runs from the River Severn to the Wash – this definition covers not just the entire North of England (which Wells divides into "Far North" and "Middle North") but also most of the Midlands, including the distinctive Brummie (Birmingham) and Black Country dialects. In historical linguistics, the dividing line between North and the North-midlands (an area of mixed northumbrian-mercian dialects including the lancashire, the west riding and the peak district dialects) runs from the River Ribble or River Lune on the west coast to the River Humber on the east coast. The dialects of this region are descended from the Northumbrian dialect of Old English rather than Mercian or other Anglo-Saxon dialects. In a very early study of English dialects, Alexander J Ellis defined the border between the north and the midlands as that where the word house is pronounced with to the north (as also in Scots). Although well-suited to historical analysis, this line does not reflect contemporary language; this line divides Lancashire and Yorkshire in half and few would today consider Manchester or Leeds, both located south of the line, as part of the Midlands. An alternative approach is to define the linguistic North as equivalent to the cultural area of Northern England – approximately the seven historic counties of Cheshire, Cumberland, County Durham, Lancashire, Northumberland, Westmorland and Yorkshire, or the three modern statistical regions of North East England, North West England and Yorkshire and the Humber. This approach is taken by the Survey of English Dialects (SED), which uses the historic counties (minus Cheshire) as the basis of study. The SED also groups Manx English with Northern dialects, although this is a distinct variety of English and the Isle of Man is not part of England. Under Wells' scheme, this definition includes Far North and Middle North dialects, but excludes the Midlands dialects. Scottish English is always considered distinct from Northern England English, although the two have interacted and influenced each other. The Scots language and the Northumbrian and Cumrbrian dialects of English descend from the Old English of Northumbria (diverging in the Middle English period) and are still very similar to each other. History Many northern dialects reflect the influence of the Old Norse language strongly, compared with other varieties of English spoken in England. In addition to previous contact with Vikings, during the 9th and 10th centuries most of northern and eastern England was part