Accrington Web - View Single Post - Can you help with a survey of local accents?

Will_Barras · 15-09-2008, 10:25

Hi
I am carrying out research for a PhD focussing on East Lancashire accents. Despite the fact that Lancashire has always been very rich in local accents and dialects, there has not been much recent research into Lancashire accents, so I'm doing my best to put that right! If you were "born and bred" in Accrington, and have lived all your life in the local area, or know someone who fits that description, then you might be able to help.

My research involves talking to people in various towns in East Lancashire - so far I have visited Accrington, Rawtenstall, Ramsbottom and I'm also planning to go further south into Bury and on into Manchester (to compare Mancunian accents with more Lancashire accents). Although I've talked to one or two people in those places, I'm always looking for other people who are willing to volunteer.

I would like to talk to pairs of people (friends, neighbours, relatives etc) who can discuss their local town and what it's like to live there. There is also a list of words and sentences to read out, which allows me to compare how the same word is said in different places. Although I call it an "interview" it's more of an informal chat. This can take up to about an hour (with an extra 10-15 minutes for the individual reading list) although you're welcome to talk for longer if you want to - I'm from Cumbria myself, so I'm sure you'll be able to tell me all sorts of things to do with Lancashire life that I don't know! I make tape-recordings of the interviews so that I can listen back to them and pick out certain words or phrases. However, I keep my volunteers anonymous, so that when I write up my research I will be preserving your privacy.

Ideally would like to talk to people in two broad age groups: "older" (roughly aged 60+) and "younger" (roughly aged 20-30). However, I would be happy to talk to anyone who thinks they'd be able to help.

You can read more information about my research on this page: Will Barras | Research | Lancashire Accents Research Project. If you think you might be able to help then you can contact me by sending me a message on this forum; there are also contact details on the webpage linked to above.

Also, if you have noticed any interesting differences in accents in East Lancashire that you think I should know about, feel free to post them on this thread.

Thanks in advance for any help you can give me.
Will

15-09-2008, 10:25	#1
Will_Barras Junior Member+ Join Date: Sep 2008 Posts: 5 Liked: 0 times Rep Power: 0	Can you help with a survey of local accents? Hi I am carrying out research for a PhD focussing on East Lancashire accents. Despite the fact that Lancashire has always been very rich in local accents and dialects, there has not been much recent research into Lancashire accents, so I'm doing my best to put that right! If you were "born and bred" in Accrington, and have lived all your life in the local area, or know someone who fits that description, then you might be able to help. My research involves talking to people in various towns in East Lancashire - so far I have visited Accrington, Rawtenstall, Ramsbottom and I'm also planning to go further south into Bury and on into Manchester (to compare Mancunian accents with more Lancashire accents). Although I've talked to one or two people in those places, I'm always looking for other people who are willing to volunteer. I would like to talk to pairs of people (friends, neighbours, relatives etc) who can discuss their local town and what it's like to live there. There is also a list of words and sentences to read out, which allows me to compare how the same word is said in different places. Although I call it an "interview" it's more of an informal chat. This can take up to about an hour (with an extra 10-15 minutes for the individual reading list) although you're welcome to talk for longer if you want to - I'm from Cumbria myself, so I'm sure you'll be able to tell me all sorts of things to do with Lancashire life that I don't know! I make tape-recordings of the interviews so that I can listen back to them and pick out certain words or phrases. However, I keep my volunteers anonymous, so that when I write up my research I will be preserving your privacy. Ideally would like to talk to people in two broad age groups: "older" (roughly aged 60+) and "younger" (roughly aged 20-30). However, I would be happy to talk to anyone who thinks they'd be able to help. You can read more information about my research on this page: Will Barras \| Research \| Lancashire Accents Research Project. If you think you might be able to help then you can contact me by sending me a message on this forum; there are also contact details on the webpage linked to above. Also, if you have noticed any interesting differences in accents in East Lancashire that you think I should know about, feel free to post them on this thread. Thanks in advance for any help you can give me. Will