Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1929-07-28
y. S. DIALECT ATLAS TO BE MADE
BY SCHOLARS OF MANY KINDS
Ten Years Expected to Be Required for
Work Conference at Yale Next
Month Will Plan.

Plans for The making Of a dialect
atlas OF the United States, "one OF the
largest undertakings that American
scholarship has ever attempted" were
announced yesterday by the American
Council of Learned Societies, which will
hold a conference at Yale University
on August and ) to arrange for the
project.
Leading American scholars Of many
universities, including students Of dia-
lect. photographers and phoneticians,
AnglieiStS, GermanistS. Romance schol-
ars and specialists in general lingutstics,
1t is proposed. will collaborate in COM
piling the atlas. The work, 1t Is ex-
pected. will last about 10 years.
While immediate attention will be d.
rected to English dialects in this coun-
try, the scope will eventually embrace
the English language in all parts OF
North America. and also the foreign
language colonies. such as the Penn
sylvariia Dutch, French In Canada and
Louisiana. Spanish in the Southwest
and Scandinavian In Minnesota and
Dakota. according to the announcement
bv Or. Waldo G. Lelad, permanent sec
rotary of the council.
Dialect as History.
The development Of habits Of speech
will be studied in relation to the MS
tory of the settlement Of the country
Main dialectic divisions will be traced
historically and geographically. Many
thousands OF phonetic speech RECORDS
will be compiled in 500 strategic CEN
tiers.
The material will form the basis Tor
dialectic maps and published analyses
These permanent records VIII mo
many important uses in American ecu.
cation and in the understanding OF
nhonetic tendencies and developments
in this country, 1t Is asserted by schoi-
ars connected with the prolect.
Among pioneer surveys OF AmercAn
speech which will serve as the corner
stone of the new inclusive UNDERTAKING.
t%a roost noteworthy are the archives
Of the American Dialect Society, the
material collected by the late Prof..
George Hempel Of Stanford University
NOW in the possession Of Prof. Wnilam
A Craipie of the University OF chicago
and historical material on the migra-
tions of the early settlers in the NORA.
ries of many institutions throughout
the country. .o,ot;o.,
The Modern Language ASSOCIATION
ana the Linguistic Society Oh A,e.on
Will co-operate with the American
Council of Learned Societies IN prepar-
irv the speech atlas. Prof. Edgar n.
Stnrtevant of Yale University, director
- the Linguistic Institute ana o! tne
ireuistic society, Is in charge OF tne
RESERVATIONS for the conference at 1Ae'
"There will be present at the comet
once men who have passed then nNe.
In the study of the English langu1gs;
prof, Hans Kurath OF ONO stae S I'm
versity. an authority on American 0'~
Men v,ill be there who know the
,reat dialect atlas of France and others
Gho have an intimate knowleoee Oh
s;nnilar undertakings in Germany. Maiy,
Snsir and switzerland. There VIII De
sr"cialisfs on general problems con.
nrcted with the nature and history OF
hwman Hpeech, as well as students Oh
onr racial, social and political MS
tory"
"R's" Mark Midwesterners.
Not many would mistake q Chica-
goan for a New Yorker, or Iaporer loI
An actor or q college professor when
listening to q phonograpn RECORD VI
their speech, DR.. kuratn poihVeu SaU
In discussing American speech V"'i
tions. .Sa.d
"sounds all his RS many rev
yorker does not. The former uses one
and the same vowel in half and nat
some Bostonians and Virginians 90 not.
The former talks in an even orone'
Fasteners and Southerners nave
more musical intonation.
"HifYerences NAV be classified within
much narrower limits by people who
have many contacts. An alert Chicago
LAWYER viii know whether the man ne
is talking to is from the southern, cen
trail or northern part Of the state. A