English of Northumbria
Encyclopedia
The Northumbrian language or Northumbria English is an English language or dialect of English
("Northumbrian Language" may only refer to the broadly spoken Northumbrian whereas Northumbrian English may just refer to the Standard English as spoken in Northumbria and featuring various Northumbrian words and forms), and a variant of Northern English
with the Geordie dialect
being one of the subsets of Northumbrian the others being Northern (north of the River Coquet
), Western (from Allendale
through Hexham
up to Kielder
), Southern or Pitmatic
(the mining towns such as Ashington
and much of Durham
) Mackem
(Wearside
), Smoggie (Teesside
) and possibly also Tyke
(Yorkshire). It is spoken mainly if not exclusively in the modern day counties of Northumberland
and Durham
. Whilst all being sharing similarties to the more famous Geordie dialect and most of the time not distinguishable by non-native speakers, there are a few differences between said dialects not only between them and Geordie but also each other.
One of the main differences between the dialects of rural Northumberland and Durham and the Geordie dialect is the more frequent elongating of vowels in Northumbrian than in Geordie, the seaside town of Amble
is most famous for this occurrence. Therefore words like "mam" (mother) are pronounced as "mairm" and can and tab become "cairn" and "tairb" etc. Sometimes however this vowel change is sometimes shorter and becomes in effect like the letter "e" as in "to have a wesh" for "to have a wash". In addition this is true with "o" , words like doorknob and no become doorknerb and ner thus adopting an "err" sound.
A further difference occurs in words like dirty, in Geordie it often turns into "darty" whereas in Northumbrian it can turn into "dorty". This occurs in words with "ir" "ur" and "er", anything representing the "err" sound. So certainly becomes "sortainly", "her" becomes hor, "surge" becomes sorge etc.
Some words containing "or" are pronounced as written therefore "work" becomes a homophone with "fork".
The letter "I" in words like find, blind or pint become as they are written like the "kind" in Kindergarten.
The letter "r" is used as a link between two words which end and start with vowels even when no "r" is ever present normally as in the phrase "get away" becomes "gerraway". This occurs in many English dialects as well.
When vowels come before the letter "n" (like in the gerund "-ing") they often become silent as in the word "shopping" becomes "shopp'n" (similar to the sound in giv[en]). This occurs in place names get shortened down such as "Ashington" [Ash-ing-tun] become [ash-'n-t'n] and Cramlington becomes [cram- l'n -t'n] and so on.
In common with Geordie the vowel sound "aw" as in "call" become "aa" so call, walk and talk become caall, waak and taak. Also in common with Geordie word with the "ou" ( as in down, town) becomes "oo" as in doon and toon. However some words with the same "ou" vowel sound in it become shortened to "u" so pound and found become pund and fund (a possible link with Old English and Germanic
roots, compare "pfund" and "[ge]fund[en]" in German.
Northumbrian has a very close relationship with the Scots language
and both are sometimes considered as the same Anglian
language or distinct but close relatives. However, Scots
is not universally regarded as a separate language from English but a group of dialects .
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
("Northumbrian Language" may only refer to the broadly spoken Northumbrian whereas Northumbrian English may just refer to the Standard English as spoken in Northumbria and featuring various Northumbrian words and forms), and a variant of Northern English
Northern English
Northern English is a group of dialects of the English language. It includes the North East England dialects, which are similar in some respects to Scots....
with the Geordie dialect
Geordie
Geordie is a regional nickname for a person from the Tyneside region of the north east of England, or the name of the English-language dialect spoken by its inhabitants...
being one of the subsets of Northumbrian the others being Northern (north of the River Coquet
River Coquet
The River Coquet runs through the county of Northumberland, England, discharging into the North Sea on the east coast of England at Amble. Warkworth Castle is built in a loop of the Coquet....
), Western (from Allendale
Allendale, Northumberland
Allendale is a large village in south west Northumberland, England. Allendale is within the - the second largest of the 40 AONBs in England and Wales...
through Hexham
Hexham
Hexham is a market town and civil parish in Northumberland, England, located south of the River Tyne, and was the administrative centre for the Tynedale district from 1974 to 2009. The three major towns in Tynedale were Hexham, Prudhoe and Haltwhistle, although in terms of population, Prudhoe was...
up to Kielder
Kielder, Northumberland
Kielder Village is a small settlement in North Tynedale, Northumberland, England. Located at the head of Kielder Water and in the north west of Kielder Forest, the village is from the Scottish border.-History:...
), Southern or Pitmatic
Pitmatic
Pitmatic , also colloquially known as "yakka", is a dialect of English used in the counties of Northumberland and Durham in England. It developed as a separate dialect from Northumbrian and Geordie partly due to the specialised terms used by mineworkers in the local coal pits...
(the mining towns such as Ashington
Ashington
Ashington is a town and civil parish in Northumberland, England with a population of around 27,000 people; it was once a centre of the coal mining industry. The town is located some north of Newcastle upon Tyne off the A189. The south of the town is bordered by the River Wansbeck...
and much of Durham
County Durham
County Durham is a ceremonial county and unitary district in north east England. The county town is Durham. The largest settlement in the ceremonial county is the town of Darlington...
) Mackem
Mackem
Mackem is a term that refers to the accent, dialect and people of the Wearside area, or more specifically Sunderland, a city in North East England. Spelling variations include "Mak'em", "Makem", and "Maccam".- Origin :...
(Wearside
Wearside
Wearside is an area of north east England, centred on the continuous urban area formed by Sunderland, Seaham and other settlements by the River Wear. Mackems is a nickname used for the people of Wearside....
), Smoggie (Teesside
Teesside
Teesside is the name given to the conurbation in the north east of England made up of the towns of Middlesbrough, Stockton-on-Tees, Redcar, Billingham and surrounding settlements near the River Tees. It was also the name of a local government district between 1968 and 1974—the County Borough of...
) and possibly also Tyke
Yorkshire dialect and accent
The Yorkshire dialect refers to the varieties of English used in the Northern England historic county of Yorkshire. Those varieties are often referred to as Broad Yorkshire or Tyke. The dialect has roots in older languages such as Old English and Old Norse; it should not be confused with modern slang...
(Yorkshire). It is spoken mainly if not exclusively in the modern day counties of Northumberland
Northumberland
Northumberland is the northernmost ceremonial county and a unitary district in North East England. For Eurostat purposes Northumberland is a NUTS 3 region and is one of three boroughs or unitary districts that comprise the "Northumberland and Tyne and Wear" NUTS 2 region...
and Durham
Durham
Durham is a city in north east England. It is within the County Durham local government district, and is the county town of the larger ceremonial county...
. Whilst all being sharing similarties to the more famous Geordie dialect and most of the time not distinguishable by non-native speakers, there are a few differences between said dialects not only between them and Geordie but also each other.
One of the main differences between the dialects of rural Northumberland and Durham and the Geordie dialect is the more frequent elongating of vowels in Northumbrian than in Geordie, the seaside town of Amble
Amble
Amble is a town, civil parish and seaport on the North Sea coast, in Northumberland, England. It lies at the mouth of the River Coquet, and the nearby Coquet Island is clearly visible from its beaches and harbour. The civil parish, which has town status, is called Amble by the Sea, and has a...
is most famous for this occurrence. Therefore words like "mam" (mother) are pronounced as "mairm" and can and tab become "cairn" and "tairb" etc. Sometimes however this vowel change is sometimes shorter and becomes in effect like the letter "e" as in "to have a wesh" for "to have a wash". In addition this is true with "o" , words like doorknob and no become doorknerb and ner thus adopting an "err" sound.
A further difference occurs in words like dirty, in Geordie it often turns into "darty" whereas in Northumbrian it can turn into "dorty". This occurs in words with "ir" "ur" and "er", anything representing the "err" sound. So certainly becomes "sortainly", "her" becomes hor, "surge" becomes sorge etc.
Some words containing "or" are pronounced as written therefore "work" becomes a homophone with "fork".
The letter "I" in words like find, blind or pint become as they are written like the "kind" in Kindergarten.
The letter "r" is used as a link between two words which end and start with vowels even when no "r" is ever present normally as in the phrase "get away" becomes "gerraway". This occurs in many English dialects as well.
When vowels come before the letter "n" (like in the gerund "-ing") they often become silent as in the word "shopping" becomes "shopp'n" (similar to the sound in giv[en]). This occurs in place names get shortened down such as "Ashington" [Ash-ing-tun] become [ash-'n-t'n] and Cramlington becomes [cram- l'n -t'n] and so on.
In common with Geordie the vowel sound "aw" as in "call" become "aa" so call, walk and talk become caall, waak and taak. Also in common with Geordie word with the "ou" ( as in down, town) becomes "oo" as in doon and toon. However some words with the same "ou" vowel sound in it become shortened to "u" so pound and found become pund and fund (a possible link with Old English and Germanic
Germanic languages
The Germanic languages constitute a sub-branch of the Indo-European language family. The common ancestor of all of the languages in this branch is called Proto-Germanic , which was spoken in approximately the mid-1st millennium BC in Iron Age northern Europe...
roots, compare "pfund" and "[ge]fund[en]" in German.
Northumbrian has a very close relationship with the Scots language
Scots language
Scots is the Germanic language variety spoken in Lowland Scotland and parts of Ulster . It is sometimes called Lowland Scots to distinguish it from Scottish Gaelic, the Celtic language variety spoken in most of the western Highlands and in the Hebrides.Since there are no universally accepted...
and both are sometimes considered as the same Anglian
Anglic languages
The English languages are a group of linguistic varieties including Old English and the languages descended from it...
language or distinct but close relatives. However, Scots
Scots language
Scots is the Germanic language variety spoken in Lowland Scotland and parts of Ulster . It is sometimes called Lowland Scots to distinguish it from Scottish Gaelic, the Celtic language variety spoken in most of the western Highlands and in the Hebrides.Since there are no universally accepted...
is not universally regarded as a separate language from English but a group of dialects .
Vocabulary
Some Northumbrian words include:- a for I
- aboot for about
- alreet (/'a:lri:t/) a variation on alright or Hello (Some times used as areet mate)
- aye for "yes"
- bairn/grandbairn for "child/grandchild"
- banter for "chat/gossip
- belta for "really good" used in the film Purely BelterPurely BelterPurely Belter is a 2000 British comedy drama film directed by Mark Herman about two teenagers trying to get money, by any means necessary, in order to get season tickets for home games played by the FA Premier League football team Newcastle United.It is based on the novel The Season Ticket by...
- bess - "please ya bess" for "please yourself"
- boule for "roll" however "to boule aboot" mean to "mess around"
- cannit 'cannot'
- canny for "pleasant" or like in the Scottish dialect "quite" therefore someone could be "canny canny"
- chud chewing gum
- clart for "mud" as in "there's clarts on yar boots"
- craic pronounced "crack", for good time/banter
- cuddy 'small horse or a pony'
- Dee for do
- deeks for "look" as in "G'is a deeks" - "Gimme a look"
- divint for "don't"
- divvie for "stupid person"
- doon down, own is often replaced with oon.
- doon for down
- ee used like oh, often in shock "ee neva"
- fitha ir fatha for "father"
- gaan for going
- gadgie for man
- gan for "go"
- get awesh for "go away" *very rarely used*
- g'is for "Give me", compare "Gimme"
- haad for "hold" example: 'keep a hadd' is 'keep a hold' and 'had yer gob' becomes 'keep quiet'. That polite little notice in the parks aboot keepin' yor dog on a lead is 'ye cud hev keep a-hadden yor dog'[24]
- ha'/ ha for "have" even in "having" becomes ha'in
- hacky for "dirty"
- hadaway for "get away"[25]
- hairn (or hen) similar to hinny, below
- hinny a term of endearment - "Honey"[24]
- hoose for house
- howair, howay or haway for "come on"
- hoy for "to throw"[24]
- hyairm/ yairm/ hyem for "home"
- is for "me".
- kets for "sweets/treats"
- knaa for "to know/know"
- lekky for "electric"
- Lend often used for borrow, "lend is a bi" meaning "Can I borrow a pen?".
- like used in many sentences; usually every other word, e.g. "like, is he like, on aboot me or like, summat, like?"
- ma for "my"
- mair for "more" (compare with German "mehr")
- mam/ maa a variation of Mother
- man Not really got a translation, often used e.g. "Giv is it ere now man". "ha way man"
- marra - Friend. Used like "mate" - al'reet marra.
- me for my, and also works in myself > meself or mesel.
- mollycoddle overprotect, "wrap in cotton wool"
- muckle - similar to "canny" in the sense of meaning "quite" and it can also mean big as in "That hoose had a muckle window" means "that house had a big window"
- ner/ na/ nar for "no"
- neb for "nose" (nebby=nosey)
- neet for "nite"
- nettie for "toilet"
- neva never
- N'ew Now, very hard to write. Pronounced like new, N 'ew
- nowt for "nothing"[24]
- owt for "anything"
- pet a term of address or endearment towards a woman or a child
- radge or radgie for "crazy"
- sel for "self" as in masel/ mesel, yasel, hisel, horsel, waselves, thaselves
- shutting for "shooting" thus simply shortening the "oo" vowel sound
- summat for something
- tab for "cigarette"
- tiv for "to" usually used when two words together in a sentence end and begin with vowels as in "Thar's nowt tiv it" - " there's nothing to it"
- the' for they as in " What are the' deein'?" meaning " What are they doing?"
- toon for "Town"
- wa for "our" used in a more general sense unlike "wor" below as in "Divvn't touch wa bags" means "Don't touch our bags"
- willn't for "won't"
- wor for "our", used mainly in the context of wor kid, meaning 'friend', one's sibling or literally 'our kid'. Used primarily to denote a family member.
- wuh for "us" as in "What ya deein' to wuh?" means "What are you doing to us?"
- ya for you/your
- yee or 'ee for you as in "What are 'ee deein?" meaning "What are you doing?"
- yem for home, similar to the scottish hem