Re the survival of ancient dialects (Editorial, 5 April), while I would not necessarily class them as languages, English regional dialects are alive and well despite fears that standard BBC English would wipe them out. Certainly, in my native South Yorkshire (scattered with ancient Scandinavian words) and in my now home of Dorset they flourish.
Trevor Lindley
Weymouth, Dorset
• With reference to Peter Gildener’s letter (5 April), I directed that RSC production of Titus Andronicus starring David Bradley. The sound of the breaking neck was indeed created by squeezing a plastic coffee cup (although we also experimented in rehearsals with simply snapping a stick). However, it was his daughter Lavinia’s neck that Titus was breaking, not Tamora’s. But I’m glad the moment has stuck with him over the years.
Bill Alexander
Tunley, Gloucestershire
