362 Mr. Can- on the Northuitihrian Dialect, &c. 



siderably in genius, were cultivated independently and 

 capable of honorable and invigorating rivalry in their pro- 

 gress. 



The Lothenian variation of the Anglian tongue diifers 

 from the Northumbrian very sensibly. Its vowel-sounds 

 are broader ; and some of the consonants also exhibit marked 

 peculiarities. The gh, representing the Anglo-Saxon li, (for 

 c/i,) preserves its ancient strong and vigorous utterance as a 

 guttural ; as, in high, thigh, night, fight ; pronounced heich, 

 theich, neicht,feicht. This power oi gh is exactly that of ch 

 in German. 



Another characteristic of the language north of Tweed is 

 a peculiar palatic sound given to the I, which does not seem 

 to be confined to those occasions when it represents the Anglo- 

 Saxon hi, but to prevail generally. It may not improbably 

 be a relic of old Cambro-British pronunciation prevalent in 

 Lothiane. In producing this tone the tongue is not applied 

 to the gums of the upper front teeth, but to the middle of the 

 palate. It appears to be a modification of hi, the aspirated /, 

 but with an aspiration less strong and marked than that 

 heard in the Welsh 11. 



Lastly, the r north of Tweed is pronounced with a very 

 strong vibration, which most probably is referable to the 

 Anglian hr, though not confined to words or syllables 

 wherein this was used, but extended to the letter r generally. 



The Scottish pronunciation of r strikes the Northumbrian 

 ear as an archaic, manly, and even stately utterance. We 

 have it also in our own sub-dialect of the high valleys in 

 the Cheviots, and from Wooler northward. 



Nothing is m,ore likely than that the popular character of 

 pulpit eloquence in the kirk of Scotland, and the early estab- 

 lishment of parochial schools, may have cooperated power- 

 fully in conserving the old popular pronunciation, at the same 

 time conferring upon it a certain worth and dignity, not pos- 

 sessed by more uncultivated rustic dialects, such as the 

 Northumbrian too soon became. 



We may conclude this notice of the Lothenic-Anglian by 

 observing, that the present participle is pronounced in it pre- 

 cisely as on the Noithumbrian side of the Tweed, that is to 

 say, archaically. Indeed all the northern Anglian forms of 

 speech seem to agree in this respect ; the Danic-Anglian of 

 Yorkshire, and Norse-Anglian of Cumberland, concurring 

 with the Northumbrian and Lothenian. 



Having thus adverted to the position of the Northumbrian 



