| PAGES |
| INTRODUCTION | xix |
| CHAPTER I |
| DIALECT SPEAKERS |
| Decay of pure Dialect | 1 |
| Stories concerning Yorkshire people, &c. | 2-5 |
| CHAPTER II |
| RICH AND EXPRESSIVE VOCABULARY |
| Variety of terms for expressing one and the same idea; names for a fool, the smallest pig of a litter, the woodpecker, the foxglove, a stream of water, a girl | 6-9 |
| Forceful and descriptive dialect words difficult to translate into standard English | 10-18 |
| Appropriate compound words | 18-19 |
| Fine shades of meaning expressed by slightly different words | 19-20 |
| CHAPTER III |
| SPECIMENS OF DIALECT |
| Specimens of dialect sentences | 21-24 |
| Misunderstandings between dialect speakers and speakers of standard English | 25 |
| An old Dame’s School | 26-27 |
| CHAPTER IV |
| CORRUPTIONS AND POPULAR ETYMOLOGIES |
| Some apparent corruptions shown to be old forms | 28 |
| Corruptions of Latin and French phrases such as: nolens volens, Pater noster, rendezvous, &c. | 29-30 |
| Standard English words used in the wrong places, e.g. sentiment for sediment, profligate for prolific, &c. | 30-31 |
| Misplaced suffixes | 32 |
| Popular etymologies | 33-35 |
| Corruptions of standard English words | 35 |
| CHAPTER V |
| ARCHAIC LITERARY WORDS IN THE DIALECTS |
| Old words from early literature surviving in the dialects | 36-37 |
| Substantives | 37-43 |
| Adjectives | 43-46 |
| Verbs | 47-53 |
| Archaic words from the Authorized Version of the Bible | 53-54 |
| Archaic words from Shakespeare | 54-61 |
| Dialect words in Johnson’s Dictionary | 61-67 |
| Dialect words supply meanings to difficult forms in Old and Middle English literature | 67-71 |
| Old words and forms preserved in surnames | 72-76 |
| CHAPTER VI |
| ARCHAIC MEANINGS AND FORMS IN THE DIALECTS |
| Old meanings of standard English words surviving in the dialects | 77-84 |
| Historical forms surviving in the dialects | 84-86 |
| Old grammatical distinctions preserved in the dialects | 87-89 |
| Regular forms in the dialects compared with irregularities in standard English | 90-91 |
| Doublets, such as: challenge beside the dialect form callenge, Christmas | 302-304 |
| Childermas Day | 304 |
| Feasts and fairs | 305-306 |
| CHAPTER XVIII |
| GAMES |
| Historical importance of children’s games | 307 |
| Girls’ singing-games | 308 |
| The game of marbles | 309 |
| Children’s rhymes addressed to birds and insects | 310-311 |
| CHAPTER XIX |
| WEATHER LORE AND FARMING TERMS |
| The weather as a topic for conversation | 312-313 |
| Signs of rain and of fine weather | 314-317 |
| Prophecies concerning seasons and crops | 317-318 |
| Thomas Tusser and his ‘good husbandlie lessons’ | 318-320 |
| Decay of old farming customs | 321 |
| Harvest customs | 322-324 |
| Names for hay-cocks, labourers’ meals, &c. | 325 |
| Calls to animals | 326 |
| Sheep-scoring numerals | 327 |
| CHAPTER XX |
| WEIGHTS AND MEASURES |
| Varieties of weights and measures in the dialects | 328-331 |
| CHAPTER XXI |
| PLANT NAMES AND NAMES OF ANIMALS |
| Dialect plant names | 332 |
| Biblical names | 333-335 |
| Old English names | 336 |
| Miscellaneous names | 337-339 |
| Personal names for animals | 339-341 |
