English Dialects From The Eighth Century To The Present Day Part 8

_Beal_, to bellow.--Th' bairn bealed oot that bad, I was clean scar'd, but it was at noht bud a battle-twig 'at hed crohled up'n hisairm. (_Battle-twig_, earwig; _airm_, arm.)

_Cart, to get into_, to get into a bad temper.--Na, noo, thoo neadn't get into th' cart, for I wean't draw thee.

_Cauf_, a calf, silly fellow.--A gentleman was enlarging to a Winterton lad on the virtues of Spanish juice [liquorice water].

"Ah,then, ye'll ha' been to th' mines, wheare thaay gets it," the boy exclaimed; whereupon the mother broke in with--"A great cauf!

Duz he think 'at thaay dig it oot o' th' grund, saame as thaay do sugar?"

_Chess_, a tier.--I've been tell'd that e' plaaces wheare thaay graw silk-worms, thaay keaps 'em on traays, chess aboon chess, like cheney i' a cupboard. (_E'_ in; _cheney_, china.)

_Clammer_, to climb.--Oor Uriah's clammered into th' parson's cherry-tree, m.u.t.h.e.r, an' he is swalla'in on 'em aboon a bit.

I shouldn't ha tell'd ye n.o.bbut he weant chuck me ony doon.

(_n.o.bbut_, only.)

_Cottoner_, something very striking.--Th' bairn hed been e'

mischief all daay thrif; at last, when I was sidin' awaay th'

tea-things, what duz he do but tum'le i'to th' well. So, says I, Well, this is a cottoner; we shall hev to send for Mr Iveson (the coroner) noo, I reckon. (_Thrif_, through; _sidin' awaay_, putting away.)

_Ducks_.--A girl said to the author, of a woman with whom she had been living for a short time as servant, "I'd raather be nibbled to dead wi' ducks then live with Miss P. She's alus a natterin'."

(_Dead_, death; _alus_, always; _natterin'_, nagging.)

_Good mind_, strong intention.--She said she'd a good mind to hing her-sen, soa I ax'd if I mud send for Mr Holgate (the coroner), to be ready like. (_Hing_, hang; _mud_, might.)

_Jaup_, senseless talk.--Ho'd the jaup wi' th{(e}; dos't ta want ivery body to knaw how soft thoo is? (_Ho'd_, hold; _soft_, foolish.)

MIDLAND (Group 2): S.E. LANCAs.h.i.+RE.

The following poem is from _Poems and Songs_ by Edwin Waugh; 3rd ed., London, 1870.

Owd Pinder.

Owd Pinder were a rackless foo, An' spent his days i' spreein'; At th' end ov every drinkin-do, He're sure to crack o' deein'; "Go, sell my rags, an' sell my shoon, Aw's never live to trail 'em; My ballis-pipes are eawt o' tune, An' th' wynt begins to fail 'em!

Eawr Matty's very fresh an' yung;-- 'T would any mon bewilder;-- Hoo'll wed again afore it's lung, For th' la.s.s is fond o' childer; My bit o' bra.s.s'll fly--yo'n see-- When th' coffin-lid has screen'd me-- It gwos again my pluck to dee, An' lev her wick beheend me.

Come, Matty, come, an' cool my yed; Aw'm finish'd, to my thinkin';"

Hoo happed him nicely up, an' said, "Thae'st brought it on wi' drinkin'."-- "Nay, nay," said he, "my fuddle's done, We're partin' tone fro tother; So promise me that, when aw'm gwon, Thea'll never wed another!"

"Th' owd tale," said hoo, an' laft her stoo; "It's rayly past believin'; Thee think o' th' world thea'rt goin' to, An' lev this world to th' livin'; What use to me can deeod folk be?

Thae's kilt thisel' wi' spreein"; An' iv that's o' thae wants wi' me, Get forrud wi' thi deein'!"

Notes.--_Owd_, old; _rackless foo_, reckless fool; _spreein'_, merry-making, drinking; _-do_, bout; _He're_, he would be; _crack o' deein'_ , hint at dying; _Aw's_, I shall; _trail_, walk in; _ballis-pipes_, bellows-pipes, lungs; _eawt_, out; _wynt_, wind.

_Eawr_, our, my; _Hoo_, she; _bra.s.s_, money; _yo'n_, you will; _lev_, leave; _wick_, quick, i.e. alive.

_Yed_, head; _happed_, covered; _fuddle_, drinking-bout; _tone fro tother_, the one from the other.

_Stoo_, stool; _Thee think_, do thou think; _deeod_, dead; _o'_, all; _get forrud_, get on, go on.

MIDLAND (Group 5): SHEFFIELD.

The following extract is from A. Bywater's _Sheffield Dialect_, 3rd ed, 1877; as quoted in S.O. Addy's _Sheffield Glossary_, E.D.S., 1888, p. xv.

_Jerra Flatback._ Hah, they'n better toimes on't nah, booath e heitin and clooas; we'n had menni a mess a nettle porridge an brawls on a Sunda mo'nin, for us brekfast... Samma, dusta remember hah menni names we had for sahwer wotcake?

_Oud Samma Squarejoint._ O kno'n't, lad; bur o think we'd foive or six. Let's see: Slammak wer won, an' Flat-d.i.c.k wer anuther; an't tuther wor--a dear, mo memra fails ma--Flannel an' Jonta; an-an-an-an--bless me, wot a thing it is tubbe oud, mo memra gers war for ware, bur o kno heah's anuther; o'st think on enah.-- A, Jerra, heah's menni a thahsand dogs nah days, at's better dun too nor we wor then; an them were t'golden days a Hallamshoir, they sen. An they happen wor, for't mesters. Hofe at prentis lads e them days wor lether'd whoile ther skin wor skoi-blue, and clam'd whoile ther booans wer bare, an work'd whoile they wor as knock-kneed as oud n.o.bbletistocks. Thah nivver sees nooa knock-kneed cutlers nah: nou, not sooa; they'n better mesters nah, an they'n better sooat a wark anole. They dooant mezher em we a stick, as oud Natta Hall did.

But for all that, we'd none a yer wirligig polis.h.i.+n; nor Tom Dockin scales, wit bousters comin off; nor yer sham stag, nor sham revvits, an sich loik. T' noives wor better made then, Jerra.

_Jerra_: Hah, they wor better made; they made t' noives for yuse then, but they mayn em to sell nah.

Notes.--Observe _'n_ for _han_ (plural), have; _on't nah_, of it now; _e heitin_, in eating; _mess a_, dish of, meal of; _brawis_, brose, porridge; _hah_, how; _sahwer wotcake_, leavened oatcake; _bur o_, but I; _mo_, my; _ma_, me; _tubbe oud_, to be old; _gers_, gets; _war for ware_, worse for wear; _o'st_, I shall; _think on_, remember; _enah_, presently; _nah days_, nowadays; _at's_, that are; _dun too_, treated; _nor we_, than we; _Hallamshoir_, Hallams.h.i.+re, the district including Sheffield and the neighbourhood; _sen_, say; _happen_, perhaps; _for't_, for the; _hofe at_, half of the; _e them_, in those; _lether'd_, beaten; _whoile_, till; _clam'd_ (for _clamm'd_), starved; _sooat a_, sort of; _anole_, and all; _we_, with; _wirligig_, machine; _Tom Dockin scales_, scales cut out of thin rolled iron instead of being forged; _bousters_, bolsters (a _bolster_ is a lump of metal between the tang and the blade of a knife); _stag_, stag-horn handle (?); _mayn_, pl. make.

MIDLAND (Group 6): CHEs.h.i.+RE.

The following extract is from "Betty Bresskittle's Pattens, or Sanshum Fair," by J.C. Clough; printed with Holland's _Ches.h.i.+re Glossary_, E.D.S. (1886), p. 466. Sanshum or Sanjem Fair is a fair held at Altrincham on St James's Day.

Jud sprung upo' th' stage leet as a buck an' bowd as a dandyc.o.c.k, an' th' mon what were playingk th' drum (only it wer'nt a gradely drum) gen him a pair o' gloves. Jud began a-sparringk, an' th'

foaks shaouted, "Hooray! Go it, owd Jud! Tha'rt a gradely Ches.h.i.+re mon!"

Th' black felly next gen Jud a wee bit o' a bang i' th' reet ee, an Jud git as weild as weild, an hit reet aht, but some hah he couldna git a gradely bang at th' black mon. At-aftur two or three minutes th' black felly knocked Jud dahn, an t'other chap coom and picked him up, an' touch'd Jud's faace wi' th' spunge everywheer wheer he'd getten a bang, but th' spunge had getten a gurt lot o' red ruddle on it, so that it made gurt red blotches upo' Jud's faace wheer it touched it; an th' foaks shaouted and shaouted, "Hooray, Jud! Owd mon! at em agen!" An Jud let floy a good un, an th' mon wi' th'

spunge had to pick th' blackeymoor up this toime an put th' ruddle upo' his faace just at-under th'ee.

"Hooray, Jud! hooray, owd mon!" shaouted Jock Carter o' Runjer; "tha'rt game, if tha'rt owd!"

Just at that vary minit Jud's weife, bad as hoo were wi' th'

rheumatic, pushed her rooad through th' foaks, and stood i' th'

frunt o' th' show.

"Go it agen, Jud! here's th' weife coom t'see hah gam tha art!"

shaouted Jonas.

Jud turn'd rahnd an gurned at th' frunt o' th' show wi' his faace aw ruddle.

"Tha girt soo! I'll baste thi when aw get thi hwom, that aw will!"

shaouted Betty Bresskittle; "aw wunder tha artna ashamed o' thisen, to stond theer a-feightingk th' deevil hissel!"

Notes.--_Jud_, for George; _leet_, light; _bowd_, bold; _dandyc.o.c.k_, Bantam c.o.c.k; _gradely_, proper; _gen_, gave; _owd_, old; _reet ee_, right eye; _git_, got; _as weild as weild_, as wild as could be; _aht_, out; _at-aftur_, after; _gurt_, great; _em_, him; _floy_, fly; _Runjer_, Ringway; _game_ (also _gam_), full of pluck; _hoo_, she; _rooad_, road, way; _gurned_, grinned; _soo_, sow (term of abuse); _hwom_, home; _thisen_, thyself.

EASTERN (Group 2): N. ESs.e.x.

The following extract is from _John Noakes and Mary Styles_, by Charles Clark, of Great Totham; London, 1839. Reprinted for the E.D.S., 1895. As Great Totham is to the North of Maldon, I take this specimen to belong to Prof. Wright's "Division 2" rather than to the S.W. Ess.e.x of "Division 5." The use of _w_ for initial _v_ occurs frequently, as in _werry_, very, etc.

At Tottum's c.o.c.k-a-Bevis Hill, A sput surpa.s.s'd by few, Where toddlers ollis haut to eye The proper pritty wiew,

Where people crake so ov the place, Leas-ways, so I've hard say; An' frum its top yow, sarteny, Can see a monsus way.