One for the West Midlands Folks.

[sequenci]

I'm not native to Birmingham, I only moved up here a few years ago but I think I've a decent understanding of local dialect and accent, hence my question.

 

Why is it that EVERYONE who tries to poke fun at the Birmingham accent actually trieds to mimic the Black Country accent instead?

 

:-?

 

And WHY do you call Roundabouts Islands? haha

 

By the way I don't think I'll ever move back to Oxford, Birmingham is much more fun.

[Castlebest]

Because to an untrained ear the black country dialect is a broader version of Brummie therefore is used as a "worst case" scenario in jokes. This also annoys people from the black country who tend to be very independent in nature having always been accused of being Brummies .

 

I think a similar situation exists in the North East with Geordie's and Macams.

 

pete

[sequenci]

This also annoys people from the black country who tend to be very independent in nature having always been accused of being Brummies .

 

For sure! It's amazing the difference for such a relatively small area. I have friends in south Birmingham who sound very different from my friends in North Birmingham, it's only about 5 or so miles difference!

[Rooster-UK]

You've got it in one, Pete.

Just to complicate matters, people refer to "Black Country Accent".

It is, in fact, not an accent, but a dialect. Within that dialect there is a number of recognisably different accents.

 

And WHY do you call Roundabouts Islands? haha

We only do it in a roundabout way.

[sequenci]

Just to complicate matters, people refer to "Black Country Accent".

 

I was generalising I'm rather protective of the west midlands although i've only lived here since Dec '03. Many of my southern friends so ridiculously stereotypical of this area yet few of them have bothered to come and visit to see for themselves! The ones that have come back frequently, the nightlife in Birmingham is far, far better than Oxford, that's for sure.

[Lula]

Personally, I much prefer the Potteries Accent

[bazak1]

From a black country lad born and bred. it is mistaken for the brummie one nearly every time. if you have no connection of us locals in the black country then you probably wont even know the difference, but to a trained ear, they sound nothing alike. do yow know wot i mean, aar kid

[Rooster-UK]

Yo ay rang, me mucker

[Kerrie78]

I'm a proper black country girl, and when my husband first moved down here from Scotland to study at Wolverhampton Uni he was totally lost for words, he just couldn't make head nor tail of some of the lingo.

'bostin' was something he hadn't heard of. Or 'am ya' was another, that always makes him laugh!

[Rooster-UK]

Or 'am ya' was another,

Even better..."Am ya gewin'?"

[bazak1]

Kerrie, me black country flower, yow ay far frum me, so yow'll know that our slang is the best.

[Lula]

we have bostin in North Staffs too lol

 

and for all you Villans out there "HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAH" Bloooooooo Arrmeeeee

[bazak1]

"yow day need ta shart"

[KnellyK]

Dow yow no, ya cor cum in ear if ya cor spake propa?

[bazak1]

bu i do spake proppa. it's all yow lot that dow

[KnellyK]

Ar con spake propa an all!

[bazak1]

that meks two of us then dow it. but hang on aar kid, betta not forget Kerrie 78, cus she con do it n all

[KnellyK]

we've gor us a bir uv a crowud then! Bostin!

[Rooster-UK]

I allus say, if yo cor spake proppa, yo ay no gud ter nae mon.

[KnellyK]

I allus say, if yo cor spake proppa, yo ay no gud ter nae mon.

 

Well sed me owld mate! Yowm goldun yow om!

[Rooster-UK]

I ay awf, ay I.

[KnellyK]

Yow am, an modist un all!

[Rooster-UK]

Ah bay.

[KnellyK]

Yow am, yow just dow relize it!

[Rooster-UK]

Heres a real treat for you......

 

Mrs Hyde's Rant

 

The Black Country's tongue has been junked on the tip.

Folks say it t'ay proper English, a decaying dialect.

I reply, "Shut yow cake hole barmpots, dow yow know

Black Country is the onny survivin' sound of Owld English?

Even that famous mon, Chaucer, was a West Midlands mucker".

So yow plont potatoes an' we dig - up taters with dirty donnies.

Yow maintain oral igiene with toothpaste, we spit out tuffpaste.

Yow weit fer a bus when we catch the buz. T'ay no different.

The music may sound outta tune, but the routine's the same.

I gerrup at 6am, wash me onds and fisoge n' comb me yahair.

Pull on me uniform trazis, thermal ganzy n' weskit.

I pop me yat on me yead n' grab a Tetnul Dick for breffus.

Say torah to me cocka, mec sure he'll give the babbee its bokkle,

Promise owa Lewis a bag of kaline suck.

"Adu?" to Mrs Hollingsworth, ooh 'er is 'alf soaked since

That Martin went missin', sawa the coppers cum this mornin'.

Number 24's wommel is yowling the street down again.

At the buz stop Muck Fayce and Bragg Arse sly munch -

Fayces like a fawpny hock. The buz driver's gorra cobb on,

Chunters "tickets ploise", caggy-handed bugger.

I sit next to Mrs Millward, ers a nus at Hallum orsepickle.

Ooh 'er dow 'alf mec me loff, loff I say I nearly shat me self.

"Oroit?" I ask, " 'ow was yow wikend?" 'Er says, "I ay bloody

Havin' a Saturday off agen. The twins got into an argy-bargy

On the tip, bobbies bought em um scared to jeth -

They want coal crackin'on their yeads".

Me boss at Dray Springs has gorra a bob on hisself.

11.30 fake break atter stand outside in the cowld,

Cor risk another foyer. Gagging for a cuppa tae, gotta

Gob full of fevers. Cum 5.30 I'm the fust outta the dowa,

"Trarabit". Cook lomb's brains on toast fer faither's supper.

The tittie babi squawls cutting 'er tuttie pegs and kiddling.

Then it's up the wooden hill to me cot,

Countin' the bobhowlers splattin' up me window.

That's mar life in mar language, rusty vowowls,

Corroded consonants, maet flies aet its rottin' flesh.

Black Country leaves a metallic taste in yow mouths,

But in owa 'ell flame foundries we'll melt it down

And keep recastin' it.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Need help with a translation? Here's a quick guide to the 'Black Country speak' used;

 

Mucker - mate. Donnies - hands. Fisoge - face. Trazis - trousers. Ganzy - vest. Weskit - waistcoat. Kaline - sherbet. Wommel - dog. Fawpny hock - four penny hock. Fake break - fag break. Tuttie pegs - baby teeth. Kiddling - dribbling. Wooden hill - stairs. Bobhowlers - Moths.

By Morwenna Griffiths.

 

:D