A second year PhD student at Edge Hill University is seeking to study the way English is spoken in the island.

Kat McCooey-Heap is studying the Manx English dialect, its words and phrases and what sets this apart from the English spoken in other areas of the British Isles.

Mrs McCooey-Heap has explained how her research is different from previous examination of the Manx dialect.

She said: ’A lot of research is on the Gaelic origins of Manx English or the accent.

’I’m looking at words and sentence structure, when people study language they describe it, the words and phrases.

’I would like to try to understand what these phrases mean to people, how it truly distinguishes the local people.’

Mrs McCooey-Heap is seeking Manx-born people over the age of 18 to take part in her study.

She is looking for about 30 residents, men and women, young and old so she can also examine the dialect differences between ages and genders.

She pointed out this is important for her to understand as the difference between generations can help reflect other area of research she may not yet have considered.

The research will be conducted in two forms, first those wishing to take part will be given a questionnaire to complete and later there will be a sit-down interview, which can be done with others present.

She is hoping that the pride people have in their island will inspire volunteers to come forward and hopes to present her findings in the island following the completion of her studies in September 2019.

Mrs McCooey-Heap first came to the island on holiday in 2007 and says she loves the island and the people.

She told The Manx Independent how ’amazing it is that a small island has such a distinct and strong identity.’

It is this strong identity which she wishes to further understand, recognising the differences between natives and also with ’come overs’.

After completing her BA course in English Language at Edge Hill University, Mrs McCooey-Heap wrote her MA dissertation, an earlier study into Manx language, which she titled ’There’s a boat in the morning.’

To take part, contact [email protected] or write to Mrs McCooey-Heap, Dept of English, History and Creative Writing, Edge Hill University, Ormskirk, Lancashire, L39 4QP. Include a telephone number.