Digital Collections: Historic English Dialect Recordings Archive Digitised for the Public

From the University of Leeds:

Since the 1950s, the University has been home to an extensive library of English dialects – and now the historic archive is accessible to the public.

During the 1950s and 60s, fieldworkers from the University travelled across the country to record the language and lifestyles of speakers across England, known as the Survey of English Dialects. It remains the most famous and complete survey of dialects in England and the findings have been preserved in the University’s Leeds Archive of Vernacular Culture, a unique and nationally important multi-media archive.

Now, the recordings can be heard by the public with the launch of the University’s Dialect and Heritage ‘In Your Words’ Project, led by the School of English and supported by the National Lottery Heritage Fund.

It is the culmination of several years’ work which included digitising the entire collection of recordings and building a dedicated website to share them with the public; digitising printed items, manuscripts and over 2,000 photographs relating to the survey’s locations and participants, and creating a pop-up dialect kit, workshop and exhibition materials.

It is the culmination of several years’ work which included digitising the entire collection of recordings and building a dedicated website to share them with the public; digitising printed items, manuscripts and over 2,000 photographs relating to the survey’s locations and participants, and creating a pop-up dialect kit, workshop and exhibition materials.

Learn More, Read the Complete Announcement

Direct to Dialect and Heritage ‘In Your Words’ Project

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