I WORK in the English department at Sunderland University and am researching the accents and dialects of the North-East.

I'm fascinated by the whole issue of where people draw their personal dialect boundaries. For example, do people from Darlington sound like people from Durham, or is the Darlington dialect closer to the way people from Middlesbrough speak?

I'm producing a perceptual dialect map of the North-East and am looking for volunteers who'd be willing to spend about 15 minutes completing a questionnaire.

If you would like a paper version of the questionnaire, just write to me at The Priestman Building, Green Terrace, University of Sunderland, Sunderland SR1 3PZ.

Or email me at mike.pearce@sunderland.ac.uk.

Alternatively, the questionnaire is available for you to complete online at http://drmichaelpearce.

blogspot.com/ Everyone who participates will be entered into a draw with a prize of store tokens.

Dr Michael Pearce, Senior Lecturer in English Language, Department of English, School of Arts, Design, Media and Culture, University of Sunderland.