Northumbrian burr
The Northumbrian burr is the distinctive
Pronunciation
According to Påhlsson (1972),
Effects on neighbouring sounds
The Northumbrian Burr has affected the pronunciation of adjacent vowels, particularly those that precede it, which were subject to 'Burr Modification':
- Påhlsson (1972: 20) notes that "Burr-modified vowels are vowels that have become retracted and lowered (in most cases) due to a following posterior /r/, e.g. 'first' [fɔːst], 'word' [wɔːd]".
- Wells (1982: 396–97) states that "It is the effect of uvular /r/ on a preceding vowel which has historically given rise to forms such as [bɔʶːdz] birds, [wɔʶːmz] worms in Northumberland: the [ʁ] has not only coalesced with the vowel, making it uvularized, but has also caused it to be retracted from centre to back".[4]
- One effect of Burr Modification was the development of the nurse-north merger in dialects of English in northeast England.
In addition,
History
Since uvular R is not typical of other English dialects, it may be assumed that this pronunciation is an innovation in the northeast of England. When it occurred and whether the development is connected with the spread of guttural R throughout much of Western Europe are both unknown.
Heslop (1892)
Stuck upon him as the sun
In the grey vault of heaven: and by his light,
Did all the chivalry of England move
To do brave acts; he was indeed the glass
Wherein the noble youth did dress themselves,
He had no legs, that practis’d not his gait:
And speaking thick, which nature made his blemish,
Became the accents of the valiant;
For those that could speak low, and tardily,
Would turn their own affection to abuse,
To seem like him: so that, in speech, and gait,
In diet, in affections of delight,
In military rules, humours of blood,
He was the mark and glass, copy and book,
That fashioned others.[7]
However, Shakespeare's text does not indicate what was distinctive about Hotspur's speech so that may not be connected with the Northumbrian Burr.
The first definite reference to distinctive pronunciation of R in Northeastern England was made by Hugh Jones in 1724,[8] slightly predating the more well known description of it by
I must not quit Northumberland without taking notice, that the Natives of this Country, of the antient original Race or Families, are distinguished by a Shibboleth upon their Tongues in pronouncing the letter R, which they cannot utter without a hollow Jarring in the Throat, by which they are as plainly known, as a Foreigner is in pronouncing the Th: this they call the Northumberland R, or Wharle; and the Natives value themselves upon that Imperfection, because, forsooth, it shews the Antiquity of their Blood.
Around the turn of the 20th century, the Burr was recorded by
In the 20th century, it was recorded throughout much of the Northeast in the Orton Corpus.[14]
Audio recordings
Audio recordings were made in the 1950s for the Survey of English Dialects which feature the Northumbrian Burr, all of which are publicly available online:
Current status
The Northumbrian Burr, like many traditional dialect features in England, has largely disappeared from the dialects of northeast England, and it is no longer found in
See also
References
- ^ https://www.lancaster.ac.uk/fss/projects/linguistics/innovators/northern/documents/Watt.pdf
- ^ Påhlsson, C. (1972) The Northumbrian Burr. Lund: Gleerup.
- ^ Orton, H. and Halliday, W. (1962) Survey of English Dialects (B): The Basic Material, Vol. 1, The Six Northern Counties and the Isle of Man. Leeds: Arnold & Son.
- ^ Wells, J. (1982) Accents of English, 3 vols. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
- JSTOR 44704736
- ^ Heslop, O. (1892–94) Northumberland Words: A Glossary of Words Used in the County of Northumberland and on the Tyneside, p. xxiv. London: Kegan Paul, Trench, Trübner & Co.
- ^ King Henry IV, Second Part, Act II, Scene 3
- ^ Wales, K. (2006) Northern English: A Social and Cultural History, p. 101. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
- ^ Defoe, D. (1724–27) A Tour Through the Whole Island of Great Britain, vol. iii:232-33. London: Dent (1974).
- ^ Ellis, A. (1889) On Early English Pronunciation, Part V: The Existing Phonology of English Dialects Compared with that of West Saxon. New York: Greenwood Press.
- ^ Wright, J. (1905). The English Dialect Grammar. Oxford/London/Edinburgh/Glasgow/New York/Toronto: Henry Frowde.
- ^ Ellis, Alexander John (1889). On early English pronunciation: with especial reference to Shakspere and Chaucer, containing an investigation of the correspondence of writing with speech in England from the Anglosaxon period to the present day. p. 641.
- ^ Ellis, Alexander John (1889). On early English pronunciation: with especial reference to Shakspere and Chaucer, containing an investigation of the correspondence of writing with speech in England from the Anglosaxon period to the present day. p. 643.
- ^ Rydland, K. (1998) The Orton Corpus: A Dictionary of Northumbrian Pronunciation, 1928–1939. Oslo: Novus Press.
- ^ "Wark, Northumberland - Survey of English Dialects - Accents and dialects | British Library - Sounds". sounds.bl.uk. Retrieved 21 January 2021.
- ^ "Thropton, Northumberland - Survey of English Dialects - Accents and dialects | British Library - Sounds". sounds.bl.uk. Retrieved 21 January 2021.
- ^ "Lowick, Northumberland - Survey of English Dialects - Accents and dialects | British Library - Sounds". sounds.bl.uk. Retrieved 27 April 2021.
- ^ "Earsdon, Northumberland - Survey of English Dialects - Accents and dialects | British Library - Sounds". sounds.bl.uk. Retrieved 27 April 2021.
- ^ "Embleton, Northumberland - Survey of English Dialects - Accents and dialects | British Library - Sounds". sounds.bl.uk. Retrieved 22 July 2021.
- ^ Wells, J., op.cit., pp. 368ff., 374.