ist Priest. For charitable prayers,
Shards, flints, and pebbles, should be thrown on her*
* Hamlet,' Act v. sc. 1.
The word also means a notch or to notch — 'Thee's a shorded my
knife ; ' * There was a gurt shord in the hedge, eens could draye a
wheelbarrow drue im.' As a piece of broken crockery, shord is often
used for the entire vessel ; cf. m 'taking a shordJ A ' shord o* tea ' is a
yery oommon phrase for * a cup of tea.'
A Shool, a ShoveL [sh&oi in K D., shuwul in "W.S.]
Shooling, 197 [shfeo'leen], shoyelling. This is still pronounced ahho'leen
in N. Dev. and the Exmoor district, but shuwleen in the rest of W.
Som. Prompt. Pary. has ' Schoyelyn wythe a schowelle.' This last
exactly represents the present pronimciation in W. Som. In the old
ditty, ' The Deatii of Cock Bobm,' the word shovel is made to rhyme
with owl :
* WMU dig his grave f
1, said the Owl, with my spade and showl,
Aiid ni dig his grave*
Shoor and shoor, 12, surely.
To Shoort, 112, to shift for a Living. [I never heard the word, but
this explanation does not agree with the text.]
Shug-fneaad, 186. I cannot find any certain explanation of this
epithet. Throughout W. S. the call for a pig is cheog ! cheog ! and
possibly the shug of the text may be this word. See Meazel, If I am
correct the phrase means 'measly pig.'
To Simmer, 563, to simper, like Water in a Kettle, or Broth in a
Pot, when beginning to boiL [s^m'ur] (common).
Skulking, 259 [skuul'keen], sneaking.
To SOnill, 117, 228, to School ; to rate or scold at. [skeol] (very com-
mon). The nil of this word is identical with the soimd of btUl, full,
&c., treated at length in W. S. DiaL School is pronoimced precisely
the same, and hence to scold and to school are synonymous. Spelt
scollee, L 260 ; scullest, 1. 228.
To Slat, 101, 248, to slit a Stick or Board lengthwise, to crack, to
throw a Thing against the Groimd so as to break it ; — also to give a
Slap or Blow, [jslaat]. See W. S. Gram., p. 66.
' How did you kill him f
Slatted his brains out*
* Marston * (Webster).
This is precisely the expression now to be heard daily in the dialects
of N. Dev. and W. Som., except that it would be sUU instead of slatted.
154 SPBCIHENS OP SMOLtSH DIALECTS.
Elop it all up, 190 UUup ut sul aup], to alobber, to eat greedily and
noisily, like a pig (very & '
Slollcrt, 243, See Zlotters.
Slottery Weather, Foul Weatbor, [alaafurCe wadh-nr] (very
comioon}, rainy weather.
Smuggle, 324 [zmuugl], to hug violantly, emotheiitigtf. See MuUad
Snaji}iy,257, 313 [enaoirPo], to speak very snappishly, to snub, to Bnap
at one (very common still). These words are spelt in the text Bome wita
y and aoue with <«. In all cas^e the termination ia the Hanio, and
marks the intraneitive iaflection of the infinitive. See W. 8. Gram.,
p. 49.
' Eng. Biroii i» like an cnviofu eneaping/rtuf.
That biiet tlie first-born infanU in the spring.^
Shakspero, ' Lotb'h Labour Loat,' Act i. 8c. 1.
' Zh you sneap me feo, t«g lord f '
Brome, ' Antipodea ' (Naree).
' FoliitiLS. JVy lord, I jviU not undergo this sneap withotit reply.'
2 Henry IT., Actii. ac. 1.
Sneirth, 124 [zneo'tb|, snoweth. This and blenkfth are good inalances
of the idiomatic ojmasioa o( the aoui. oaae. See W. S. G., pp. 34, 31.
Snibble-nose, 1 07, or rather SnlTelnoae, One who snuffs up the Snot
— Gutted Snibble-nose, a cutting niggardly Person ; One that would
save the very Droppings of hie Nose :— A common Description of a
Uiaer, in this County. [snGb L noa'Gz] (common epithet).
Sonl.srly, 463 [a&o'turlce], paltry, mean.
To Sowle, 167, 377, 381, to tumble one's Cloatha, to pnQ one abcnit^
Ac. SeeMullad. (Obaolet«.) ^)dt wNted in the taxb 'Topnlll^
the ears' (Naree).
' 3rd Servant. H^ll go, ht tay*, and eowle the porter of Some gata
bg the ear».' — Shakapera, * Coriolanua,' Aot vt. eCL fi.
' Yenvt will sowle mebt/ the earefiir Ihit,'
' Love's Uifltnoa ' (Nans).
The Prompt. Farv. haa ' Sowlynge, or idwyngt, makf/nge folioe, tohm
or fowlyn. It ia probable that the meomng in the text ta to imply
rough usage, aa well as toiling.
Sose, 306, or Soaoe, properly for Sin; but sametimea apokeii to a
Company of Women aa well aa Men. [aoa'as] oomjAiiions, mates;
very commonly used, but only in the vocative case. It is probably a
vestige of the old monkish preachers, whose *och would be analagoaa
to the hrethren of their modem succeseoTS. The word ia still preserved
in the Winchester ' notion ' tociita, tbe school term for the oompolaory
companion of a boy outside tike ooUege precincts.
Spalls, Chips.
To drow Tore Spalls, 176, 286, 309, to throw one's Eiron and little
Flaws in one's Teeth, qussi ^xill* ta Chips, vhioh fly ofl frinn H/a Car-
1^
AN EXMOOB 800LDUIO AMIT OOURTSKIP : aLOSSABT. 155
pentar's Ax or Woodman's Bill : — Or to throw out spiteful Hints, or
spit one's Venom against another, quasi Spawls^ [droa Toa*r spaalz]
(oommon). , The sjiwU here do not mean chips, as stated above — that
word is spralls, or dprawU. I do not know tne meaning of 8p€UU, and
never heard it in any other connection than the above. See note 5,
p. 44. ProfiBssor Skeat suggests that it may mean eplinter. Of. apeUc,
tpdlican. In Cambs. apalt means BpUt
Spare, 293, slow. — ^It also sometimes means a Thing not constantly
used, but kept in reserve for a Friend occasionally, as a Snare-bed, &c.
[spae*5r] (very oommon). Spare-grmuing is a constant aescription of
Mow-growmg plants.
8plei, 172, 174 [spldt]. This word is used with very different
meanings in these two instances — the first meaning to run and the
second to aplit
Sprey, 579, 581, sprack, ^ruce, and clever, [spruy] (very common).
This word implies' more Utheness and activity of body than of mino.
Clever is quite inappropriate to iprey as a Devon word, except in the
sense that a horse is oiever, t. e. a good fencer ; but in Norfolk dever
would mean tpry. See Bay (ed. Skeat), E. D. S.
Sproily a Capacity of Motion, Ability to sprawl about, and be active.
See StroiL [sprauyul ; more commonly sprau'l], activity, quioknesa
of Hmb. Precisely the substantive of sprey.
A good Spud, a good Gift or Legacy, such as may answer your Hopee
and Exp ectat J onB L (Obsolete.) Not in the text.
To G^dlee, 217, or Spuddle out the Tewmort, 223 — to stir or
spr^td abroad the Enu>ers, wil^ a little Spud or Poker, [spuud'l^]
(very oommon), also to struggle. Halliwell is quite wrong in con-
nectmff this word with embers. It is very commonly used, and is
applied to several meanings. A man, iust recovering from an illness,
to whom I offered a job of pulling down a bank of earth, said, * I
s'jpose I can spuddle down thick.' It is usual for farmers to say,
' Come, look sharp, and spudlee along.' In the latter it has the force
of * bestir yourself.' In the text, L 217, it is used in ite most usual
sense, to struggle.
To Squat down, to quat down.
Squattee^ 160 [skwaut*^], to crouch down, to sit on the heels (very
common). See Buckee.
SqueUtering Weather, 276, sweltry or sultry, [skwuul'streen] (com-
mon), sweltering.
' The slaughtered Trqjans, squeltring in their bloody
Infect the air with their carcasses,*
* Tragedy of Locrine,' p. 26.
A Stare-bason, 58, One that is saucer-eyed, and impudently stares one
in the Face, [stae'iir bae'iisn] (common epithet).
Stave, 134, a Staff; — also a Tree or Plank laid across the Water for a
Foot-bridge, with something of a Eail. — * When the Water was by
Stave' (1. 134) or up by Stave, i. e. When it was so hijrii as to cover
the Bridge, and render it dangerous to pass over. [The definition
here given is quite imaginary. The bridge was never called a stave.
156 8PEC9MEM8 Cff SVOLISH lUAlACnL
See Clam. The expfreaaioii in the text is by dave; to show the oondi-
tion of the riyer, «'. e. that it was in flood, and as deep as an ordinaiT
walking-staff. At present it is qnite common in the distzict to speak
of a river when in flood as ' dave high.*
Bteehopping, 131, 296, 568, Gadding abroad idly to hear or cany
News : Possibly from tiie British Ystiferion Ere-droprangs, and so may
denote the Conduct of Eye droppers who hearken for News under Win-
dows ; and so is expressiTe of the Talebearer^s chief Employment,
viz. to carry Stories nrom House to House. Also, jumping and caper-
ing, [stee'aupeen]. The deriyation here giyen is simply absurd.
Prof Skeat suggests that sUe is a way, pam — hence ' giving by the
way.' C£ tty-head (t. e. pass-head) and «tos, a ladder, Cumberland.
See Glossary of Cumberland (Dickson), K D. S., p. 91. Compare also
Germ, steg. The word is yery common, and is applied to any person
fond of gadding about. Not long ago I heard a woman thus described,
' Her's iQways steehopping about ; better fit hez'd bide borne and mind
her houze.'
' To dimb aloft, and others to excd :
That was ambition, a rash desire to sty.
And every link thereof a step of dignitjjiy
Spenser, ' Faerie Queene,' Bk. li. c. Tii. st. 46.
Bteer'd with the Cold, 277, (See Mickled,) quite stiff and frozen.
[u-8tee*vd] (very common).
To Stertlee, to startle. [stuoriJee] (very common). Not used in
this sense in the text. See Stertling KoiL
Startling Boil, 21, 31, a wag-tail Blowze, or one whose Motion is
directed like a Ship by the Budder in her Stem. — * Stertlee upon the
Zess,* (as in L 32, 70) i. e. to act the Wag- tail there; (one that will
fall down upon her Back with the leavst Puff of Wind, [styuur'tleen
rauyul] (still used, rare). This is quite another word from to st^rtUy
and is differently pronounced.
St ewnrl testy 5 GO [stiie'urlees], most careful, best managing, most
st^jwardly (common).
Stiniu'd^ 250 [stiiiid], stunned. Used sometimes for cracked — this is
probably the meaning in the text
Stivering, 312, or Stnbvering np against, Standing stiflf. [stiiviir-
een] {xiry common). Gonerallj' ai)plied to the hair, which is said to
be all stinred vp when it is standing up on end, or of a neat-haired
jxjrson when his or her hair is ruffled and untidy. The word is also
uh«mI intransitively in the sense of getting angry — * Did'n her stiver
u]) tho', hon her yeard o' it ! * See Busking.
To Stile Linen, 273, &c. to smooth it with a St-eel, or ironing Box.
—To iron the Clothes, [stuyul]. Tho instrument is still known as
the stih'iKj iron, but I believe to stile is now obsolete.
StiniKiclt [stuum ik]. To take stomach, is to face, to dare, to brave
out (common).
* Kathorine. lie [Wolsey] was a man
Of an unhounded stomach, ei'cr ranking
Himself with princes*
Shakspere, * Henry Vm.,* Act iv. so. 2.
4N SXMOOR SCOLDING AND COURTSHIP: GLOSSARY. 157
' Stem VKU his look, and full o/ stomach vain,^
Spenser.
To Stool Terras, 175, to set up wet Turfs two and two, one against
another, toucliing each other at the upper Part, and astrout at the
Bottom, that the Wind may blow between them, and help to dry them
for FueL [st^o'l tuur*uz] (very common). See W. S. DiaL, p. 71.
To Straniy 94, 264 [straam], to beat with the fists.
A Stram, 174, any sudden, loud, and quick Sound : So (as a Verb) to
Stram the Doors, means to shut them with Noise and Violence. —
Hence a bold and unexpected Lie that ereatly shocks and surprizes
the Hearer, is called a Strammer; ana hence also to Strammee.
means to tell great and notorious Lies, [straam] (very common).
To Strat, 105, 147, to dash in Pieces ; to throw any Thing against the
Qround, &c, so as to break it off : Hence to strat tibe Match that is to
break it off, or prevent the intended Marriage, [straat] (common).
Spelt strad in the text, 1. 105.
A Strat in the Chops, 78, 80, 515— A Blow in the Face or Mouth,
[straat] (very common). A blow with hand or fist only.
To Strat a Person up, — ^To dash the foul Water or Mud of the
Streets against him, and bespatter him therewith. (Obsolete in this
sense.) The word would now be to slat, ». e. to splash, to bespatter.
Stroll, 209 (from Struggle) Strength and Agility. — ' Thou hast no
Stroil or Docity,' i. e. no Activity nor Docility ; — ^No more Agility
or Motion than a Person disabled from striving or struggling,
[strauyul] (very common), pluck, quickness of eye and limb.
Stroil is also a Denomination of the long Hoots of Weeds and
Qrass, in Groimds not properly cultivated, [sirauyul] (very
cx>mmon), couch, twitch, triticwn repens. Not used in the text.
Stroaking, 47, 110, or Strooking the Kee, (i. e. the cows,) Milking
after a Oalf has suck'd. [struuk'een, stroa'keen] (in constant use).
Drawing off a little milk trom ewes after the weanins^ of the lambs ;
also partially milking a cow when it is intended to my up the milk.
The iBrm is applied to any female, whether man or beast, when it is
desired to take no more milk than is necessary to relieve the organs.
A good Stub, 550, 580, a large Sum of Money, whether given or
expended ; as, * it cost a good Stub,' i. e. it was bought at a great
Price. — *He did not give his Vote without having a ^>od Stub,' that
is, a large Bribe. This word is still in common use in the Exmoor
district m W. Som. It is more usually sub,
A Store, 49, a Steer; also a Dust raised. [*stiie*ur, rarely so pro-
nounced]. For a dust it is a different word, stoa'r, i. e. stir — to stir is
always to stoa'r, A very old and common saying against imdue
dwelling upon the disagreeable is — * Dhu moo'iir yiie stoaT-t^ dhu
w<is t-1 staengk.'
Sugs / 331 [suugz]. See note 7, p. 78. This is a variation of Zooks !
Swapping, 16, or Swopping, big, large, unwieldy ; — as the Swopping
Mallard of All Souls College in the Song, means a very large
153
ampkiBCBt fill frvsf fir ^^ SeeBaa^pi^
*A ffii w ■■ ■■ ill iiaJTi, ■ ■■■iipiHi. mk immmi af Hi ftail. iiiw
dUi/K.'— ' A C unii i lgi i 4iiff? ghrcB to Mutim /mor/ 1M9 (Naiw).
A§w«A^wdMt,$7,aV€-iichwk)iMiit«Jy«w»«lie»«pdgpiasheBtl^
Fi^'f WMik out of tibe Bockat, ^mm dM emies it to ted tke Hoes :
— tliAt Hiis, or mBe sadi dattenly Oonimst, vlkedkBr «f tke ly i
BadDfrt, or IGk-FkiL ibc ii meuit lij tins Word in flie fcregmng
Dialo^aeB, seeois erident ; it liut tkat it can Itmne no EefereDoe or
Annaon to a Swrnsk-lradder or keetoing Scddiar, Irat to some mean
Office of a Wonun SerraU in tke Gkrantry. J^wmnrBk-bankiit],
cammon term for m fimn-lioiue dattem. Pra£. Skeat sufgests that
this vord * mar, after a ml. aUnde to twoMk in Bwaah-liiiauer.' The
mcatk here uMtd omtajulr denotei roo^ force aa w^ as elovenHiieaB.
Thoae who are aoqnaintod witli the ame of genuine hedge draggle-
tailfi will at onoe peroeiTe the full force of the epithet.
' Sam. Draw if yom he ava^ Ortgvry^ rtmenAer ih$ awBflliing blow.*
— Shakapera, ' fiomeo and Juliet,' Act L ec L
To Ttek, 18, 101, 103, 312 (firom Attaqner, ¥t. to attack) means in
Devon, to give a Stnto with flie Fidm of the Hand, not with a
dench'd Fist [taak] (Tery oommon), always to strike with the open
Inmnts are threatcoied with haTinir their hands or
hand, to smack.
bottoms taekctL Probably lodfc is the same as tap,
A Tack, a Stroke so given, (very common). Not in the text.
To Tack Hands, to clap Hands, either by Way of Triumph or
Provocation ; as also in a Dance, &c. [Sot in the text.]
Tackle, good Tackle, a Table well furnished. — Good Things, good
I'roviHions. [taak'l] (very common). Applied to food in general, but
more frer^uontly to drinkables. I have very often heard the remark
up<jn weak grog, or upon some experimental beverage, * This is poor
tickle.^ Tackle not in the text.
Tarkluuj^ 11, 187 [taak'leen], food, provisions. Anything very nice
is freciuently called rafUr taak'leen. Tackle is, however, the com-
nioTier word. Taak'lfut vur dhu keng is often heard. Tackling is the
UHual name for harness.
Tacklon, in Cornish signifies a Creature (? creatures), a Thing (^ things)
— Good Things, fit Instruments for the Purpose. [Unknown in Devon
or \V. Somerset.] (Not in the text) Prof. Skeat says — * Cornish, tacel,
a thing, a tool ; plur. tacloWy things. Welsh, ta^l ; plur. taclau. Pure
Celtic, not Eng. dialect. Hence Eng. tackUy Cornish tacel, i. e, a thing,
inHtrumont, tool, and thence the sense of tackle in English.*
7V/W, 82, 347, 514 [tan], to beat with some weapon. See Lace.
Tanbaste, 219, or Tanbase, Scuffling or Struggling. (Obsolete.)
lluUiwoll is wrong in giving this word as a verb.
AK BXMOO& SOOLDINO AND OOURTBHIP .* GLOSSARY. 159
Tmly, 630 (a Gomiption of Timely (T), Sax. Timlice tempestiye)—
Early ; betimes in the Moming. (Obsolete, unknown).
To Tare. See Tear.
Tachy, 21, peevish, captious, displeased on every trifling Occasion,
[taech*^] (very common), touchy. Here is a good example of not
oialeotal out literary oorruption.
' Touchy is the absurd corruption of it (tachy). It has nothing to
do with touch,* — Skeat.
Prompt. Parv. has ' TVfcA'e, or maner of condycyone, Mos condido.'
' A chyldU tatchee in playe shewe pUkynlye what they meant ' (mores
pueii inter ludendum). — ^Horman«
' OfEritise, crafty and deceyt/ul taches.' — ^Elyot.
' 0/ tJie maner$, taches, and condyciotma of houndes,*
< Master of Game,' Sloane MS. 3501, c. xi.
' 8ith aU children he tached tnth euill manners,*
* Piers Plowman,' B 9, 146, ed. Skeat, E. E. T. Soc.
' AUe ^ee or techee ilh tokenee * to trow vpon yi^
A wUtneeee of ^ wyhked werk*
Alliterative Poems, 1360, * Destruction of Sodom,' 1. 1049.
' And to hie fadrie manerie endyne,
, And wikkid taochis and vices eschewed
* Ocdeve,' MS. Soc. Antiq. 134, f. 279.
' It is a taoohe of a dewmryng Tumnde
To resseyve super fluytS and do eaccesse,*
MS. Cantab. Ff. 16, f. 167 (HaUiweU). "
Bailey's Dictionary has tech for touch, marked as old. Coles has
' Titchy, morosus, difficilia To he titchy^ asperibus moribus esse.'
' Duchess. A grievous hurden was thy hirth tome;
Tetchy and wayward was thy infancy,*
Shakspere, * Kichard m.,' Act iv. sc. 4.
* Troilus. I cannot come to Cressid hut by Pandar ;
And h^s as tetchy to he woo*d to woo.
As she is stuhhcm-chcute against aU suit*
Shakspere, ' Troilus and Cressida,' Act i. sc. 1.
It is easy to see how from simple 'frame of mind' the word
developed an evil significance. Webster completely slurs over the
word as colloquial, and calls it 'vulgarly techy or tetchy;* while
Johnson says it comes from touch !
Taties, 193, Potatoes. [tae'Meez] (always so).
To Tear or Tare, 218, 292, 294, signifies (in Devon) not only to
rend, crack, or break, but also to make a great Stir. [tae*ur] (very
common). Windows or crockery are torn, while clothes are hr<ieen
[u-broa'kt]. It is very usual to hsax of a person in a passion, ' Wad-n
ur in a purty tare, hon a yeard o' it P ' or ' You never zeed nobody in
no Budi tare in all your li-ve.'
To Tear or tare alonff, 641 — ^to bustle through business, to be sUiring
and active. — 'How do hare tare along' (p. 100) i. e. How doth she go
160 SPECIHBXS OF BNOLIBH DIALECIB.
on, or make her Way in the World ? How doth her Diligence and
Assiduity succeed ? [tae'iir laung] (common). See note 6, p. 100.
Ted, 1 13, or Tet, to be ordered or permitted to do a Thing ; as 'I ted
go home at such a Time/ i. e. I am t o g o home, &c. * We tet not ^ut
on our Shoes till we have them/ i. e. We are not to put them on till,
&c [taed] (rare), bound, or under obligation. There is no idea of
being ordered in this word — it is that of being tied, Ct * tied to time.'
Prof Skeat thinks ted in this phrase a p. part, of tie. The word also
means to turn or shake hay, in which sense it is a difierent word alto-
gether. Mr. Chorley says that a &rmer would say to his man, * Thee
&k the machine, and go and ted thick mead o' hay.'
* Then Dick and DoU, with fork and rake^
Trudge after him, t?ie hay to make ;
With bouncing Be»» and piping John^
Merry as crickets every one;
Tedding, turning, cocking, raking.
And such business in hay making.
The lads and lasses su?eat and fry.
As they the grass do toss and dry,*
* Poor Bobin,* AJ). 1746.
Tedious, 107 [tai'jos], aggravating (very common).
TeeJieeing, 130 [tee-hee'en], giggling, tittering, silly laughing (still vety
common). * Very old.' — Skeat.
' Te he ! quoth she, and dapt the window to,'
Chaucer, ' Cant. Tales,' L 3738.
' For aU the tee-hees thai have been broke by men of droU, or dirt thai
has been thrown from daring spighi* — Fairfax, ' Bulk and Selvedge of
the World,' a.d. 1674 (HalliweU).
* But when the hobby-horse did wihy.
Then all the ivenches gave a tihy.*
Cobbe, *Brit. Popular Antiquities, ',voL 1, p. 207.
Teening, 314. See Candle-teening.
* Wash your hands, or ehe the fire
Will not toend to your desire,*
* Part must be kept wherewith to teend
The Christmas log next yeareJ
* Come while the log is teending.'
Herrick (author of 'Cherry Eipe '), * Hesperides,* A.D. 1620.
* Ne was there salve^ ne was there medicine,
That might recure their wounds; so inly they did tine.*
Spenser, 'Faerie Queone, Bk. ii. c. xi. 21.
Compare tinder, tinder-box. See note 10, p. 59.
Teening-botth, 287 [tee*neen bau'tl], tin-bottle. Tin is always tee'iieen.
SeeW. S. Gram., p. 19.
Tell, 150 [tuul], to say, to speak, to talk. See notes to IL 116, 138.
Terra or Terve, 175, a Turf, [tuur-u] (always thus). See W. S.
Dial., p. 71.
AN EXMOOR SCOLDING AND COURTSHIP: GLOSSARY. 161
Tervee, 216, to strnggle and labour to get free. [tuur'vSe] (common).
Tether, 139, 160, 311 [taedhur, tuudh'ur], other. See note, 1. 281.
It should be noted that although tother may now be almost accepted
in colloquial English, as in tother day, it only occurs in Early English
when preceded by J>e, because >« to\>er = \>et o\>er,
* Bot J>e to shall for J>« to]>* dye.*
Chronicon Yilodimense, ed. Hoare, st. 236.
i. e. thai one^ ihcA other. This distinction is still yery much more
retained by real dialect speakers than by mere users of colloquial
phrases. The former still retain the before tother in most cases.
Tether-eend, 281 [taedh'ur ee'n], seat, Podex (very common).
Tetties, 375 (Teats,) Breasts, [tiifeez] (the usual name). Com. iidi,
the breast, pap ; Welsh, did. Prompt. Parv. * TeU, uber.*
Thiok-lifted, 126, short winded or breathing with Difficulty, (as very
fat Persons do)— Asthmatical. [thik 1^'tud] (common), giyen to pant
and puff, wheezy. This word' is ^ven as thick-listed in some editions,
and so is copied by HaUiweU. (TJieckli/ted in the text.)
To Thir, 475 — This signifies much the same as to Dere, a Word com
monly used by Nurses in Deyonshire, signifying to frighten or hurry
a Child out of his Senses. (Bare, obsolescent.)
Thirl or Therl, 73, gaunt and lank, thin and lean. (Obsolete.) Spelt
therle in the text.
ThoOy 355, 556 [dhoa*], then. See note, L 351. So used by most
old writers.
Thof, 215, 268, 348, 628 [thau-f], though or although. This word is
always pronoimced with the th sharp as in think and the ough as off;
on the other hand trough (trawf in ht. Eng.) is inyariably pronounced
iroa\ Bee W. 8. Gram., p. 94. See note, 1. 216.
' \fOu Bethleem luda,
Yoi You he noght \>e mast dti,
You e$ noght lest of dignity,*
Cursor Mundi (a.d. 1320), Visit of the Magi, 1. 97, ed. Morris.
' And dampnyd men he eavede/ele
\>tiw \>ey weron dampnyd in \>t atounde.*
Chronicon Yilodimense (A.D. 1420), ed. Hoare, st. 277.
* And thofe the hryde blythe he
Thai Percy vdle hase wone tKe gree,*
'Tho3fe Peroevelle has alayne the rede knyght,
litt may another he als wyghteJ
' Perceyal,' A.D. 1463 (Halliwell).
Thong^ 77, 364, 514 [dhaung], to thrash with some limp thong or
lash-like instrument (yery common). See Lace.
Thonging^ 6, 501 [dhaung'een], flinging or swinging the skirts or taii
by bouncing about, so as to make them resemble a great whip. The
word is most expressiye, and means much more than bouncing
(oommon).
M
4S TlM 1111*1 ^Pi*. twdtt, Midr Ia takB oAnee (eon-
I
T» Tiaff A BariM. 7S, to gm Ina or her a ti^t SwHiwg ; or to
iMlotflj M the Tine daw Ike BdlT <£ &• Han> vkeo ti^hUy
bocUt^ [tag. Miwt w— iyfaej. Hm cumm««w '
witk In; = a nrtl^ » wt Cv-ietcM ; it mcbm to
aDisd to th> Mf . Jm ti * fiifwianlly Knuduig li
penoQ ii to woU taod^ *bA I*V-
TltUt, vpeeial, extncfiiiaiy. [Sm Tfnmt. Tbe expUnatioo hfre
if iiwotnct, bat. M nana], pojicd bjr ^fliTelL]
I(CT or Tvnn. 255, a Spinning Wlied ; mi call'*] from Its tanuDg
[tvon] (Tcirj mniBKra). The wbofe modune is caU«d a turn,
HM-im. or niamiag kira. Tbe vJw;! is only tbat part """"' '" '~ —
u miuJU, See i'od, A. Terj farmrito Jo acriBlMHt a
men patclwd or r«iiew«d W tnstolmeatfl is * Dkik-* ji* liji JA-o
, _ . . n qncation i> said to have first
had tt upw irh«-!. thpn ntiw lefw. then new ii>incU<', then now frame.
but alvsyi to have been tbe satne (urn.
Tfrm, 37 [tuum], moment, instant. ' Every otber tarn 'is atill a
comitaDt expression for ' now and again,' or for any qoioUy repeating
incident. It may be taken from the spinning- wheel or bom ploughing,
when at every alt«mato (urn the plough passee by the same Bpot.
ToUHmj, 53 [toa'tleen], alow moving, inactive, dead-alive (common).
Applied also to the slow, laboured movement of aged and infirm
people.
A ToUe, 120, 293, a slow lazy Person ; an idle Fool, that doee his
Work awkardly and slowly.— (eo cali'd perhaps, q. d. Taught ill, but
0. as to this?) (Obsolete.)
To Totle and totee abont, 253 — to totter up and down, [toa-tl]
(common). Tottle is rather a common surname.
To ToTZee, 216, 291, to toss and tumble. [tuir-u<e] (rare). Spelt
towte in the text, 1. 216.
To Toze, 346, 613 [toa'Uz], used in the t«xt for to tkranii, but it
oonvoys ttte idea of IwUting, or rather unUviitiitg, as if a struggle or
Muffle had been the beginning of the fray. The oominon meaning ia
to unUmiil', to loosen by pulhng. To loze out matted looks with a
oomb is the usual expression. A knot difScult to nntie must be a toid.
AN EXMiDOR SCOLDING AND COURTSHIP: GLOSSARY. 163
* Autolycus. ThinJ^at ihoUy for ihat I insinuate, or toze /rom thee iny
hunnessy I am therefore no courtier V — Shakspere, * Winter's Tale,* Act
iy. 8C. 3.
Prompt. Parv. has * Tosare, of wulle or other lyke, Carptrix,*
Johnson has * Tose, to comb wool*
Trapes, 65, 158, 470, 634 [trae^ups], a woman all bedraggled by
walking through deep mud, hence a slattern (common).
Trapsee, 200 [traenipsSe], to walk through a wet or muddy path, and
to get all bedraggled. A man may trae'upsee drike dhu muuks, but
he would neyer he called a trapes. A man said to me, * I was a forced
to trapesee all the way to Withypool avore I youn un.'
Trem, 515 ^triim], to trim, t. e, thrash or beat (still very common),
with or without instrument See Cotton.
* An she would he coold, sir, let the soldiers trim her.*
Beaumont and Fletcher, ' False One,' Act iL sc. 3.
TreH up a ground, 305 [u-trdst aup u graewn], trussed up above
ground, i. e. hung (a rare but not obsolete phrase).
Trim, 86 [tnim], to beat. Generally spoken in connection with
children — in that case it implies slapping with the open hand. See
Trem.
A Troant, 282, 283 (not a Truant or Micher, but in Dev.) a foolish
witless Fellow, and sometimes a lazy loitering Lubber. (Obsolete.)
A Trolubber, 265, or Trough-lubber, a common Labourer, whose
ordinary Business is hed^;ing and ditching. [troa*luub*ur] (yery
common), one whose work is mostly with troa^z, t. e. troughs or ditches;
hence a downish, heavy, slouching fellow. A ditch is nearly always
a ditch-trough [deech-troa*]. P is this the origin of trolioper and
ttollop f
Troubled, 20, 29, 439 [truubldl, afflicted. This word is still used in
connection with all kinds of disease or ailments. Uur-z u-truuh'ld
wai dhu riie'maatik ; he is troubled with the ar'y-sup'ulees, &c. The
word has in the above sentences a frequentative meaning, equivalent
to * subfect to rheumatism, erysipelas, &c. It is also the usual word for
haunted. See note, L 439. A yery common sayin^^ respecting any one
who is believed to appear after death is, * he's mam troublesome.'
Truh, 104, 106, 262, 503 [trfeobl, a drab, a slut, a good-for-nothing,
useless wench. This is an opprobrious epithet for a woman. See Chun,
Qf&ij rare now.)
How do you Try? 317, 327, 551— How do you find yourself?
How do you do P — Sometimes the Salutation is, * How d'ye hold it P *
to which some Punsters will answer, * In both hands when I can catch
it ; ' but the Meaning is, how do you hold or retain your Healfii P
— ^A Nautical Term, [aew d-ee traay] (rare, but not obsolete
salutation).
Twined, 217 [twuynud], twisted, wriggled (very common still). Note
that intransitiye verbs have their past inflexion fully sounded ud. See
W. S. O., pp. 45, 77. See also Body.
m2
IGt SPECIMENS or ESOLTSH DIALECTS.
Tyrant, 5G8 [luy-rnnt], a poshing, driving, bustling person. No
implication of oppresmon or cruelty ia conveyed by this espresmoii.
any more thai) in crurf qond. ' Her's a ^rant for butter and cheo«^,'
IB an every -day oxproasion, and meaas that ehe is an excellent baud
at making theu, Tho wonl ia only applied to woman.
IT
Vnliftf, 103, Univioldy, [aun'liiftJe] (common), dumBy, awkwanl
tTvozet, 230, or ITppa-iit, oppoail* ; set before you in full TJew.
Taupuzaut']. This word bos no connection with oppmUe, Halliwell's
definition, ' Upazot, In perfection ' (coniod from olJ Glos«., see p. 68),
ia an absurd invention to complete tne senae of the passage. The
phrase means vp-a-irt, sot up m view, or exhibited as plainly as if
' Ount Sybyl Moroman ' were buforo you. The use of the word in the
t«Kt, though eomewhat redundant, is quito in keeping with the s])irit
of the dialect, and id not at all uucominon. I hoard a man eay <.>f
another, whom he had recognised, * I be eo safe 'twas he, as aiif
(thoughl I'd a got-'n now avore me, up-a-iol,' i. e. set up for inspection.
Of. Upzetting.
Vp-nert, 151, 510 [anp-ree'urt, ofien
editions it is hr a TOjie out-rerrt. Sei
Upsetting, 6, 380, i. e. Up-aitting; — a Gossipping or Christening
Feast [aup-Kut'een] (common). At present the being droesed and
ready to receive visitors after a wedding, funeral, &c., is colled
' sitting up,' and the days when such visitorB are expected aio called
■ sitting up days.'
Uie, 229 [yta-z], use, custom, habit (still very common).
To Tag, 80, 515, to thwack, w beat one with a Rod, &c. to fag,
(Obsolete.)
To vail over the Desk, 475, a Cant Term for having had the Banna
of Uarriage published in the Church, [vaal oaTur dhu dlis] (atiU a
common saying).
To Tang, 8, to take : — And likewise to undertake at the Font of
Baptism, as a Sponsor for a Child.— In the Prreter Vung (P).— Thus
1. 8. 'When tha vungst (and be hang'd to tha !) to Bobbin'— i. e.
When thouwert Godmother (and may hanging await thee!) to Bobin.
[vang] (very common), to hold, to seize. CS.fang. I have never heard
of vung for the past tense, and believe it never existed ; if it did, it ia
now quite forgotten. It no longer aignifiea to become sponsor. The
present term for that duty is to ttand/or [tu stau vaur]. The verb ia
conjugated vang, vang{d before a vowel), u-vano[d before a vowel).
Compare Qerm. fangea. See note, 1. 256. See E. D. S. Oloaa. B. 14.
Varjiiice, 41 1 [vaar-jeea], veijuice ; a common exclamation.
Vath, 400, 475, 553, 610, 624. See Path.
Vath and tralk / 454 [faath-n traatb !], a rather stronger inteijeotional
phrase tban/cia(A / only, ^ ' by my faith and troth,' The expreemon
AN EXMOOR SCOLDING AND COURTSHIP: GLOSSARY. 165
is still mucli used, and in it alone is the word troth extant. Whether
iratith is the ori^^inal pronunciation, or whether it has been adapted
to match /oath, is a question for students. See Fy.
VatUIie [fau'th], fault. This pronunciation is still not uncommon,
hut fau't or fau'Ut are more usual. (Not in the text.)
Veaking, 42, 75, 308 (quasi Feiging, Carping ;^ fretful and pneevish.
(Obsolete.) The explanatory word Feiging^ in all the editions, is
obsolete also.
Veestf 93 [vees, often vuys ; plur, vee'stez, vuystez], fist.
Vengeance, 4, 35, 207, 506 [vainjuns], still a very common name for
the DeyiL See also * Somerset Man's Ck>mplaint,' p. 9.
* Left to conflict nakedly with hell and vengeance.'
Eogers (1642), * Hist of Naaman,' p. 39.
Verly bleive, 303 [vuuriee blai'v], verily believe ; still a very common
form of asseveration. Verily is always sounded as two syllables.
Vet etf 252, 303 [vilt ut], fetch it, i, e. come round, recover. This
word is altogether different from to vit meat. It is, I think (L 252),
the p. part, of fetch. We see the word spelt vett in the * Somerset
Man s Complaint,* p. 8, and/c< by Chaucer. In the * Chronicon Vilo-
dunense' the word is used frequently in different forms, in all of which
it has a form more like the modem dialectaL Fetch is now pronounced
faach or vaach. In stanza 732 of the Chron. Yilo. we read fache for
the infin. of fetch.
* hurre aoule was fete to hevene vf angels ffre.* — st. 482.
* Bot Seynt Ede was dede forsothe hyfort
And hurre soule fatte to hevene hlysse.* — st. 649.
* For bleynde men hadden )^ere hurr* sey^t
And crokette and maymotte fatten \fere hurre hele :
Miracules weron do \fer^ ]nis day and ny^t
And sekemen come ]^edur mony andffele.* — st. 686,
* A hasyn uf wa£ }poforthe was fatte.' — st. 704.
*twey pastes . . . fatten \>e shrynej — st. 1174.
In Piers Plowman, about the same date as the above, we read :
* And of-aente hire a^stvipe ' Seriauns hire to fette.' — Pass. IH. 96.
* Frerea with feir speches ' fetten Aim \)ennes.* — Pass. EL 205.
Gower has :
* And \)anne he let \>e cofres fette
Vpon \>e bord and dede hem setts.^
Tale of the Coffers, 1. 46.
Chauoer has :
* A Briton hooky writen with Euangiles,
Was fet, and on this book he swor anoon.*
Man of Lawes tale, 668.
See note 3, p. 8. .
Viggee, 216 [vig'ee]. See Vigging.
Vigging, 218 (See Potee,) vig, vig, vig ; used to express the Action of
Do^ digffing with their Feet, in order to scratch out Fleas, [vig'een]
(this womd be still understood, rare).
* The old word is fike, of which fidget is the diminutive.' — Skeat.
166 BPBauEXS UF KXOLISH DIALECIB.
The Prompt. Parr, tuu ' Fjrkin B-butrto, >•/'" ■" TjAm.' * Fiikn
lulwwtQ yn yililueBito.'
' I prat/e you K AvKW thi fyskelh oboutf.* — PolflgiBTe.
'Trutit^e, a raimipt, fizgig, fisking butteift, niHMyiikf ^mtiii.' —
CotgWTfl.
'ifuAril/nr tanbiautU, A akeC mul (< A«a>w)l.'
> Aiici«a Bivb;,' pt 2(ML
' ^ fiirJctrA «o mi't )>f, it fikeS mid doggt uatpoutmgij
Ibid. p. 3S0, ed. Unden Sac
' Jnd «iHM / tTBtUd-from jny troOer ttaO,
Auii figd ubmit fnim nfulft/tfb neidly dntt.'
'A Quest of Enqnirie, A.D. IMS (NsreB).
Vinnied ''>r Tinnod, Finnewcd, Mouldy, [vun-ndj (the usual t«nn
in oTiry.tlBy iiao), mililuwed, epotted with mould, or with any defiling
iQUttor. ('Iinutti with groen mnuld is alvays called riitfud, Webster
(fivuM thin word a* ' Binnfivrd, obsolete.'
' Hull!/ of Chauar't vmrdi are hrromt at it intrr vinoVd and hoari*
with over long lying' — T. BeaomoDt to Spi^ht, in his Chaucer (NareflX
* A tOtUdinr'* handi muat o/l he died vi(A goare,
Le4t, itarke with rut, th^y fiuev'd u>iux and hoan.'
' Uirror for Mag,' p. 417.
> Tkt old moth-ttitm leaden legmd, and the /nitty and fenowned
/ulimtl.'—lir. PiiTour, cited by (Codd (Naros).
In Rhnkiipere thu word is whinid in early editions, bnt in lat^r ones,
«. n. Stiibbing. it is quite deflavourod and spoilt by the reading
untitUed.
' Ajnx. Speak then, thou whinid'rt leaven, tgeak : I will beat lliM into
haiidtvmeneM.' — ' Truilua and Ciessida,' Aut li. ac. t.
' Fonne has oceanonally the abttrad tiynijication of mire.' In
VogociuB, Boy. MS. 18, A. zii., 3cipio speaks ' uiUh thia rmrouoUe
tcorne ; ye bfn worthy, to he blottede and tpottede, foutait and de/oulede
viitk fonno and with drit of water (lufo inquinari) and of blodt, ^at in
tyme of werre ne were not, ne wolde nal be beapreynt ne be wctte with
ertnemyei blade.' — Bk, iii. c. 10, Prompt. Parv. p. 156, ed. Way.
Vinny, 139, a Battle or Skirmish; and in the foregoing Dialognex
(»eu p. 40) ft scolding Bout.^Poesiblyfrom Whinmard(?), aHangeror
crnokiid Sword, used fta a Defence from Assaults; and this perhaps
dui'ivud from the Latin Tindicta (?), Eeveoge ; For the Word Vinny
hero, cannot mean to whinav or noigb like a Horse, this being a
siffnal of kind Invitfttion, ratner than garrulous Oppoaition. [Ot«o-
loto.l This derivation is far too speculative. Why may not thia word
als<i be dorired from fenn =• mire ; hence bespattering or befouling
as the ueual result of a tusalo P Ct. ' throwing dirt' See Vinnied.
To Viue-dra Voaks, 'J'll, i. e, to finedraw Folks; to flatter or
dccfi v-o l\«>lAl^ bv f"ii- Spooobes ;— to cut their Throata with a Feathor,
[I beliero it would have buuu pronounced /arn draa vooAi.] To ' fin»i
^.
AN EXMOOR SCOLDINO AND COURTSHIP: GLOSSARY. 167
dra a stoer ' (a tale) would mean to grossly exag^gerate. ' Thick there
stoar'fi too fint a dra*dy* is not an uncommon saying. I cannot find
any trace of the word being now used as in the text.
Vire-tangSy 72 [vuyur-tangz]. The common tongs are still called
most usually the fire-tonga, Tonya alone are smith's pincers.
To Vit Meat, to dress it, or make it fit to he eaten. (Obsolete.)
Not in the text. Halliwell is again absurdly wrong in copying this,
and so giving * Vit, To dress meat.' To vit is clearly to make fit, and
is sim^y the transitive form of the verb, of which to vittee is the
intransitive and frequentative. A native never could have got his
mouth into shape to utter * to vittee meat,' but he would of course have
said ' the malt will vittee.^ It is evident the last century glossarist was
a native and practically knew the true meanings of the words, though
he was imconscious of the grammatical connection. See W. S. Gram.,
p. 49, et aeq.
To Vittee, 57, 262, to go well, fitly, and successfully, [viit'ee] (com-
mon), to thrive, to get on.
Vitty, 73, 462, 464, 553, 559, 569 (quasi fitty,) apt, decent, handsome
and well. [vtit'Se] (very common) ; also as an adverb — properly, in
the right manner. Spelt viiteey L 73.
Vittiness, 209 [viit'inees], dexterity, neat-handedness (very common).
Vlagged, 74 [vlag'ud], loose, flaccid, flabby (very common).
Vlee, 299 [vlee], to fly ; so always vlee lig u buurd, * fly like a bird.'
Always, as in the text, fly to, not fly at.
Voar, Voor, or Vore, 286 — Forth ; — Also a Furrow, [voa-r] (very
common still in all the senses found in the text).
To drew voar, 286, 309, i. e. to throw forth ; to twit a Person with
a Fault, [tu droa voa*r] (very common). See note 5, p. 44.
Voar-and-Back, 119, reversed ; the Eight-hand Side being placed on
the Left, or what should be forward put backward : So up and-down
(in the Devonsh. Dialect) means up side-down, or invertea. [voar-ru
baak] (very common) ; baak-n-vowr is more usual. Spelt vore-and^
hack, 1. 119. I do not think this expression means fore or right hand
hack, or hack-hand forward^ as here implied — (a) because no stress is
laid on the and, which is clipped down to a mere sound of n in both
the forms I have given; and (6) because the same idiomatic form is
used to express the other positions of reversal, e. g, in-and-out [een-
un-aewt] is invariable for inside-out, and up-and-down [aup-m-daown]
for upaide-down. If hand were intended it would have stress — the-
right aide is always called right-hand side [rai't-an'-zuyd], or left-
hand side [laft-an*-zuyd] for left aide.
Prof. Skeat suggests that the and in up-and-down, &c., is on ; i. e.
up-on-doum =: up- (side) on-doum (side). This is very probable.
Vokes, 202 [voaks], folks, people. Also spelt vook^n, 11. 197, 385, 525,
but this latter form is quite obsolete. According to context, the word
may mean people in genei*al or the work-people. Usually voak, as in 11.
291, 388, would mean people in general, while the plural, as in 1. 297,
Voretr^, 170, 354, 556,558 [TOftTwmiiTOATwu'JiimmeduWj, straight
•war. This «twd (itill tcit commm) dow not implf qnite so inBtant-
■ii«oiis an Bction •« vT (Aa xnnv. See note 2, p. 44. In mme csaea
thifl word would hare joit the memning of Iiteru7,/0rw-rMfA(.
Torked, Torked. 4S, ' so mr's tba ut & vorked ' L e. » far as thou
art forked: and L 135, 'drade tha ont by the Torked Eend' i. e. drew
th«e out by the forked End ; which Fhnieee want no other Explana-
tion, the Fork therein meant being well known : And perhaps it may
not b« dnem'd beside onr Pnrpoee to add, that the same Word ia as'd
for the Twiid; or Twiaael of Maiden Trees, [vanr-kad]. See W. S.
Oram., p. 81. (Common.)
Tort or Toart, 334, rought. — 'Es thort yon joudent k vort k>'
i. e. I thrjught you coidd not have fought so. [vauTt] [common].
Mrwt words ia ought hare an r in them. See Thort, Nori.
Vor'rhij? 208 [vur waa'y], on which account, because, wherefore
(cvmuiou phrase as here used).
• Al \f viul of Dina \f ich tpre o/er, ne com noui
forSui t>' tt teummen lokede eangliche o toeopmen.'
' Ancrea Eiwle,' od. Camden Soc, p. 96.
r.
AN EXMOOR SOOLDINQ AND COURTSHIP: GLOSSARY. 169
' And 6voa wald God at it stUd be;
For-whi he aayd \>tis tiU Noe*
Non permaneoit, &o.
Bichard of Hampole, ' Pricke of Conscience,' L 732.
* For iythen mans lyf bycom ehoriere,
For-whi J>c complection of ilk man
Was aythen/ebler \>an it was \>an.' — Ibid, 1. 744.
Vramp-shapeii, 120, distorted, [vraamp shee'upm] (obsolete). In
the text this word is shaken — ^this is clearly an error or misprint.
Possibly the same aa/rampold.
Vreaoh, 282, Readily, carefully, diligently and earnestly, [vrai'ch],
actively, with spirit (common). The idea is the same in * the free
horse,* t. e. ener^tic, with all the might. I believe this is the old
word wreche, which would be naturally pronounced vreache, like vritef
vrestle, &o,
* That may be heled with no leche,
80 violent thei are and full 0/ wreche.'
MS. Addit. 11,305, f. 97.
' And cotiere me atte that dred/tU day.
Til thcU thy wreche be y -passed away.'
Ibid, f. 75 (HaUiwell).
*Ne dopu novt him scheome, so \>et tu uorhowie
Wreche 0/ his dome T; nime to \>in owune dome.*
Ancren Eiwle, p. 286, ed. Gam. Soc.
Vulch, 67, 354. See Fulch.
Vidl-stated. See Full-stated.
A Vump, 86, a Thump, [vuump] (rare).
To Vamp, to thump, or give one Blows with the Fist ; — also to vamp
or botok up old Clothes. (Obsolete.)
Vung, 8, 256. See Vang. Halliwell gives * Vung, received. Devon,'
but no such word is known, or ever has been, in tiiie dialect.:
Vnstin Fume, 521, a mighty Fume, a swelling boisterous Eage.
{Vu9tin obsolete, fume not dialect.)
▼nstled up, 107, wrapped up ; a Lat. Fascia (1). [vuus'ld aup] (very
common). This means more than wrapped up — ^it is bustled up or
bundled up, like a very loose, untidy package. B and v are constantly
interchanged, as in ruwle (rubble), curbe (curve).
Vuzzy-park, 114 [vuuz'ee paark], the name of a field still very
common on many hill farms. It implies a pasture field liable to be
overrun with funse or gorse. See note 8, p. 37.
w
Waistcoat, 155 [wae'us'koa'ut]. Tliis was not always a man's gar-,
ment. The short jackets still worn by peasant women, just reaching
below the waist, are still called waistcoitis. Beaumont and Fletcher
speak of a fine lady wanting
170 "specimens of enqlish dialects.
* A ten pound waistcoat, or a nag to hunt on,*
* Woman's Prize,' Act L sc 4.
Tlie word is used for the name of a woman's garment by them in
several plays, also by Massinger (* City Madam ') and in ' Poor Bobin.'
^
Wambling, 53, a Humbling or Commotion in the Guts ; — also waving
timibling or lolling a Thing backward and forward, or from Side to
Side. fwaum'leeiTl (very common), unsteady, going from side to
side. A wheel running much * out of truth ' is said to waum'l, A
stock for centre-bits is a waum'l stauk.
The Prompt. Parv. has 'Wamelynge, of pe stomake, idem qtiod
walmynge. Naueia,'
* Alleder, to wamble as a queasie stomacke dothe.' — Cotgrave.
In Trevisa's version of * Barth. de Propriet.' it is said of mint : ' It
abdteth with vynegree parbrakinge (q. v.), and casting, that comethe of
febelneMe of the vertue retentyf; it taktth away ahhovninacion of wam-
blyng and abatethe the yex^ng,*
To wamble in this sense is still very common, but in the text, 1^ 53,
the meaning is rambling, like a drunken man.
Wangary or Wangery, 74, soft and flabby. [wang'urSe] (very
common). This is the regular word used by butchers to express the
condition of meat which will not get solid — a very common fault in
warm weather, or if the animal was out of condition when slaugh-
tered. I heard a verv respectable cook say (1B79) of some meat^
* Twon't never take salt when 'tis so wangery,* This word is the same
as to wangy to shake about, to be unsteady, to wag.
Wapper-eyed, 59, Goggle-eyed, having full rolling Eyes ; or looking
like one scared ; —or squinting like a Person overtaken with Liquor.
— Possibly from wapian, Sax. fluctuare, stupere. [waap'ur uyd]
(very common).
'Chell Warndy, 270, 281, 332, 527, Til warrant you. [wau-mt^e]
(very common). It is to bo carefully noted that, as explained in
note, 1. 332, the y in warndy represents yf, and the word is correctly
defined by the glossarist. Halliwell is utterly wrong in giving
* uyarndy, to warrant.' The word should be read as warrant-ye or
warnt-ee. To warrant (v. tr.) is warn, as * I'll warn thick 'orse sound.'
Before a vowel or vowel sound the t is heard, as in * I'll warnt-y^ the
usual form of asseveration ; t. e. warrant you.
Washamouth, 138, One that blabs out every Thing at random, or
whatever happens to be uppermost, [waursh-umaewf] (common).
Wee WOW or a-wee-wow, 275 (see note) — Waving this Way and that
Way ; prave, perverse, [wee wuw] (very common), unsteady, out of
truth, as of a wheel very loose on its axles, aud so i-unning in zig-zags.
Well a fine, 81, 269, very well. See note, 1. 81.
Well to pass, In a thriving Way, possess'd of a good Estate, or
having a competent Fortune, [wuul tu paas] (rare).
Went agen. See note 1, p. 90. Appeared after death.
Wetherhj, 220. See p. 69 (obsolete).
AN EXMOOB SCOLDING ANP CJOURTSUIP : GLOSSARY. 171
Wey, 10, 32, 58, 72 [wai], witL
A Whappet, 517, a Blow with the Hollow of the Hand, [wanp-ut]
(very common). The word is now whap [waup*].
Whare^ 13 [hwaenir, emphatic; wnur, unernpk.], whether (still the
common form).
* Why her^B (HI fire, wit, where he will or no,*
* Match at Midnight,' vii 386.
* Lady FrampuL / know not wher / am or no; or speak,
Or whether tJio^u dost hear me.*
Ben Jonson, * New Inn/ Act y. sc. 1.
* Good sir, say wher* youUl answer me or not,*
* Comedy of Errors,' Act iv, sc. 1.
* No matter now, wher tJiou he false or no,
Ooswin ; whether thou love another better.
Or me alone ; or wher thoti keep thy vow*
Beaumont and Fletcher, * Beggar's Bush,' Act v. sc. 1.
Wharewey, 235, Wherewith, or Wherewithal [wae-ur-wai-] (very
common).
Whaljecomb, 440, or Whatohecam, what d'ye call him ? [hauch-
ikum] (yery common).
Whatnosedy for hot nosed, (formerly spelt hoate-nosed,) red-nosed,
as if heated by drinking too freely, [waut-noa'uzud] (common).
A Wherret or Whirret, 100, 518, a Clap or Cuff given on the Face,
according to Minshew ; but in Dev. it rather means a Box o' the Ear.
[wur'ut] (very common).
* Troth, now Fm invisible, 1*11 hit him a sound wherret on the ear,
when he comes out of the garden,* — * Puritan,* Act iv. sc. 2.
* How meekly
This other fellow here received his whirrit.'
Beaimiont and Fletcher, * Nice Valour,* Act iv. sc. 3.
Whileer, 88, 140, 152, 276, i. e. a while e*re or a while before; a
little while since, [wuylae'ttr] (obsolescent). Spelt whilere, 1. 152 ;
ere-while.
' Caliban. Let us be jocund; will you troll the catch
You taught me hut whilere.'
Shakspere, ' Tempest,* Act iii. sc. 2.
* That cursed wight, from whom I scapt whyleare,
A man of hill, that calls himself despaire,
Spenser, ' Faerie Queene,* Bk. 1, ix. 28.
* Doe you not know this seely timorous deere.
As usual to his kinde, hunted whileare.*
Browne, * British Pastimes,' i. 3, p. 69.
Whitftone, a Whetstone ; a Liar's Property. See Notes on P. 78 &
79. [The term whetstone for a liar, or for the prize for lying, seems to
be yery old, and, according to Nares, was a stcmding jest among our
ancestors as a satirical premium to him who told the greatest lie.
I
Jarf Ml • ■wd ^ air Am Wb M« (rxk*
' CkrtH. Cm! hmr fa f i jfl y kUkJwUmmJmrmilud Um
Bes Joown, ' <>bIUk'i Benia,* Act i. M. I.
HcBM &• fcm ef BmobIi miiihi to Sigby, «te ma tmiUe to
•It baMHtam ta Um Noifli «ben a nMn tells tli« gwtm.teiit lie in
Am BB iBf ay b> i«w«rd hiiD vith m leAfMpiK ; shiclt is called IvtnK
^6,AAl7*t
— BudwDrtL, 'Fortni^fs Buable to the LaV<"
Of Igiitf. to a^Ant lAi mKm,
J mf tji Utn> pvUie mte fe £n'i^ ilpirn
r/« r.'l» '■/ whetst.inw I'l. (/« ti»?dOTi.'
Butk-r, ■ Uudibnis,' pt. iL 1. 57.
To whiiter, 297, 624, to whisper.— • Zart ! 'Whistory ' P. 108, i.e.
8oft '■ let UB whisper. [wOstur] (c<Htmiou).
A Whiiterpoop, 93, 353, 5 1 S, a Sort of whistling, or rather whispering
Pop, — a. Blow OD the Ear; iionjcallj meant to exprese a sadden and.
unwelcome Whisper, [wfistor p^op] (Tery common), an oneizpected
blow, a sudden blow.
Wliiitle, 108, 204, 278 [wdfl], a flannel petticoat. It is now the
name in common use for the long flannel petticoat, made to open
duwa the front, which is worn by babies until they are ' shortened,'
or, as is said in W. S., 'tucked up.'
A WMtwitch, 440, a white Wilch, a Conjuror ;— A good Witch,
that does DO Mischief unless it be in picking the Pockets of those who
are no ConiuroTS, by pretending to discover the Bogiieries of others.
(woctwiichj (very common). There are many still thriving, and in
arRO practice.
Whortin^, — ' out a Whorting,' L 91— i e. out in the Woods, &c. to
sourch for and gather Whorts or Whortle-berries. [huurteen]. He
ta ill this word IS quite gone — I doubt if it ever was sounded. Prof,
Skc'iit Bfiya Iho "' is not sounded in Surrey, Cf. Hurtmoor, near
Uwlnluiiiig.
AN EXMOOR SCOLDING AND COURTSHIP: GLOSSART. 173
Whot, 275, liot Halliwell says whot is still in use. Cf. Whatnozed.
The Why for Ay, 2 36, a sufficient Compensation, or valuable Exchange
of One-thin^ for another. — As in P. 50, • Thou wouldst kiss the A —
of G. H. to ha'en * (L e. to have him) ; but thou hast not the Why for
Ay, i e. not a sufficient Fortune to answer his. [waay yur aa*y]
(very common).
Wimbing, Winnowing Com. [wiim'een]. To winnow is always to
iviim or wuom; there is no ( so and. Hence wim-sheet, the large sheet
used in ttnnnofving.
Wf the same. See note 2, p. 44.
Witherly, 220, Wilful, contrary,— a Witherly Chat : Item, wilfully ;
with main Force and Violence. (Obsolete.) Spelt wetherly in the text.
Wone tethei', 312 [wan,taedh*ur], one another (always so).
WotheVy 307, either (still used in Devon).
Wothering, otherwise, else (rare in Devon).
Wotherway, 275, otherwise (rare in Devon).
Waundy, 351 [wuwndee], wildly, excessively (obsolete). Tliis is one
of those expletive advefos, without much meaning, which have their
day and are forgotten. Awful or awfully would just now be the
coUoquial equivcuent. Woundy, however, seems to have lasted at
least 200 years, from Jonson*s time. See note 16, p. 81.
Wraxled, 217 [vraak-slud], wrestled. It should be noted that to wrestle
being an intransitive verb, the past inflection is pronoimced fully ud
(see W. S. Gh'am., p. 50); also that words spelt u}r are most com-
monly pronounced vr, as vrite, vrongy vright, Nathan Hogg spells
these words with v.
Wrazling, Wrestling, [vraksleen, vraa'sleen, vrau'sleen]. See
Wraxled.
Wiiti, 11 [wtlut], wilt (emphatic).
Yellow Beels, 406, or Yellow Boys, Guineas. (Obsolete.) Probably
TeUow Bills, as we mi^ht now say Yellow Vies for soverei^s. At the
date at which these dialogues were first written the oomage would
mostly bear the image of William III. Beels meant also bills or notes.
In those days there were guinea notes. A five-pound note is to-day
K five-pound bill. Bill is still pronounced bee'Ul,
To Yappee, when spoken of a Dog, signifies to yelp. — See Yeppy.
£yap*^] (very commonV A spaniel or terrier is said to yap'ie when
le utters his shaip bark on disturbing his game.
The Prompt. Parv. has * Wappyn, or bafiPjni as howndys (or snokyn)
— ^wapp<m9 or berkyn.*
• Wappynge, of howndys, whan ^ey folow here pray, or thai they wolde
harms to,*
Forby gives * Wappet, a yelping cur ; and yap,*
174 SPECIMENS OF ENGLISH DIALECTS.
Dr. Caius gives *wappe* in the same sense.
To wappee is just as common as to yappee in the dialect. Both
words imply the shrill bark of a small dog. A hound is never now
said to yappee or toappee, but to speak or give tangw,
Yeaveling, 166, 200, 223, 314, the Evening, [yai'vleen] (obsoles-
cent). For change of n into /, compare chiridey for chimney,
Yeavy, 43, Wet and Moist.— a Sax. Ea, aqua (1). [yai'vee] (very com-
mon). This word describes the condition of condensed damp on walla
or stone floors just after a thaw. At such times the walls are said to
ai'vie. The y m yai'vee is obsolescent.
Temors, 224 [yaem'urz], embers. When a wood fire has burnt down
there are always plenty of hot embers underneath, even though to all
appearance the nre is quite out. By stirring these a considerable
heat is readily obtained — hence the allusion in the text, * spudlee out
the yemors.' Nothing was known of coal fires in Thomasin's days
around Exmoor.
Yeoanna Lock, 152, 211. See note 2, p. 42.
To Teppy, 261, to make a chirping Noise like Chicken or Birds ; —
also used negatively to denote the Voice of a Person that can't be dis-
tinctly heard : As in P. 52, * thou art so hoarse that thou canst scarce
y®PPy-' [yep-^]. This word is precisely the same as yappee (j. v.),
but in N. ±)ev. it is often pronounced closer, yep'H,
Yerring, 41, 310, 501, Yelling, Noisy, [yuur-een] (very common).
Yess, 44, 89, 102, 295, Podex, in plain English mine A — • [yes]
(the y is obsolescent). See note, L 44.
Prompt. Parv. gives 'Ars, or arce, aars. Anu^, culuSy ixxiex,^
* Jf aheepe or thy lainhc fall a wriifUng ivith iaile^
Go by (Did hy search it, whiles heJpe may preuaile :
That h'lrherh'e handled I dare thee assure.
Cast dust in his arao, thou hast finish t thy cure.^
Tusser, *Maics husbandrie,* 51, st. 4, ed. E. D. S.
In the dialect this word is of coiirso in daily use as above, but it is
also used to express the back part of anything, as * Put thick up *pon
the arse o' the wagon.'
Yewmors, Embers, hot Ashes : The same Word is also used for
Humours. [yiio*murz, sometimes']. See Yemors,
Yeo, 210, an Ewe Sheep, [yoa*] (always so pronounced).
Theatstool, 54 [yee*ut-st^ol]. In every large old chimney-corner is to
be found on either side a snort stool or bench, which is of course the
warmest seat — this is probably the heat stooL This explanation is borne
out in L 160. In the first edition this word was spelt he-at-stool. It is
possible that the word may express what is now known as tho braudis,
an iron tripod for supporting a pot or pan over a wood fire.
In the Prompt. Parv. this word is * Brandelode, branlet, branlede,
or treuet = Tripes,'
AN EXMOOR SCOLDING AND COURTSHIP: GLOSSARY. 175
Halliwell gives the word as hrandrethy but gives no authority.
* Tak grene lerdis of ache, and lay thame over a brandethe.'
MS. Lincoln Med. f. 283.
Toe, 213. See Yeo.
Zar. See 8ar,
Zart I 624 [zaart !], a quasi oath, — dHa heart I (very common). Not
to be confounded with eofly also spelt zart in the text.
Zart-and-vairf 54 [zaart or saart-n-vae'iir] soft and fair (more com-
monly saart-n'Vae'Ur)y i. e, soft-witted, idiotic. The whole epithet is
quite incongruous and unmeaning as used in the text, but quite in
keeping with the spirit of the dialect— to apply any kind of adjective
to any object in sight, and to make the whole into an epithet. This
is not peculiar to any district, for recently I heard a cad in the London
streets call out in an abusive tone to another — ' You're a nice old cup
o'tea.'
ZoDWl or Zowly a Plough to cast up Furrows, [zoo'til]. This word,
though in daily use, and indeed tke only common name for a ploush
throughout Devon and W. Somerset, and although it has certainly
come down to us from Saxon times, is scarcely found in medieeval
authors. In the dialect plough (arare) is used as a verb only. As a
noun, plough means team of horses. I heard a farmer (Oct. 1879) say
of two strayed horses in a field, * Who's plough^s this here, then P '
The word sull appears constantly in local advertisements, and we have
many kinds, as tne old nanny-zooly two-vore-zool, combing-zool, double-
god, tatie-^zool, and others, all of them various kinds of plough$,
' Jjif eax ne kurue, ne \>e spade ne dvdue, ne \>e suluh ne erede, hwo
kepte ham uorte holden } * — * Ajicren Biwle,' p. 384, ed. Cam. Soo.
Zeck, 2, dck.
Z^, 536 [u-zaed], a said, withstood, gain-said, take no! for an
answer.
Zeert, 37 [zee'iirt], sight. Tliis pronunciation is now rare — generally
zai't only is heard. The same applies to cock-leert, vore-reert, &a
Zenneert or Zinneert, 163, 194, Sev'night. [zaen-ait] (obsolescent).
Spelt zennet, L 163.
Zet, 37, 119, 226, 228 [ziit], set. The same sound as sit, 167. Both
verbs are conjugated alike — p. tense, zawt; pp. u-zawt. See W. S.
G., p. 48. See note, 1. 228.
Zawnteen or ZcBwnteen, Seventeen. (Obsolete; present form,
sab'mteen.)
'Should Zem, 9, for ' I should seem,' it seems, or so the Report goes :
— ^As in P. 24, ' 'Should zem thou wert sick,' &c. i. e. it was so reported.
— ^I Sem, an old word, for I see, I perceive, [ziim]. This is the
common word for consider, think, reckon, Aay zum t-l kawm tHe u
dead, * I think it will come to a scad,* i. e. there will be a shower.
Th6 Z6M, 32, 70, 87, 240, 284, the Sheaves regularly piled and
stowed in a Bam in like Manner as a Com rick or Mow is without
176 SPECIMENS OF ENGLISH DIALECTS.
doors; but the Deyonsliire Word Zess, always means the Pile of
Sheaves within the Bam. [zaes, zes]. The regular term, still used as
here defined. Thepart of the bam where the zesa is placed is called
the pool [peoi]. Halliwell is wrong in defining it as a compartment
of a barn.
Zidle month, 51, the Mouth awry, or more extended on One Side
than the other, [zuydl muwdh or maewfj (very common epithet).
Zlat, 101 [slaati, a blow. See Slat. This word is one of those cor-
■ rected in the Glossary. It is in very common use. See W. S. Ghram.,
p. 65.
Zlotter, 184 [zlau'tur], a mixture for medicinal purposes, implying
rather a semi-fluid, such as a soft poultice, or a mixture of the brim-
stone and treacle kind (still in use). This word and the next are not
to be confounded with alatter. See Caucheries.
Zlottering, 53[zlaut'ureen], physicking, given to taking medicine, or
doctoring. This quite agrees with the character ascribed by Thomasin
to Wilmot throughout tiiie dialogues (rather rare, but still in use).
Zoo, 110, as 'To let the Kee go Zoo,' L e. let the Cows go dry.
[z^o, zoa*] (very common). Pro! Skeat says this is a real Celtic word.
Cornish, Bych; Welsh, sych; Irish, bxuc; Latin, mccim. Halliwell
gives this as asaue^ but without authority.
2ower8Wopped, 40, 501 (quasi Sowre sapped,) ill natured, crabbed.
[zaaw*ur zaap*ud] (very common). This word implies a nature so
thoroughly crabbed that the very sap or marrow is sour. Spelt zower^
zapped and zower-zop^d in the text.
Zwir thy Tom, 112, Quhir, or whirl round thy Spinning Wheel
with speed; let thy Diligence be proclaimed by its Zwirring, or
quhimng Noise, [zwuur dhi tuum] (very common). See note, L 112.
Zwop, 324 (a Sax. Swapa, ruina,) the noise made by the sudden Fall
of any Thing ; as * He fell down, zwop ! ' — In the Exmoor Courtship,
P. 78, it expresses the sudden snatching of a smacking Kiss. [Spelt
Bwop in the text.]
Zwopy 98, 100, 517 [zwaup], a whack, a whop, blow with or without
a stick or other instrument
The Prompt. Parv. has *Swap, or stroke, IctuB,^ *Sweype, or
swappe, or strok, Alapa,*
FINIS.
177
n.
WESTMORELAND.
A BRAN NEW WARK.
BDITID BT THB
REV. PROFESSOR SKEAT, M.A.
N
179
INTEODUCTION.
■♦•-
The following piece is carefally reprinted from the original
edition, printed at Kendal in 1785. This edition is described
in the Bibliographical List, published by the E. D. S., at p. 104 ;
which see. I may add that I have discovered another copy of the
work amongst the books given by Dr. Whewell to the library of
Trinity College, Cambridge ; this is not quite the same edition, being
a reprint of the former one, as appears from internal evidence. The
date has been cut off in the binding, but it was printed in London,
For the purpose of the present reprint^ I applied to the authorities at
King^s College, London, and was much gratified by their kindness in
lending me their copy. Whilst carefully following this copy through^
out, I have also collated the proof-sheets with the copy in the Trinity
library, and have noted all the variations of any interest.
llie author of the present curious tract was the Rev. Wm,
Hutton, Eector of Beetham in Westmoreland from Sept. 1762^ till
his death in August, 1811, and the head of a very ancient family
seated at Overthwaite in that parish ; see Bum and Nicolson's Hist,
of Westmoreland and Cumberland, L 219. The present vicar is our
author's namesake and grandson. The word Worfat, as we learn
fh)m the Prologue, is a corruption of Overthwaite.
Unlike many specimens of (so-called) provincial talk, this piece
does not appear to have been written to sell ; so that the author was
not endeavouring, as is often the case, to put together a quantity of
trash (often very incorrect as specimens of dialect) in order to raise
a laugh and catch a penny. The difference in tone from the ordinary
* The author himself, writing at 'Tuletide, 1784/ says he has 'tented his
flock' for 'aboon twerUy-finir years' ; see 1. 20. The explanation is, that he
was already curate of Beetham in 17^>
N 2
ISO
SfStDtSSS OF ENGLISH DIALECTS.
ran pf sDch prodoctioos u most sinking. It breathes the Unga&ge
a£ getiiinKi Chhstua lore, and ahews that the author was a man of
kindlj feeBng and exoellent Bense. It is nghtlj etylrd ' A Pbin
Addm^'' and ■• well calcalated to promote that kindly feeling
^■■■■■g't BMghbonn which the author had eo much at heart It
win conBaad itwlf, to the n*det who possesses a kindred spirit, as
' a g«Bi of pORet ny eeitae.'
Strictly ^waking, the language is not dialectal, but literaij
English ; jet it ocmtaiiu «o large a namber of diale^^tal words aa to
■nake it wdl vovthj of baing reprinted for the Socie^.
The pseaSantieB of the original hare been preserved. One of
ttwm, fbr txMJMfiB, H ttia hb of a note of interrogation in place of
The Botto at the bottom of the text (esoept that to L GO) are the
mifaoi's own. The ahort glossary which immediately follows the text
isalao the anthor'a. The Appendix, containing various readings, K
few notea, and a rather fuller glossary, is added by myselL
Walteb W. Skkat.
t Ob a fly-leaf at the bef^mung is printed a wcond title, containing <»]y the
PBonaouL DuiiBor,
mtmorT or xmnu^
Beneath thii b written, in tin King's Cdlege ccpy, " fifty only printed," in the
antbor'i own handwriting. On Uie back of this leaf he has abo written—
" Master Henry Vnison- For the sake of yoor Father, Wm. de Worfat taadM
you this small Prearat. When joa are grown a Man, jndge of He with
Candour, A smile npw) my Wark I It has its hmlts, bat I say with Montw
quiea ; ' the ill grounded objediona of many spring from their own heads, not
bom what I have written.' Wm. de Worfat, ^it 12th, 1786."
'L
BRAN NEW WARK.
By WILLIAM DE WORFAT,
CONTAINING
A true Calendar of his Thoughts
CONCERNING GOOD NEBBERHOOD.
Naw firft printed fra his M.S. for the ufe of the hamlet of
WOODLAND.
Diligens a^ipetltus aliquando negligit verba cultiora nee curat quid bene sonet^ jed
quid indiceC atque intimet quod ostendere intendit Si. Aust
KENDAL:
Printed by W. Pknninoton. 1785.
A BRAN NEW WABK : THE PROLOai^E. 183
THE
PROLOGUE
BY WILLIAM DE WORFAT,* CLERK ;
Shewing his awn estaie^ and tlien addressed to sic north-country
folks, as may he flown into the autlands, or sped thro^ these realms in
divers occupations, and wha in length of time, and with good leeving,
may hev amaast forgitten their mother tongue,^
GOD be with ye ! I regaid with the tenderest affection every
mother^s ham o' ye, f ra the heeghest to the lawest ; I equally
respect the gentleman that treads in black snod pumps, and the clown
that rattles oor the paavement in cakered cloggs ; because each hes a
race to run, a saaul to save, and may he prosper ! The person that 5
addresses himself to ye, is placed by providence amang woods and
scarrs, oorun with brocks and foumarts, otters and weezels. Ye
waat it is the height of aur fun to beat l^e bushes and hunt thro' the
scrogs; what can excel the chaace of a wild cat? or naaked in
summer to splash in the Ea, and dive like a porpoise? different 10
spots { have their different pleasures, eigh and difficulties tea. We
laugh at a wedding, and cry at a herring; a christning brings a feast ;
* Alias Orfaty alias 0v€rtkvfait4.
t Several words which occur in these pages mark the different sources from
which the English language is derived, at the same time they shew the muta-
bUi^ to which it is subject, confirming the observation of Horace,
Mulia renascentur qtuB jam cecidere ; oadentque
Qua nunc sunt in honcre vocabxda ; si volet usus
Quern penes arbitrium est, dt'jus, dt norma loquendi.
X Spot, upon the spot, in the plural s^ places.
184 8FECIMEIIS OF ENGLISH DIALBCn.
on the sabbath we say aur prayerBy and the rest of the week ya day
marrows another. What I mean to give ye, gentlemen, mun be
15 deliyered in hamely manner, in clauted terms, net that my readings
sic as it is, was gitten in a summer^s heat, as said anld Aechamy nor
I trust will be weshed away with a Christmas snaw, for my books
hey been conn'd early and late ; but inkhom words, to be honesty we
knaw lile abaut ; in this hamlet, they wad net edify. Tis the pride
20 of my heart to tell ye, that for aboon twenty four years I hey dnly
tented the flock of my allotment^ naa prawling wolf^ naa conning
fox iver escap'd my eye, naa sad dog iver glanc'd on the TJigin of
the dale without my giving an alarm. Pleased with nual simplicity,
aaiming to hey a good conscience, I am meeterly contenl My
25 humble situation indeed may check iyery spranting thought^ but
then my duty to my parishioners is mare strangly enforced, " and
my attention kept in by necessity, is mare sharpened towards con-
cerns which end net with my life."* Every place hes its advantage
and its disadvantage ; heigh leeving and extravagance heve net fund
30 their way yet into Amside, and War/at is a deserted village ; what
then, naa hard f ac'd bumbalif comes within my fald-yeat» fidling and
revelry disturb net my hause, except when the waits gang their
raund : Then to be sure the TnJe clog blazes on the hearth, then the
lads of my family thump the flure to the tune of Aid Roger, The
35 barns of the nebber-raw merrily carrol the story of the Cherry Treef
with other godly Ballads ; X snd lasses fidge their parts ; naw Jump-
ing Joan^ naw COieen of Hearts. Fine times but seldom seen ; o
38 the rest of the year, they mend and dam, knit and spin, bank and
* This is the sentiment of a minister of one of the islands of the Hebridu.
t One of our carrols has a story of Joseph and Mary*s going into a garden,
when the virgin desired Joseph to pluck her a cheny, telling him she was with
child. Tills is very ridiculous, yet in all ages people have entertained themselves
with rude conceits on this subject. In a chamber of Shdbrea priory, Sussev,
there is now remaining some paintings of animals bearing testimony to the birth
of Christ. From the beak of a cock in the act of crowing, is a label with these
words, Christus natus est^ next a duck from whose beak issues another, qtumdo
quandoy from a raven in hoc node, a cow has vhi ubi^ and a lamb seems to
bleat out BethJam, Such is the production of monkish leisure.
X In an old translation the song of Solomon is called the ballad of baUads.
> Names of old country dances.
A BRAN NEW WARK : THE PROLOGUE. 185
bleeeh ; they hey mucking and threshing, ploughing, peating, maw-
iog, haying, shearing. Haw lile knaws ya part of the ward kaw 40
tother leeyes.^
Ye good christians, that like swallows and cuckoos, love to
change to mare sunny hawghs, and naw feed on richer pickings,
turn yer thoughts for a minute to the shaws, the crofts and intacks
of the north, to the strea theck'd cottages which gave ye birth 1 45
think of them, then strike your breasts, and thank your God, thank
him twice, nay thrice, for weel I wat ye ken the poverty of aur
dales ; sic saunds as these ye sauked in upon yer mother's laps, ye
lisp'd and prattled on yer father^s knee : But hah I wha is this that
fancy marks, shooting dawn the braw of Sfavdy, and laaldng on the 50
banks of Windermere ? the water nymphs popple up thro' the surface
of the deep, and hail his future fortune.
Most learned and venerable prelate,
Excuse my provincial dialect ? I only annex such words to my
ideas as we and our fathers have used for ages past When I reflect 55
on the number of men^ which the north country produced, some of
whom' even assisted in translating the bible and in composing our
littrgy, I am not ashamed of it ; I know them by their lingua, I 58
^ About fifty years ago, my worthy predecessor, not indeed a saint, but
worth a hundred saints of the middle ages, with twenty marks per year, brought
up a huge family decently, and gave to two of his sons .a college education.
About that time a living in Cumberland was no better ; the vicar had U, per
year, a goose grass, a whitle gate, and a harden sark.
These revenues however are greater than that of Mieahi Levite, see Judges
xvii, who had ten shekels of silver a suit of apparel, and his victuals.
* Amongst these the northern apostle Barnard Gilpin, stands first in the
list, then follow a number of eminent persons. Airy, Smith, Crakenthrop,
Chambers, Barwick, the bishops Carleton, Pearson, Fleming, Barlow, Gibson,
next Mills, Seed, Shaw, Fothergill, Lancelot Addison, Peter Collinson, dbc,
Roger Askam, speaking of Dr. Medcalf, master of St. John's college,
Cambridge, about 1533, says he found that college spending two hundred
marks per year income, he left it spending a thousand marks and more. Speak-
ing of the donors, he says all these givers were almost northern men. Some
men thought that Dr. Medcalf wm partial to northern men, but sure I am that
northern men were partial in doing good, and giving more lands to the further-
ance of learning than any other country men in those days did.
' Rydley the martyr, bom in Northumberland, Aglionby and Grindal of
Cumberland, Sands of Hawkshead.
186 8PEC™EMS of KHGLI8H mALECTS.
trace them to have gone out {Vom ua. They did not conceal tbeir
€0 ara», they cou'd not their /jwc' But see ! anolhor form peeiB
forward, he holds the gospel in his right hand, a cnicihle in Us left.
Ouce the play-fellow of my childhood, excuse my language f thro'
Woodland we conuntmicat* all our ideas in cast off terms, yet tenua
which monarchs formerly deign'd to use, and which were yours and
65 mine, when we rambled together o'er the head of ffetvrgham, or
angled in the brook of Betl/ia. Reverend champions of our holy
faith, defend it from every public, every iuBidious enemy t Do ye
iufonn the great and affluent ) proselyte them from the vanities uf
the world to the knowledge and love of the saviour? but permit me,
70 whilst I grovel amongat these knots and barrows, to instruct my
people by every honest mean, which may enlighten vulgar com-
jirohension, 'Tia my wisli hy slow degrees to reduce the savage
tempers of the Saxon lineage, to calm their passions, and humanise
74 their hearts.
ruU Tide, 1T34.
W. DB WORFAT.
' Sici for/oro».— W.W. S.
A BRAH NEW WARK .* THE PLAIN ADDRESS. 187
THE
PLAIN ADDRESS.
HAW strangely the mind of man flackers and flounces 1 It skims 75
oor earth, air, fire and water ; is ni wer at rest, ner niwer will
be whilst the toard standeth* I Cor. viii. 13. Sometimes it is butter-
flee mad ; sometimes teers itsel with measuring the tail of a fiery
comet. There's naa sort of parlish feats it will net attempt Two
hundred years sen somebody thought of harnessing a flock of wild 80
geese for a trip to the moon. They niwer cou*d du it. A good
bishop was cock-sure that in fifly summers, it wad be as common to
CO for my wings, as it is naw for my boots : We quite beat these aid
dons at invention ; aur fathers knew some at, we knaw mickle maar.
Tother day I was informed, that an unshot codfish hes maar raans in g5
its belly than thare be people on the face of the earth, and that a
mite er a maggot will run as fast as a race-horse. These discoveries,
my good brethren, er ta fine for my addle paate; I will neither
venture my neck, ner strain my wits. What is it to us, shoud thare
really be four millions of taad-poles in a single drop of vinegar 1 god 90
hes wisely hidden them fra aur sect. I grant it, that ya drop o
alligar may be an ocean to sic tiny inhabitan[t]s, but when yan comes
a shoar^ 'twill be time enough to study his shap. We believe in god.
Jet U8 magtiifie his works, which men er sure they behold. His works,
varily, er net stinted ; see them in the lile tomtit ? the chitterwren ? 95
leak at them in the great eagle, the ostrich, the condor 1^ ye heve
* A large American bird in the woods of Potomack^ fierce and formidable,
with a body as large as a sheep, and its wings measure 12 feet from tip to tip.
188 8PIC1MEN8 OF ENGUSH DIALECTS.
97 heard of elephants, and whales ; what huge lumps of bane and giisley
of &t and blabber ! deaiy me ! let net these creatmes sorprise yef
should a kiaken^ welter up the sands, and fill the gap between
100 Amstde-poMy and Meethop-cragg^ ye mud weel be astonished. But^
what am I talking abaut t such manreloos things indeed shew the
Tastness of creation, and they tickle the ear of cariosity; they
dannet edify mitch. It is a blessed troth that the mind cannot
continue lang in a bree,^ when teered with ballooning, it therefore
105 descends to maar useful subjects. Star-gazing is a pleasure, but to
leak to yans feet is maar necessary. TuUy^ a sensible fellow, said
that we come into the ward to stare abaat us, to admire this and
that and tother ; a sect of folks think soa still, yet Ckxl seems to
design us for better business. We er called by faith in Chriei Jesm
1 10 to good works, and a promise of ETERNAL LIFE is made to us, if we
du aur best humble endeavours. Aur €rod is good, is merciful thro'
o generations, and ta assist us, hes laid dawn two great commands.
Ye knaw 'em bath, my dear brethren, and he that loves Ood with all
his heart with all his soul^ with all his mind, will sartenlyloye his
115 brother also. If we gang wrang here, we er lost for iwer.
THOU SHALT LOVE THY NEIGHBOUR AS THYSELF.
Math, xix, 19.
I write this in capital letters, and wish it to be engraven on aur
hearts. It is a toata conny verse indeed, yet things mun widely
1 20 alter before it be duly obsarved. At present there er in ivvery neak
ta manny mischief-makers, busy-bodies. . "What ! love my neighbour^
' The kraken is an enormous sea animal of a crablike form, found near the
coast of Nortcay. Its back only has appeared to be of a mile, or a mile and a
half surface, with several points or horns growing out of it, as high as the masts
of a middle sized vessel. Mr Guthrie says, he would not mention this animal
could there be the least doubt of its existence. There is no fixing the limit of
bulk encreasing by longevity : perhaps no man has yet seen the greatest whale
in being. Serpents encrease their size the longer they live. The one which
stopped the Roman army in Africa, was 120 feet long. 'Tis very credible, for
there are now serpents in that country as large ; some have been seen to swallow
an ox or buffalo whole, others will take the water and roll o'er the deck of a ship
lying at anchor.
» Strong agitation.
* The wretch I am speaking of, never thinks he has grist enough at his mill.
A BRAN NEW WARK : THE PLAIN ADDRESS. 189
as mysell ! will a griping coyetoos bunx believe tbis to be gospel) 122
nay, nay, says be, rubbing bis elbow^ emess its enougb naw a days
to pay ivvery man [b]is awn. Charity begins at baame. True my
friend, but let me raund it in tby ears, cbarity sboud reach to the 125
Hottentots ; thy guts beve niwer yearned witb compassion, nor bes
tau followed on, as Hosea says, to love tby fellow creatures. A
covetous man trapes to tb' kirk-gartb on a Sunday morning, be meets
them tbat be wants to see, and it saves anotber journey ; then be
mappon enters the Lord's bause, dofifs bis bat, claps it before bis 130
face, and squats dawn in a form. I wish tbat mammon is net next
bis heart, I wish tbat christians wad, during the sarvice, be serious
and devout, net come to kirk witb a moon belief/ witb unsettled
thougbts, but to pray and praise God as they ought. The jews bed a
rule to run to tbe synagogue, but to walk slowly back ; I wisb tbat 135
when folks git baame, they wad turn oor their bibles.' Bibles and testa-
ments were formerly seen on tbe sconce or lang-settle end ; they may
naw be oftener met witb on a seaty sbelf cover'd witb dust, or mause-
itten ; wad there was a leaf tum'd dawn, whare a feal ex'd Wha is
my neighbour ! But again, I beve net done witb kirk business, 1 140
mean tbe spiritual business wbicb sboud tbare employ weel disposed
christians. Hes naane of ye seen a young thing, giggling and laugb-
ing at a firley farley ? sbe quite f orgat what tbe clark was saying,
Lord have mercy upon uaf dizend fra bead to foot, sbe coud think
of noQgbt but ber bran new bonnet. Her sawcy een were ticing 145
fools, whilst tbe parson was converting sinners. Can ye think tbat
ber virginity was ''doivp'd witb tbe belmet of fSedtb."^ It is bad
nebbourbood,^ when a body is not suffered to say bis prayers 148
' ArchbiBhop Lavd^$ expression.
* Let me beg of parents to make their children and servants read the
scriptures at home. " The scriptures are the two paps of the church from which
we suck the sincere milk of the word, and one pap is not more like another than
these two for substance." Le\qK% Crit, Sacra,
' A line in Fair/aa^s Tasso.
* '^ He that dwelleth in a city where there is a synagogue and prayeth not
there with the congregation, this is he that is called a bad neighbour," Babbi
Mctim. On which words Mr. Thomdike observes, " well may he be called a bad
neighbour, who wiU not lend his neighbour's prayers the strength of his own."
190 SFEcsMKsn or bxglish dialects.
qwMj,^ Yan ell be winkiiig mod prmiiD^ another glopping and
150 nialrlring lemaika^ a third nodding his head in an easy alome.
Waa betide thee ! and jet let me net wish onght ate bad !
haw fast hes aid niek' sic folk in his datchest Grood fdendsy
these er sad dnings, efeclinga. Mj saal ia vexed within me.
'Hoa fellow thaie! sweetly sleepest ta naw, when the devil
155 locks thj oadle. Pardon mj zeal, mappen it maj rise hee^
in a good cause. In some chnrches the sidesmen gang abaot
with staayes^ and give ivrerj sleeper^ a good nope. Is this reet
or wiangt our Lord, when he land his disciples fast and saond
adeep, only just chided them. What ! eannoi ye watch one hour f
160 Let ns bear with yan anothe/s infirmities, let ns persnade net
drive men into Christ^s faald t Oh ! may that heat[h]en monster,
peEsecation, that curst dodt cow^ never maar plagne this country !
they say she yance bed horns and pat fdrioualyy Ckxl be praised
her bxdls beal and bellow naa langer. Good fcUher of mercies ! that
165 folks can co themseUs christians efter frying and roasting^ and bray-
ing to mmnmy ought of their awn likeness ; and apreia for what t
for difEerence of opinion, or for net allowing that a thing can be in
* I love to hear mjrself say, The Lord be with you, and my neighbours
answer, And with thy spirit.
' From Nikur an idol worshipped by the northern nations.
* Mr. Farmer, vicar of Hecersham, spoke thus from the pulpit, to a sleeper,
I am told with success. Another time observing, as he took his text, some
company talking in Lord BerJcsh ir^s pew, he stopp'd, they stared, Gentlefolks,
says he, when you liave done, I'll begin. Another time the people belug in a
hurry to get their hats ready for going out, Stay, cry^d he, and take the peace
of God with ye. One Sunday, observing some ladies laughing and talking in
Lord Berkshire 8 pew in the lesson which was taken out of proverbs, when he
came to the following verse he looked passionately at the ladies and thus
delivered himself as if to them solely, as ajeicel in a swings snout so is a fair
woman without discretion, ladies ! flyer and laugh at that if you please. At
Kendal church, hearing some officers talking aloud, he stopped, When you have
done I'll go on.
* Bishop Babbinyton says, " if the fervent spirit of the preacher should break
and tear his inwards in pieces, all is one, men snort and sleep, and go on in a
dnmsble dulness of mind" Really, my Lord, if this would not waken them,
I da not know what would.
* ChiUwdftporth speaks of this curst cow ; he was her great enemy, and
Mked her purely.
A B&AN NEW WARK: THB PLAIN ADDRESS. 191
two places at Tanee,^ that black is white. God gave us our senses
to feel withy to handle with, and when St. John was fjedthless, aur
Saviour appealed to them. Zleads ! he niwer played hocus pocus,^ ^ ' ^
or offered to drag men like dogs with a raap.' What can be said of
juggKng^ and gulling, and knocking on the headi Cruel bad
nebbourhood ! Coud Beelzebub and his comrades put on flesh and
dweU amang us, they wad play just sic tricks.
Turn we to maar pleasing views, to meditate on the prince of 175
peace, the meek, the mild, the loving Jesus. Hear him ! hear him !
low one another as I have loved you ; again and again he repeats it,
which made St. Paid observe to the T?iessalontan8, as touching
brotherly love, ye need not that I write unto you, for ye yourselves
are taught of God to love one another. I infer from hence that 1^^
Christ will love good nebbours, his father will love them, and the
Holy Ghost will dwell in their hearts. The jews expected that
Christ wad heve appeared a helter-skelter^ Heroe, treading on the
necks of kings and emperors. Mad thoughts ! he meant naa harm
to the persons or property of men : net to craw oor the poor creatures ^^^
This made Averroes resolve, guando qnidem ehristiani adorant quod
wmmeduntj [sic], sit anima mea cum philosophis f When Mrs Ann Askew the
martyr was examined, they asked her whether a mouse eating the host received
God or not ? she smiled but returned no answer. Gardiner in one place says
** a mouse cannot devour God ; but soon after the wily prelate thinks that
Ohrisfe's body may as well dwell in a mouse as it did in Judas" To what
difScnlties learned men are driven in support of falsehood ! Old Bale after
quoting a page of such nonsense, concludes, **mark this gear for your lem-
yng, oyled divynes ! " Archbishop TiUotson declared of transubstantiation
"^ that it was a millstone hung about the neck of popery, which would sink it at
tiie last It vrill, says he, make the very pillars of St Peter's crack."
* Supposed to mean, hoc est corpus.
* I shall here briefly remark, that our Lord's legacy to us was this, my peace
I give unto you, my peace I leave with you. " He therefore who fosters within
his breast, malice, envy, or an unf orgivbig temper, is in a very dangerous state
with respect to salvation. Heaven can have no relish without love. To meet
there, if possible, a person we have not lov'd, and from the bottom of our hearts
forgiven, would dis^act and make us miserable. Let then love work by fiiith,
that is, be the fruit of our fitith, and not mingle mangle righteousness." This
is the language of a martyr for the truth.
* Hileriter [sic] and cderUer, merrily and quickly. I might have used a
better epithet, harem ekarem, rash, mad, who turns all into confusion.
1A2
18f off Iwhnd^MfctodflrtnjdM^brtilMir Tieei: avdidlw dfl«^
to govam floj Uaigdin OB «ndL His eoa to Iveik in pieeoi tho
old Idi^pdom of dorioMM. lUo Iw did, my beloved, widunt vnth
or o%B^ widioat the itiwi^^Swg mrtimimti of wai; for he oonqiiei^d
190 hf widbmg ffie potifmcg end hk bmrj wen ee infiBito ee his
lofo^or ebs he hed Uawm ow^ hi§ eamUm wUh Ae UaM of ike
SreoA of hit ditpleatmm} Ood dimwaed the pimd ofafldien of
AdtiM : the nusbov is a witness : ffiiiwe miiMf* end JerfifcosiJWf to
this dej shew ns the medB of the Heed. Folk% it seene weie grown
195 ooek-nJioop; (baft the hb&^ kokB of the meety wen seen Inoqglit
let) Ihflj wen swept ewsj like the peststerW in J httMaw ^ wUdi
jeslariey towei^d eloft with theb Usck heeds, bnt to dsy «r sosTd*
oor the msoli of MibUkrop. Good Loidl when I oonsidinr Ifaj
kindness shewn to the jewsbf neet end bjd^; thjsendiqgthem
200 Jfosof snd JothmOf end prophet efter pEophet^ I em loot in defont
^""^rnv'^w^ I ifftifnishffd et thftir owi dn gt. Thou didst bnoff them iro
es th J own fiuniljy thoa dedsiest it in Emkik L 3, end yet th^
zebeUed sgsinst thee. Thej judged net the futhedess, nor did the
osnse of the widow oome before 'em. Their gnet men wen pdsy
205 snd pnad ; tiieir women wen hsnghty, with stretched ant necks
and wanton een,' mincing as they walked and tinkling with their
feet Their nation were continnally proyoking God to anger ; and
yet his lang suffering and his mercy endured for many ages. At
209 length he even sent his son amang them, yet they refused salvation
> Who would imagine that christians in aftertime should be able to copy
this fine figure so literally. In 1655 the Portuguese governor of SclvaUrra
tied a CastUian officer to a great gun and blew him away. In 1683, the
Algerines blew away a French consul from a mortaipiece. In the Eoit India
this is the common punishment of desertion. In 1760 there were twenty four
persons blown away. 2. Sam. xxiL 16. ^tU the blast of the breath qf his
juutriis." The blast of a furnace, the blasting of rocks give fine ideas.
* I dont know tiie derivation of this word, which is a common name for a
great precipice. Our waterfoU in the river is called, sometimes ihe/oree, some-
times the §oout The steep ridges of rocks on Beetfutm-feU, are called tGcnUs,
tba fill beneath tbem Underloaded that is Underl4)ad. Raven-eeoui is the
' 4f a ridge of rocks in Holme-parkj acyoining to FarUUm-hiMt,
and sometimes visited by eagles on their passage,
levelled, so to scale muck, or molehiUs, to scale hay, and
most of the editors of Shahetpeare,
A BRAN NBW WARK : THE PLAIN ADDRESS. 193
fra his son, and coinpleated their awn destruction. Metliiuks I hear 210
ye, my beloved, cry ant, fie upon ! fie upon this worthless people !
God sent his son to save us tea, wha at that time were daws'd^ in
sin and concupiscence. What mun we du 1 1*11 tell ye, Craw net
oor the obstinate jew ; but in your day repent, believe, and love ;
yea love yan another withaut dissimulation. 215
I haasten hawever to ask a mast important question. Suppose
this eftemean you were to see Jeremiah, Ohadiah, or Jona, standing
on WindacaVy with a voice that wad carry a league. Ye hear him
CO, repent t repent / or the earth will swallow ye up : The saund is
redoubled fra crag to crag ; Whitbarroto and Brigsteer echoe back 220
repetU/ My brethren, if ye believed the sarmon of the prophet,
haw wad ye tremble in your skins 1 Soa when the Israelites saw
the leetnings and the burning Maunt, they were saare freetned, but
feai is net repentance, and the danger gaane, the testrels leev'd and
lusted as usual, were bad nebbours, and in their good days hated o 225
the ward but their sells. Ye think mayhap, that ye wad surely listen
to a prophet ; naa sic thing ; net to an angel fra heaven, if ye will
net mind the etiU small voice of the gospel. Your minister begs of
ye to consider the four last things, death and judgment, heaven and
hell ; as the tree falls, soa mun it lig. Life is short, and he wad 230
xouse ye fra the lethargy of inconsideration. He wad heve ye pre-
pared to meet your God.
Suppose then again, and we have a reet to suppose it, that this
yaiia neet the trumpet shoud wakken ye 1 in the twinkling of an
eye ye jump aut o bed ; th' hause totters, th' earth trembles, th' 235
element opens, th' dead er rising, angels fleeing in the air, devils
roaring, bad nebbours screaming, shrieking, swooning. Your families
cling abaut ye, help ! help ! Ye leak up, heaven shines breet as
dirystal; ye leak dawn, hell flames blue, a tarn of melted brim-
stone.' On the reet hand ye behold your judge, terrible in majesty, 240
^ " Dause thyself in Jordan seven times, the leprosy of sin will not off."
Archdeacon Nicholson of Brecon,
* ** Oh ! said a divine of our church, that a body might take a peep into
hell ! " This scene is introduced with a like design to urge faith, love and
charity, as preservatives against falling into that horrid chasm.
o
194 8PBCIUE»S OF ENGLISH DIAJ-ECTS.
241 in juetioe ; The register of yotir faate lies before him.' Josu, j'o
wnd say, lot us atoon yaw wee bit I wc cr net ready with wu
accaunta ; we hev net bv'd nor fwir'd thee as we ought ; we he» net
loVd aur nebboura. Ilah ! he wad answer, the prayer of yonr dis-
S4S traction ie vain ; the hour of mercy is [loat, long have I been youi
mediator and intorcesaoi with my father. The universe now requires
the rigour of my justice. My dearly beloved I haw fe«l ye abaut
your breasts 1 This is serious talk ; it maks me whither ; may it
bring forth in you quiet and peaceable leeving ! Ye hev nought to
' 360 lig white' on, but your awn frowardneas.* Think naa watae of uie
for giving you Godly advise ! Eternal life,* who can help repealing
> That elegant writer bishop Hall thus describes the giving of the U».
" Hue nas nutting but a majentioa] terror in the eyea, in the ears of the
biaelitfs ; tlie U^htaiug darted in their eyes, the thunders rearing io thuir
tain, the trumpet ot God drowning the thunderclaps, the voice of God uut-
spoaking the tnunpet of the angel : The cloud euirrappiiig, tlie smoke asceiul-
iug, the tire Saming, the mount trembling. If such were the prod&matiuii of
Oud's statuleH, what shall the sesaiooa be 1 "
■ WhUe. This local word ngni^nng the mark at which an arrow is shut,
nwj nut the sense here, nought to blami, be bonvwed from thence.
' Frequent thoiiglita on the shortness of temporal life and the day of judj;-
ment are excellent means to call our woyi io rtDuniherance to set the Lord still
in our sight. Bishop Babbington makes the folloinng comparison, but it is the
fancy of an elder writer. " Life is like a tree, at the root whereof two Ule mice
lig gnaning and nibbling without mercy; a black an and a white an. The
white mouse nibbles o the lang day, the black an o the neet ; who can tell ho*
far these two mice have eaten through him ? " His lordsliip I must confess,
does not edify me very much.
* I am better pleased with the speech of one of the courtdera of Ina King of
Norlhumberlartd, concerning Pavliniu who was then preaching the gospel in
that litUe kingdom. "We may, says be, addressing hiniself to the king, aptly
compare man's state unto this Uttle robbredbreast that is now in this cold
weather, here in the warm room, cbirpiug and singing merrily, and as long as
nhv sliall r«mun here, we shall see and understand how she doth ; but anon,
when she shall he flown hence, abroad int« the wide world; and shall be fonxd
to feel tiic bitter storms of hard winter, we shall not know what will become of
her ; so likewise we see how men fare, as long as they live among us, but after
they be dead neither we nor our religion have any knowledge what becomes of
them ; wlK^refore I du think it wisdom to give ear unto tJiis man, who seemcth
to slien us not only what shall become of us but also how we may obtain ever-
lasting life."
This is a translation by the great Camden in his remains, from venerable
A BRAN NEW WARK : THE PLAIN ADDRESS. 195
it, is the prize, and remember ! that yoa receive it by Christ Jesus 252
your Lord ; wrestle then for it with an active faith ; leeve fouzanably
and kindheartedly for a year and a day ; and then if your conscience
rue, CO me a lear, and divide my tithes amang ye ! The truths which 265
my divine mester gave to the ward, I deliver unto you, a truth with
which St. John when near a hundred years aid, spreading aut his
arms, thus accosted those abaut him. Little ehildreny love yan another,
Withaut this binding quality o aur righteousness is as filthy
rags ;^ dea I say filthy 1 yea the Holy Spirit in abhorrence of sic sort 260
of conduct, seems to mak use of words purposely braade.
My fellow christians, I heye oready noticed pride and earnestness,
as unfriendly to social life ; 'tis lang' o these that good nebbour-
hood fails in part, but thare er other enemies which I munnet pass
over sleightly. 266
> See Etaiah 6. 5. Qu. Might not the translator have conveyed to us the
sense of the sacred writer by a more delicate expression ? I have often asked
myself this, on reading other parts of scripture ; I know with Chaucer that
*' Braade words er good, whilst good folks use them
They er only bad, when bad folks abuse them,"
And again
" Christ spake himself full braade in holy writ,
And weel I wat, no villainy is it"
This is no way satisfactory but at length I find myself extremely obliged to
the learned bishop Lowth, for his excellent comment on this subject, which I
beg leave in this place to lie before my readers. "The Hebrew religion
r^l^ted the common conduct of social life. Many of those' images which the
Hebrew poets made use of with the greatest effect on their cotemporaries, are
lost on us, and even (^)pear low and sordid. The Jewish laws have for one of
their chief objects the discrimination of things pure from those that are impure.
Amongst the various subjects of purification, we find certain diseases and bodily
infirmities, and indeed habits of body, which cannot by any human means be
conquered or removed, wherefore it is not to be wondered at, that the sacred
poets call in the use of those images in their descriptions of the most important
objects, when they either lay open the corruption and depravity of human
nature, or arraign the wickedness of the times in which they liv'd, or when of
the virgin daughter of Sion, stripped and naked they lament the forlorn and
abject condition. Figures these, which if considered only in themselves, seem
odious and disgusting, but which, when they are traced to their sacred source,
trill appear to be full of energy and dignity."
' The great Bacon has this expression in his life of ffenry 7th, " It was not
long of himself," (through his own fault) Who could have thought of finding
his in Biteon f
o 2
196 SPECIMENS OF KNOLISH DIALECTS.
PART THE SECOND.
■t^
266 A Plain address needs naa apology; it begins with simplicity,
JIJL and ends with common sense ; it is deliveied in the language
of anr hills and dales, a language which sarves o the purposes of life.
Iwery trumpet is good which gives a fixed steady saund, there er
270 manny hinds of voices in the worlds and none wUhaut siffnification.
There er manny huge big books also, but a great book is a great
evil, wearing aut the eyes and teaiing the patience. We er somat
maar merciful hawiwer to aur fellow creatures than formerly, and
yet net tender enough. Times hev thar vices as weel as diseases.
275 Inhumanity lessens, and before the end I expect parfect good
nebbourhood ; my reason is, folks dimnet bum their bams to please
that cruel devil Molock ; ner drag their prisoners at chariot wheels ;
ner throw them to be worried by lions and tigers ; ner feed their
eels with em. Religion or wrang conceptions abaut it dunnet make
280 folks leeve in caves and holes of the rocks by their sells, to shun
mankind ; ner git upon pillars and posts twenty feet heegh, and
thare spend their days ;^ they forgat that love is the fulfilling of the
law, Grod be thank'd that christians naw knaw better, practise
better. Barbarous customs are banished the land. Formerly great
285 people kept monkeys to grin, and mock at human actions, kings bed
fools tu, to shew the weakness of aur nature ; these fools durst speak
Ghristiaiis dumiet naw wrangle fra morning to neet in porches and piazzas
abaut and abaut the truth, stiiving wha can speak maast against it, that is wha
can be the cleverest blockhead. They dunnet form a meety contest abaut what
nivver can be determined, haw many millions of angels may sit upon a pin point
Tliq^ dumiet twist and twine probabilities and intentions in a manner either to
I tiieir consciences, or quibble with their Glod. See the provincial letters.
A BRAN NEW WARK : THE PLAIN ADDRESS. 197
truth when noblemen wad net. Drolls and buffoons were kept to 287
mak mirth at feasts, thej leeVd by their wits and laugh'd at their
mesters. These merriments and greater fun still was reserved for
Christmas holidays.^ Envy net, my parishioners, the pleasures of 290
your forefathers, ner say the present times er warse ; it is a mistak,
and I am only sorry that with their coarser diversions, English
hospitality hes taan its flight. To rougher manners were joined
great virtues, great vices : May we copy^fter the first, and banish
the latter from aur gentler bosoms ; May we think fra morning to 295
neet of this conny pithy sentence, this motto which I wish was
written aloft at iwery loanin end of the parish,
Love thy neighbour as thysdf!
What yet hinders ! I will tell ye freely. The enemies to aur
peace spring fra aur passions, and corrupt inclinations. Knavery 300
flees directly in the face of this great command ; adultery robs us,
eigh, within aur varra bedstocks; fornication is a lawless liberty
takken in a dark comer, and drunkeness commonly ends in frandish
riot) or in madness. Wee'l handle 'em singly. Wha is a knave %
He that gaas creeping in the dark, nimming and nifting whatiwer he 305
can lig his fists on. Bold villainy I meddle net with, it tells its
awn story; but shifting of mere-stanes and bending young trees
wrang side oth hedge, to make Jammy's twig become Soger's tree
this is a sad and an evil coveting of aur nebbour's property, and
desarves hanging. If seven aut of ten in a lile tawnship were to be 310
dishonest, what mud become of tother three ) why ! they wad be
cheated aut of hause and harbour : There wad be an end of nebbour-
hood truly. Weel may I say, good father in heaven forgive a
manny poor wretches, wha hardly knaw what they du. Knavery is
the sin of poverty, it deals in dirty wark, and niwer ends in ought 315
thats good. Whatiwer is gitten is like a swallow's nest made up
of a little dirt and a few streaws, which in a frosty winter drop dawn
^ Baldwin le Petteure had his name and held his land in Stiffolk per saltum
sufflum and pettum, for dancing pout-puffing, and doing that before the King
of England in Christmas holidays, which the word pet signif yeth in French.
Cambden's remains.
SPECIMENS OF ENGLISH DIALECTS,
of tlicmaatveB.) To rob a rooat, to break an arcban}, to tilub powa,
withya, spelks, to cut dawn eaplin^, and carry olT rotWn ring-fraices
' 320 «t lockoDod leeny tricks, but titter for beatben Sparta? tban tbe
borouy of Ki-nihxL And yet metbinkB, my brethren, he that soli'd
me 'totber day b biirrun cow and a calf, for a calrer, outbang'd 'em o
for wordly cuaning. But what said the good hidiop Latimor, " Thou
that doest this ^ do it if thou Iu«t, ehalt go to the devil, and be
325 hang'd on a fiery gall uws, world without ond." The holy martyr
ahail Uill tbe story at tbs bottom of tbe page,' vrbibit I gang ou with
another of my awn.
THE PARSON'S TALE.
Last Saturday sennet,* abavit eeun in the evening, (twaa lownd
330 and fraaze bard) the stars twinkled and the setting moon cast
gigantic shadows. I was stalking hameword across Dlaeheater-
moises, and wliistiing as I tramp'd for want of tbougbt, when a
Doise struck my ear, like the crumpling of frosty murgeon ; it made
me stop short, and I tbougbt I saw a strange form before me : It
L 535 vanished behint a windraw ; and ^ain thare was nought in view but
dreary dykes, and dusky ling. An awfol silence reigned aiannd ;
tliis ivaa aoan lirukken by a skirling hulkt; suru nivvcr iliJ hnllet,
herrensue, or miredrum, mak sic a noise before. Yoni minister was
freetned, the hairs of his bead stood an end, his blead storkened, and
340 the haggard creature moving slawly nearer, the mirkneas of the neet
■ Tliia simile I have from Arcbdeacon Nich^lton of Bftoon. I believe he
had it from St. Chrytottom.
» At Sparta robbing made a part of the education of ihax youth.
■ '' Thej go (sayB bis lordship in one of his snrmoDs) and take a odf of
another cow and put it to a barren cow, and so come to the market and sell the
barren ww six or eight shillings dearer than they should have done else. The
man which bought the cow, cometh home, bath many children, and no more
cattle tlian thin cow, and thinketh be shall have some milk for 'em. but be fiudeUi
it a barren cow, and the poor inau is deceived. The other is a joUj fellow, and
called one that can shift ; sic folks can speak soa finely that a man would think
butter would scant melt in their mopUia" Excellent old man! I love thy
simplicity, thy boldness in the worst of tunes, tby apostolic zcaL May I b«
fomid like tiiee at the last, a good, if not a great man !
* A week ur seven niglits, so fortnight, fourteen nights.
A BRAN NEW WARK : THE PLAIN ADDRESS. 199
shewed her as big again as she was. Scarcely did a rag cover her 3*'^
naakedness. She stoup'd and drop'd a poak and thus began with a
whining tone. Deary me ! deary me ! forgive me good Sir, but
this yance, I'll steal naa maar. This seek is eldiug to keep us fra
starving. My mother, my brothers and sisters, and my aid neam, 345
O deary me ! Whilst she spaake these words, her knocking knees,
and diddering teeth melted my heart. Ah I said I to mysell, did
net king Davidy when hungred, eat the holy bread ? Did net Jesus
and his disciples crop the ears of their ncbbour's com ! Hunger will
break through stane-walls. I^ecessity will disturb the laws of moral 350
obligation ; get thee haame my lass, and sin naa maar. I judge thee
net, oready thy conscience condemns thee. The Almeety bless ye,
Sir, said she, aur wooning is net aboon a dozen stanethraws fra this
spot, preia gang with me, and see with your awn een, aur pitiful
plight. 356
We niwer feel greater pleasure than when we relieve distress,
than when we du good ; it is more blessed to give than to receive :
Kiweriheless, sometimes thare is danger and temptation even in the
godly deed. Thares a thin partition 'tween good and evil; this
minute I feel mysell a saint, the next a dannet. Whence spring 360
aur thoughts? what first mover starts them fra their secret lodge-
ment f mickle talk hes thare been abaut it; I confess I cannot
fathom thia; somat like a fiint with gunpowder, strikes fire and
springs a mine, when we the least expect it. We passed by the
rocking stane oor a bed of scars, they were slippy^ and she stottered, 365
she fell : I had liked to have tumbled a top of her snocksnarles. T
believe it was jnty maade me lift her or help to lift her up. Be it
what it wad, up as she raaise, a star fell directly athwart, and shining
full in her face, discovered to me the finest flesh and blead that iwer
was cumpassed by mortal man. My pulse bet quick, my quicker .^70
thoughts ran oor aur father's prayer, and I fund mysel safe. Luckily
we were come near the hovel ; the girl unsneck'd the raddle heck.
Wretched scene ! the hovel or hut belang'd to a widow in a peck of
troubles. Tis just aleun weeks sen I buried her husband. Poor
Oeordie / he was a graadly bain fellow, and wrought his sell to 375
death ; What coud a body dea maar for his family % She followed
200 SPECIMENS OF ENGLISH DIALECTS.
377 his coffin with neen harns crying efter her, and a tenth sawking at
her breast. AVhen she saw me she wept ; I wept ano.^ She sat on
a three legg'd steal, and a dim coal smook'd within the rim of a
380 brandreth, oor which a seaty rattencreak hung dangling fra a black
randletree. The walls were plaister'd with dirt, and a stee, with
hardly a rang, was reared into a lofL Araund the woman her lile
ans sprawFd on the hearth, some, whiting speals, some, snottering
and crying, and ya ruddy cheek'd lad threw on a bullen to make a
385 loww, for its mother to find her loup. By this sweal I beheld this
family's poverty. She was con&unded ; I was motionless ; at length,
Maggy ^ said I, Maggy, I am thy teacher, thy friend, tak comfort !
God's aboon still, tho' the ward awns the net ; he will net forsake
thee. Afflictions and troubles dunnet spring fra the dust; they er
390 sent for wise purposes, and it is aur part to bow dawn like the
bulrush, to be humble and resigned, tho' mebby, with saar troubled
hearts. It is said. The trust of the evil-doer shall be an attercob-
weh,^ but a perfect man God will net cast away. Trust than then«
Maggy, in the great Father of mercies, and wait for better days !
395 t?ie poor will net oways be forgitten. But let me ask thee ; Haw
durst ta wink at thy children, whilst they laad theirsells with
Lurthons of iniquity? Thinks ta, God sees these bad tricks and will
398 net punisli \ Whether they were peats or llushcocks, or prickins
' A )W means ami all, that is iilso.
' After wiitiiiij: this uitemew, I was much pleased with reading a letter from
Mr Bniffford, the martyr, in Queen Mary^s rei^, to a person imder affliction.
** All my joy ! if you were a market sheep, you shoud go in more fat and grassy
pa<<ture. If y«»u were for the fair, you shoud he stall-fed and want no weal ;
but because yuu are of GckI's own occupjing, therefore you nuist i)asture on the
bare common. • Happy and twice happy are you, my dear sister, that Gi>d now
haleth you whither you would not, that you may come where you would. Suffer
a Uttle and be still ! "
' Which says the excellent old Samkrson, the light touch of a besom striketh
away in a moment. Eaaitth xiv, in the finest ode extant, is made to say by the
translate )r, concerning Babt/hii, I in'U sweep it irith (he heesom of destruction^
saith the Lord of Hosts.
* A professor of Aberdeen about 1()60, gives a caution, lest teachers in
driving their flocks to green meatlows, should overdrive them. Not a l>a<.l hint
to some at this day.
A BRAN NEW WARK : THE PI^IN ADDRESS. 201
that thy daughter hes stown, whether of lile or greater value, she is
guilty of filching ; she fand 'em before they were lost My brethren ! 400
ye knaw the woman and her circumstances ; I speak ta ye oyerseers,
lelieye the poor, and tempt them net to be dishonest, by scanty
relief. A piece of a mouldy jannock, a dubbler of haver-meal, and
a pan-full of cockle-broth were o that these poor wretches hed to keep
life and soul togither. Let us dea what mense^ we can, and prevent 405
what eviL This is true charity, and they that think otherwise,
seaner or later, a hagworm will bite fra the clint^ a slaaworm will
wrap raund the ancles.
I come, secondly, to that warst sort of theft, that cruel unneb-
hourly action adultery : Next to murther this is the blackest faat; 410
yet they tell us, 'tis common amang great folks, stars and garters
gentlemen ! or rether gentle-sinners ! ye that er careful for nought
but progging for belly-timber,* I beg you to love your awn wives,
otherwise as sure as a gun, dawn yee'l gang to the bottomless pit :
Thare ye may ring, knock, and hallow, thro' eternity for a drop of 415
cald water, but naa servant waits to give it. Abram will be deaf,
and your hell-fire thirst mun be bidden. Instead of goulden cups,
ye wad then be fain to lap it aut of your neaves. The rich man in
the gospel " laid it on thick only in purple and fine linen, in vanity
and pomp."^ We read net that he was an adulterer. Yan of this 420
stamp, soa far fra loving the man of his next dure, studies iwery
nick of time to rob him, to give him a feastering waund. He
destroys the peace of a family, confaunds kinship, and when he hes
hed his will of a silly woman, leaves her to blush at her guilt, and to
bear the resentment of an injured bedfellow. Thus is adultery the 425
greatest sin against good nebbourhood, under the cope of heaven ;
yan excepted, and indeed a body mud nearly as weel lose his life, as
his peace of mind.
^I come next to simple whoredom, God hes said, this he wUl
likewise judge. Young tykes oft buy pleasure dearly. Solomon 430
^ Mense from menscif a table, allading to the tables in the old monasteries
spread for the poor.
' Sir Tharruu More uses this expression.
' Dr. Stanhope.
902 sPBcnism of sNOLUOf dialuch.
iSl giyes 'em good adTioe, bat ttiey tam the deaf ear.^ Oh ! that follu
wad hat lost when and whare they mad lost kwftiDj.* Oh I that
they wad leak f orwaid to what in the end follows onhaDowed
libertiea. TTnchaatity in man or woman teems with misfoitones,
4S5 with wretchedness ; he snffeis often in his health, maasUy in his
pockety oways in his mind; restless and onsettled, he is lead (nc) like
the ox to the dang^ter. Nor is her case mickle better; witii the
loss of her maidenhead^ she loses all that is ▼alaable» her honoar,
her dignity, her parity^ her innocence, nay that awf al respect whidi
440 emn. bad men pay to virtae and chastity. The good aid word head
means oft a place of command, naw dea fond silly girls giTe np their
only place of command for a minnte's gratification ; maar the pity.
We hev another word of special import^ maiden^oocL Hood is hod
or possession, a hod-&st ; and may o the Tiigins in the nation defend
445 it lostily [1] They that yield to the perfidious enemy, sean find their
rain, er8han(m) by the modesty despised by the Tillainoas. Efterya
dip 'tis difficult to fetdi back lost reputation, and her bam te%
bears the reproach of the cruel : But if she f o a second time, her
ways then lead dawn to misery, to rotteness, to death, to erezlasting
450 destruction. Haw Hlo is this thought on Y when youth grnng up
the reins to appetite, rush headlong into unlawful pleasure.'
• A king of France more averse to fornication than Solamoyi, once travelled
into the Holy-Land, and was long absent ; but a good bishop shall tell the story.
*^ Upon this he sickened, and the physicians did a^ree it was for the want of a
woman, and did consult with the bishops of the country, who did conclude, that
because of the distance of his wife, he should take a wench. This good king
hearing their conclusion, would not assent thereunto, but said, he had rather be
sick even unto death, than break his espousals." In 1303, the rector of Ortoti,
Cumberland J gave a bond of ten marks to bishop ffalton, to be forfeited
whenever it should appear he was guilty of incontinency.
» See Deutenmomy xii, 20, 21.
* Mispent youth leaves a spent body to old age. This was the true saying
of Dr BoycCf a translator of our bible. It is said of him that he could read
Hebrew at five years of age.
Old William Perkins says, St Paul offers six reasons for fleeing fornication ;
one of them thus, " The body is the temple of the Holy Gost^ these swiiie make
it the deviPs stye/* How strangely do old divines paint the devil. The trans-
lator of Luther to the GaUatians thinks the white devil that forceth men to
spiritual sins, is far more dangerous than the black devil which maketh tliem to
commit fleshly ones.
A BRAN HBW WARK .* THE PLAIN ADDRESS. 203
Tis time here to bring forward the boon companion of the dia- 152
honest and the wanton, the drunkard. He, poor fellow is never
quiet till ligging in a hedge-bottom. He gaas net to kirk or market
withaat stopping at the ale-house. 'Tis a burning sham to see him 455
like a mafflin bezzHng dawn Strang liquors. His blead whirls fast
thro' his veins, he becomes a rattlehom, leaks wild, loses his limbs,
his senses : A drunken man shoud be teed like a wild beast, till his
reason returns. He can be naa nebbour at dow, that tipples and
swattles, and idles fra morning to neet. Naa maar can the idleman 460
be ; he leeves on the industry of other folks ; maunders abaut fra
hause to hause, baking and slinging, with a tongue as glib as a bell-
dapper : What has been said at Boherfa flees to Josee^s next minute ;
the story spreads but naa body knaws whare it began. Tittle tattle
begits scandal ; scandal, like a cur-dog, bites into' th heels ; besides 465
it is wed knawn, " 77/ ro' idleness of the hands the house droj^eth"
Eedes. x, 18. Wed indeed may it du soa when the awner will net
fend for his selL Honesty and industry maks a poor man thrive.
Its a pleasing seet when fathers and mothers, brothers and sisters
work the day lang, withaut quarrelling.* When sarvents er bund 470
by love and duty, as mitch as by wage, when naa brawling or threap-
ing is heard, naa noise but the goodnatur'd laugh, the thoughtless
whistle, and the sang of hearts] at ease. Lang may my parishoners
leeve merry and wise, share and share alike, hdping each other at
iwery lift. We cannot du withaut this ; he is the praudest of men 475
that thinks otherwise. If aur nebbour's stot or stirk break into' th
fog, let us net pinfald it, rather settle the matter with soft words.
^ Bishop Latimer m one of his sermons, gives the following little histoiy of
his own family. " My father had no lands of his own, only he had a farm of
three or four pounds a year at the uttermost, and hereupon he tilled so much as
kept half a dozen men. He had walks for one hundred sheep, and my mother
milked thirty kine. He was able and did find the king a harness, with himself
and his horse. I can remember that I buckled his harness when he went to
Blackheath-fidd, (1497) He kept me to school, or else I had not been able to
preach before the king's majesty now. He married my sisters with twenty
nobles a piece, so that he brought them up with godliness. He kept hospital!^
for his poor neighbours, and some alms he gave to the poor, and all this he did
of the same ijum.^
bsoay** Mvi t^c D & nsK nSi^ bil God Umb hini, mA ■>&
J^'rt^BOBibM^^. ir 111 11 ji II iJi I I !■ ilwi^ii
«» tfeH ««B» <rf Sl AMfk wibili 1» »pn» fins S
TTb Vm !■* !■■■! Ilj flM|llH IMWiifll
t tiiB «S. iji. ^iai, ^mito aifl. bs l^r aimupi^ ^ 3Cc ^efa
n^HBt; 'JF >■ Oe DoddndcD mil otfaiBB *-l«"ifc\ dlin
t mt^ !■*'» ^faHasd. Iff bis xma aonduct. wiH bs arSI in fm t ' iwf
K 1^ &HBUq&. IBuiiiiK^ to l« nak in can i>£ •^■— ■■■""g.^
^diipi^lHMitf (^^; m &K iBBBBL Iw^kMp Hit of Ob
GbwC gMBMfch fafins
Sri!^ *^Bb ■tfnfcnt m a &i
t WliMtin^ iM^ib >{uaiieli. a
C jaKKulMrfr- OiKB HI nAbmhuf
«(at. Jxfrnn waa laksn b* hii awmi
The enei wit viafaei that Ae ttec but lungSuonfc to bcK socb ^nkm
Inst, divfa iuleel [■! Ae Emit ^ rcbe&n !
TU) pau DM in ninil tif ^ ^aga^ m Pvp^* Pattm'\Jt, wbaek k Mimf>l I7
A woodnoi trae^ that Mcred BKBMthabcan
TtiM M Ev fetehol, beaoH C%«la td. twAj ttoad witfam the ^ide of the
br/aghA. Qh, Had orA Pept tboogfat of the sbore fattin Tene 1
' Tht^e tHosioM, odd M the; vgf/tta, we taken oat of the r**""!" of
eminent diTine*, who wMe in the sxlMsib oeotmj.
A BRAN NBW WARK : THB PLAIN ADDRESS. 205
me}^ and may I, ob may I be able at the last day thus to addiess my
Lord and Master ! These are they that thou gayest me, they are 500
washed, they are sanctified, they have believed, have trusted in thee,
and hope for thy salvation. Amen^ Amen.
1 «/a& zzTii, 3. Dr. Cheney bishop of Gloucester writing against the reformers,
has this carious piece of advice. "In reading the scriptures, he you like a snail;
for when he feels a hard thing against his horns, he pulls them in : So in points
of controYersyy do ye pull in your horns." The advice may be good but not as
the doctor meant it
8PECIMBNS OF ESRLIsn DIALECTS.
THE
EPILOGUE
BY William de Worfat.
My pen is net yet worn to the stump ; my canflle is net burnt to
tlie socket ; but hasten, William, hastiin, if thou bea ought to add.
I 506 To love ray nebbour waa and is my Buliject, I hcv oready Efaev'd
ninnny lota and bars in the way ; manny bev eacaped my memory.
Miatukken lool liea murdered ita thauaands of Christiana ; ignor&nca
ita ten thausands ; Nay, sometimes we destroy aur fiienda unwittin^y.
BoTeral good folks bov bean buried alive, besides Duns Seotue, poor
filO follow, he daab'd aut his brains against his coffin-lid. I beg of ye,
nivvor carry aut a nebbour to the grave before he bo stark dead, a
body may be in bad fettle in a fit, a trance and yet whick at heart.
Thero waa another great faat formerly in tliia country, aid women
were in constant fear of not lodving aut their time. A bow'd back,
515 k blear eye, or acomical leak, was sure to mak an aid woman pass
for a witch, and then ahe was as sure to be condemn'd aad bmnt.
Sham to the times ! to the men of the times, that coud judge so
poorly! In 1697, twenty miserable creatures were condemn'd in '
Scotland on this supposition, and five really suffered death. Dea I
520™^'^''''° Seolland/ for hundreds of years what debateable waik,
what rhaading, and watching, and warding ! what dakering and
cruel nebbourhood alang the Border Service. Need I mention the
led and white rosea of England. Was net the religion of Christ
oways forgittcn, as weel aa his legacy 1 My peace I give unto you,
B25 my peace I leave with you. But on, William, on ! These fewds
and evila bev lang ceas'd fra troubling us. I start them up in
memory, to shew aur happier condition. My beloved, we were a
happy people indeed till lately, till grown cobby : aur fiimily foil to
wrangling, to blaws, tiU the west gable-end shrinking dawn, hed like
530 to bev laid aur hause in ruins. Ye brethren that er gaan aut &a us,
A BRAN NEW WARK : THE EPILOGUE. 207
God 8pe«d ye weel ; ye will net sean git sic another built up ; before 531
that can be, father will be set against the son, and the son against
the father ; eigh and millions of your bams, yet unborn, wiU only
break forth from the womb, to welter in their blead. Heigh ho !
heigh ho ! struggle we must with a bad ward, before we can enter 535
the joy of .anr Lord. Wha ! wha ! wha is my nebbour 1 he of the
next dure t it may, er may net be. My relation ? seldom. Is it the
rich and pawerful 1 they hev the means, if they hev the inclination.
Is it the parsons 1 they hev leet and knowledge, may they hev feeling
hearts. The story of the good Samaritan sets the priest in a bad 540
view : He was blind to distress ; he passed by on the other side.
We er come then at last to the single body, that may be esteemed
aur nebbour, he that is mercifuL The compassionate, the loving, the
humane, the charitable, these answer the end of the commandment.
And we knaw that concerning these qualities, enquiry will be maad 545
at the last day. Beloved, I hev nearly done, my address to you is
an address to my awn conscience ; I am a sarvent of Jesus Christ,
tho' net in soa gaudy a livery as some of my school-fellows, wha hev
jump'd into better places.^ I envy *em net ; my sarvice is amaast
oor, and I think I cannot du maar good elsewhare. I love ye, my 550
parishioners, and nought can maak a miff amang us, but ya thing.
When the devil wants mischief, he rolls a tithe-egg before us, we
stoup to tak it up, and tea often it bursts in aur hands. Titho
maintenance is a tryal to bath ye and me ; it trys my patience, and
your honesty. Ye consider net that the dues ye grudge me, er part 555
of your estates ; that for seven hundred years togither, your estates
hev been bought and heired with them. Let us then shak fist and
neaf in love and friendship ; if I hev the white, ye hev the yolk.
And naw, fare ye well, iwery saal of ye ! when my flesh is consumed,
and my banes dry as kiln-sticks, may Woodland continue to flourish 560
in o virtue and godliness of leeving. This is the prayer of your
vicar for Armide and Storthj for Hale and Whasset, for Beetham
and Haverbrack, for Farlton, for Oakhank, and Worfat
* Since writing the above, my school-follow, formerly of Hincaster, is made
an Irish bishop. I therefore should have muned him in the prologue.
208 SPECIMENS OF ENGLISH DIALECTS.
THe author b^, that those gentlemen who have forgot their
mother tongue, will remember that
Abaut means about, amang among, amaast almost, ano also, avm
own.
Bane bone, bratD brow, hath both.
Co call, craw crow.
570 Daton down, dunnet do not, du or dea do.
Eigh yes, efter after, er are.
Fra from.
Oitten gotten, git get, ^a or gang go, ^aan gone.
Haw how, ^69 has, J^^v have.
575 Ivver ever.
jLan^ long.
Mare more, tn«&5^ may be, mud might
Naa no, naw now, niwer never, na^ not, ner nor.
of^ alL
580 ^^^ F^J y^^'
Eaund round, reet right, raw row.
Saund sound, saai soul, «tc such.
Ta to, ^a thou, /ea too.
Waund wound, wark work, warse worse, wad would.
585 Varra very.
Ta or yan one, yance once.
The derivation of the old words from the Saxon roots, is left to
the knowledge and ingenuity of the reader.
FINIS.
A BRAN NEW WARK : VARIOUS READINGS. 209
VARIOUS READINGS.
The following is a list of the variations in what I think is
plainly the later edition, viz. the one printed in London.
In the heading, for estcUe the London edition has esteate; for wUh^ it has
itT ; and for amaasty ameast.
2. muther's. 4. peavement; cakert. 7. foemerts. 9. neaked. 13. o'th
week. 15. heamely. 18. leate. 21. tended ; nea [thrice], 26, 27. mear.
28. pleace. 31. nea. 33. harth. 40. o'th ward haw. 43. mear sunney.
48. deales ; muther's. 60. areas (sic). 63, 66. aur. 76. it is niwer. 78. tears.
79. nea. 84, 85. mear. 86. feace. 87. reace-horse. 8a peate. 90. tead-
poles. 92. inhabitants ; tfie t being dropped in the earlier edition, 97* beane ;
grisle. lOa mich. 105, 106. mear. lia beath; bretheren. 120. thear.
121. meakers. P. 12, note 1 ; and omitted before roll. 124. his awn [for is
awn] ; heame. 136. heame. 142. neane. 148. nebbcrhood. 158. aur. 161. For
heathen, both edd, have beaten. 162. mear. 163. the, misprinted for she.
164. nea. P. 14, note 3. stop*d for stopp'd ; of omitted in out of proverbs.
170. appealU 171. reap. 175. mear. 183. Hero. 184. nea. P. 16, note 2.
I do not know. 216. heasten ; meast 223. sear. 224. gane ; testrils.
227. nea ; heven. 231. lithargy. 236. the dead. 243. heve [Ut time],
248. makes. 250. nea. 260. yea, misprinted for dea. 261. breade. P. 19,
note 1. Bread words ; full bread ; villany ; contemporaries. 270. many. P. 20,
note 1 ; meast 292. an I. 293. tean. 305. geas ; whatever. P. 21, note 1. Both
edd, wrong ; the first has pont-puflSng, the second pomt-puf!ing {see note) ;
signifieth ; Camden* s, 324. shall 330. freaze. 339. hears. 340. slowly. 342.
neakedness. 344. nea. 346. speake. 348. hungered. 351. heame ; nea.
354. apreia. 361. lodgment 367. meade. 36a rease; shined. 370. com-
passed. 371. myselL 372. Here the later ed. correctly has imsneckd, which
in the earlier one is misprinted unsnec'k 375. greadly. 376. mear. 391.
sear;- 396. lead. P. 24, note 2, L 4. should go. 403. piece of mouldy. 416.
sarvant 449. rottoness. P. 26, note 1, L 7. espousal ; 1. 9. prove that [for
appear]. 459. nea. 470. land (a mieprint) ; sarvants. 486. quarreling.
48a seave. P. 28, note 1, L 5. virto {a misprint) ; L 8. both edd, omit is ; 1.
12. wonderous; note 2. allutions. P. 29, note I, L 5. means it 513. the [for
this]. 524. forgotten. 537. er it may net be ; relations. 545. mead. 547.
sarvant.
The most noticeable point about these variations is the systematic substitution
of ea for aa; s^ampeavementf neaked^ nea^ mear, peate, tead-poles, heame, &c.,
for paavement, naaked, naa, maar, paate, toad-poles, haam. So also, instead
of late, place, dales, face, race-horse, &c., we have leate, pleace, deales, feace,
reace-horse ; evidently with the idea of giving a more exact notion of the sounds.
It is strange that grisle is put in place of girsle; not impossibly this is a mis-
piint, as some fresh misprints have crept in, whilst others have been corrected.
p
SlO SPECIMENS OF EXOLUa OtAI.ECIB.
NOTES.
10. Ell ^inplf meaiu water or river, A.S. fi, and is the E. r^reeenUtire of
tJie IaL ajva. Hence E/t, Ea-monl, Bo(/i-ay, Brath-a-t, anil other jxtrt-
nsmflK, In Qluss. B. 1, w« find — ** Ka, a river alon^ tht- hukU on tbe sea-ihoK."
41 (footnote). Hit ' prsdenssnr ' wui Ihe Bev. Daniel Wilson. Hence, pro-
bablf, the itMon fof hia prewtitin^ a cwpf of his bouk tu 'M&ster Henrj
Wilson.'
S3. The * Tenerable preUte ' is perhaps the scbooltellow who ii kUudcd to in
tiie footnote to L 549 ; lee kbo L ^ and tfae note to L M9.
S6 (footnutel. "Doctor Hico. Medoiife, ttut hooonble Ealher, wta Mantei
of 5. Johntt Colled^ when I came thether . . He found tlttt CoHed^
Rpeudinf; (corse twu hundred nuirkes b; the jreue ; he left it qieoding a
t^oiuand uarices and more . . . And that which iii wufthy of memorie, all
thies giuen [dimon to the Colle^] were alm<>8t Korlheniueii ; who beiii^
libenllie rewarded tn the seruk'e of thor Prince, bestowed it at libennie for the
i;uod of their Ciintrie. Some men thought Uuirefare, that D. SfetJeal/f vm
pudall tu Notthremnen, but sure I am uf this, that Northrenmen were pardoJl.
in d<HU^ more good, u)d geuin^ mure landea to jt furderaoce of leaniing, Uuui
an; other contrie men, in thoiM dajea, did."— R ABcham, Tbe ScholoHalar,
b. ii : ed. Arber, p. 133.
61, By a omelblt wc must surely underHtand a funnier.
ftl. " The jihilo'iipiiiTs uf kiiy Cli:i.[les Lis rrigu were bu^ in finding out
the art of Hying. The famous bishop Wilkins was so confideDt of success in it,
that he sajB be does not question but in the next age it will be m usual to bear
a man call for his wings when he is going a Journey, as it is now to call for his
boots. The humour so prevailed among the virtuosoe of this reign, that they
were actuallj mailing parties to go up to the moon together, and were more put
to it in their thoughts how to meet vrith accommodations by the way, than bow
to get thither .... The duchess of Newcastle objected to bishop Wllldiui tbe
want of buting-places in the way to his new world ; the bishop expressed his
surprise that this objection should be made by a bidy who bad been all her life
employed in building castlee in the air." — The Ouardian, no. 112; Monday,
JuljtW, 1713.
127. Hose*, vi. 1 8o foUoui afier in Prov. iv. 9,
13a " A moon belief ; " L e. fickle, changeable, unsettled.
147 (footnote). I do not find this line. " Her helm the virgin d(»ui'd''
occurs in b. i. st 48. However, the idea is merely taken from Eph. vL 14 — 17.
1S8 (footnote). In tbe Select AVorks of Bp. Bale, printed bf tbe Parker
Sodetj, p. 154, will be foimd the story of Anne Askew and the mouse.
FoUowing it are Bp. Bale's remarks; he «ayB — ''Mark this geer for your
learning;" and, a httle further on, at p. ISS, he says— "let these oiled divines
dispute among old gossips." William de Worfat puts the two t
together into one sentence.
A BRAN NEW WARK : NOTES. 211
169. Surely St Thomas must be meant
193 (footnote). Scout is a mere variant of shoot; either applied to a pro-
jecting or jutting rock (one tliat shoots out), or to a waterfall, or shoot of water.
" Scouty a high rock or large projecting ridge. Sax. scedtan, to shoot out ; "
Brockett's Glossary. But the form of the word is rather Scandinavian than
Anglo-Saxon ; cl IceL sMta, to jut out. Force is the IceL /ors, /oss, a
water-falL
197. Scaled; allied to Icel. skilja, to part, separate, divide, disperse. The
remark that '* this word puzzled most of the editors of Shakespeare " is one of
those which men acquainted with provincial dialects are rather too fond of
making, quite forgetting that, but for the editors, they would themselves be
greatly puzzled by words which are utterly unknown to speakers of dialects, and
yet are very familiar to scholars. In the present instance, for example, the
remark is quite uncalled for. There is no passage in Shakespeare where the
explanation suggested is of any value whatever. It is, indeed, difficult to
imagine what can be meant ; but perhaps the allusion is to Cor. i. 1. 95, where
the right reading is probably stale, i. e. render it stale, tell it over again. See
note to 1. 250.
240 (footnote). *' Oh that a man myghte haue the contemplation of hell ! **
— Latimer, Seven Sermons before Edward VI., ed. Arber, p. 113.
241 (footnote). The quotation is somewhat abridged from Hall's Contem-
plations, b. V. contemp. v.
250. Here the author is utterly wrong in every way, both in the word he
uses and in his explanation of it. The word is not ichite^ but tcite, and con-
sequently has nothing to do with ** the mark at which an arrow is shot." Wit^
is 'blame' simply, from A.S. tDite, pimishment, fine, later used in the sense of
blame, as in Chaucer — "And but I do, sirs, lat me han the wyte;" Cant.
Tales, Qroup Q, L 953. But a * white ' is the white centre of an archery-butt,
as in the Taming of the Shew, v. 2. 186. It is only one of the thousand
instances in which men who have no philological knowledge first guess wrongly
at an etymology, and then misspell, misapply, or pervert the word they use in
order to support the guess. One great difficulty in the study of English dialects
has always been this^ viz. the eager desire, too often displayed, of con-upting
the evidence itself-
250 (footnote 3). The fable here alluded to is a very old ona It occurs in
the Legend of Barlam and Josaphat, ed. Horstmann (in liis Altenglische
Legenden), IL 459—462, &c.
** Vppon )>e rote of \>e tre twey mees he seyj
\fat hadde al \>e rote frete wel ny) ;
l^at mous was whit, \>at o\>eT blak was ;
Me I'inke)' \>is mon was in a wondir cas."
This again is borrowed from the Latin version of the Qesta Romanorum,
c. 168, and has been traced to an Eastern source. See the English version
of the Oesta, ed. Herrtage, Introd., p. ix.
251 (footnote). The story belongs to the reign, not of /no, but of Edmn,
king of Korthumbria. See Beda, Eccles. Hist b. il c. 13 ; and the version of
it in one of Wordsworth's sonnets. Our author copies it, as he says, from
Camden's Remains, ed. 1657, p. 235 ; but Camden says Edwin, correctly.
r 2
212 SP&CIMRM»i OF KNGLISH DUI.ECTS.
SSa (footaato). Uf the two quoUtioDs here taii to be from Chancer, the
ktWr is from his Prologue to. the Cnut Tales, IL Til, 742, uid rrois correctly,
" Crist »pok himself fill brode in liolj writ,
And weL ye wite, no vilanje U it."
But the former qnotalion is plainly nothing but a poor paraphrase of the smdo
twolinea, and can horiUf (I think) be found in Chaucer hiuuelt In L 11 of ttiii
footnote, tlte phrase "lo lit before my rciiderB" is s reuikrkablj awkward
iofitaace of bad granuiuu-, as it is capable of a wrong interpretation.
263 (footnote). " To conclude, if tliis king did uo greater matters, it wm
Ion; of himself; for what he niiuded, he compassed." — Bacon, Life i>f Hen.
Til., ed. Lumby, p. 320, L 13. The author's remark Is a qiu«r on?: it >*
predsely the «art of expreaiioii to be found in an eorlj author. Lorig of,
followed bj a petviuol pronoao, occurs six times ia Shakeapeare.
2S1. Alliidin;; to ^ Kmeon Stylites, and otliers who Siimibuiy bo stiangdy
afflicted thcuiselvea. The reference in the footnote is to the Pronnciol Letters
n{ Pascal, in whiuh be su wit^y and skilfully attacked the morality of tlu'
Jesuit'i.
290. The footnote is from Camden's Remains, ed. 1657, p. 135. "So
Balwin le Pettour, who bad bis name, and held his land in Suffolk, ;ier tallam,
tH^um, et pfltum tire bumbulum, for daocbg, pout-puBing, and doing tbat
before the long of England in Cbristmiyi holy-dajs, wliich the word prCsiguilieth
ill French." HuK 'pout-pulEng' means pouting: and putting out the cheeks, so
commoa ao action of the old bufiix<D$i. The Latin saffiuta expresses the eame
thing. The word is misprinted 'pont-puffing' in the Kendal edition, and
* point-puffiog ' in the I><Hidon one ; but I have corrected it. Pettum is a mode
up word from French ; the Lat. verb i* ji-'hre. There is no doubt as to the
truth of this strange statement ; see my note to P. Plowman, C. xn, 206 ;
Warton, Hist Kngiish Poetry, ed. 1871, iiL 16-2, note 3.
3-Ti " And whistled as he went, for want of thought "—Dryden, Cymon,85.
«J4. Compare P. Plowman, C. i. 92—
" Ther is payn and peny-ale as for a pytaunce ytake,
Oolde Bes&h and cold fyssh, for veneson ybake ;
Frydayes and fastyng-daiea, a ferthyng-wortii of muBclea
Were a teste for miche folke, o)>er so fele cockea."
That is, " there [among the poor] bread and penny-a-gallon ale ia considered
aa a good pittance, and cold meat and cold (uHi is in place of roast venison, and,
on Fridays and fasting-days, a farthing's worth of mnscle-fish or as many
cockles would be a feast for such people." Cockles ore plentiful in the head of
Morecanibe bay, at no great distance from Overthwoite.
405 (footnote). This comical etymology of mewe is, of course, quite wrong
It is a well-known Lowland Scotch word, of which the older form is mentk, as
in JaniiesoD. It is derived from O.IceL maiiiir (usually mMr), a man ; hence
(with the uimal vowel-chanee) Icel. mentukr. adj. manlike, m^nnab-, humanity,
kindness : and Scotch tiiemt, mtnte (1) dignity (2) good mouueiB, kindness.
431 (footnote}. The ' good bishop ' alluded to in the nat« is Latimer. The
quotation is from the first of his Seven Fennoos before king Edward VI., ed.
^^^
A BRAN NEW WARK : NOTES. 213
Arber, p. 36. Latimer probably obtained the story from Fabyan*8 Chronicles,
or some such book. The king was Louis VIL (mis-called by Fabyan Louis VIIL).
'^ Howe be it, that to some persoues suche fablys ben full pleasaunt to here,
wherefore all suche I remytte [refer] vnto the sayd Frenshe Cronycle, & som-
what I shall folowe the auctour Gyraldus, the whiche with other, testyfyen, that
Lewys, in his retume towarde Frau/ice, waxed syke for the longe forberyuge of
his wyfe ; wherefore by tliaduyce of physycions, and also of buishoppys [!], he
was counceyled to take a wenche, because his wyfe was so farre from hym ; but
the kynge withstode that counceyll, & sayd that hym had ben leuer to be syke
& dye of Goddys honde, th&n to lyue i^ spouse-brekyng, & offe;ide his lawes.
And so the kyng put hymselfe to the mercy of God & receyued helth shortly
after."— Fabyan's Chronicle, ed. ElUs, p. 270.
440. This explanation of head is wrong. Maidenhead is only another
spelling of maidenhood; compare Godhead with manhood. The words are not
different, as said in the text, but the same. The explanation of hood is also
quite wrong. The suffix -hood is A.S. 'hdd, meaning office, station, condition,
state, &C. In L 445, 1 have inserted a note of admiration at the end of the
sentence, to shew that mai/. o (L e. may all) expresses a wish ; without this hint,
the sentence is obsciu*e.
470. The quotation in the footnote is almost verbatim fh)m Latimer's " First
Sermon " befoi-e king Edw. VI. See Latimer's Seven Sermons before Edward
VI., ed. Arber, pp. 40, 41.
48L " There can be little doubt that the metaphor is taken from the melting
of metals. It is obvious that thou shait heap coals of fire on Ms head could
never have meant thou shalt destroy him; because to feed an enemy could in
no sense destroy him."— Conybeare and Howson, Life and Epistles of St. Paul ;
note on the passage.
486 (footnote). The reference is, I suppose, to the murder of James Sharp,
archbishop of St Andrews, on Saturday, May 3, 1679, at a spot about three
miles from St. Andrews. The quotation below is from Pope's First Pastoral,
or Damon. The critic who blamed the conceit as * puerile ' was not very far
wrong y for this poem was written by Pope at the age of sixteen.
510. '*Paulu8 Jovius relates that Duns Scotus was buried before he was
dead, and that it was afterwards found, upon inspection of the grave, that
in his misery he had knocked out his brains against his coffin. Another version
of the story is, that he was found to have gnawed off the flesh from- his arms ;"
English Cyclopaedia, art Duiis Scotus.
549. " Wm. Preston was educated at Heversham School by Thomas Watson,
the bishop of Llandafi's father; he was bom at Endmoor in the parish of
Preston Patrick, near Betham. He was consecrated Bishop of Killala in 1784,
and in Jime, 1788, was translated to Ferns and Leighlin. I possess a copy of
the engraved portrait of him, and a very amiable-looking man he is. There is
a notice of him in Atkinson's Worthies of Westmoreland," The above note
was communicated to me by William Jackson, Esq., of Fleatham House, Saint
Bees; who has kindly helped me in several points, and to whom I wish to
express my tlianks.
nmxzxs OF ekcush DivtErni,
GLOSSARIAL ISDEX.
I vesTFBC to all attention to (be iennrk«1>l0 facta (1) that em
Knlhof tmlv explains ret; easy words in his rer; brief glowur ; and
(2) that, at the haider woria, a large number an gitvn in tlu
glossnr; printed as 'GI-msl B. 1 ' by the E. D. S., whicli wm writtrn
tiv the Ber. John Button, ami printed for W. P«nningtpD, of
Kftn.bl. in 1781. When we wnui.ler thai the 'Bran Xew Wark"
wiu n1«} nritUD by one of the Hutton family in 1784, and printed
for the same W. Pennington, I think we may conclude that our
Wtlhor moat bare been well acquainted with the glossary above-
nmtJonwL My theory is that he probably himself contribut«al to
Hint ^■Ifwpnry, and thnnght il iinneceKiary t<^ explain over agnin words
which had already been explained there. The remarkable ciiincidences
in spelling and vocabulary between the ' Bran New Wark ' and this
glossary are very striking, as will be apparent to any one who will be
at the pains to compare the two. Such an odd spelling ns dodt cau
hardly have been independently adopted by two authors ; nor is it
likely that they would independently write lay the rrhite on instead
of lay the 'rile on. Compare also the words bain, bung, barrote,
bffi/m, r/ifl:-ii-lioop (givt^n under bobl>ero»» in the Glossarj-), braudrelti,
li)ym-new, brnck, hunnel, eakerd, clinis, clogs, cohh/, eanvy, daker,
dfiini'tt, did'/i^r, dvbUr, ea, fldeti, Jidge, fravdish, hagiconn, haiking,
havrmeal, huUet, jnnnitfJrt, hiiott, heny, lound, tuarrotrg, maunder,
meni", mprettonf., me/erit/, nijte, v</pp, j»Vff, j»if, rannle-balk and
rark-'n-r.rook, rungit, /firm, gronee, seovt, scroygs, skah, tkirl, slenrh
or Klinrh, slo'im or glome, giiocksnarle', gnod, imMfcr, fpealu, tqtelkt,
rif, ftlrl,; sliirkp)', nfolT Or f/otter, ftratl, gicntlh, /eata, tetit, fhretip.
A BRAN NEW WAKK : OLOSaiRT
215^
tiksy ward, icJtamp, white (to whittle sticks), &c. Some of these
words are, of course, common enough ; but I think I have at any
rate shewn cause why, in interpreting any particular word in the
* Bran New Wark,' the Glossary to the * Tour to the Caves * should
be particularly consulted. The references are to the lines, as
numbered.
Aaiming, endeavouriug, striving,
24.
Abaut, about, 19.
Aboon, above, 20.
Addle, weak (used of intellect),
88.
Alenn, eleven, 374.
Allig^, alegar (= ale eager), ale
which has fermented, and is used
for vinegar, 92.
Amaast, almost, 549.
Amang, among, 209.
Ano, and all, i. e. also, 378.
Apreia, I pray thee, 166. See
Preia.
At, to (sign of the infinitive),
459.
Athwart, across, 368.
Ats, that is, 151.
Anr, our, 13.
Antlands, i. e. outlauds, foreign
parts, heading^ line 2.
Awn, own, 202.
B
Bain, willing, ready, 375.
Bane, bone, 97.
Bang. See Ontbanged.
Bam, child, 2.
Barrows, hillocks, tumuli, 70.
** Barrow f the side of a rocky
hill ; or a large heap of stones ;
Glos. B. 1.
Bath, both, 113.
Bank, wash, 38. Applied to
buck - washing ; see Buck in
HaUiweU.
Beal, bellow, roar, 164.
BedstockB, bedsteads, 302.
Belly-timber, food, 413.
Berring, burial, 12.
Besom, a broom, 393 (footnote).
Bet, beat, 370.
Bezzling, swilling, 456.
Bidden, endured, 417.
Blead, blood, 339.
Brandreth, an iron frame over tlie
fire, 380. See Gloss. B. 1.
Bran-new, quite new, 145.
Braw, brow of a hill, 50.
Braying, pounding, 165.
Brears, briars, 488.
Bree, strong agitation, 104. (So
explained by our author him-
sell)
Breet, bright, 238.
BrockB, badgers, 7.
Bnllen, a stalk of hemp, 384.
The same as bunnel in Gloa.
B. 1.
216
SPECIMENS OF ENGLISH DIALECTS.
Butter-flee, butterfly, 77. Butter-
flee-mad, mad after butterflies.
Cakered, ''bound with iron as
are clog-shoes," 4. Brockett
gives — ** Cawker, an iron plate
put upon a clog."
Calver, a cow that is not barren,
322.
Chitterwren, wren (that chitters,
i. e. chirps), 95. M.£. chiteren,
to chirp as a bird.
Clauted, patched (lit clouted) ;
hence, homely, plain, 15.
dint, a crevice in a rock, 407.
** ClinU, crevices amongst bare
limestone rocks; " Qlos. B. 1.
Clock, cluck, 496.
Clogs, shoes with wooden soles
plated with iron, 4. See Glos.
B. 1.
Co, call, 83, 165.
Cobby, proud, 528. Also "in
good spirits; " Glos. B. 1,
Cock-a-hoop, pretentious, vain-
glorious, 195. ** BobberouSf all
a cock-a-hoop; " Glos. B. 1.
Cockle-broth, broth made of
cockles, 404.
Cocksure, exceeding sure, 82.
Condor, condor, 96.
Conn'd, studied, 18.
Conny, pretty, good, excellent,
119, 296. See Glos. B. 1 ; cf.
Sc. canny.
Craw, crow, 185.
Croft, a field next the dwelling-
house, 44.
Crumpling, crumbling with a low
crackling noise, 333.
Compassed, embraced, 370.
Curst, shrewish, ill-tempered, 162.
Dakering, disputing, 521.
" DakeTj a dispute ; " Glos. B. 1.
Dannet, a worthless fellow, 360.
One who d<na$ twtj L e. is of no
value; like G. taugenichts. See
Dow.
Dawn, down, 50.
Daws'd, dowsed, sunk, 212.
Dea, do, 376. See Dn.
Dearyme ! an interjection, 343.
Diddering, shaking, shivering ;
hence, chattering (said of teeth),
347.
Dizend, bedizened, decked outy
144. [Hence E. be-dizen.']
Dodt, docked, i. e. without horns,
162. This remarkable spelling
occurs also in Glos. B. 1. See
Dodded in Atkinson's Cleveland
Glossary.
DofEs, puts o£f, 130.
Dons, masters, clever fellows, 84.
Used in Cambridge.
Dow, to avail, profit ; at dow =
to be useful to others, 459.
Cognate with G. taugeii.
Du, do, 213, 357. See Dea.
Dubbler, a large plate, a plateful,
403.
Dnnnet, do not, 103.
Dykes, ditches, 336.
E
Ea, river, 10. See the note.
Een, eyes, 145.
Efeclings, by my faith, 153. A
dimin. of iyegs,
Efter, after, 377.
Eftemean, afternoon, 217.
Eigh, aye, yes, 11, 302.
A BRAN NEW WARK ! GLOSSARY.
217
Elding, fuel, 344. This seek is
elding = the contents of this
sack is fuel.
Element, sky, 236. So in Essex ;
and so in Shakespeare.
Emess, by the mass, 123. See
Amess in Dickinson's Gumb. Qlos.
Er, are, 94, 95, 320.
Faat, fault, misdeed^ 410, 513;
pi. Faats, 241.
Fald-yeat, foldgate, 31.
Feal, fool, 139.
Fend, provide (for), 468.
Fettle, condition, state of health,
512. Common as far S. as Shrop-
shire ; and perhaps farther.
Fidge, perform busily, 36. To
fidge is to be restless, to be busy
about trifles ; also ** to kick wiui
the feet,'' as in Qlos. B. 1.
Fflch, pilfer, 318.
Firley-farley, wonderful thing,
bit of nonsense (used in con-
tempt), 143. A reduplication of
M.E. ferly, a wonder ; P. Plow-
man; B. proL 6.
Flackers, flits about, beats about,
75.
Flounces, jumps about, 75.
Flnshcocks, 398. ''Flmhcocks
are * sieves ' growing in damp
places on the fells, snorter and
flatter than the ordinary * sieve ; '
they are cut, dried, stacked, and
often used as bedding for horses."
— ^W. Jackson. ** 8eeve^ a rush ; **
Dickinson. Theflnshcock is Jun-
cu» lamprocarpus ; the sieve is
Juncus effusus ; Britten.
Fog, aftermath, 477.
Followed on, followed, continued,
127. See Hosea, vi. 3; and
Eastwood and Wright's Bible
Wordbook.
Fond, sOly, 441.
Fonmarts, polecats, 7.
Fra, from, 91.
Fraaze, froze, 330.
Frandish, mad, passionate,
frenzied, 303.
Freetned, frightened, 223.
Oaaa, gone, 530 ; Gaane, 224.
Oaas, goes, 305, 454.
Gang, go, 115.
Oiggling, laughing sillily, 142.
Oirde, gristle, 97.
Git, get, 531.
Oitten, gotten, got, 16.
Glopping, staring about, 149.
Oraadly, well-meaning, 375. Spelt
greidly in Glos. B. 1.
Gnn ; as sure as a gun = certainly,
414.
H
Hagworm, lit hedge -snake, a
viper, 407.
Haking, loitering, 462.
Hallow, halloo, shout, 415.
Hamely, homely, 15.
Harbonr, shelter, 312.
Havermeal, oatmeal, 403.
Haw, how, 75.
Hanghs, river-side pastures, 43.
See Haugh in Ferguson's Cumb.
Glossary.
Heck, half -door. See Baddle-
heck.
Helter-skelter, wild, 183. (The
suggestion hilariter-celeriterf in
the note, is a specimen of learned
rubbish).
218
SPEaMENS OF ENGLISH DIALECTS.
Herrensue, heron, 338.
Hes, has, 85.
Hev, have, 18, 20.
Hocus-pocus, trickery, 170. Un-
meaning words used by jugglers;
the suggestion {hoc est corpus) is
ridiculous.
Hod-fast, holdfast, a sure posses-
sion, 444.
Hullet, owlet, owl, 337.
Hunz, a miser, 122. ^^ Haspin^
an hunx ; " Glos. B. 1. **Hunnielf
an hunx, or covetous person; ** id.
I
Inkhom words, literary words,
18.
Intacks, enclosures taken in from
a common (lit. in-takes), 44.
Iver, ever, 22.
Ivery, every, 25.
Jannock, a coarse loaf of oaten
broad, 403.
Kirk, church, 133.
Kirk-garth, churchyard, 128.
Slnots, rocky-i)eaked hills, 70.
Kraken, a sea-snake, 99.
Laa, low, 196.
Laad, load, 396.
Laaking, playing, amusing him-
self, 50.
Lang 0, along of, owing to, 263.
Lang-settle, long seat, 137. A
wooden form with a high back ;
**a bench like a settle;** Gloa
B. 1.
Leak, look, appearance, 515.
Leak, look, 96.
Lear» liar, 255.
Leeny, clever, smart, 320.
** Leeny, alert, active;** Glos.
B. 1.
Leetnings, lightnings, 223.
Leeves, lives, 41.
Leeving, s, living, 29.
Lets, hindrances, 506.
Lig, lie, ^30.
Lig, lay, 306 ; Lig wite on, lay
blame upon, 250. (Misspelt
white; see the note.)
Ligging, lymg, 454.
Lile, little, 19; Lile aans, little
ones, 383.
Ling, a kind of heather, 336.
Lingua, lingo, 58.
Loanin, lane, 297. (Also lonnin,)
Loup, a stitch in knitting (lit. a
loop), 385. See Glos. B. 2..
Lownd, still, quiet, calm, 329.
Loww, blaze, light, 385.
Mafflin, a stupid fellow, 456.
Happen (may happen), possibly,
130, 155.
Mare, more, 26, 27.
Marrows, matches, is like, 14.
Maunders, lounges, wanders idly,
401.
Manse-itten, mouse-eaten, 138
Mebby, may be, perhaps, 391.
Meeterly, moderately, tolerably,
24. (From the verb to mete.)
Meety, mighty, 195.
Mense, kindness, 405. See the
note.
A BRAN NEW WARK : GLOSSARY.
219
Mere^stanes, boundary - stones,
307. ** Cursed, saith the law,
is hee that removeth the land-
Diarke. The mislaier of a meere-
stone is to blame; " Bacon, Essay
Mickle, much, 84.
Miff, quarrel, 551.
Mirednun, bittern, 338.
Mirkness, darkness, 340.
Moon belief, fickle belief, fickle
faith, 133.
Mucking, cleaning muck out of
a * byre ' or cowhouse, 39.
Mud, might, 100; would, 311.
Mummy, a soft pounded mass,
166.
Mun, must, 119 ; must, will, 14 ;
must, shall, 212.
Munnet, must not, 264.
Murgeon, " rubbish-earth cut up
. and thrown aside in order to get
turf," 333; see Glos. B. 1.
Naa, no, 21, 22.
Naw, now, 36, 37.
Neaf, fist, 558 ; pi Keaves, 418.
Neak, nook, comer, 120.
Nebber-raw, neighbouring row of
houses, 3d.
Keen, nine, 377.
Keet, night, 199.
Ner, nor, 76.
Wet, not, 15, 19.
Nifting, pilfering, 305. [Perhaps
a misprint for ni fling y which is
the npelliug in Glos. B. 1.] Cf.
** Nip up, to pilfer, pick up
quickly ; " Dickinson, Oumb.
Glossary.
Nimming, purloining, 305.
Niwer, never, 76, 81.
>9
B^ope, a rap, 157. **Nope, a
small blow or stroke," Glos.
B. 1.
0, of, 91.
0, all, 112. And see Ano.
Oor, over, 4, 76.
Oomn, over-run, 7.
Oth, of the, 308.
Outbanged, surpassed, 322.
*^ Bang, to beat or overcome;
Glos. *B. 1.
Oways, always, 436.
Paate, pate, head, 88.
Parlish, wonderful (lit perilous),
79.
Peats, pieces of peat, 398. " Peat,
turf for the fire ; " Glos. B. 1.
Peck of troubles, i. e. a quantity
of them, 373.
Pelsy, perverse, 204. ^* Pelmj^
obstinate, cross, mischievous,
bad, wicked, evil ; *' HalliwelL
Pin£Etld, r. impound, 477.
Peak, bag, 342.
Popple up, pop up (through
water), 61.
Pows, poles, stout sticks, 318.
Preia, I pray thee, 354. See
Apreia.
Prickins, 398. "When the
thorn-hedge, cut down so that
it may grow afresh, forms an
insecure barrier, the stronger
stems are cut into short pieces
{prickings) and thrust in close
rows along the top of the hedge
on each side, thus making the
separation between the fields
safe, and protecting the young
shoots till they grow up again ;
W. Jackson.
SPECIMEXS OF BXOLI8H I
!.
Proggin^. Kitting food, 413.
•' Prv-j, loud, prvvuiota;" GIo^
PutapB. thin shoes, 3.
lUani, roea (i.f a fiali), 85.
Raap, rupe, 171.
Baddlelieck, wattleil lialf-<l(x>r,
Sl'i. '• fi«'i/iiij, wntluig; " GW
Randletree, a ' randle-bauk,' a
picoQ of wood in a cbimnej' from
vhiuh ii hung the pot-crook or
ruftm-croat, or ruttrn-rrtwA, 381.
Sre BAimle-bauk in Olos. B. 1.
Battenoreak, pot-crook, pot-hook,
aw(. Spe abovet [Corruption
of r«it<n-rr-™i.]
Battlehoin, a gidtty, thoughtless
perKn, 4ST. 8o bIn SatHe-pate,
utHalliirolL
Kannd, round, 33.
Bannd. rown. i. e. whiiiip^r, 1 2^.
Eav, row. See Vebber-ZBV.
Eeet, right. 157.
Rhaading, raiding, foroyiag, 521.
Bne, rejient, I* sorry, 255.
Rung, round or stave, i. e. step of
a ladder, ab2.
Saal, soul, 5ri9.
Saoked, sucked, 48.
Sannds, sounds, 4S.
Scaled, s(^atte^^. 198. Spelt
iJ.-K.i! iu GloB. B. 1.
Soarn, l>are rooks. (wpMinlly on a
de, 7; Scars, 365.
«d seat by the side
ofa6i«-pl>ce"<(H0K.B. 1). I3T.
Brockett gires : " Snum, a fixed
eeat al one aide of the fire-place
ID the cild Ur^ opra cliiBaD«y;
a tbf'tX jNutition ncatr the fire,
upon whM^iall the bright utenails
Beoat Soe note to L 193.
Scrogs, Btonted buchea, braab-
wood. ».
Sean, soon, 53L
Seatf, aooty, 136, 3^.
Seek, sacli, 344.
Seet, sight, 91.
Sell'd, sold, 3^1.
Selli, aelvea, 2iS.
Sennet, IT(^ek (seven nighUX 329.
Sean, seveu o'clock, 329.
Bhawi, (Mp«e<, woods, 44.
Sic, such, 15.
Bidaamen, asHstants bo clmrcli-
wardens, 156.
Skirling, shrieking, screaming,
337.
Slaaworm, slow-worm, 407.
Slome, slumber, 150.
Snaw, sniiB-, 17.
SnBcksnarles, all of a heap. 366.
lOd of Ml"
rloa. B. 1 ai
Snod, siiiootli, 3.
Snottering, sobbing, 3S3.
Somat, somewhat, 363.
Speali, smalt etielcs, 383.
Spelka, "email sticks to fi.i on
tbuteh with." pej^B, 319. Also
uted to mean "slipa of ha^el
iitKil to form tho bottoms of flat
ba^ket^ such aa cloth«e-baakeU
A BRAN NEW W'ARK : GLOSSARY.
221
or Bwilla, as such baskets are
Ciilled when used in farm -yards
to carry cut turnips in," &c •
W. Jackson. In fact, spelks ana
speaie are general terms for any
thin slips or splinters of wood ;
the dinunutive form is speJicans,
Sprauting, rebelliou'^, 25.
** Spratit, to kick and struggle ; "
IlalUwell.
Squats, sits, 131. See Sir at in
Glos. B. 1.
Stanethraws, stone-throws, 353.
Steal, stool, 379.
Stee, ladder, 381.
Stirk, heifer, 476. *' Stirk, a
steer;" Glos. B. 1.
Stark-dead, quite dead and stiif,
511.
Stars and garters, an exclamation,
411.
Storkened, lit. stiffened, hence,
congealed, 339. See Glos. B. 1.
Stot, young ox, 476.
Stottered, stumbled, 365.
Swattles, swills, 460. " Swattle,
to guzzle ; " Glos. B. 1.
Sweal, flame, blaze, 385. Spelt
Bwaile in Glos. B. 1.
Ta, to, 112.
Ta, thou, 396, 397.
Taad-poles, tad[)oles, 90.
Taan, taken, 293.
Tarn, pool, 239.
Tan ; hes tan = hastou = hast
thou, 126, 127. See Ta.
Tea, too, 11, 212.
Tearing, tiring, 272. See Teered.
Teata, very, 119. ( Teata — too-
too. as in Shakespeare ; see Toctn
in Glos. B. 17.)
Teed, tied, 458.
Teered, tired, 104. See Tearing.
Teers, tires, 78.
Tented (later ed. tended), guarded,
tended, 21. ** Tent, to watch or
guard from doing a thing;*'
Glos. B. 1.
Testrels (later ed. testrils), worth-
less fellows, 224. See Taistrel,
Taystrail, and Testril, in Gloa
B. 1, B. 2, and B. 7.
Threaping, cliiding, arguing, 471.
Ticing, enticing, alluring, 145.
Tramp'd, trudged along, 332.
Trapes, saunters, 128.
Tykes, headstrong striplings, 430.
Spelt tike in Glos. B. 1.
Vnsneck'd, undid, unfastened,
372. *'Sneck, a door-latch;"
Glos. B. 1.
Varra, very, 234.
W
Waat, (ye) know, 8.
Wad, would, 19, 132.
Ward, world, 388, 535.
Warding, guarding, 521.
Wardly, worldly, 323.
Wark, work, 620.
Warse, worse, 291.
Wannd, wound, 422.
Weezels, weasels, 7.
Welter, roll, tumble about, 99.
Weshed, washed, 17.
Whamp, wasp, 495.
Wharting, teasing, lit. thwart-
222
SPECIMENS OF ENO
ing, note to 1. 486. Cf. •ehari-
uihartU, to cross, ti^iise; Furby.
Whiok, quick, i.e. alive, 512.
White. See Wite.
"Whither, to shiver, ahudder, 248.
Orimnttlly to whirr, quiver, whiz ;
860 Barbour' 8 Bruce, 3CTii.684.
Whiting, wliitlling, shaving with
a kidt'ti, 3»3.
Windraw, heap of dug earth,
SIIJ. SeeOlus. B. 16.
Wite, blame, 230. Misspelt
ufAiff both here and in Olos.
B. 1, where it a eutei-ed under
Wile.
Withy»,beiitoaier8,319. "Withy,
a round hoop of Obier:" Olus.
It. 1.
Woon, (yo) dwell, 488.
Wooning, dtrelling, abg<tt>, 353.
: (of
Ta, one, 13, 91 ; Yt
them), 92: Tons, one's, lOG;
Yaw, one, 242.
Tanoe, once, IC3, 495.
Taw, one, 242, See Ta.
Yearned, fell grief, or pity, 126.
Cf. rnneii, to grieve; Chaucer.
Ynle-cIog', yule-log, Cliristutas
kig, aa.
z
Zleads, no doubt the t^aiue as
'» lidt ■= by Gmi's lids or eyelids,
fou d in old playa, 170.
"^
K
The Subscriptions for 1879 are due on January 1, and should he
paid at once to Geobge Milner, Esq. (Treasurer ), Moston Houses
MostOTij Manchester, by Cheque or Post-office Order (payable at the
Manchester Post-office J, or to the Society's account at the Manchester
and County Bank, King Street, Manchester.
(^ Ko Fublioations for any year are sent to Members who
have not paid their subscriptions for that year.
^ijct!) Annual i^eport,
For the Year 1878.
§ 1. Publications of the Year.
§ 2. Classified View of the Six Years' Work.
§ 8. Arrangement of the Publications for Binding,
§ 4. Work in Preparation,
§ 5. County Arrangements and Editors,
§ 6. Publications for 1879.
§ 7. Donations of Books and Pamphlets,
§ 8. Finances and Membership,
§ 9. The Dialect Library,
\ 10. Dialect Work outside the Society,
§ 11. Probable Term of the Society's Work.
Treasurer's Balance Sheet,
List of Subscribers,
§ 1. Three publications have been issued to the members during
the past year, namely, a Glossary of Cumberland "Words and
Phrases, by Mr. WilHam Dickinson, F.L.S. ; Tusser's Five Hun-
dred Fointes of Good Husbandrie, edited, with Introduction, Notes,
and Glossary, by Mr. William Payne and Mr. Sidney J. Herrtage ;
and the first part of a Dictionary of Plant Names, by Mr. James
Britten, F.L.S. , of the British Museum, and Mr. Robert Holland.
Although numerically this is the smallest issue of any year since
the first, in bulk it is the largest. The members have every reason
to congratulate themselves upon the addition to their list of the
new edition of Tusser. The volume contains not only a most
careful reprint of the 1580 edition, collated with the editions of
1578 and 1577, but also a reprint from the unique copy in the
British Museum of A Hundreth Good Pointes of Husbandrie, 1557,
and the notes and glossary are most ample and valuable. The
editor of Notes and Queries (January 11, 1879) remarks that ** among
5 1. Puilicttticn* of tk* Ymr.
thu mnny volumes issaed by tlw vtuions puUisliiiig . ^
tho poHl lew years, it vonld b« difficnlt to find one more enAuble
to nil coiioemod in its prodaction than the English I>aU«cS
Society's edition of Thomas Tnsser's old Engtiah duaic" Ko
lesH excellent iu workm&nablp, and peiliaps «Ten owve widely
BCcoptiiblc, ia tbc Dictiouary of EngUsb Plant Nunes, the Sm
instalment of which Messrs. Britten nod Utdland havs betn
ti\y\o to complete and pass though the press dnnng Uie jem^
Tliey arc moving on with tho remainder, and hope to '
second piLH ready for the printer in time for isene dnri
Mr. Uicliinson'a work is a revised and mach extended edil
Ulossnrv which has long been regu-ded as the standard di
of CuniDcrland words and phrases. As it Itad been out of _
for some time, tho Coancil gladly availed themselrea of the oppor-
tunity of inoludiug it among their Pnhhcations. A Ssppleiiieni
of Bomo sixteen pages has since been prepared hy itr. Dickinson.
It in already in type, and has been p^ed so that it mar be boOBd
with tho Glossary.
I 2. The following shows what has been ac^ion^lished by the
Society duriug its six years' existence, either in the way of rt-
edituig and reprinting scarce or generally inacce^ble glcesuics,
or of publishing original works. The list is ananged ander tb«
names of districts or counties.
PnviiuMlUiH ol We>t Deiciuhirr. B; W. IL Um^^ tOt.
(BrptiDt, witb additioci b; J. Sbellr-]
Eiat A:icui :
£«t Anxtka Wnril*. From 3(nin]«n*« SqmlcBCnt to Vnbf. IMO.
iBepimt.) Will appew among tlie ISTO PuUicAtinDa.
Prorindalinot of the Vttle nf Oloncalcc. Br AhnfciU. 1789. (B*fiiBt.|
UKBJTomusaim ;
Woida mad in Rerelonlsliire. B; J. Dimaiiiab. IML (R«friaU)
Ward* used in Ifae Isle of Thaoet. Bj B«t. J. LnriA. KM. (BtftJmt.)
An Alphabet of Kenticinua, by Bev. Samod P*a*, 173S. EdiWit tar
RcT.W. W. Skcst. [BeEiiat, n-atntiffed, wilK adikiiMW.]
LA:<rtsai>K :
Glooarr. (AloE.) Br J. H. NodaludG. WlDtf. {OrieiML}
Gil
§ 2. Classified View of the Six Years' Work, 8
Norfolk :
Provincialisms of East Norfolk, by Marshall, 1787. (Reprint.)
Oxfordshire :
Oxfordshire Words.- By Mrs. Parker. (Original.)
Scotland :
Early Glossary. 1595. Edited by J. Small, M.A.
The Dialect of West Somerset. By F. T. Elworthy. (Original.)
Grammar of West Somerset. By F. T. Elworthy. (Original)
Suffolk :
Suffolk Words : from Cullum's History of Hawsted. 1813. (Reprint.)
Will appear in the 1879 Publications.
Surrey :
Provincialisms. By G. Leveson Gower. (Original.)
Sussex :
Dictionary of Sussex Dialect. By Rev. W. D. Parish. (Original.)
Warwickshire :
South Warwickshire Words. By Mrs. Francis. (Original.)
Wiltshire :
Wiltshire Words. From Britton*s Beauties of Wiltshire, 1825, compared
with Akerraan's Glossary, 1842. (Reprint.) Will appear in the 1879
Publications.
Yorkshire :
Cleveland Words : Supplementary to Glossary. By Rev. J. C. Atkinson.
(Original. )
East Yorkshire Provincialisms. By Marshall. 1788. (Reprint.)
Ditto ditto. 1796. Supplement.
(Reprint.)
Holderness Glossary. By F. Ross, R. Stead, and E. Holdemeas. (OriginaL)
Mid Yorkshire Glossary. By C. C. Robinson. (Original)
North of England Words. By J. Button, (Reprint)
Swaledale Glossary. By Captain John Harland. (Original)
West Riding Words. By Dr. Willan. 1811. (Reprint.)
Whitby Glossary. By F. K Robinson. (Original.)
General :
Bibliographical List. (Original.)
Dialectal Words. From Kennett*s Parochial Antiouities. 1695. (Reprint. )
Dictionary of English Plant Names. (A to F.) By James Britten ana
Robert Holland. (Original.)
History of English Soundei. By Henry Sweet. (Origin%l. )
On the Survival of Old English Words in our Dialects. By Dr. Richard
Morris. (Original.)
On the Dialects of Eleven Southern Counties, with a New Classification
of the English Dialects and two maps. By Prince L. L. Bonaparte.
(Original.)
Tusser's Five Hundred Pointes of Good Husbandrie. Edited by W.
Payne and S. J. Herrtage. (Reprint, with Original Notes and
Glossary.)
Various Provincialisms. From Hearne^s Glossaries. 1725. (Reprint.)
Ray's Collection of English Words. 1691. (Reprint, re-arranged, and
edited by Rev. W. W. Skeat.)
§ 8. Enqaiiies have been made from time to time as to the best
method of arranging the Society's Publications with a view to
binding. In one or two instances the enquiries have taken the shape
of remonstrance, if not of complaint. One member withdrew from
the Society ** with regret,*' in consequence of what he described as
** a want of method in the issues," adding ** I hope some day to
see the publications sufficiently complete for intelhgible arrange-
ment, and then to possess myself of them.*' This is, of course,
utterly unreasonable. No printing society that ever existed has
i § 3. Arrangeiiifi'l of (Zip Piihlicalioiii for Binilin;/.
beeu nble to map out an ideal scheme at Uie ontset, fliid to follow
the Bame systematically. It is of the very nature of such societies
that tliey must pat fortli something every year ; that they must
avail themselves of such work as can be got ready by their volnn-
teer ivorliers and editors ; and that the methodical arrangement
of the whole of their publications mnst await the oompletion of
the undertaking. All that is needed is the exercise of a httle
patience and forbearance on the port of the members. By way of
ttiggution, and by no means as indicating a matured ai^eme of
arrangement (which is quite out of question at present), a reprint
of Professor Skeat's answer to a correspondent of NoUt and Qnerirt
on this subject was issued to the members of the Society in July
lost. It is here reproduced, as follows : —
" There la no doubt but that the best way of binding publicft-
cations of a society like the Early English Text or the English
Dialect Society is, in theory, to keep every separate work in n
separate volume. Even if « work extend only to a few pages, it
should, nevorthelesa, if complete in itself and not subject to addi-
tion, bo bound by itself and be properly lettered with a title
sufficiently distinctive. Such is the scientific and theoretical
method. But it often happeus in practice that such a method i^
inconvenient, aa multiplying the number of volumes and the cost
of binding. Ah to the extent to which the right rule should be
brokeu through, it ia simply impossible to give more than a few
general hints. It becomes a purely personal matter, and depends
on the peculiar requirements of the owner of the volumes. This
being so, I can only apeak for myself, and say what I have done
with my own books, with such slight amendments aa experionci?
has dictated. I muat premise that I am merely a ' working man,'
and pay amnll regard to the outside of the book, but only aim at
the convenience of getting at the inside as soon as possible. I
also wish to avoid expense, and have to resort, in consequence, to
the practice (wholly incorrect) of bindiug together aa many of the
puhUcationa as will comfortably go into one volume. For brevity,
I use the numbering of the publications as shown on the wrapper
of No. 19, i.e. An Outline of the Grammar of the Dialect of West
Someraot,
" Nos, I, 5, 6 make a volume of ' Reprinted Glossaries.'
" Nob. 2, 8, 18 make up the ' Bibliographical Liat.' Together
with theae I have bound up all the reports, advertisements, &e..
hitherto received, and a copy of Mr. Ellis'a Varietur of EnglkU
Pronunciation, containing the aouount of Olossic. The disadvan-
tage is, that future reports will have to go somewhere else; but
thero is some advantage in having the old reports disposed of.
" Nos. 8, 12, 9, and 18 (observe the order) make a volume of
Origiual Gloasariea, marked C. 1 to C. 7.
" No. 4 may go by itself, or, conveniently enough, with Nos. 1 1
and 17.
§ 4. Woik in Preparation. 5
«* No. 6* by itself. No. 15 by itself. But Nos. 14 and 16 (both
Yorkshire) go together well enough.
** No. 10 should wait for the present. So should No. 7, to go
with No. 19, and the Glossary of West Somersetshire which is yet
to come.
" This reduces the whole set to seven volumes (complete), and
leaves a few incomplete parts over. It is better not to number the
volumes, but to letter them so as to show the contents.
** Walter W. Skeat.'*
Whilst Professor Skeat's suggestions will doubtless prove ac-
ceptable to many members who wish to bind immediately, the
Council hope to be able ere long to issue a series of title-pages
adapted to groups of the Society's Publications, after the example
set many years ago by the Percy Society.
§ 4. The record of the work in preparation again shows some
new features, though for the most part the report is a repetition
of the promises of previous years. The following is the report
for each county or district^ showing all that is being done : —
Beds. A Glossary has been many years in preparation. Con-
tributions to be forwarded to the Eev. W. F. Rose.
Berks, Contributions of some words have been received from
the Rev. W. F. Rose. Sir F. Madden's MSB. also contain
some notes of words.
Cheshire, Mr. Robert Holland will edit a Glossary of Cheshire
Words for the Society. He writes : " I shall be glad of the
assistance of any who may be in a position to help me. Con-
tributions of words ; of sentences which have been actually
heard and noted down, and which illustrate the use of pecu-
liar words ; of Cheshire proverbs or colloquial phrases ; and
the titles of old books which are likely to illustrate the dia-
lect will be acceptable, and I need scarcely add will be duly
acknowledged. In sending words it will be advisable to dis-
tinguish those that are nearly obsolete or quite obsolete.'*
Cornicall. The Society has just been placed in possession of
two important collections of Cornish words and phrases.
The first is by Miss M. A. Courtney, of Alverton House,
Penzance, and consists mainly of words in colloquial use in
West Cornwall. Miss Courtney has been assisted by her
father, by Mr. Westlake, of Lostwithiel, and others, and has
also incorporated a list kindly suppHed by the Rev. Flavell
Cook, through Professor Skeat. The other collection is that
of Dr. Thomas Q. Couch, F.S.A., of Bodmin, and is a glos-
sary of the words and phrases of East Cornwall. Dr. Couch's
fatlier, the late Mr. Jonathan Couch, was a diligent collector
of Cornish words, and contributed to Notes and Queries,
5 4. fPorh in PreiiaralUin.
Soriea I., vol. x., a list of woi'Js In iieo at Polperro ; a&il the
list in the llUlonj of Ptdperro aud the two papers lesA before
the Bojol InBtitutiou of Com'wnll nud sabsequently reprinted
at Truro, were prepared by Dr. T. Q. Coach, who has now
placed the entire gatheiing, revised nud with additionfi, at
the sorvioe uf the E. D. S. It is probable that arrangements
may be mado for the publication of the two collections in one
volume.
Camherland. Immediately after the issue of the Society's
edition of Mr. 'William Dickinson's revised and extended
Glossary, the venerable author received from the Rev. Bobert
"Wood (an octogenarian) a list of about four hiindred words
which had either been omitted by Mr, Dickiuson or were
used witli different meanings in Mr, Wood's locaUty. These,
with further additions by Mr. Dickinson, have been printed
as a Supplement to the Glossary proper, and it will appear
among tlic 1879 Publications. AUbs Powley, well known as
a careful observer, has promised to prepare for the Society
her colleotiou of Cumberland words, with notos on the old
I eustoms and old induslrieK of the county on which the words
I throw light. If some member would contribute a chapter on
[•the pronunciation of the various Cumbrian districts, with
illastrations in Glossic, the Society will probably hare dons
all that is now possible in connection with the dialect of
Cumberland.
DerhjMn. Dr, Pegge's MS. of Derbyoisma has been transcribed
for the Society, to be edited by Mr. Hallam, assisted by
Professor Skeat.
Ikyanthire, A Glossary is being prepared by Mr. Shelly ; to
be printed for the Society.
DuTMUhire. Some words have been contributed by the Rev.
William Barnes, which are not to bo found in his Glossary.
EMfi\ Professor Skeat has collected a considerable number
of Essex words, from various sources.
Hants: The collections by Sir F. Madden and P. Wise. Esq.,
have been arranged by Professor Skeat, and are ready for
the press.
Lancashire. The authors of this Glossary regret the delay iii
the pubhcation of the second part, but it has arisen from
unavoidable causes,
Lficeaterthire. A Glossary has been undoi-taken, to be printed
for the Society, by Dr. Sebastian Evans, son of the late
Riv. A. B. Evans, D.D., author of a Leicestershire Glossary.
It will be founded upon Ids father's work, but will be almost
entirely re-written. Mias Ellis's list of Leicestei-shire words
■"Teportfor 1873, p. 10) has been forwarded to Dr. Ernns
jse in the 'work.
§ 4. Work in Preparaliojt, 7
Lincolnshire. Mr. Edward Sutton, of North Boad, West
Gorton, Manchester, has placed at the service of the Society
a list of words in use, now or recently, in North Lincoln-
shire. The precise locahty is between Alford and Grimsby,
with Louth as a centre.
Montgomeryshire, The Rev. EHas Owen, of Caeraws, is engaged
upon a Glossary.
Norfolk, Spurden's Supplement to Forby, a very scarce work,
has been edited by Professor Skeat, and forms one of the
volumes of Reprinted Glossaries, which will be the first of
the Society's PubUcations for 1879. The work is ready.
Notts. Mr. R. White has a Glossary in hand.
Somersetshire. Mr. F. T. Elworthy has been engaged for many
years collecting materials for a Glossary of West Somerset
words. See last year's Report, p. 5.
Staffordshire. Mr. C. H. Poole, of Pailton, Rugby, has under-
taken the preparation of a glossary. Mr. Alfred T. Story,
of Hanley, is also engaged in the collection of words in use
in the northern part of the county.
Suffolk. A hst of Suffolk words, from Cullum's History of
Hawsted, 1813, is included in the volume of reprints, which
will form the first of the Society's PubUcations for 1879.
Westmoreland. A Glossary by the late Mr. Just will be edited
by Professor Skeat. Mr. William Jackson, F.S.A, has had
a transcript made of a MS. Glossary of North-Country words
by the late Rev. John Hodgson, and is now examining it with
a view to its publication by the Society if it proves sufficiently
valuable.
Yorkshire. Mr. Marshall's supplementary list of East York-
shire words, 1796, is included in the volume of Reprinted
Glossaries to be issued as the first of the 1879 publications.
Three original Glossaries are in preparation — Mr. J. G.
Goodchild's of Swaledale words ; the late Rev. A. Easther's
list of Huddersfield words, by the Rev. Thomas Lees, of
Wreay, Carhsle ; and a Sheffield Glossary, by Mr. R. E.
Leader and Mr. William Doig.
Ireland. Mr. W. H Patterson has prepared a list of Belfast
words, or rather of words in use in the counties of Down and
Antrim. Dr. A. Hume, of Liverpool, has compiled an ex-
haustive dictionary of Irish provincialisms, which he will
permit us to print.
Several contributions of a minor character have been received,
amongst which may be mentioned Montgomeryshire words, from
Mr. E. R. Morris ; Herefordshire words (not found in Sir George
C. Lewis's work), from Mr. J. C. Gregg, of Ledbury ; some Cam-
bridgeshu-e words, chiefly from the neighbourhood of Orwell and
Royston, by Mr. J. D. Robertson ; Gloucestershire and Cornwall
H § i. W-rh in Pnpanuion.
words, from Miss Douglas, of Clifton ; Worcestersliire auil Bork-
ehire words, from the Rev. C. 'Wordaworth ; SomerBetehire words.
from Mr. Bhelly; Yorkshire Eiad Shropshire words, from Mr.
Muuby ; Sheffield, Oxfordsliire, and Wiltshire words, from 3Jr. 3.
Theodore Dodd ; and various words from Mrs. Gutcb.
Speeimeaa of Dialects. The Athtrntum, of September 7. 1878. iu
uoiioluding a review of some of the recent works of the Societr,
said : — " We stili look in vaiu among the Society's publications for
reprints of noted dialect compositions, which are now so scarce as
to be practically inaccessible to the stadent. Their absence is the
more remarkable from the little cost which their reprinting would
entail, and the popularity which they would secure. Why should
not the oonimittee ask Mr. Elworthy to re-edit the famous ' Exmoor
Scolding,' so often referred to as a land-mai'k in the history of
South-'SVestern English ? An edition, with a glossary, indicating
the obsolete words and grammatical forms, and comparing them
with those of the present dialect, such as no one else could draw
up ao well as Mr. Elworthy, would be a valuable feature of next
year's issue," The re-issue under competent editorship (when
(jbtainable) of scarce and notable specimens of dialect literature
has formed part of the Society's scheme from the outset ; and it
lias been delayed chiefly in the hope of securing a general editor
for the entire series. As that seems to be out of the question,
it has been decided to print the pieces without any particular
order, each piece being edited by a different man, and just as
found most convenient. The aei-ies will begin with the " Eiinoor
Scolding," and the '■ Exmoor Conrtship," edited by Mr. F. T.
Elworthy ; the " Bran New Wavk" of William de Worfat, edited
by Professor Skeat ; and perhaps one or two others.
Paston Lellers. Mr. Sidney J. Uerrtage Itaa kindly offered to
prepare a complete Glossary of the dialectal words and forms iu
the Paston Letters. The offer has been thankfully accepted.
Fish Nawfs and Fishing Terwt. Mr, Thomas Satchell is
preparing a List of the Local Names of British Fishes, Mariltc
Animals, and Fishing Apphances. He wi'ites to the Honorary
Secretary: " When completed it will embody the result of enquiries
made specially for the purpose, among the fishermen and local
naturalistB, at more than a hundred places on the coast of the
United Kingdom ; and such information respecting the fish of
inland waters as I may be able to gather by the aid of our members
and others. The List now (November '22, 1878) contains about
five hundred words, which may ultimately be increased to between
seven and eight hundred." In another letter, Mr. Satchell says:
" I take the fishing population of our coasts to be more connected
one with another tban with the people of the counties which thoy
fringe ; hut, notwithstanding this connection produced by constant
intercourse, a well-known Scottish naturalist writes me that ' every
5 6. County Arrani/emenU and Edilon, D
fishing cove will be found to have its own name for fiBh.' " The
work will probably be ready for the press in the coiirBe of the
year 1879.
Notrt and Queries. Mr. J. Eglington Bailey. F.S.A., has
undertaken to arrange and edit the Index to the list of Fro^incial-
isniB mentioned iu .V"I« and Qiteria, The index to the twelve
Tolomes of the First Series has been completed by Mr. Satchell ;
and that to the Foarth Series by Mrs, Gntch. Mr. Bailoy will
himself compile the index to the Fifth Series, which may as well
now be included in the volume.
5 6. Tlie following is a list of the counties for which editors
are now provided, and such members as have but a few words to
contribute should communicate directly witii the workers here
indicated, instead of sending them in to the Secretary. For
addresses, see the List of Subscribers.
BtdfordsUre nnd BfrJaMre. The Rev. W. F. Rose.
Cheshire. Robert Holland, Esq.,
Comnall, East. Dr. Thomas Q. Couch, Bodmin.
CorHKail, We»t. Miss Courtney, Alvcrton House, Penzance,
Cumberland. William Dickinson, Esq.
DerbyiUre. T. Hallam, Esq.,
Devonthire. J, Shelly. Esq,
Lanetuhire. J. H. Nodal, Esq.
Laetttenhire. Dr. Sebastian Evans,
lAncoltuhire. E, Peacock, Esq.
NoUingkamtHre. Mr, E, White,
SomerttUhire. F, T. Elworthy, Esq.
Staffordshire. C. H. Poole.
SuMsex. Rev. W. D. Parish.
Wartciekshire. Mrs. Francis.
Wnlmoreland. William Jackson, Esq.
Yorkshire. (1) Neighbourhood of Siraledalf. J. G. Goodchild,
Eaq. ; (2) Wlnlbif, Mr. F. K. Robinson ; (8) Ihiddertfield ,
Rev. T. Lees; (4) S/(</?i>W, R. E. Leader. Esq. ; (6) Holder-
nm, F. Ross, Esq., or R. Stead, Esq.
Bhm, Ilants, Kent, Norfolk. Rev. Professor Skeat.
IsU of Wiijkr. C. Koacli Smith, Esq.
fVata (Montgomeryshire). Rev, E. Owen.
Scotland. Dr. J. A. H. Mui-ray,
Ireland. Rev, Dr. Hulme ; or (for Doii-n aud Aiilrim) Vi. H.
Patterson, Esq.
All information relating to any other counties, and everything
of a. general character, should be sent to the Honorary Secretary,
XB. Nodal, The Grange, Heaton Moor.
10 55 6, 7. Puhlicatioiu /or 1879. — Doiiatioitt.
J 6. The Publicationa for 1879 will probably be eelected Irom'
the following : — ■
23. Five Bepriuted Glosaiirieg, including Wiltaliire, East!
Auglian, Suffolk, and Eeist Yorkahire "Words, and Words
from Bp. Kennetf s Parochial Antif^uitipa. Edited by tbe
Rev. Professor Skent, M.A. (Rmly.)
24. A Supplement to the Cumberland Glossary. By W.
Dickineon. F.L.S. (Ready.)
Specimens of Dialects: I. The Exmoor Courtship and the
Exmoor Scolding ; edited by F. T. Elworthy. U. William
of Worfafs Bran New Wai'k ; ethted by Professor W. W.
Bkeat; and perhaps others.
Plant Namea. By Jamea Britten, P.L.9.. and Robert noUand.
Part II.
Fish Names and Fishing Terma. By Thomas Satcbell.
§ 7. The foUowing books and pamphlets have been received
during the year :^
From Prince Louia Lucien Bohapabts : —
Versions of the Song of Solomon.
1. In Saxon-English. By George H. Green. IS62.
2. Dialect of Sussex. By M. A. Lower, F.S.A. 1860.
3. Norfolk Dialect. By Rev. Edw. Gillett. n.d.
4. Living Corniali Dialect. 1859.
5. North Wiltshire Dialect. By Edward Kite. n.d.
6. Dorset Dialect. Rev. William Barnes. 1859.
7. Somerset Dialect, T. Spencer Bavnes.LL.B, n.d.
8. East Devonshire Dialect. Geo. P.R. Pulman. 1860.
9. Devonshire. Heury Baird.
10. Lancashire (as spoken at Bolton). James Taylor
Staton. 3859.
11. North Laucashire, James Phizackerley. 18C0.
12. Yorkshire: West Riding. Charles Rogers, n.d.
13. „ Sheffield, Abel Bvwater. 1859.
14. „ North (Whitby). F. K, Robinson, n.d.
16. ,. Craven, H. A. Littledale. 1859.
16. Durham : Weardale. Thomas Moore, n.d.
17. Weatmoreland. Rev. John Richardson, M.A. n.d.
18. Cumberland. John Rayson. n.d,
19. Central Cumberland. William Dickinson. 1859.
20. Northumberland. Joseph Philip Robson, n.d.
21. Newcastle. Joseph Philip Eobaon, n.d.
22. ,, John George Forster.
29. Lowland Scotch, n.d.
24. ,. Joa. P. Eobson. 1860.
SS. ,, George Henderson. 1662.
S}7, 8. Donation of Book) and PamphU-la.—Fimnca. 11
'' Vtom Mr. Jaues Bbown, Douglas (the Publieber) : —
The Doctor. By the Author of Betsy Lee. [Thomae E.
Brown, Esq., Principal of Clifton CoUege, Bristol. In
the Anglo-Manx didect. Otiginally published in the
Isle of Man Times. Heprinted in this form for private
oiroiilation.] Douglas : Jamea Brown & Co. 187ti.
From Joseph Johnson, Esq., Dooglas :—
Tho Isle-iad ; or King Orry's Banquet. A fragment of a
Mankish Tale. [By Oacar Hai-riaon. In the Anglo-
Manx dialeotj Douglas : James Brown & Go. 1675.
From J. H. Nodal, Esq. : —
Tommy Woker's Account of " T' Heysh Bearin." Red ta
sum Kendnt Fwoak, Jeny. 20, 1863. By the Rev.
Thomas Clarke, Rector of Ormside. Kendal, 18GS.
The Birtle Carter's Tale about Owd Bodle. By Edwin
Waugh. Manchester, 1861,
From Mr. Bobebt Holt :—
Sweepings from Traddlepia Fold : or Chapters from the
Life of Owd Linderinbant. ByBenj. Brierley. Oldham,
1862, pp. 70.
From J. Shelly, Esq. : —
MS. copy of the Dialogue between Gracey Penrose and
Malley Trevisky. (E. D. S. Bibliog. List, p. 42, under
CsARLEa Fox.)
From the Rev. Professor Skeat : —
About fifty books and pamphlets.
Committee on Dbvokshibe Provincialisms ; —
First Report. Read at Kingabridge, July, 1877. Edited by
F. K Frith, Hon. Sec. of the Committee.
Second Report. Road at Paignton, Jnly, 1878, Edited by
F. H. Frith.
$ 8. The Treasnrer's atateuent of accounts calls for no special
oomment. The receipts of tlie year, inolading the balance in hand
at the beginning of 1877. have been X984, and the payments have
been v£868, leaving a balance of £16 in hand. The number of
members on the hst is 800, and of public libraries 44, making a
total of 844. Tho Council have not yet succeeded in redressing
the over-expenditure of earlier years, as the payments for printing
Accounts are still somewhat in arrear, but the financial position of
the Society is sound ; and if the number of members could bo
increased to four hundred, its work could be expedited, and its
efficiency proportionately increased.
§ d. The Council have pleasure in announcing that they have
completed arrangements with the Free Libraries Committee of
the Corporation of Manchester for the establishment of an English
■ toife riiiiiwi.i
■If nil m laniBBB gipMli It ii dae to SGm Jaebee to h;
t&t^kMifaB9«jiriaWe to fMA ^ O bwK T oa faer own
■viiifc 1h» ha^ auxicd on lor tlie
M> hMB tt» MOeDtkK rf Vvbftl
^t7 a fMBoittee of liie DvTgntlure
wttan, aai Ait. Tbt BBdotAkiiig
w htcm ly Mr. WiffiiB riMtrflj. F.S.S.. vliMe coiteelion of
I «€ the wotb-VHtcsa potisi at the oooatj, with
' ' (PP> 1^)> '**■ nsBBd in IfiTS. The
bod tvB Rfdia. ona ia 1877, uid the
i fat Jd|r, 1878, aad is stiD »™tif,BiBg ^a reMsicbea. The
naiMt nopovtsiit mdeitakiae;, hoverer, is that ajxiat which Me. A.
i. Eihk, F.B.8., has been oaeaged for many yeaa on behalf of
Ibe Philological, Zady Ea^iA Text, and Chaooar SodalieB, and
which in ita conefaidii^ fooB — a georaal survey of the Pronnncia-
lloD of Engliih Dialers — Is sow approaclucg completion. In a
cjroukr jiut iuaed (Jaoaan, lS7fi), Ut. Ellis says :— " The kind-
Qam of about four hondrcd intormantc, during itm last six or
aeren years, haa famished me with nearly 140 versions of one
Comparative Spedmen, and more than 300 Word LUta, aome very
valuable, with the pronimciatiou mote or less completely noted.
* I fur I niuit Ulfe lb« blame of uj <■!» impmnoD OM nu; lu*« bt«n
KlToa to ttM tontrMj.-irtU if Froftmar SkM.
§ 11. Probable Term of the Society's Work. 18
I have thus obtained some information from every county in Eng-
land and the principal dialectal centres in Scotland." He adds : —
** But the information from many districts (especially those between
Sussex and the Humber), is not sufficient for me to refer theii* modes
of speech with certainty to their proper classes, and to state their
characteristics. I have therefore arranged a new and very short
comparative specimen, called The Dialect Test, containing, on the
whole, only seventy different words, which have been selected, by
means of the information already received, as highly characteristic
of our varieties of speech. It would be a great loudness to me,
if those who are capable of translating tins Test, in the simple
manner suggested in the prefixed directions, would favour me by
undertaking the trouble. I naturally address those who have
already sent me Word Lists from Districts where I have no proper
specimen of writing, and I trust that they will excuse my impor-
tunity in asking them for this additional assistance. I have also
ventured to address many persons whom I have not hitherto asked
for any help in this way, but who reside in districts from which
information is still much needed." Copies of this circular may be
obtained on appUcation to Mr. EUis, Argyll Boad, Kensington,
London, W. ; and any member of the E. D. S. who may be able
and disposed to help would be doing good service by co-operating
with Mr. Ellis in his important work.
§ 11. At the close of the sixth year of the Society's existence,
it is a fair subject for consideration whether some definite estimate
of its probable duration cannot be arrived at. It is not possible,
of course, to fix the time to a year, but on a survey of the work
yet to be done an approximate conclusion is perhaps attainable.
By a determined effort on the part of the Society's workers it
seems likely that the whole can be accomplished within the next
four or five years.
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LIST OF SUBSCRIBERS.
LIBRARY, Advocates', Edinburgh.
Berlin Royal (per Asher and Go.)
BiBMiNOHAH Centbal Fbee (J. D. Mullins).
Blackbubn Fbee (per William Oounsell, Borough
Treasurer's Office, Town Hall, Blackburn).
Bolton Museum and Libbaby (per George Swainson,
Treasurer's Office, Town Hall, Bolton).
Boston Athen^um, U. S. (per E. G. Allen, 12, Tavi-
stock Row, Covent Garden, W.O.)
Bbadfobd Litsbaby Club (per Charles Behrens, Man-
ningham Lane, Bradford).
Bbitish SoANDiNAVLkN SociETY (per J. Lcc, 158, Leaden-
hall Street, London, E.G.)
Caius College, Cambridge.
Chetham, Manchester (per James Crossley, F.S.A.)
Chicago, U. S. (per Mr. Triibner; Librarian, J.
Robson).
Chbist's College, Cambridge.
Copenhagen Royal (Herr Chr. Brunn, Librarian).
,, Db. Shephebds', Preston (per Charles Fryer, Town
Clerk's Office, Preston).
,, Glasgow Univebsity (care of James Maclehose, 61,
Vincent Street, Glasgow; per Messrs. Bumbleton,
Ave Maria Lane, E.C.)
,, Gottingen Univebsity (per Messrs. Triibner).
,, Halle Unhtebsity (per Asher and Co.)
,, Habvabd College, Cambridge, Mass., U. S.
,, House of Commons.
„ John Hopkin's Univebsity, U. S. (per E. G. Allen,
London).
,, LrvEBPooL Fbee Public (Librarian, Peter Oowell,
William Brown Street).
,, London Institution, Finsbury Circus, E.C.
J, Libbaby Company, Philadelphia (per E. G. Allen).
,, Manchesteb Fbee (Librarian, A. Crestadoro).
,, Munich Royal (per Messrs. Triibner).
,, Newcastle Liteeaby and Philosophical Society (Mr.
Lyall, Librarian).
>»
»»
J)
it
) »
M
]R
LUt of Subtenbtn,
LIBEAET, Owens Colusok (per Mr. J. E. Cornish, S3, Piccadilly,
Manchester).
,, Peabodv Isstitute, Baltimore, U. S. (per E. G. Allen,
12, Tavistock Road, W.C.)
PoBTicoLiBRART.Manoliester(perE. Slater, St. Ann's
Square, Manchester).
„ Queen's College, Oxford (B. L. Clarke, Librariftn).
,. BOCBDALE FeEE.
„ EovAL, Windsor Castle,
,, RovAL, Stockholm (per Messrs. Triibner).
,, BovAi. iNSTrrrTioN, Albemarle Street, London, W-
,, Shefpq^ld Fsbb Public (per T. Hnrst, Snnny Street,
Sheffield).
St. John's College, Cambridge (per Messrs. DdghtODi
Bell, k Co.)
Stonthubst College (per Bev. E. J. Pnrbrick,
Blackburn.)
Strasbukg UinvEEsrrY (per Messrs. Triibner).
,. Taylor Instttutios, Oicford. (per Bst. W. Jackson.)
„ ToKQUAY Natl-ral History Sooibti (per "W. Pengelly,
Hon. Sec, Mnseum, Torquay).
,, 'WAitniNGTON MusEvu AND LiBKABv (per C. Madeley.
Warrington),
„ Watkinsos. Hartford, U. S. (per E. G. Alien).
.. West Bbomwich Free (D. Dickinson).
y.u.E College, New Haven, U. S. (per E. G. Allen).
AosHBAD, G, H., Strawberry TeiTace, Strawberry Boad, Pendleton,
near Manchester.
Alexander. J., 79, West Regent Street, Glasgow.
Allison, R. A., Scaleby HaU, Carlisle.
Anooe. BcT. J., College, Begent'a Park, N.W.
Anblow, R., Parvillo, Wellington, Salop.
Arnold's Bucbjujndlung, Dresden (per Messrs. Trubner).
Atkinson. Rev. J. C, Danby-iu- Cleveland, Yarm.
Atkinson, Rev. Dr., Clare College Lodge. Cambridge.
Atkinson, Mrs. J., Winderwatb, PenriUi, Cumberland.
Ason, W. E. a., Bank Cottage, Patrieroft, near Manchester,
Bailey, H, F,, 4, Great James Street, Bedford Row, Loudon.
Bailey, J. E., Chapel Lane, Stretford, Manchester.
Banks, Mrs. G. Linnsus, 82, Greenwood Boad, Dniston, E.
Barnes, Rev. W., Came Rectory, Dorchester.
Bayley, C. H„ West Bromwicb.
Beard, J„ The Grange, BurBBge Lane, Levenshulme. Manchester.
Bkll, G.. fl. York Street, Covont Garden, W.C.
•. Capt. H. Anthony. Nelson Street, C-on-M., Manchester.
1 ASD Son, Leicester Square, London.
List of Suhscribers. 17
BiNOHAM, Rev. C. W., Bingham's Meloombe, Dorchester.
BiNNs, Isaac, Town Hall, Batley, Yorkshire.
Blandfobd, G. Fielding, M.D., 71, Grosvenor Street, Loiidon, W.
BoNAPABTE, Prince Louis Lucien, 6, Norfolk Terrace, Westbourne
Grove West, W.
BoBBEB, Lindfield, Bed Oaks, Henfield, Hurstpierpoint, Sussex.
BowEN, H. C, The Grocer's Company Schools, Hackney Downs,
Clapton, London, E.
Bradshaw, el, King's College, Cambridge.
Bretherton, p., 11, Broadwater Down, Tunbridge Wells.
Briog, B, Septimus, Burlington House, Keighley.
Briscoe, J. P., F.R.H.S., Free Library, Nottingham.
Britten, J., British Museum, London, W.C.
Brodhurst, Rev. F., Sutton-in-Ashfield Vicarage, Mansfield, Notts.
Brooke, F. C, Ufford, Woodbridge, Suffolk.
Brooke, T., Armitage Bridge, Huddersfield.
Buckley, Rev. W. E., Rectory, Middleton Cheney, Banbury.
BucKTON, G., North Hill, Round Hay, Leeds.
BuRRA, J. S., Ashford, Kent.
Burton, John H., 5, Trafalgar Square, Ashton-under-Lyne.
BuRTT, G. W., 4, Eskdale Terrace, Newcastle-on-Tyne.
Campbell, Mrs. G. M. E., 150, Camden Grove North, Peckham,
S.E.
Cardall, F. W., 40, Seymour Street, Portman Square, W.
Carlingford, Rt. Hon. Lord, 7, Carlton Gardens, London, S.W.
Carr, Rev. E. T. S., St. Catherine's College, Cambridge.
Cartmell, Rev. J. W., Christ's College, Cambridge.
Cartmell, Rev. Dr., Christ's College, Cambridge.
Clay, J. (per Messrs. Triibner).
Clouoh, J. C, Beacon House, Aspatria, Carlisle.
CoLFOx, T., Rax, Bridport.
Cooling, E., 42, St. Mary's Gate, Derby.
Cooper, Joseph, Eaves Knoll, New Mills, Derbysliire.
Cox, J. C, Chevin House, Belper, Derbyshire.
Coxe, Rev. H. 0., Bodleian Library, Oxford.
Craig, W. J., Professor, University College, Aberystwyth, S.Wales.
Craik, G. Lillie, Bedford Street, Covent Garden, London.
Crofton, Mrs., 29, Sussex Gardens, Hyde Park, London, W.
Crofton, Rev. Addison, 29, Sussex Gardens, Hyde Park, W.
Crofton, H. T., 29, Sussex Gardens, Hyde Park, W.
Crossley, James, F.S.A., Stocks House, Cheetham, Manchester.
Curteis, Miss Bessy C, Leasam, Rye, Sussex.
CusT, R. N., 64, St. George's Square, London, S.W.
Davies, C, 16, Campden Grove, Kensington (through Triibner).
Davies, Rev. J., 16, Belsize Square, South Hampstead, N.W.
Davies, Rev. T. L. 0., Pear Tree Vicarage, Woolston, Southampton.
Dayman, Rev. E. A., Shillingstone Rectory, Blandford, Dorset.
18
LUt of Stilscfibers.
DsM., G., Sonth Hill, Streatham Common, London, S.W.
Dbe3, B. R., The Hall, WaUsenJ, Newcastle- upon- Tyne.
Dickinson, W., Thoracroft, "Workington.
Doe, G., C(i3 tie -street, Torrington, Nortli Devon.
DoiG, W., Grammar School, Sheffield.
DowM&N, B., 29, Shakspere Street, Ardwick, Maaohester.
Downing, W., 74, New Street, Bii-mioghnm.
DuBUN, Bight Rev. Archbishop of, Dnbhn.
E&BI.E, Rev. Professor J., Bwanswick Bectoiy, Bath.
Eastwood, J. A., 4, Loamingtou Place, David Street. JVfanchf sUr.
Euja, Alexander J., 25, Argyll Road, Kensington, London, W.
Ellis, Miaa C, Belgrave, Leioester,
Elworthy, F. T., FoxdowTi, WeUiagton, Somerset.
English, A. W., Aislaby Lodge, Whitby.
Entwistle, Thomas, Mnnchester Road, Bolton, near Manoheslcc.
EviNs, Eev. D. S., Llanwrin Rectory, Machj-ulleth, Montgomiirj--
sliire.
EvA-NB, Bev. J., Whixall Vicarage, Whitchnrch, Salop.
Evans, J. Bagnall, Nant yr Eglwj^s, Whitland, Caermarthenshlre.
Evans, Sebastian, LL.D., Heathfield. Alleya Park, Dnlwich, 8.E.
Fennell, C. A. il., Jesus CoUege, Cambridge.
FisHwicK, Lieut-Col., P.S,A,. Can- Hill, Rochdale.
Fon-LEB, Bev. J. T., Bishop Hatdelds Hall, Dnrham.
French, E., Lead Works, Hull.
Fritzb, — , Btookholni.
Fry, Danby P., Local Govemraent Board, Whitehall.
Furhess, W., 8&, Chester Street, Manchester. (7Vo CopUt.)
FnBNivALL, F. J., 3, St. George's Sqiinre, Primrose HiU, London,
N.W.
Gabsbtt, William, Quernmore Park, near Lancaster.
GmBs, H. H., St. Danatan's, Regent's Park, London, N.W,
Grabamb, W. F. (per Grindlay and Co., 55, Parliament Street,
- S.W.)
Gkatrk, S., Lead Mills, 25, Alport Town, Deansgate, Manchegt«r.
Qrssshladk, Eev. W., The Vicarage, Balne, Selby.
Grosakt. Eev. A. B., Park View, Blaokbiun, Lanoasliire.
Gross, B. J., Cains College, Cambridge.
GirrcH, Mrs.. Holgate Lodge, York,
Hailstone. E., Walton Uall, Wakefield.
Haleb, Professor J. W., 1, Oppidans Road, Regent's Park, Londou,
, Little Bookham Rectory, Leatherhead,
'.. K., Hollaiu, Dulvertou, Somerset.
, 1, D.C.L., Marlesford, Wickham Market, Suffolk.
L Craig Street, Stockport Road, Manchester,
Burbidge, The Leys, Barrow-on-Soar,- Lough-
List of Subscribers. 1^
Hardgastle, E., M.P., 6, North Corridor, Eoyal Exchange, Man-
chester.
Habdwick, Charles, 72, Talbot Street, Moss Side, Manchester.
Habbison, "William, P.S.A., Samlesbury Hall, near Preston.
Healey, C. Chadwick, 7, Lincoln's Inn, London, W.C.
Heaton, Miss, 6, Woodhouse Square, Leeds.
Hethebinoton, J. Newby, 62, Harley Street, Cavendish Square,
London, W.
Heuoh, Hugh, Portland Street, Manchester.
Holland, R., Norton Hill, Runcorn.
Holt, Robert, Smithfield Market, Manchester.
HowoBTH, D. R, Stamford Terrace, Ashton-under-Lyne.
Hulme, E. C, 8, Woodbridge Road, Guildford.
Hume, Rev. Dr., All Souls* Vicarage, Liverpool.
Hutchinson, E., The Elms, Darlington.
Hyde, J., P.R.S.L., 84, George Street, Cheetham Hill, Manchester.
Jackson, H., Trinity College, Cambridge.
Jackson, Miss, 18, "White Friars, Chester.
Jackson, Rev. W., Pen Wartha, Weston-super-Mare.
Jackson, W., Fleatham House, Saint Bees, Camforth, Cumberland.
Jamieson, J. H., Advocates' Library, Edinburgh.
Jones, F., 65, Granville Park, Lewisham, S.E.
Jones, Joseph, Abberley Hall, Stourport.
KniKPATRicK, Rev. A. P., Trinity College, Cambridge.
Laing, Alexander, LL.D., Newburgh-on-Tay, Scotland.
Lambebt, J. C, Independent College, Taunton.
Leader, R. E., 18, Bank Street, Shefl5.eld.
Lean, S. Vincent, Windham Club, St. James* Square, London,
S.W. (through Trubner).
Leathes, F. de M., 17, Tavistock Place, London, W.C.
Lees, Rev. T., St.Mary*s Vicarage, Wreay, Carlisle.
Leveson-Goweb, G., Titsey Place, Limpsfield, Godstone.
Lewes, Mrs. G. H. (per Messrs. Triibner^.
Lewis, Rev. S. S., P.S.A., Corpus Christi College, Cambridge.
Lincoln, Right Rev. the Bishop of, Riseholme, Lincoln.
Little, E. D., The Mount, Northallerton.
Lloyd, Miss E., Hazlecroft, Ripley, Yorkshire.
LoBD, Miss P., 1, Norland Place, Netting Hill, W.
LuMBY, Rev. J. R., St. Mary's Gate, Cambridge.
Lupton, F. M., Leeds.
Macleab, Rev. Dr., King's College School, Strand, W.C.
Macmillan, Messrs., Cambridge.
Macuillan, Alexander, Bedford Street, Covent Garden, London.
Maonusson, E., 31, Bateman Street, Cambridge.
Mabshall, T., Highfield, Chapel AUerton, Leeds.
Mathwin, H., Jun., Bickerton House, Birkdale Park, Southport.
Mayob, Rev. Professor, St. John's College, Cambridge.
20
IMC of Stihcriberg.
Mbplicott, W. G. (ciire of B. Quaritch, 16, Piccadilly, W.)
MEBRiMiN, Rev. J., Surrey County Solioo), Crauleigli, Guildford
MiELCK, Dr., Gr. Theaters traasQ, Hamburg.
MiLDMAv, Capt., 19, Cliarles Street, Berkeley Square, London, W.
MiLNEK, G., Mostou House, Moaton, Manchester. (Treatiirer.J
MoREToN, Lord, Tortwortli Coui-t, Falfield, Berkeley.
MoRGAS, Eev. E. H., Jesus College, Cambridge.
MoBLEY, Professor, Upper Park Eoad, Haverston Hill, London.
MoRKis, E. R., Homestay, Newtown, Montgomery.
MoRBis, Bev. M, 0. F,, St- Michael's College, Tenbury, 'Woroester-
shire.
Morris, Eev. Dr., Lordship Lodge, Wood Green, Loudon, N.
MouLTON, Rev, Dr., The Leys, Cambridge,
MuNBY, A. J., 6, Figtree Court, Inner Temple, E.C.
MuNTZ, O. H. M., Church TTj U House, Haudswortb, Buminghaia.
Murdoch, J. B., Hamilton Place, Langaide, Glasgow.
McBBAY, Dr. J. A. H,, Mill Hill School, Hendon, N.W.
Napier, Eev. F. P., Wesleyan College, Eichmond, Surrey.
Napiee, a. S., Merchistouu, Alderley Edge, Cheshire.
Napieb, G. W., Merchistonn, Alderley Edge, near Manchester.
Newton, Professor, Magdalene College, Cambridge.
NicHOLL, G. W., The Ham, Cowbridge, Glamorganaliire.
Nicholson, Dr. B., 806, Goldhawk Road, Shepherd's BuBh, London.
Njool, H., 62, Thomhill Eoad, Bai'usbury, N.
NivEN, W. D., Trinity College, Cambridge.
NoDAi:,, J. H., The Grange, Heaton Moor, 8toc'k}tQrt.(flon.8eeKtaty.)
OLtPKANT, T, L., Kington, Charlton House, Wimbledon, 8.W.
Orxos, Eev. J. S., Rootor of Beeston-next-Milcham, Norfolk.
Owen, Kev. E., Caeraws, Montgomeryehire.
Paine, Cornelius, 9, Lewes Crescent, Brighton.
Paine, W. D., Cockshot Hill, Reigate.
Pambh, Rev. W. D., Belraeston Vicarage, Lewes.
Parker, G., 9, Hj-the Bridge Street, Oxford.
Parker, Eev. James Dunne, LL.D., Vicar of Hawes, Bedale^
Yorkshire.
Pattbbsos, a. J., 156, St. Panl'a Eoad, London, N.
Patterson, W. H., Stiandtown, Belfast.
Payne, W., Hatchlands, Cuckfield, Sussex.
Peacock, E,, Eottesford Manor, Brigg, Ltncolnahire.
Pkbl, George, Soho Iron Works, Poland Street, Manchestet.
Peile, J., CLrist's College, Cambridge.
Philpot, Bev. W. B., South Bersted Vicarage, Eognor.
PicroN, J. A., Sandyknowe, Wavertree, Liveiiiool.
PttcHER, E., 05, Bewsey Koad, Warrington, Manchester.
Piper, W. G., 44a, Canon Street, E.C.
Poole, C. H., Pailton, Rugby.
Porteb, R. T.. Beokenham, Kent.
List of Subscribers. 21
PowLBY, Miss, Langwathby, Penrith, Cumberland.
Prbscott, Rev. I. P. , The Vicarage, Prior*s Marston, Byfield.
Pbiaulx, 0. de B., 8, Cavendish Square, W.
PuoH, G., Wheathill, near Wellington, Salop.
Baven, Rev. Dr., Grammar School, Yarmouth.
Redfern, Rev. R. S., Acton Vicarage, Nantwich.
Reid, J. S., Christ's College, Cambridge.
Ridley, Thomas D., Coatham, Redcar.
RiOBY, John, Fern Lea, Altrincham, near Manchester.
RoBEBTSoN, J. D., 58, Queen's Gate, London, S.W.
RoBmsoN, F. K., Whitby.
Rock, W. F., Hyde Cliflf, Blackheath, S.E.
RoNKSLEY, J. G., 12, East Parade, Sheffield.
RooFE, W., Craven Cottage, Merton Road, Wandsworth, Surrey.
Rose, Rev. W. F., Worle Vicarage, Weston-super-Mare, Somerset.
Ross, F., 4. Tinsley Terrace, Stamford Hill, S. Tottenham, N.
Rowley, Charles, Jun., The Glen, Church Lane, Harpurhey, near
Manchester.
RowNTBEE, J. S., Mount Villas, Dringhouses, near York.
Sandbach, J. E., Shaw Holme, Withington, Manchester.
Sandys, J. E., St. John's College, Cambridge.
Satchell, Thos., Downshire Hill House, Hampstead, London^
N.W.
ScHOFiELD, Thos., Commercial Mills, Combrook, Manchester.
Seable, Rev. W. G., Hockington Vicarage, Cambridgeshire.
Shadwell, Miss B., 21, Nottingham Place, London, W.
Shaw, J., 87, Bedford St., Russell Square, W.C.
Shelly, J., 20, Princess Square, Plymouth.
SiMONTON, J. W., Harrisburg, Pa., U.S.
Simmons, Rev. Canon, Dalton Holme, Hull.
Skeat, Rev. W. W., 2, Salisbury Villas, Cambridge. {Two Copiee.)
Smabt, Bath C, M.D., 90, Gt. Duoie Street, Manchester.
Smiles, S., 4, Pembroke Gardens, Kensington, W.
Smith, A. Russell, 86, Soho Square, London, W.
Smith, C. Roach, Strood-by-Rochester, Kent.
Smithson, E. W., St. Mary's Lodge, York.
Snelobove, a. G., London Hospital, E.
Somebset, Rev. R. B., Trinity College, Cambridge.
SoTHEBAN AND Co., Quccu Street, London.
Spubbell, W., 87, King Street, Carmarthen*
Stanfobd, E., 65, Charing Cross, S.W.
Stead, R., Grammar School, Folkestone.
Stephens, Professor, Cheapinghaven, Denmark. (Caie of Messrs*
WiUiams and Norgate.)
Stobb, F., 40, Mecklenburg Square, London, W.O.
Stott, Jos. Seville, Mount Street, Halifax.
Stbatmann, Dr. F. H, Krefeld, Germany.
22 LUt 0/ Sahicnberi.
Stdbbin, J., 29, Great Charles Street, Binnuigham.
Sprtbks, Rev. F. Scott, Sprotburgli Rectory, Doucflster.
SwAiNsos, Rev, C, High Hurst- Wood Vicarage. Uckfield. Sassox.
Sweet, C, 140, Maida Vale, London, W.
Sweet, H., 140, Mftida Vale. London, W,
SwiJJDKLLB, G. H., OiiSi Villa, Heaton Moor, Stockport.
Tancock, Rev. 0. W.. King's School, Sherborne.
Tayxor, H. M., Trinity College, Cambridge.
Ten Bktkk, Professor (per Messrs. Triibner).
Tennyson, Alfred, Aldworth, Blackdown, Haslemere.
Tekby, F. C. Birkbeck, School House, Cardiff.
Theoiiai.ii, Dr. A., 2!), ScLiine, Auasicht, Hamburg.
Thompson, Joseph, Woodlands, Wilmalow, Cheshire.
TaoupsoN, Richard, Park Street, The Mount, York,
Thokp, Wm., Jun,, 89, SandrLngham Boad, Kingaland, E.
Thorpe, Rev. J. P., HemhLll Vicarage, Faversham, Kent.
TiuMiNs, B., Elvethan Lodge, Birmingham.
Tikeler, Rev. J„ Arkengarth Dale Vicarage, Richmond, Yorkshire.
Toller, T. Noi-thcott, Prince's Road, Fallowfield, Manchester.
ToMRS, Rev. J., Burton Rectory, Haverford West, Pemhrokeslure.
Tomkins, Rev. H. G., Park Lodge, Weston- sup er-Mnxe.
Tbafford, J. Leigh, Korthwich, Cheshire.
Tbevor, Rev. G. A,, Queen's Gardens, Lancaster Gate, London.
Tbubo, The Rt. Rev. the Bishop of.
TuRNBULL, Thomas, J.P., Whitehall Dockyard, 'Whitby.
Ttlee, C. J., Stanthill, Duisley. Gloucestcrahire.
Ushebwood, Rev. T. E,, Hurst, Bournemouth.
ViLRS, E., Peudryl Hall, Codaall Road, Wolverhampton.
Vloten, Dr. J. Van, Haarlem, Holland.
Wace, F. C, St. John's College, Camhri^e.
Walkkb, J. L., C, Albany Courtyard, London, W.
Wallis, H. W., Cambridge (per Messrs. Triibner).
WVlther, Dr., 22, Grindelberg, Hamburg.
Walton. Rev. T. J., Ickleford Rectory, Hitehin.
Warbdbton, S., Sunnyhill, CrumpsolJ, near ManoheBter.
"Waugh, Edwin. Sagav Street, Strangewaya, Manchester.
WBATHEUHtt.L, H., Fulford Road, York.
Wr.DowooD. HcnaleJgh, 81, Queen Anne Street, London. W.
Welch, W., Surrey County School, Cranleigh, Guildford.
Welch, Capt. G. A. W., R.N., Ai-Ie House, near Oholtculinm.
Whelpton, Bev. H. R., St. Saviour's Parsonage, Eaatboucne.
White, G., Court House, Epsom.
WarrB, R., Park Place, Worksop, Notts.
WiLcocKs, Rev. H. S., Stoke Cottage, Stoke, Devouport.
WiLET, J. and Son, New York, U. 8. (per Messrs. Triibner).
WiLKras, Professor A. 8., Victoria Park, Manchester.
WnjOHsoN, J., 1, Cambridge Place, Begenfe Park, N.W.
List of Subscribers. 28
Wilkinson, Miss, Laurel House, Horsham Boad, Dorking.
Wilkinson, J. H, Leeds District Offices, New Briggate, Leeds.
Wilkinson, Isaac, Boosbeck, Guisbro', Yorkshire.
Williams, S. H., 6, Essex Court, The Temple, E.G.
Wilson, E. S., Melton Grange, Brough, Yorkshire.
Wilson, E., 8, Osborne Terrace, Beech Grove, Leeds.
Wilson, J., King William Street, Charing Cross, W.C.
Wilson, J. G., M.A., East Bridge, Durham.
WooLLEY, T. S., South Collingham, Newark.
Wordsworth, Rev. C, Glaston Rectory, Uppingham, Rutland.
Wright, W. Aldis, Trinity College, Cambridge.
WiiLCHBR, Prof. Dr., Leipzig (per A. Twietmeyer).
ZupiTZA, Prof. Dr., University of Vienna .(per Asher & Co.)
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