51 



the coast where they had first established themselves became over-popu- 

 lated, parties would wander off from the main body, and go in search of 

 other favourable situations, where they would build their huts and form 

 separate communities ; how in these new settlements any word which by 

 chance got a different pronunciation, or any new phrase or idiom started 

 by one, would be imitated by the rest, learned by the children, and so 

 perpetuated ; how other words and phrases would follow, and other 

 colonies branch off to other parts of the island. And when we reflect that 

 Britain was then a vast wilderness, without roads or means of com- 

 munication between the different settlements, we can easily understand 

 that in the course of ages every district would have a community in a 

 great measure isolated from the rest, with a dialect of its own. How 

 these dialects were acted upon and modified in after ages by successive 

 incui'sions of new comers from diflerent parts of Europe is a subject 

 beyond the range of this paper. No doubt many of them were almost 

 entirely changed in their character, but that they were never totally 

 obliterated is evidenced by the numerous Celtic words and root.s which 

 still remain in all of them. We may, however, observe that the dialects 

 would not all be acted upon in an equal degree. For instance, in the 

 southern parts of the island, where the C4enuan intruders wei-e most 

 mimerous and longest established, the Anglo-Saxon would become the 

 dominant tongue. In the Northern parts the Danish and Scandinavian 

 elements would prevail ; while in the more inaccessible districts such as 

 North Wales, the Celtic would remain almost unchanged. 



As, therefore, there can be little doubt but that the great diversity 

 of speech in this country arose, as has just been stated, from the absence 

 of a written language, and the imperfect means of communication which 

 formerly existed between one district and another, it would seem to follow 

 as a natural sequence, that, these wants having l)een supplied, the dialects 

 would quickly die out. How is it, then, it may be asked, that many of 

 them and notably the Cumbrian, are nearly as vigorous as ever? In 

 replying to this question, and taking the Cumberland as the dialect with 

 which we are best acquainted, we may observe that though books, periodi- 

 cals, and newspapers, are now so plentiful and cheap as to be easily 



