Aspects of the phonology and agricultural terminology of the rural dialects of Surrey, Kent and Sussex

This thesis is a survey of the speech of elderly natives from thirty-one rural communities in Surrey, Kent and Sussex. A comparative approach is adopted and this is reflected in the extensive use maps to illustrate the spatial dimension of linguistic variation in the region.
Volume I contains the text. In Chapter One ‘Introduction’ the aims and scope of the investigation are defined, the sources of the material and the procedure for its collection are discussed and the methods to be used for the analysis and presentation of the material are explained.
Chapter Two ‘Phonology’ examines the system of stressed vowels on both the phonemic and phonetic levels: a system of 'diaphonemes' is established as a framework for a survey of the distributional and realizational differences between the local varieties. This chapter also includes a brief survey of the consonant system, two important aspects being examined in greater detail.
Chapter Three ‘Gerography’ deals with the agricultural and rural terminology of the region. The relationship between words and the objects and processes to which they refer is an important theme in this chapter.
The approach adopted in Chapters Two and Three is to present a synchronic description of the material and then to suggest an interpretation, often incorporating a diachronic perspective, of the spatial patterns revealed.
The recurrent geographical patterns which emerge from Chapters Two and Three are brought together in Chapter Four ‘Conclusions’. Dialect areas are identified, with partioular reference to the influence of Standard and London English and to the persistence of older patterns within the region. Finally, some general and theoretical conclusions are drawn from the way in which the relationship between linguistic change and stability is illustrated by the spatial analysis of the rural speeoh of the region.
Volume II contains the maps which illustrate Chapters Two, Three and Four and material presented in tabular form.