The Linguistic Atlas of England

Description

This subfonds contains papers relating to the preparation, editing and publication of text and maps for 'The Linguistic Atlas of England' (LAE). It includes editorial notes and papers; ms. and typescript draft text; draft and experimental base and word maps; final drafts and printers' copy; and publicity items and related correspondence.

Biography or history

The publication of 'The Linguistic Atlas of England' (LAE) marked what was perceived to be one of the final stages of the Survey of English Dialects (SED) publication programme. Harold Orton and Eugen Dieth had always intended to compile a linguistic atlas from the results of the SED that would provide an interpretive presentation of a selection of ... linguistic facts (Sanderson, LAE, p. [xvi]).


Stewart Sanderson, Director of the Institute of Dialect and Folk Life Studies (IDFLS), joined the LAE team as co-editor in 1968, and agreed to oversee the completion of the atlas should Harold Orton be unable to. (Orton was 73 by the time publication of the final volume of Basic Material was completed in 1971). Orton and Sanderson were joined by a third co-editor, John Widdowson (University of Sheffield), in 1971. Additionally, a grant from the Leverhulme Trust made it possible to employ two Research Assistants ( Sue Powell and Clive Upton) and a cartographic draughtsman to work specifically on the LAE. The completed volume was published by Croom Helm in 1978, three years after Harold Orton's death.


The LAE base maps show England (with Wales and southern Scotland), with pre-1974 county boundaries, county numbers (as for the SED) and county abbreviations as used by the English Place-Name Society. The 313 SED localities are also represented. Distribution areas are delineated by isoglosses.


Four different types of map appear in the LAE: phonological, lexical, morphological and syntactical. International Phonetic Association(IPA) symbols are used on the phonological maps. Symbolisation in the lexical, morphological and phonological maps relates internally to the individual map. The map legends detail distribution area numbers, word form, etymologies and the date word forms were first recorded in English. Footnotes record the existence of compounds and variants with county and SED location references.

System of arrangement

The subfonds has been arranged in the following series:

- Editor's Papers

- Publicity

Access and usage

Reproduction

Access

There are no access restrictions on LAE items.

Copyright in all Linguistic Atlas of England material resides with the University of Leeds.

© University of Leeds

Related material

See also the experimental word maps in subfonds LAVC/MAP, and slides and negatives of word maps in subfonds LAVC/PHO/S and LAVC/PHO/PN.



Correspondence relating to the planning and preparation of the LAE is contained within Harold Orton's correspondence in LAVC/SED/1/1/6and LAVC/SED/1/3/3. Correspondence relating to the preparation and publication of the LAE can also be found within Stewart Sanderson's correspondence in LAVC/STA/1/1/1/2 (correspondence with E. J. Arnold and Son Ltd), and LAVA/STA/1/1/2(correspondence regarding the production and presentation of maps; the Leverhulme grant account; with various publishers, including Croom Helm; on the use of IPA symbols; and with John Widdowson and LAE cartographers).


Copies of 'The Linguistic Atlas of England' are held in the LAVC Printed Collections, classmark Leeds Archive of Vernacular Culture PRI/2/249. A copy is also held in the Brotherton Library, classmark BLM4 English S-0 q ORT.


Other papers by Harold Orton are held at LAVC/SED/1, and in various other sections of the LAVC. For a list of references to other Orton papers see LAVC/SED/1 (Separated Material).

Related records in our catalogue

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...