Interactions in Grammatical Systems: North-South Dialect Variation in England

This project focuses on North-South patterns in the grammar of English dialects. It examines both the regional distribution of grammatical forms and how phenomena interact structurally within dialect systems. Focusing on aspects of negation, subject-verb agreement and the auxiliary system that are reported to have North-South patterning in England, the project combines methods from the fields of syntax and sociolinguistics to collect data from speakers’ perception and production: (1) an online acceptability judgement questionnaire, open to participants across England; (2) sociolinguistic interviews with pairs of speakers in four English cities (Newcastle upon Tyne, Leeds, Nottingham and Southampton). Through statistical and Geographic Information Systems (GIS) analysis, the results will enhance our understanding of the linguistic systems underlying dialect variation and provide insights into potential linguistic changes in progress.

https://www.york.ac.uk/language/research/projects/interactions-in-grammatical-systems/