Informants

Description

This subseries includes biographical details of a number of informants (although not all) involved in responding to the Dieth-Orton Questionnaire for the Survey of English Dialects; instructions on recording the biographical details of informants; and related correspondence from informants and their families.

Biography or history

Great care was taken in choosing informants to take part in the Survey of English Dialects (SED), as it was crucial to maintain the ultimate goal of dialectal comparability. In most cases two or three informants were used and preference was given to non-mobile, older, rural males. There is a considerable body of evidence which suggests that males are statistically more likely to employ the vernacular, and it was felt that older inhabitants with a long-established presence in the community (preferably born of native parents) were the most likely to use the traditional dialect of a given speech community. Preference was also given to those who were intelligent and had a good set of teeth.

System of arrangement

The arrangement of the subseries is roughly chronological.

Access and usage

Reproduction

Access

Access to the manuscript and printed items in this subfonds is unrestricted. Mini disc copies of the audio tape recordings are available for consultation in the searchroom of Special Collections, University of Leeds. Access copies of the gramophone disc recordings are not available.

Copyright in all Survey of English Dialects material resides with the University of Leeds.

© University of Leeds

Related material

Black and white photographic prints of informants interviewed by Stanley Ellis for the SED can be found at LAVC/PHO/P1870-1880.

Related subjects / tags

WARNING: many of our records have not been classified by subject. So if you search our catalogue by subject using the links below then you are unlikely to find all relevant records. But you will find some...