10 
Is there any superstition as to the first person who enters a 
house in the Hew Year P Is stress laid upon the colour of 
complexion and liair ? 
(567) What are the customs observed at the birth of children P 
(588) Describe the ceremonies practised at courtship and marriage. 
(623) Describe the ceremonies at death and burial. 
(669) Describe any games of ball or any games with string, or other 
games. 
(674) Describe all nursery games of children. 
(686) Is there any special rule of succession to property ? 
(703) Is any stone or group of stones, or any ancient monument or 
ancient tree connected with local customs ? 
(706) Are any special parts of the village or town the subject of 
particular rights, privileges, or disabilities; do these parts 
bear any particular names ? 
(711) Describe special local modes of punishment or of lynch law. 
(719) Describe special customs observed at ploughing, harrowing, 
sowing, manuring, haymaking, apple-gathering, corn-harvest, 
hemp-harvest, flax-harvest, potato-gathering, threshing, flax¬ 
picking, and hemp-picking. 
The collections under this head will be digested by Professor Rhys 
and the representatives of the Folklore Society. 
Place _ Name of Observer __ 
3. Peculiarities of Dialect. 
Bisections to Collectors of Dialect 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 aiford correct information, and 
there is less risk in allowing them to know your purpose. 
2. Observe the use of consonants. Hote, for example, if v 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 sli in she ; ch for his symbol for the cli in 
choose ; tli for the th in thin ; dh for the tli in then. If these modifications 
are used, say so. But the symbol j must only be used for the y in you , 
viz., as in German. If the sound of j in just is meant, Sweet’s symbol 
should be used. 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. 
