CHAPTER XII.
A FEW SPECIMENS There is a great wealth of modern dialect literature, as indicated by the lists in the _E.D.D._ Some of these dialect books are poor and inaccurate, and they are frequently spelt according to no intelligible phonetic principles.

Yet it not unfrequently happens, as in the works of Sir Walter Scott and Charles Dickens, that the dialectal scraps indicate the pronunciation with tolerable fidelity, which is more than can be said of such portions of their works as are given in the normal spelling.

It is curious to notice that writers in dialect are usually, from a phonetic point of view, more careful and consistent in their modes of indicating sounds than are the rest of us.

Sometimes their spelling is, accordingly, very good.

Those who are interested in this subject may follow up this hint with advantage.
It is impossible to mention even a tithe of the names of our better dialect writers.