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A Phonological Investigation of Dialect Content Among Traditional Singers of English Folk Song

Archive File: LAVC/SRP/1/135

Details

Type of record: Archive

Title: A Phonological Investigation of Dialect Content Among Traditional Singers of English Folk Song

Level: File

Classmark: LAVC/SRP/1/135

Creator(s): Tawney, Cyril

Site Location(s): Subject - Gower Peninsula, Wales, United Kingdom( 51.5952, -4.14974 )

Date(s): 1977

Size and medium: iv, 101 unbound typed leaves. Photocopy.

Persistent link: https://explore.library.leeds.ac.uk/special-collections-explore/410031

Collection group(s): Leeds Archive of Vernacular Culture

Description

M.A. (Dialectology) study which takes as its starting point comments on phonology in folk singing made by Percy Grainger (writing about Lincolnshire singers in the 'Journal of the Folk Song Society' in 1908) and Tony Green (lecturer in the Institute of Dialect and Folk Life Studies, writing in 'Transactions of the Yorkshire Dialect Society' in 1972). In seeking a possible explanation for the phenomena noted by Grainger and touched on by Green, the study assesses how far regional dialect persists in the phonology of sung performance in English folk song, and how far traditional singers modify their dialect in the direction of a standard English pronunciation.


The study analyses one song from each of twelve singers' repertoires, selected from commercially available recordings made in various counties in England, and on the Gower Peninsula of Wales. Sections One and Two present orthographic and phonetic transcriptions of each performance, with Section Three providing a comparative analysis of these with speech recordings made for the Survey of English Dialects (firstly, in the location nearest the singer's village, and secondly in the one, two or three next nearest locations). Section Four contains commentaries on all twelve singers and their performances.


The twelve singers selected are William Rew, Enos White, Harry Upton, Louise Fuller, Jumbo Brightwell, Harry Cox, Alf Wildman, Phil Tanner, Fred Jordan, George Dunn, Frank Hinchliffe [incorrectly referred to as Frank Hinchcliffe] and Joseph Taylor . The singers were recorded on Topic, English Folk Dance and Song Society and Leader labels.

Access and usage

Reproduction

Access

The theses and dissertations in this subfonds are available for consultation in the searchroom of Special Collections, University of Leeds, by all bona fide researchers. Conditions relating to access and use have, in a number of cases, been applied to particular items by individual depositors. These are noted within the relevant individual records.

Material in this collection is in copyright. Photocopies or digital images can only be supplied by the Library for research or private study within the terms of copyright legislation. It is the responsibility of the researcher to obtain the copyright holder's permission to reproduce for any other purpose. Guidance is available on tracing copyright status and ownership.

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