ON THE ETHNOGKAPHICAL SURVEY OF THE UNITED KINGDOM. C51 



(719) Describe special customs observed at ploughing, liarrowin|T, 

 sowing, manuring, haymaking, apple gathering, corn harvest, 

 hemp harvest, flax harvest, potato gathering, threshing, 

 flax picking, and hemp picking. 



The collections under this head vyill be digested by Professor Rhys 

 and the representatives of the Folklore Society. 



3. Pectdiarities of Dialect. 



DiKECTIONS TO COLLLECTOKS OP DULECT TeSTS. 



1. Do not, if it can be helped, let your informant know the nature of 

 your observations. The true dialect speaker will not speak his dialect 

 freely or truly unless he is unaware that his utterance is watched. In 

 some cases persons of the middle class can afford correct information, 

 and there is less risk in allowing them to know your purpose. 



2. Observe the use of consonants. Note, for example, if f and z are 

 used where the standard pronunciation has /and s. This is common in 

 the south. 



3. Observe very carefully the nature of the vowels. This requires 

 practice in uttering and appreciating vowel sounds, some knowledge of 

 phonetics, and a good ear. 



4. Record all observations in the same standard phonetic alphabet, viz., 

 that given in Sweet's ' Primer of Phonetics.' A few modifications in this 

 may be made, viz., ng for Sweet's symbol for the sound of ng in thing ; sh 

 for his symbol for the sh in she ; ch for his symbol for the ch in choose ; th 

 for the th in thin ; dh for the th in the^i. If these modifications are used 

 say so. But the symbol ^ must only be used for the y in you, viz., as in 

 German. If the sound of j in jttst is meant Sweet's symbol should be 

 nsed. On the whole it is far better to use no modifications at all. 

 Sweet's symbols are no more difficult to use than any others after a very 

 brief practice, such as every observer of phonetics must necessarily go 

 through. 



5. If you find that you are unable to record sounds according to the 

 above scheme it is better to make no return at all. Incorrect returns are 

 misleading in the highest degree, most of all such as are recorded in the 

 ordinary spelling of literary English. 



6. The chief vowel-sounds to be tested are those which occur in the 

 following words of English origin, viz., man, hard, name, help, meat 

 (spelt with ea), green (spelt with ee), hill, wine, fire, soft, hole, oak (s[)elt 

 "with oa), cool, sun, house, day, laiv, or words involving similar sounds. 

 Also words of French origin, such as just, master {a before s), grant, 

 (a before 7?), try, value, measure, bacon, pay, chair, journey, pity, heef, clear, 

 profit, boil, roast, pork, false, butcher, fruit, blue, pure, poor, or words in- 

 volving similar sounds. 



The best account of these sounds, as tested for a Yorkshire dialect, is 

 to be found in Wright's ' Dialect of WindhiU ' (English Dialect Society, 

 1892), published by Kegan Paul at 12s. Qd. Sweet's symbols are here 

 employed throughout. 



Sweet's ' Primer of Phonetics ' is published by the Oxford Press at 

 3s. 6d. 



A list of text- words (of English origin) is given at p. 42 of Skcat's 

 ' Primer of English Etymology,' published by the Oxford Press at Is. Qd. 



