A. J. Ellis As Dialectologist: A Reassessment

Graham Shorrocks
Memorial University of Newfoundland
Summary

Alexander John Ellis (1814–1890) occupies an important position within the history of phonetics and that of the spelling reform movement. In this article, it is argued that Ellis’s standing as a dialectologist might profitably be reassessed. All too often in the past, Ellis’s work in the field of dialectology has been adversely criticized, underestimated or even completely ignored. Yet Ellis’s dialectological work was pioneering in many ways: he produced the first large-scale survey of English dialects, rejecting printed sources and using the direct method in part; invented an intricate system of phonetic notation (the palaeotype); produced a detailed classification of the English dialects; and illustrated his classification by means of two summary maps complete with isoglosses. A number of scholars have reported in recent years that the results of their investigations accord well with Ellis’s findings. These facts are sufficient to warrant a reassessment of Ellis’s position in the history of English dialectology, and, more generally, within the history of linguistic geography as a whole.

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