Mackems, Geordiesandram-raiders: documenting regional variation in historical dictionaries

Abstract

The article examines the challenges encountered by historical dictionaries in documenting regional variation in lexis, and in recording and describing the association of lexical items with particular regionally based linguistic identities. After a short section looking at general issues in labelling the regional distribution and provenance of lexical items in historical dictionaries, it looks in detail at the OED's treatment of three test cases: Mackem 'person from Sunderland or Wearside'; pet as a term of endearment or form of address; and ram-raid and related terms. All three have some connection with the north-east of England, but this differs greatly in each case: ram-raid (probably) originated in Tyneside, but there is now little awareness of this either inside or outside the north-east; pet did not originate in the north-east, nor is it restricted to use in this region, but it is widely recognized as a marker of north-eastern (or sometimes specifically Tyneside) linguistic identity; Mackem has little currency outside the north-east, but within the region it has some importance in signalling a distinctive Sunderland or Wearside linguistic and cultural identity. The article places these different lexical histories in the context of current research on enregisterment of lexis, and examines how definitions, labelling, descriptive notes and carefully selected quotation evidence can all be pressed into service in attempting to present nuanced accounts of the histories of such lexical items in a historical dictionary.