Lancashire Voices past and present: The changing dialect heritage of Lancaster and Morecambe

This project will explore the impact of very large social changes on local dialect and speech. In partnership with Lancashire Archives, we will use recordings from speakers born over a time-span of 120 years to explore the linguistic heritage and changing dialect of the Lancaster and Morecambe region. Lancaster and Morecambe are geographically close, similar-sized settlements which have very different social and economic histories. While Lancaster continues to gentrify, Morecambe is among the most deprived communities in the UK. We will use archival and contemporary recordings to examine the impact of these socioeconomic factors on the dialect of ordinary working people over time. In doing so, we will conduct the first in-depth dialect study in this region and create a contemporary addition to the Lancashire Sound Archives for future generations to enjoy.