24 
regularly pronounced t, on the other hand and again only a mile 
or two away, viz., in the Rossendale Valley, the final t becomes 
d, and for the phrase, ‘I will not do that,” you hear the 
outrageous expression, ‘I'll nod do thad.” 
Whilst the main body of the folkspeech is clearly Anglo-Saxon, 
there is quite an appreciable element of the Scandinavian, and 
this is often found where it would least be expected, for instance, 
in the expression, than which none igs more common in Lanca- 
shire generally, ‘‘He’s gooan reawnd abeawt fur th’ gaist,” 
‘th’ gainst’ here clearly comes from the Icelandic ‘ gegnsta.” 
As for the Scandinavian ‘“addle,” to get or earn, which one so 
often finds referred to as ‘“ peculiar to Lincolnshire,” it not only 
prevails over all Yorkshire, but on the Lancashire border is one 
of the commonest of words, as ‘‘ Heaw mitch does ta addle, lad?” 
‘¢ Aw addle five shillin’ a week.” If traces of the Norseman are 
frequent, there are also some traces of the Norman, as for 
instance, in such quaint words as “squab,” from the French 
escabeau, a cushioned seat or sofa. ‘* Wheer mun aw lig, 
mother 2” ‘Lig thi deawn o’ th’ squab.” With respect to the 
aspirate, it is never heard at all in these parts, either in or out of 
place, a circumstance which recalls Thackeray’s old lady, who 
had ‘led a very painless life, through never having been troubled 
with aitches ’’ But it the aspirate never troubles these people, 
its entire absence troubles the ‘inquiring stranger ”’ very often, 
and not the “stranger” only. ‘‘ Aw’m ne'er ’eedin,” was the 
favorite phrase of one of the “ happy-go-lucky ” type—a phrase 
sufficiently mysterious to the reader himself until translated into 
‘Come what may, I am never heeding.” 
As regards the dialect spoken in the Burnley valley, the 
locality with which at present we have to deal, a writer on the 
subject goes the length of stating that “‘ it probably contains the 
greatest number of purely dialectic words, or idioms, of any 
folk-speesh in England,” Certaimly in respect to its force, 
directness, expressiveness, terseness and humour, I know none to 
surpass it. A sovereign here is not merely a sovereign, but a 
“gold sovereign.” ‘Si yo’, chaps! aw’ve gien him a gowld 
sovverin.” An hour is not merely an hour, but a “ clock-hour,”’ 
a not unimportant distinction, as some people’s hours are seldom 
measured by the clock, ‘‘ Waw, bless yo! aw waited on him a 
full clock-heaur,” the “on” here taking the place of “ for,” and 
illustrating the indefinite character of the preposition. Among 
the rarities of the folk-speech is ‘ ayla,” bashful or shy. 
«¢ Heaw wer’t at tou didn’t come to thi teea yustherday ?” “ A’a, 
bless thee, lass! aw’m so fearful ayla.” The abounding humour 
of the folk-speech is remarkable, but rugged force is its chief 
characteristic. Nor is this force of the idiom anything but the 
direct reflection of the character of those who speak it. It is a 
