Published: May 18, 2020
Written by: Mike Pearce
Most people with anything more than a passing acquaintance with our region – the territory lying between the Scottish borders in the north, the Pennines in the west and the River Tees in the south – are well aware that it is perhaps the most distinct and separate part of England. Ever since moving here 16 years ago I have – as a sociolinguist with a professional interest in such matters – been fascinated by the English spoken here, and its role in symbolizing this unique North East identity.
My research has ranged widely, encompassing the folk-linguistics of the region, in particular its perceptual dialectology, and also the ways in which the traces of linguistic forms and functions which have been lost to more mainstream varieties of English survive (and thrive) here. I have also studied the use of regional dialects on signs and artifacts in the public domain and researched the origins of the region’s ethnonyms, including well-known ones like Mackem and Geordie, but also more unusual ones, such as Sand-dancer and Monkey Hanger.
All my research is archived on my website: Dialectological Landscapes of North East England. The site is currently being updated to include my most recent work on the morphology and syntax of North East English, which when complete will be the most comprehensive grammar of the dialect ever produced.
Mike Pearce joined the University of Sunderland in 2004 and researches mainly in the fields of sociolinguistics, dialectology and corpus linguistics. He is on the editorial board of English Today (Cambridge University Press). Mike can be contacted at mike.pearce@sunderland.ac.uk.