Recent Studies in Victorian English Literary Dialect and its Linguistic Connections

Literary as well as linguistic scholars study dialect use in Victorian poetry and prose: the linguistic group generally examines the specifics of language use and tries to map its occurrence with a view to understanding its wider socio‐linguistic significance. Literary‐inclined research is interested in the aesthetic effects and affective power of local dialect – why a writer would choose to use it if they could as easily write in national English. The 19th century was a rich period for dialect writers and linguists alike. Literary English dialect – that is, the use of local language in narrative, dramatic or lyrical textual contexts – proved adaptable and expressive for a wide range of Victorian writers from Wordsworth to Dickens, and could transcend geographical and sociological boundaries. Recent studies have attempted to make more mutually helpful connections between linguistic and literary research, taking account of the history of both while encouraging wider debate across the two disciplines and their numerous sub‐categories. In the 21st century, diminishing linguistic diversity is a cross‐disciplinary concern for writers and researchers, as it relates to greater, global cultural shifts and even to biodiversity loss – losing the name for a thing might result in losing the thing. This essay picks out recent studies that seek to address these connections between linguistic and literary interests, and that provide scope for further exploration, linking research into Victorian attitudes to their cultural futures with our own.