Current issues

Though NfldE is relatively well described by comparison to CanE, much linguistic work remains to be done. Among the research needed is the investigation of vowel changes in contemporary varieties, and the degree to which these are influenced by ongoing change on the Canadian mainland. Further, the remarkably conservative nature of certain varieties of NfldE has much to offer from a socio-historical perspective, in terms of insights into the structure of earlier vernacular regional varieties spoken in southwest Britain and southeastern Ireland – varieties that also played a major role in the early British colonization of America and the Caribbean.