The Open University
Yorkshire Region

Cultural Studies Research Forum
Reports and Abstracts 1995 -2000

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A Bigger Liar Than Tom Pepper - South Yorkshire Speech and Dialect

Ray Booth

It is not often that the start of one's research interests can be dated so precisely. Mine began on the 21st March 1968 when I attended a lecture by John Widdowson on "The Language and Folk lore of the Sheffield area" at the universities Extra-Mural Department. It was an eye opener. Widdowson's talk showed me that examples of local speech and dialect were all around me. I began to fill in slips of examples of local speech both currently heard and remembered. These formed a small part of the now huge collection of material held in Sheffield.

A starting point is pronunciation. In South Yorkshire a local e is often used (gret, sheck) and the oy sound is dominant (coyl=coal). The final g is seldom pronounced, aspirates go missing as do definite articles (on't). I became more tolerant of the local form "I axed (asked) him" as it became apparent it had been in use for 1500 years.

Other fruitful areas for collection were greetings, threats and frightening figures (Charlie Peace in Sheffield, Jo Locke in Barnsley) and put offs to children (A bone in mi leg). Working with children and student teachers in the 70's and armed with a tape recorder was a way of updating the Opies' work in the areas of jokes, riddles and parodies. Readers will be pleased to know skipping rhymes still survive in an updated form with the spice girls replacing Shirley Temple.

In the adult area language is constantly changing too. There has been a huge increase in scientific and technical vocabulary in the standard language whilst in the regional dialects have seen many of their colourful words and expressions decline. My task (with many others) has been to monitor and record these changes. Only yesterday I heard a friend's occupation described as a Government Artist (i.e. he draws the dole). Long may such expressions thrive!!