Norfolk Dialect

Several books have set out to describe the features of the speech found in Norfolk and its neighbour, Suffolk. Norfolk's variety is probably the better known of the two, and it is often imitated badly by people who assume it is simply a particular tune of voice or a handful of distinctive words.

This study follows the county's linguistic story from the period before the Romans arrived, through the effects of the Saxon and Viking settlements, to the point where a separate dialect took shape within the English language as it developed. It places Norfolk beside Suffolk, showing where the two overlap and where they part ways, and explains that their shared features owe as much to natural barriers such as the Fens as to simple closeness on the map.

Later chapters examine how the dialect's vocabulary and grammar have developed, how these changes mirror patterns found in other regional forms of English, and where the county's place-names come from and how they are pronounced.

The author's central argument is that Norfolk speech is a legitimate form of English with its own history, structure and character. Because it deserves to be understood and respected, the book contends, it should be preserved and valued rather than allowed to disappear.