The following notes may perhaps serve to give some slight indication
as to pronunciation, &c., but without the aid of Glossic it is
impossible accurately to reproduce the actual sounds.
* * * * *
_A_ is usually lengthened out or broadened in some way or other.
Thus in _hazon_ and _haslet_ it would be pronounced somewhat as in
_baa_, this being no doubt what the _Monthly Magazine_ means by
saying that '_a_ is always pronounced as _r_.'
When _a_ is immediately followed by _r_, as in _ha'sh_, harsh,
and _paa'son_, parson, the result is that the _r_ appears to be
altogether dropped out of the word.
_Aw_ final always becomes _aa_, as _laa_, law, _draa_, draw, _thaa_,
thaw.
In _saace_, sauce, _au_ becomes _aa_.
_A_ is also broadened into _eä_.
Thus _garden_, _gate_, and _name_ become _geärden_, _geät_, and
_neäme_.
These examples may, however, be also pronounced in other ways, even
in the same sentence, as _garne_, _yăt_, and _naayme_, or often
_ne-um_.
_A_ is often softened in various ways.
Thus, _thrash_ becomes _draish_, and _wash_, _waish_ or _weish_.
It is often changed to _o_, as _zot_, sat, _ronk_, rank.
Also to _e_, as _piller_, pillar, _refter_, rafter, _pert_, part.
In _vur_, far, the sound is _u_ rather than _e_.
The North Wilts version of the _Song of Solomon_ gives frequent
examples of _oi_ for _ai_, as _choir_, chair, _foir_, fair, _moyden_,
maiden; but this is probably an imported letter-change, _chayer_ or
_chai-yer_, for instance, being nearer the true sound.
* * * * *
_E_ is often broadened into _aa_ or _aay_.
Thus _they_ gives us _thaay_, and _break_, _braayke_.
In _marchant_, merchant, and _zartin_, certain, the sound given is as
in _tar_.
_Ei_ takes the sound of _a_ in _fate_, as _desave_, deceive.
_Left_, _smell_, and _kettle_ become _lift_, _smill_, and _kiddle_.
In South Wilts _ĕ_ in such words as _egg_ or _leg_ becomes _a_
or _ai_, giving us _aig_ and _laig_ or _lăg_. Thus a Heytesbury
Rosalind would render--
'O Jupiter, how weary are my legs!'
by 'O-my-poor-vit'n-laigs!' uttered all in one gasp. In N. Wilts the
_e_ in these words is not perceptibly so altered.
The _ĕ_ in such words as _linnet_ usually takes the _u_ sound,
giving us _linnut_. In _yes_ it is lengthened out into _eece_ in S.
Wilts, and in N. Wilts into _cez_.
Long _e_ or _ee_ is shortened into _i_, as _ship_, sheep, _kippur_,
keeper, _wick_, week, _fit_, _vit_, feet, the latter word sometimes
being also pronounced as _ve-ut_.
_Heat_ becomes _het_, and _heater_ (a flat-iron), _hetter_; while
_hear_ is usually _hire_ in N. Wilts.
* * * * *
_I_ short becomes _e_, as _breng_, bring, _drenk_, drink, _zet_, sit,
_pegs_, pigs.
Occasionally it is lengthened into _ee_, as _leetle_, little.
In _hit_ (_pret._) and _if_ it usually takes the sound of _u_, as
_hut_ and _uf_ or _uv_; but _hit_ in the present tense is _het_, and
_if_ is often sounded as _ef_ in N. Wilts.
At the beginning of a word, _im_, _in_, and _un_ usually become _on_,
as _onpossible_, _ondacent_, _oncommon_.
In present participles the sound given varies between _un'_, _en'_,
and _in'_, the _g_ almost invariably being dropped.
* * * * *
_O_ very commonly becomes _a_, as _archet_, orchard, _tharn_, thorn,
_vant_, font, _vram_, from, _carn_, corn.
Quite as commonly it takes the _au_ or _aw_ sound, as _hawp_, hope,
_aupen_, open, _cawls_, coals, _hawle_, hole, _smawk_, smoke.
In such words as _cold_ and _four_, the sound is _ow_ rather than
_aw_, thus giving us _cowld_ and _vower_.
_Moss_ in S. Wilts sometimes takes the long _e_, becoming _mēsh_,
while in N. Wilts it would merely be _mawss_.
_Know_ becomes either _knaw_ or _kneow_.
_O_ is often sounded _oo_, as _goold_, gold, _cwoort_, court,
_mwoor'n_ or _moor'n_, more than, _poorch_, porch.
_Oo_ is sometimes shortened into _ŭ_, as _shut_, shoot, _sut_,
soot, _tuk_, took.
Very commonly the sound given to _ō_ is _wo_ or _woä_. Thus we
get _twoad_, toad (sometimes _twoad_), _pwoast_, post, _bwoy_, boy,
_rwoäs_, a rose, _bwoän_, bone, _spwoke_ (but more usually _spawk_ in
N. Wilts), spoke.
_Oa_ at the beginning of a word becomes _wu_, as _wuts_, oats.
_Oi_ in _noise_ and _rejoice_ is sounded as _ai_.
In _ointment_ and _spoil_ it becomes _ī_ or _wī_, giving
_intment_ and _spile_ or _spwile_.
_Ow_ takes the sound of _er_ or _y_, in some form or other, as
_vollur_ and _volly_, to follow, _winder_ and _windy_, a window.
* * * * *
_U_ in such words as _fusty_ and _dust_ becomes _ow_, as _fowsty_,
_dowst_.
* * * * *
_D_ when preceded by a liquid is often dropped, as _veel'_, field,
_vine_, to find, _dreshol_, threshold, _groun'_, ground.
Conversely, it is added to such words as _miller_, _gown_, _swoon_,
which become _millard_, _gownd_, and _zownd_.
In _orchard_ and _Richard_ the _d_ becomes _t_, giving us _archet_
and _Richut_ or _Rich't_; while occasionally _t_ becomes _d_,
_linnet_ being formerly (but not now) thus pronounced as _linnard_ in
N. Wilts.
_D_ is dropped when it follows _n_, in such cases as _Swinnun_,
Swindon, _Lunnon_, London.
* * * * *
_Su_ sometimes becomes _Shu_, as _Shusan_, Susan, _shoot_, suit,
_shewut_, suet, _shower_, sure, _Shukey_, Sukey.
* * * * *
_Y_ is used as an aspirate in _yacker_, acre, _yarm_, arm, _yeppern_,
apron, _yerriwig_, earwig. It takes the place of _h_ in _yeäd_, head,
_yeldin_, a hilding; and of _g_ in _yeat_ or _yat_, a gate.
* * * * *
Consonants are often substituted, _chimney_ becoming _chimbley_ or
_chimley_, _parsnip_, _pasmet_, and _turnip_, _turmut_.
* * * * *
Transpositions are very common, many of them of course representing
the older form of a word. For examples we may take _ax_, to ask,
_apern_, apron, _girt_, great, _wopse_, wasp, _aps_, the aspen,
_claps_, to clasp, _cruds_, curds, _childern_, children.
* * * * *
_F_ almost invariably becomes _v_, as _vlower_, flower, _vox_, fox,
_vur_, far, _vall_, fall, _vlick_, flick, _vant_, font.
In such words as _afterclaps_ and _afternoon_ it is not sounded at
all.
* * * * *
_L_ is not sounded in such words as _amwoast_, almost, and
_a'mighty_, almighty.
* * * * *
_N_ final is occasionally dropped, as _lime-kill_, lime-kiln.
* * * * *
_P_, _F_, _V_, and _B_ are frequently interchanged, _brevet_ and
_privet_ being forms of the same word, while to _bag_ peas becomes
_fag_ or _vag_ when applied to wheat.
* * * * *
_R_ is slurred over in many cases, as _e'ath_, earth, _foc'd_,
forced, _ma'sh_, marsh, _vwo'th_, forth.
It often assumes an excrescent _d_ or _t_, as _cavaltry_, horsemen,
_crockerty_, crockery, _scholard_, scholar.
* * * * *
_H_ has the sound of _wh_ in _whoam_, home. This word, however, as
Mr. Slow points out in the Preface to his Glossary--
_Bob._ Drat if I dwon't goo _wom_ to marrer.
_Zam._ Wat's evir waant ta go _wimm_ var.
_Bob._ Why, they tell's I as ow Bet Stingymir is gwain to be
caal'd _whoam_ to Jim Spritely on Zundy.--
is variously pronounced as _wom_, _wimm_, and _whoam_, even in the
same village.
As stated at page 72, the cockney misuse of _h_ is essentially
foreign to our dialect. It was virtually unknown sixty or seventy
years ago, and even so late as thirty years back was still unusual
in our villages. _Hunked_ for _unked_ is almost the only instance to
be found in Akerman, for instance. But the plague is already fast
spreading, and we fear that the Catullus of the next generation will
have to liken the Hodge of his day to the Arrius (the Roman 'Arry) of
old:--
C_h_ommoda dicebat, si quando commoda vellet
Dicere, et _h_insidias Arrius insidias ...
Ionios fluctus, postquam illuc Arrius isset,
Iam non Ionios esse, sed _H_ionios.
Touching this point the Rev. G. Hill writes us from Harnham Vicarage
as follows:--'I should like to bear out what you say with regard to
the use of the letter _h_ in South-West Wilts. When I lived in these
parts twenty years ago, its omission was not I think frequent. The
putting it where it ought not to be did not I think exist. I find
now that the _h_ is invariably dropped, and occasionally added, the
latter habit being that of the better educated.'
_H_ becomes _y_ in _yeäd_, head.
* * * * *
_K_ is often converted into _t_, as _ast_, to ask, _mast_, a mask,
_bleat_, bleak.
_T_ is conversely often replaced by _k_, as _masking_,
acorn-gathering, from 'mast,' while sleet becomes _sleek_, and pant,
_pank_.
* * * * *
_S_ usually takes the sound of _z_, as _zee_, to see, _zaa_, a saw,
_zowl_, soul, _zaat_ or _zate_, soft, _zider_, cider, _zound_, to
swoon.
* * * * *
_Thr_ usually becomes _dr_, as _dree_, three, _droo_, through,
_draish_, to thrash.
In _afurst_, athirst, and _fust_, thirst, we still retain a very
ancient characteristic of Southern English.
_T_ is always dropped in such words as _kept_ and _slept_, which
become _kep'_ and _slep'_.
* * * * *
Liquids sometimes drop the next letter, as _kill_, kiln; but more
usually take an excrescent _t_ or _d_, as _varmint_, vermin,
_steart_, a steer, _gownd_, gown.
* * * * *
_W_ as an initial is generally dropped in N. Wilts in such cases as
_'oont_, a want or mole, _'ooman_, woman, _'ood_, wood.
Occasionally in S. Wilts it takes the aspirate, _'ood_ being then
_hood_.
* * * * *
Final _g_ is always dropped in the present participle, as _singin'_,
_livin'_, living; also in nouns of more than one syllable which end
in _ing_. It is, however, retained in monosyllabic nouns and verbs,
such as _ring_ and _sing_.
* * * * *
_Pre_ becomes _pur_, as _purtend_, pretend, _purserve_, preserve.
* * * * *
Sometimes a monosyllabic word will be pronounced as a dissyllable,
as we have already mentioned, _ne-um_, _ve-ut_, _ve-us_, and _ke-up_
being used concurrently with _naayme_, _vit_ or _fit_, _veäce_, and
_kip_ or _keep_.
* * * * *
The prefix _a_ is always used with the present participle, as
_a-gwain'_, going, _a-zettin' up_, sitting up.
* * * * *
The article _an_ is never used, a doing duty on all occasions, as
'Gie I a apple, veyther.'
* * * * *
Plurals will be found to be dealt with in the _Glossary_ itself,
under _En_ and _Plurals_.
* * * * *
Pronouns will also be found grouped together under _Pronouns_.
* * * * *
_As_ is used for _who_, _which_, and _that_.
* * * * *
Active verbs govern the nominative case.
* * * * *
Verbs do not agree with their nominative, either in number or person.
* * * * *
The periphrastic tenses are often used in S. Wilts, as 'I do mind
un,' but in N. Wilts the rule is to employ the simple tenses instead,
merely altering the person, as 'I minds un.' In S. Wilts you might
also say 'It be a vine night,' whereas in N. Wilts ''Tes a vine
night' would be more correct.
* * * * *
In conclusion we would mention that we hope in the course of the next
year or two to be able to deal with the grammatical and phonological
sides of our Dialect in a somewhat more adequate manner than it has
been possible to do on the present occasion.