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This clear and comprehensive guide provides a detailed critical overview of the study of regional dialect in the English language, giving a complete history of work on dialects from the sixteenth century to the present day, from early dialect dictionaries to modern research in geolinguistics, and looking at English dialects across the world.

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This book provides an accessible yet comprehensive introduction to the study of the dialects of English as they are spoken around the world, from the earliest dialect dictionaries of the sixteenth century to contemporary research emerging from the field of geolinguistics. Organised into ten thematic chapters, it explores and evaluates the methods and purposes of each approach to the study of dialectal variation, with full explanations of technical terms throughout.

Illuminating one of the most productive fields of interest in language study, this compelling book is essential reading for students of dialect and regional difference in English.

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Introduction.- Lexicography: From early works to The English Dialect Dictionary.- Lexicography: After The English Dialect Dictionary.- Cartography: European beginnings.- Cartography: Purpose, legacy, and the early linguistic atlases.- Cartography: The spread of language mapping.- Sociolinguistics.- After sociolinguistics.- Perceptual dialectology.- Geolinguistics.

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Rob Penhallurick is a Reader in English Language at Swansea University. He has written extensively on dialect study and varieties of English, and is also the author of Studying the English Language.

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