This volume focuses on the closely allied yet differing linguistic varieties of Birmingham and its immediate neighbour to the west, the industrial heartland of the Black Country. Both of these areas rose to economic prominence and success during the Industrial Revolution, and both have suffered economically and socially as a result of post-war industrial decline. The industrial heritage of both areas has meant that tight knit and socially homogeneous individual areas in each region have demonstrated in many respects little linguistic change over time, and have continued to exhibit linguistic features, especially morphological constructions, peculiar to these areas or now restricted to these areas. At the same time, immigration from other areas of the British Isles over time, from Commonwealth countries and later from EU member states, together with increased social mobility, have meant that newly developing structures and more widespread UK linguistic phenomena have spread into these varieties. This volume provides a clear description of the structure of the linguistic varieties spoken in the two areas. Following the structure of the Dialects of English volumes, it provides:*A comprehensive overview of the phonological, grammatical and lexical structure of both varieties, as well as similarities between the two varieties and distinguishing features.*Thorough discussion of the historical and social factors behind the development of the varieties and the stigma attached to these varieties. *Discussion of the unusual situation of the Black Country as an area undefined in geographical and administrative terms, existing only in the imagination. *Examples of the variety from native speakers of differing ethnicities, ages and genders.*An annotated bibliography for further consultation.

"The west midlands region ... embraces the counties of Herefordshire, Staffordshire, Shropshire, Warwickshire, Worcestershire, and the former West Midlands County."--P. xiv.

This timely and fascinating book illustrates how applied geography can contribute in a multitude of ways to assist policy processes, evaluate public programs, enhance business decisions, and contribute to formulating solutions for community-level problems. The book showcases studies by applied geographers from across the globe collaborating with the public sector, businesses, NGOs and communities to demonstrate how geography Ð with its space and place perspective and its explicitly spatial methods and tools Ð has been employed to address significant real-world issues. The 20 case studies have been conducted at a variety of levels of scale and situational contexts, and employ a range of quantitative and qualitative approaches including spatial and statistical modelling, Geographic Information Systems (GIS), impact analysis and action research. This enlightening and informative book will prove an invaluable reference tool for academics, students and practitioners with a specific interest in applied geography and spatial analysis.

Praise and Reviews `The book might well have been entitled 'The Romance of Transport'. It will appeal to many people including those who are not interested in transport!` JOURNAL OF THE INSTITUTE OF TRAFFIC ADMINISTRATIONThe long-awaited new edition of this best-selling textbook, provides an informal overview of the transport industry, including all the major changes of the past 10 years. Ideal for undergraduates and students taking professional transport qualifications as well as for careers advisors interested in the employment opportunities, it will also appeal to general readers who want to discover what transport is all about.

This Research Agenda provides both a state-of-the-art review of existing research on city-regions, and expands on new research approaches. Expert contributors from across the globe explore key areas for reading city-regions, including: trade, services and people, regional differentiation, big data, global production networks, governance and policy, and regional development. The book focuses on developing a more integrated and systematic approach to reading city-regions as part of regeneration economics, identifying conceptual and methodological developments in this field of study.