Do you call it April Fools’ Day, April Noddy Day or April Gowkin’ Day? Is the season before winter the Autumn, the Fall or the Backend? When you’re out of breath, do you pant, puff, pank, tift or thock?

The words we use (and the sounds we make when we use them) are more often than not a product of where we live, and An Atlas of English Dialects shows the reader where certain words, sounds and phrases originate from and why usage varies from region to region. The Atlas includes:

• ninety maps showing the regions in which particular words, phrases and pronunciations are used


• detailed commentaries explaining points of linguistic, historical and cultural interest


• explanations of linguistic terms, a bibliography for further reading and a full index.

Based on the Survey of English Dialects – the most extensive record of English regional speech – the Atlas is a fascinating and informative guide to the diversity of the English Language in England.