"English dialects are the result of 1,500 years of linguistic and cultural development. The Dialects of England, Second Edition celebrates the rich variety of the regional and social dialects of English in all its forms - ancient and modern. In an approachable and non-technical style, Trudgill outlines dialect history and geography and describes and delights in the diversity of vocabulary, accent, grammar and literature to be found in the different regions of England. The book deplores the trend towards linguistic uniformity urged on us by the self-appointed guardians of the purity of the English language. " "In this new, revised and extended edition, the author now includes phonetic symbols along with orthographic representations of speech sounds. "--Jacket.