[Mova](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/) · [this page in HTML](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/docs/papers/wright-1905-english-dialect-grammar-comprising/) [home](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/) / [docs](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/docs/) / [papers](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/docs/papers/) / [English](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/docs/papers/en/) / The English Dialect Grammar, comprising the dialects of England, of the Shetland and Orkney Islands, and of those parts of Scotland, Ireland & Wales where English is habitually spoken # The English Dialect Grammar, comprising the dialects of England, of the Shetland and Orkney Islands, and of those parts of Scotland, Ireland & Wales where English is habitually spoken **Authors:** Joseph Wright · **Year:** 1905 · **Venue:** Oxford: Henry Frowde **Link:** [archive.org/details/cu31924026612600](https://archive.org/details/cu31924026612600) · **Licence:** [public domain](https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/) (author died 1930; published 1905 in the US) grammar-book[licence](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joseph_Wright_(linguist)) - [Publisher's page](https://archive.org/details/cu31924026612600) - [PDF](https://archive.org/download/cu31924026612600/cu31924026612600.pdf) **Authors (1)** 1. Joseph Wright Citations and author metrics from OpenAlex (); authors with the same name are not always told apart. ## What it is about Wright describes the dialects of English as spoken in England, Shetland and Orkney, and the parts of Scotland, Ireland and Wales where English is the usual language. The introduction classifies the dialects and explains the phonetic alphabet. Chapter II covers the vowels of accented syllables, with the normal development of each Old English vowel in each environment and its regional outcomes. Later sections treat consonants, nouns (plural endings such as -n, umlaut plurals, and double plurals), numerals, pronouns and verbs. The data come from fieldwork: the introduction says that over 500,000 slips were collected, each with a standard English word, its dialect pronunciation and its district. The method is descriptive: each form is given with the counties where it occurs, and the sections are numbered (for example § 378 on plurals of nouns ending in a voiceless consonant). The book lists forms by county or district rather than giving statistics. ## Ideas - I1. Add a variety tag to the word forms in `en/src/dict.rs`, drawn from the regional forms in the paper (for example the plural of nouns ending in -th, or the -n plurals). The tag is a closed set, and the parser keeps the standard reading as the default, so a dialect word is labelled and not silently changed. - I2. Write the plural rules of §§ 378 to 383 (including the double plurals) as a small table in `en/src/morph.rs`. Measure the lemmatiser on a dialect word list from the paper, with a negative control: standard English plurals must not change. - I3. Use the paper's slip method as a model for a small, checkable data set: each row is a word, a form and a district, with a source. This fits the Mova rule that data stays small and traceable. ## For Mova The chapter is [08. National varieties](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/docs/languages/en/08-national-varieties/), with [11. Nouns](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/docs/languages/en/11-nouns/) for plurals and [12. Pronouns, determiners and numerals](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/docs/languages/en/12-pronouns-determiners-numerals/) for the pronoun forms. The code is `en/src/morph.rs` and `en/src/dict.rs`. The measure: accuracy of the plural rules on the dialect list, and no change on standard text (negative control), run twice. ## Cite The paper itself, not this card. BibTeX from the library's record of the work. ``` @book{wright1905english, title = {{The English Dialect Grammar, comprising the dialects of England, of the Shetland and Orkney Islands, and of those parts of Scotland, Ireland \& Wales where English is habitually spoken}}, author = {Wright, Joseph}, year = {1905}, url = {https://archive.org/details/cu31924026612600} } ``` - [← previous The Bible Word-Book: A Glossary of Archaic Words and Phrases in the Authorised Version of the Bible and the Book of Common Prayer](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/docs/papers/wright-1884-bible-word-book-glossary/) - [next → Elaborative Simplification as Implicit Questions Under Discussion](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/docs/papers/wu-2023-elaborative-simplification-as-implicit-questions/) - [↑ back to English](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/docs/papers/en/) ## References 11 references, 0 of them with a card of ours. ↗ leads to the work, «find» searches for one we have no id for yet. 1. Barnes, William. A Grammar and Glossary of the Dorset Dialect, with the history, outspreading, and bearings of South-western English. Trans. Phil. Soc. London, 1863. Darlington, Thomas. The Folk-Speech of South Cheshire. [find](https://scholar.google.com/scholar?q=Barnes%2C+William%2E+A+Grammar+and+Glossary+of+the+Dorset+Dialect%2C+with+the+history%2C+outspreading%2C+and+bearings+of+South%2Dwestern+English%2E+Trans%2E+Phil%2E+Soc%2E+London%2C+1863%2E+Darlington%2C+Thomas%2E+The+Folk%2DSpeec) 2. E.D.S., 1887. Ellis, Alexander J. On Early English Pronunciation. Part V. Existing dialectal as compared with West Saxon pronunciation. Trans. Phil. Soc. [find](https://scholar.google.com/scholar?q=E%2ED%2ES%2E%2C+1887%2E+Ellis%2C+Alexander+J%2E+On+Early+English+Pronunciation%2E+Part+V%2E+Existing+dialectal+as+compared+with+West+Saxon+pronunciation%2E+Trans%2E+Phil%2E+Soc%2E) 3. London, E.E.T.S., and Chaucer Soc, 1889. Elvoorthy, Frederic Thomas. The Dialect of West Somerset. [find](https://scholar.google.com/scholar?q=London%2C+E%2EE%2ET%2ES%2E%2C+and+Chaucer+Soc%2C+1889%2E+Elvoorthy%2C+Frederic+Thomas%2E+The+Dialect+of+West+Somerset%2E) 4. E.D.S., 1875. An Outline of the Grammar of the Dialect of West Somerset. [find](https://scholar.google.com/scholar?q=E%2ED%2ES%2E%2C+1875%2E+An+Outline+of+the+Grammar+of+the+Dialect+of+West+Somerset%2E) 5. E.D.S., 1877. The West Somerset Word-Book. A Glossary of Dialectal and Archaic Words and Phrases used in the West of Somerset and East Devon. [find](https://scholar.google.com/scholar?q=E%2ED%2ES%2E%2C+1877%2E+The+West+Somerset+Word%2DBook%2E+A+Glossary+of+Dialectal+and+Archaic+Words+and+Phrases+used+in+the+West+of+Somerset+and+East+Devon%2E) 6. English Dialect Dictionary. Ed. by Joseph Wright, 1896-1905. Hargreaves, Alex. A Grammar of the Dialect of Adlington (Lancashire). [find](https://scholar.google.com/scholar?q=English+Dialect+Dictionary%2E+Ed%2E+by+Joseph+Wright%2C+1896%2D1905%2E+Hargreaves%2C+Alex%2E+A+Grammar+of+the+Dialect+of+Adlington+%28Lancashire%29%2E) 7. Heidelberg, 1904. Horn, Wilhelm. Beitrage zur Geschichte der englischen Guttural-laute. [find](https://scholar.google.com/scholar?q=Heidelberg%2C+1904%2E+Horn%2C+Wilhelm%2E+Beitrage+zur+Geschichte+der+englischen+Guttural%2Dlaute%2E) 8. Berlin, 1901. Jackson, Georgina F. Shropshire Word-Book, a Glossary of Archaic and Provincial Words, &c., used in the County. [find](https://scholar.google.com/scholar?q=Berlin%2C+1901%2E+Jackson%2C+Georgina+F%2E+Shropshire+Word%2DBook%2C+a+Glossary+of+Archaic+and+Provincial+Words%2C+%26c%2E%2C+used+in+the+County%2E) 9. Kjederqvist, John. The Dialect of Pewsey. Trans. Phil. Soc. London, 1902-4. Kruisinga, E. A Grammar of the Dialect of West Somerset, descriptive and historical. [find](https://scholar.google.com/scholar?q=Kjederqvist%2C+John%2E+The+Dialect+of+Pewsey%2E+Trans%2E+Phil%2E+Soc%2E+London%2C+1902%2D4%2E+Kruisinga%2C+E%2E+A+Grammar+of+the+Dialect+of+West+Somerset%2C+descriptive+and+historical%2E) 10. Bonn, 1905. Luick, K. Untersuchungen zur englischen Lautgeschichte. [find](https://scholar.google.com/scholar?q=Bonn%2C+1905%2E+Luick%2C+K%2E+Untersuchungen+zur+englischen+Lautgeschichte%2E) 11. Strassburg, 1896. Murray, James A. H. The Dialect of the Southern Counties of Scotland : its pronunciation, grammar, and historical relations. Trans. Phil. Soc. [find](https://scholar.google.com/scholar?q=Strassburg%2C+1896%2E+Murray%2C+James+A%2E+H%2E+The+Dialect+of+the+Southern+Counties+of+Scotland+%3A+its+pronunciation%2C+grammar%2C+and+historical+relations%2E+Trans%2E+Phil%2E+Soc%2E)