Wikipedia

Yorkshire dialect

Yorkshire dialect(also known asBroad Yorkshire,Tyke,Yorkie,orYorkshire English) is a geographic grouping of severaldialectsofEnglishspoken in theYorkshireregion ofNorthern England.[1]The varieties have roots inOld Englishand are influenced to a greater extent byOld NorsethanStandard Englishis. Yorkshire experienced drasticdialect levellingin the 20th century, eroding many traditional features, thoughvariationand eveninnovationspersist, at both the regional and sub-regional levels.[2][3]Organisations such as the Yorkshire Dialect Society and the East Riding Dialect Society exist to promote the survival of the more traditional features.[4]

Yorkshire dialect
Native toEngland
RegionYorkshire
EthnicityYorkshire British; various
Early forms
Old English
  • Middle English(Northern Middle English (North and East Riding), East Midlands Middle English (West Riding dialect))
DialectsTraditionally divided between the West Riding, the North Riding, and East Riding dialects. Different varieties exist within the variousdialectsof Yorkshire, shaped by geography & culture.
Language codes
ISO 639-3–
Location of Yorkshire within England
Coordinates:54°N2°W/ 54°N 2°W/54; -2
This article containsIPAphonetic symbols.Without properrendering support,you may seequestion marks, boxes, or other symbolsinstead ofUnicodecharacters. For an introductory guide on IPA symbols, seeHelp:IPA.
Speech example
An example of a male speaker fromLeeds(Damien Hirst).
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Speech example
An example of a male speaker fromBradford(David Hockney).
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Speech example
An example of a male speaker from modern-daySouth Yorkshire(LordJohn Prescott).
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The dialects have been represented in classic works of literature such asWuthering Heights,Nicholas NicklebyandThe Secret Garden,and linguists have documented variations of the dialects since the 19th century. In the mid-20th century, theSurvey of English Dialectscollected dozens of recordings of authentic Yorkshire dialects.

Early history and written accounts

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Based on fragments of early studies on the dialect, there seem to have been few distinctions across large areas: in the early 14th century, the traditionalNorthumbriandialect of Yorkshire showed few differences compared to the dialect spoken inAberdeen,now often considered a separateScots language.[5][6]The dialect has been widely studied since the 19th century, including an early work byWilliam Stott Banksin 1865 on the dialect ofWakefield,[7]and another byJoseph Wrightwho used an early form of phonetic notation in a description of the dialect ofWindhill,nearBradford.[8]Significant works that covered all of England includeAlexander John Ellis's 1899 bookOn Early English Pronunciation, Part V,and theEnglish Dialect Dictionary,which was published in six volumes between 1898 and 1905.

Charles Dickens'Nicholas Nickleby(1839) andEmily Brontë'sWuthering Heights(1847) are notable 19th century works of literature which include examples of contemporary Yorkshire dialects. The following is an excerpt of Brontë's use of contemporary West Riding dialect from Haworth inWuthering Heights,with a translation to standard English below:

'Aw wonder how yah can faishion to stand thear i' idleness un war, when all on 'ems goan out! Bud yah're a nowt, and it's no use talking—yah'll niver mend o'yer ill ways, but goa raight to t' divil, like yer mother afore ye!'

'I wonder how you can dare to stand there in idleness and worse, when all of them have gone out! But you're a nobody, and it's no use talking—you'll never mend your evil ways, but go straight to the Devil, like your mother before you!'

Geographic distribution

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Yorkshire covers a large area, and the dialect is not the same in all areas. In fact, the dialects of the North and East Ridings are fairly different from that of the West Riding, as they display Northumbrian characteristics rather than Mercian ones.[9]The Yorkshire Dialect Society draws a border roughly at theRiver Wharfebetween two main zones. The area southwest of the river is Mercian in origin, with origins in theEast Midlands dialects,whilst that to the northeast, likeGeordie,theCumbrian dialectand theScots language,is descended from theNorthumbriandialect. The distinction was first made byA. J. EllisinOn Early English Pronunciation.[notes 1]The division was approved of byJoseph Wright,the founder of the Yorkshire Dialect Society and the author of theEnglish Dialect Dictionary.Investigations at village level by the dialect analysts Stead (1906), Sheard (1945) and Rohrer (1950) mapped a border between the two areas.[10]A rough border between the two areas was mapped by the Swiss linguist Fritz Rohrer, having undertaken village-based research in areas indicated by previous statements by Richard Stead and J.A. Sheard, although there were "buffer areas" in which a mixed dialect was used, such as a large area betweenLeedsandRipon,and also atWhitgift,nearGoole.[11]

One report explains the geographic difference in detail:[12]

This distinction was first recognised formally at the turn of the 19th / 20th centuries, when linguists drew an isophone diagonally across the county from the northwest to the southeast, separating these two broadly distinguishable ways of speaking. It can be extended westwards through Lancashire to the estuary of the River Lune, and is sometimes called theHumber-Lune Line.Strictly speaking, the dialects spoken south and west of this isophone are Midland dialects, whereas the dialects spoken north and east of it are truly Northern. It is possible that the Midland influence came up into the region with people migrating towards the manufacturing districts of the West Riding during the Industrial Revolution.

Over time, speech has become closer toStandard Englishand some of the features that once distinguished one town from another have disappeared. In 1945, J. A. Sheard predicted that various influences "will probably result in the production of a standard West Riding dialect", andK. M. Petytfound in 1985 that "such a situation is at least very nearly in existence".[13]

Authentic recordings

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TheSurvey of English Dialectsin the 1950s, 1960s and 1970s recorded over 30 examples of authentic Yorkshire dialects which can be heard online via theBritish Library Sound Archive.[14]Below is a selection of recordings from this archive:

Pronunciation

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Some features of Yorkshire pronunciation are general features of northern English accents. Many of them are listed in thenorthern English accentssection on theEnglish Englishpage.

Vowels

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Vowels of North West Yorkshire English on a vowel chart, fromWilhelm (2018:6). The vowel space is compressed downwards, withFACE,GOAT,SQUAREandTHOUGHTbeing given a monophthongal, significantly more open realization[e̞ː,ö̞ː,æː,ɒ̝ː]than in RP and Scottish English. Conversely,FLEECEandGOOSEare realized as wide, Cockney-like diphthongs[əɪ,əʉ].[22]
  • Words such asstrut, cut, blood, lunchusually take[ʊ],although[ə]is a middle-class variant.[23]
  • Most words affected by thetrap-bath splitof South East England – the distinction between the sounds[a]and[ɑː]– are not affected in Yorkshire. The long[ɑː]of southern English is widely disliked in the "bath" -type words.[24]However, words such aspalm, can't, spaare pronounced with a long vowel, usually more fronted[aː].
  • In parts of the West Riding,none, one, once, nothing, tongue, among(st)are pronounced with[ɒ]rather than[ʊ][25]Ashibbolethfor a traditional Huddersfield accent is the wordloveas[lɒv],pronounced with the same vowel as "lot".[26]
  • Words such aslate, face, say, gameare pronounced with amonophthong[eː]or[ɛː].However, words with <gh> in the spelling (e.g. straight, weight), as well as exclamations and interjections such asheyandeh(the tag question), are usually pronounced with adiphthong[ɛɪ].Some words withakeat the end may be pronounced with[ɛ],as in take totek,make tomekand sake tosek(but not forbakeorcake).[25][27]
  • Words with the vowel/əʊ/inReceived Pronunciation,as ingoat,may have a monophthong[oː]or[ɔː].[25]In a recent trend, a fronted monophthong[ɵː]is common amongst young women, although this has been the norm for a long time in Hull (where it originates).[27][28][29]It has developed only since 1990, yet it has now spread toBradford.[30]historically there was a four-way split whereby a diphthong[ɔʊ](west riding) or[au](north and east ridings) exists in words subject to vocalisation in middle English (e.g.grow, glow, bow, bowt, fowk, nowt, owtforgrow, glow, bow, bought, folk, nought, oughtrespectively ").[31]The Os in some words are pronounced as[ɒ],such asoppen,brokken,wokkenforopen, broken, woken.Other words spelled ow were pronounced with an aw sound[ɒː]such asknaw, snaw, blawforknow, snow, blow,from old English āw. An[ɒɪ](west riding) or[ʊə](north and east ridings) sound was found in words that were subject to lengthening of Old English [o] in middle English such ascoil, hoilin the West Riding andcooal, hooalin the North and East Ridings forcoal, hole.Another was[ʊə](west riding) or[ja~ɪə~eː](north and east ridings) that originated from old English ā (e.g. West Ridingbooan, hooam, booath, looaf, mooastand North and East Ridingbeean, yam, baith, leeaf, maistforbone, home, both, loaf, most). This four-way split was found throughout all of northern England and contrasted with the historic two-way split found in the south and midlands.

Due to dialect levelling, however, these sounds were merged into the modern monophthong[oː],[ɔː]and[ɵː](east riding) by the 1950s.

  • If a close vowel precedes/l/,aschwamay be inserted. This gives[iəl]for/iːl/and (less frequently)[uəl]for/uːl/.[32]
  • When/ɛ/precedes/r/in a stressed syllable,/ɛ/can become[ə].For example,verycan be pronounced[vəɹɪ].[33]
  • In Hull, Middlesbrough and the east coast, the sound inword,heard,nurse,etc. is pronounced in the same way as insquare, dare.This is[ɛː].[34][35]The set of words with/ɪə/,such asnear, fear, beard,etc., may have a similar pronunciation but remains distinctive as[iɛ].[36]
    • In other parts of Yorkshire, this sound is a short[ə]or long[ɜː].This seems to have developed as an intermediate form between the older form[ɒ~ʊ](now very rare in these words) and the RP pronunciation[əː].[37]
  • In Hull, Middlesbrough and much of the East Riding, the phoneme/aɪ/(as inprize) may become a monophthong[aː]before a voiced consonant. For example,fivebecomes[faːv](fahv),prizebecomes[pʰɹaːz](prahz). This does not occur before voiceless consonants, so "price" is[pʰɹaɪs].[38]
  • In the west riding, Middle English /uː/ is traditionally realised as a monophthong[aː]or in the Holme Valley as a diphthong [ɛə] as indaan,abaat,naa,haa,and aatfordown, about, now, howandout
    • The traditional pronunciation of these words is[u:]in the east riding and the eastern part of the north riding; in the western half of the north riding, it is[əu]as indoon, aboot, noo, hoo, oot.These are now far less common than the RP[aʊ]found throughout Yorkshire.[39]
  • Words likecityandmanyare pronounced with a final[ɛ~e]in the Sheffield area.[25]
  • What would be aschwaon the end of a word in other accents is realised as[ɛ]in Hull and Middlesbrough.[34]
  • A prefix to a word is more likely not to take a reduced vowel sound in comparison to the same prefix's vowel sound in other accents. For example,concernis[kʰɒnˈsɜːn]or[kʰɒnˈsɛːn]rather than[kʰənˈsɜːn],andadmitis[adˈmɪt]rather than[ədˈmɪt].[40]
  • In some areas of the Yorkshire Dales (e.g.Dent,Sedbergh), the FLEECE vowel can beeɪso thatmeis[meɪ]andgreenis[greɪn].[41]

The following features are recessive or even extinct; generally, they are less common amongst younger than older speakers in modern Yorkshire:

  • Words originating from old English ō (e.g.goose, root, cool, roof, hoof) historically had an[ʊɪ]sound in the West Riding word-medially (ɡooise, rooit, cooil, rooif, hooif) as well as an[jʊ~ɪə]sound in the North and East Ridings (ɡeease, reeat, keeal, reeaf, yuf). Today a more RP-like pronunciation[ʊu]is found in all Yorkshire accents.
  • Traditionally in the West Riding, in word final environments and before [k],ōis realised as the vowel[ʊu]in words such asbook,cook,andlook.[42]
  • Traditionally words such as "swear", "there", "wear" take the diphthong[iə],often writtensweer, theer, weerin dialect writing. This sound may also be used in words witheain the spelling: for example,headas[iəd](heead),leavesas[liəvz](leeavs).[25]
  • [eɪ]may take the place of/iː/,especially in the West Riding in words such askey, meat, speakoften writtenkey, meyt, speykin dialect writing.[25][27]
  • Words such asdoor, floor, fourmay take on a variety of diphthongal pronunciations[uə,oə,ɔə,ʊə].[43][44]
  • Words which once had avelar fricativeinOldandMiddle Englishor a vocalised consonant may have[oʊ~ɔʊ]for/ɔː/(e.g.browt, thowt, nowt, owt, grow, gowd, bowtforbrought, thought, nought, ought, grow, gold, bolt).[25]
  • Words that end-ightjoin the FLEECE lexical set. Today they can still be heard in their dialectal forms. For example,neet[niːt]andreet[ɹiːt].[43]This can also be heard inNova Scotia,Geordieand theLancashire dialect.

Consonants

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  • In some areas, an originally voiced consonant followed by a voiceless one can be pronounced as voiceless. For example,Bradfordmay be pronounced as if it wereBratford,with[t](although more likely with aglottal stop,[ʔ]) instead of the[d]employed in most English accents.Absoluteis often pronounced as if it wereapsolute,with a[p]in place of the[b].[45]
  • As with most dialects of English, final[ŋ]sound in, for example,hearingandeatingare often reduced to[n].However,[ŋɡ]can be heard in Sheffield.[46][47]
  • H-droppingis common in informal speech, especially amongst the working classes.[46]
  • Omission of final stops/d,t/and fricatives/f,θ,ð/,especially in function words.[46]As in other dialects,withcan be reduced towi,especially before consonants.[48]Wasis also often reduced towa(pronounced roughly as "woh" ), even when not in contracted negative form (see table below).
  • A glottal stop may also be used to replace/k/(e.g.likebecomes[laɪʔ]) at the end of a syllable.[49]
  • In the Middlesbrough area,glottal reinforcementoccurs for/k,p,t/.[50]
  • In some areas, analveolar tap[ɾ](a 'tapped r') is used after alabial(pray, bright, frog), after adental(three), andintervocalically(very, sorry, pair of shoes).[51]

Some consonant changes amongst the younger generation are typical of younger speakers across England, but are not part of the traditional dialect:[52]

  • Th-frontingso that[f,v]for/θ,ð/(although Joseph Wright noted th-fronting in theWindhillarea in 1892).[53]
  • T-glottalisation:a more traditional pronunciation is to realise/t/as[r]in certain phrases, which leads to pronunciation spellings such asgerroff.
  • R-labialization:Possible[ʋ]for/r/.

The following are typical of the older generation:

  • In Sheffield, cases of initial "th"/ð/become[d].This pronunciation has led to Sheffielders being given the nickname "dee dahs" (the local forms of "thee" and "thou" / "tha" ).[54]
  • /ɡ,k/realised as[d,t]before/l/.For example,clumsybecomes[tlʊmzɛ].[46][55]

Rhoticity

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At the time of the Survey of English Dialects, most places in Yorkshire were non-rhotic, but fullrhoticitycould be found in Swaledale, Lonsdale, Ribblesdale, and the rural area west of Halifax and Huddersfield.[51]In addition, the area along the east coast of Yorkshire retained rhoticity when/r/was in final position though not when it was in preconsonantal position (e.g.farmer[ˈfaːmɚ]).[51]A 1981 MA study found that rhoticity persisted in the towns ofHebden Bridge,Lumbutts,andTodmordenin UpperCalderdale.[56]

Rhoticity seems to have been more widespread in Yorkshire in the late 19th and early 20th centuries: for example, the city of Wakefield was marked as rhotic in the works of A. J. Ellis, and the recording of a prisoner of war from Wakefield in theBerliner Lautarchivdisplays rhotic speech, but the speech of Wakefield nowadays is firmly non-rhotic.[57]

Further information

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These features can be found in the English Accents and Dialects collection on theBritish Librarywebsite. This website features samples of Yorkshire (and elsewhere in England) speech inwmaformat, with annotations on phonology withX-SAMPAphonetic transcriptions, lexis and grammar.

See alsoWells (1982),section 4.4.

Vocabulary and grammar

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A list of non-standard grammatical features of Yorkshire speech is given below. In formal settings, these features are castigated and, as a result, their use is recessive. They are most common among older speakers and among the working class.

  • Definite article reduction:shortening oftheto a form without a vowel, often written t'. See this overview and a more detailed page on the Yorkshire Dialect website, and alsoJones (2002).This is most likely to be a glottal stop[ʔ],although traditionally it was[t]or (in the areas that border Lancashire)[θ].[58]
  • Some dialect words persist, although most have fallen out of use. The use ofowtandnowt,derived from Old Englisha wihtandne wiht,meananythingandnothing,as well assummatto meansomething.They are pronounced[aʊt]and[naʊt]in North Yorkshire, but as[ɔʊt]and[nɔʊt]in most of the rest of Yorkshire. Other examples of dialect still in use includeflayed(sometimesflayt) (scared),laik(play),roar(cry),aye(yes),nay(emphatic "no" ),and all(also),anyroad(anyway) andafore(before).[59]
  • When making a comparison such asgreater thanorlesser than,the word "nor" can be used in place of "than", e.g.better nor him.[60]
  • Nouns describing units of value, weight, distance, height and sometimes volumes of liquid have no plural marker. For example,ten poundsbecomesten pound;five milesbecomesfive-mile.[61]
  • The wordusis often used in place ofmeor in the place ofour(e.g. we should put us names on us property).[62]Usis invariably pronounced with a final[z]rather than an[s].[45]
  • Use of the singular second-person pronounthou(often writtentha) andthee.This is a T form in theT–V distinction,and is largely confined to male speakers.[63]
  • Werecan be used in place ofwaswhen connected to a singular pronoun.[64]The reverse – i.e. producing constructions such aswe wasandyou was– is also heard in a few parts of Yorkshire (e.g. Doncaster).[citation needed]This is also common in Rotherham, South Yorkshire. Pronouncing 'hospital' as 'hospickle' and 'little' as 'lickle' is also common in Rotherham, as is shop workers and bus drivers greeting both males and females as 'love' or 'duck'.
  • Whileis often used in the sense ofuntil(e.g.Unless we go at a fair lick, we'll not be home while seven.).Stay here while it shutsmight cause a non-local to think that they should stay thereduringits shutting, when the order really indicates that they should stay onlyuntilit shuts.[65]Joseph Wright wrote in theEnglish Dialect Dictionarythat this came from a shortening of the older wordwhile-ever.[66]
  • The wordselfmay becomesen,e.g.yourselfbecomesthy sen,tha sen.[67]
  • Similar to other English dialects, using the wordthemto meanthoseis common, e.g.This used to be a pub back i them days.
  • The wordreight/reetis used to meanveryorreally,e.g.If Aw'm honest, Aw'm nut reight bother'd abaat it.
  • As in many non-standard dialects,double negativesare common, e.g.I was never scared of nobody.[68]
  • The relative pronoun may bewhatorasrather thanthat,e.g.other people what I've heardandHe's a man as likes his drink.Alternatively there may be no relative pronoun, e.g.I've a sister lives there.[68]

Contracted negatives

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In informal Yorkshire speech, negatives may be more contracted than in other varieties of English. These forms are shown in the table below. Although the final consonant is written as[t],this may be realised as[ʔ],especially when followed by a consonant.[69]

Word Primary Contraction Secondary Contraction
isn't ɪznt ɪnt
wasn't wɒznt wɒnt
doesn't dʊznt dʊnt
didn't dɪdnt dɪnt
couldn't kʊdnt kʊnt
shouldn't ʃʊdnt ʃʊnt
wouldn't wʊdnt wʊnt
oughtn't ɔːtnt ɔːnt
needn't niːdnt niːnt
mightn't maɪtnt maɪnt
mustn't mʊsnt mʊnt(uncommon)
hasn't haznt ant
haven't havnt ant

Hadn'tdoes not become reduced to[ant].This may be to avoid confusion withhasn'torhaven't,which can both be realised as[ant].[70]

Yorkshire Dialect Society

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The Yorkshire Dialect Society exists to promote and preserve the use of this extensively studied and recorded dialect. After many years of low activity, the Society gained some media attention in 2023 with their "Let's Talk Tyke" classes, teaching the traditional dialect to Yorkshire residents.[71]

The Yorkshire Dialect Society is the oldest of England's county dialect societies; it grew out of a committee of workers formed to collect material for theEnglish Dialect Dictionary.The committee was formed in October 1894 at Joseph Wright's suggestion, and the Yorkshire Dialect Society was founded in 1897. It publishes an annual volume ofThe Transactions of the Yorkshire Dialect Society;the contents of this include studies of English dialects outside Yorkshire, e.g. the dialects of Northumberland, and Shakespeare's use of dialect.[72]It also publishes an annual Summer Bulletin of dialect poetry.

In the early 1930s, the society recorded gramophone records of dialect speakers fromBaildon,Cleveland,Cowling,DriffieldandSheffield.The recording from Cowling was provided byLord Snowden of Ickornshaw.[73]

Significant members of the society have includedJoseph Wright,Walter Skeat,Harold Orton,Stanley Ellis,J. D. A. Widdowson,K. M. Petyt,Graham Shorrocks,Frank Elgee,andClive Upton.

Although Joseph Wright was involved in the Society's foundation, the Society's annualTransactionspublished one of the first critiques of his work in 1977. Peter Anderson, then the editor of theTransactions,argued that Wright took much of his material for his workEnglish Dialect Grammarwithout sufficient citation from the work ofAlexander John Ellisand that Wright did Ellis "a disservice" by criticising this same work.[74]

Examples of traditional Yorkshire dialect

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West Riding Dialect[citation needed] Standard English
T'bairns wor aat laikin. [bɛːnz wəɾ aːt ˈleːkɪn] The children were out playing.
What time is it? [wat taːɪ̯m ɪz ɪt] What time is it?
It wor a grand day. [ɪt wəɾ ə ɡɾand deː] It was a great day.
Aw heven't etten nowt today. [a ˈɛvənt ˈɛtən nɒʊ̯t təˈdeː] I haven't eaten anything today.
Aw usually stop at hoam i t'e'emin. [a ˈ(j)iʊ̯zəlɪ stɒp ət uəm ɪt ˈiːmɪn] I usually stay at home in the evening.
Shoo's read fifteen books this year. [ʃəz ɾɛd ˈfɪftiːn buːks ðɪs jiə] She's read fifteen books this year.
He hugg'd a poak up a stee whol his rig wark'd. [ɪ ʊɡd ə puək ʊp ə stiː wɒl ɪz ɾɪɡ waːkt] He carried a bag up a ladder until his back ached.
Tha cud mak moor brass aat on't if tha tried. [ða kʊd mak muə bɾas aːt ɒnt ɪf ða tɾaːɪ̯d] You could make more money out of it if you tried.
We hed to wesh ussens i cowd watter. [wɪ ɛd tə wɛʃ əˈsɛnz ɪ kɒʊ̯d ˈwatə] We had to wash ourselves in cold water.
It mud ha bin war. [ɪt mʊd ə bɪn waː] It might've been worse.
Yo can leead a hoss to t'troff, but yo can't mak him sup. [jə kən liəd ə ɒs tət tɾɒf bət jə kaːnt mak ɪm sʊp] You can lead a horse to the trough, but you can't make it drink.
Experience is a dear schooil, but fooils will leern i noo' other. [ɪkˈspiːɾiəns ɪz ə diə skuɪl bət fuɪlz wəl liən ɪ nuː ˈʊðə] Experience is a dear school, but fools will learn in no other (school).
Them at eyts t'moast puddin, gets t'moast meyt. [ðɛm ət ɛɪ̯ts muəst ˈpʊdɪn ɡɛts muəst mɛɪ̯t] Those who eat the most pudding, get the most meat.
Here's hauf a craan; nip daan to t'chip-hoile an get uz a nice piece o haddock for uz teea. [iəz oːf ə kraːn], [nɪp daːn tət ˈtʃɪpɒɪ̯l ən ɡɛɾ əz ə naːɪ̯s piːs ə ˈadək fɒɾ əz tiə] Here's half a crown, nip down to the chip-shop and get us a nice piece of haddock for our supper.
Wud-ta like to donce wi me? [ˈwʊdtə laːɪ̯k tə dɒns wɪ mɪ] Would you like to dance with me?
Wheer does-ta come fra? [wiə ˈdʊstə kʊm fɾə] Where do you come from?
Aw can't go to t'party toneet becoss Aw've a lot to do. [a kaːnt ɡʊ tət ˈpaːtɪ ˈtəniːt bəˈkɒs av ə lɒt tə duː] I can't go to the party tonight because I've got a lot to do.
Aw doan't think Aw sall be puttin mi coit on wi haa warm it is. [a duənt θɪŋk a səl bɪ ˈpʊɾɪn mɪ kɒɪ̯t ɒn wɪ aː waːm ɪt ɪz] I don't think I shall be putting my coat on with how warm it is.
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Wilfred Pickles,aYorkshiremanborn in Halifax, was selected by theBBCas an announcer for itsNorth Regional radio service;he went on to be an occasional newsreader on theBBC Home ServiceduringWorld War II.He was the first newsreader to speak in a regional accent rather thanReceived Pronunciation,"a deliberate attempt to make it more difficult forNazisto impersonate BBC broadcasters ",[75]and caused some comment with his farewellcatchphrase"... and to all in the North, good neet".

The directorKen Loachhas set several of his films in South or West Yorkshire and has stated that he does not want actors to deviate from their natural accent.[76]The relevant films by Loach includeKes(Barnsley),Days of Hope(first episode in south of West Yorkshire),The Price of Coal(South Yorkshire and Wakefield),The Gamekeeper(Sheffield),Looks and Smiles(Sheffield) andThe Navigators(South and West Yorkshire). Loach's films were used in a French dialectological analysis on changing speech patterns in South Yorkshire. Loach said in his contribution that the speech in his recently released filmThe Navigatorswas less regionally-marked than in his early filmKesbecause of changing speech patterns in South Yorkshire, which the authors of the article interpreted as a move towards a more standard dialect of English.[77]

Dialect of the northern dales featured in the seriesAll Creatures Great and Small.

A number of popular bands hail from Yorkshire and have distinctive Yorkshire accents. Singer-songwriterYUNGBLUD,originating from Doncaster, preserves a strong Yorkshire accent.Louis Tomlinson,who was a member ofOne Direction,is from Yorkshire and in his solo music his accent is often heard.Joe ElliottandRick Savage,vocalist and bassist ofDef Leppard;Alex Turner,vocalist of theArctic Monkeys;[78]Jon McClure,ofReverend and The Makers;[79]Jon Windle, ofLittle Man Tate;[80]Jarvis Cocker,vocalist ofPulp;[81]and Joe Carnall, ofMilburn[82]andPhil OakeyofThe Human Leagueare all known for their Sheffield accents, whilstThe Cribs,who are fromNetherton,sing in aWakefieldaccent.[83]TheKaiser Chiefsoriginate in Leeds, as does theBrett Domino Trio,the musical project of comedian Rod J. Madin.Graham Fellows,in his persona asJohn Shuttleworth,uses his Sheffield accent, though his first public prominence was as cockneyJilted John.Toddla T,a former DJ onBBC Radio 1and1Xtra,has a strong Sheffield accent and often used on air the phrase "big up thysen" (an adaptation into Yorkshire dialect of the slang term "big up yourself" which is most often used in themusic and pop cultureof theJamaicandiaspora). Similarly,grimecrews such as Scumfam use a modern Sheffield accent, which still includes some dialect words.

TheLyke Wake Dirge,written in old North Riding Dialect, was set to music by the folk bandSteeleye Span.Although the band was not from Yorkshire, they attempted Yorkshire pronunciations in words such as "light" and "night" as/li:t/and/ni:t/.

ActorSean Beannormally speaks with a Yorkshire accent in his acting roles, as does actorMatthew Lewis,famously known for playingNeville Longbottomin theHarry Potterfilms.[84][85]

Wallace ofWallace and Gromit,voiced byPeter Sallis,has his accent fromHolme ValleyofWest Yorkshire,despite the character living in nearbyLancashire.Sallis has said that creatorNick Parkwanted aLancashire accent,but Sallis could only manage to do a Yorkshire one.[86]

The late BritishPoet Laureate,Ted Hughesoriginated fromMytholmroyd,close to the border withLancashire,and spent much of his childhood inMexborough,South Yorkshire.[87]His own readings of his work were noted for his "flinty" or "granite" voice and "distinctive accent"[88][89]and some said that his Yorkshire accent affected the rhythm of his poetry.[90]

The soap operaEmmerdale,formerlyEmmerdale Farm,was noted for use of broad Yorkshire, but the storylines involving numerous incomers have diluted the dialect until it is hardly heard.

In theITVEdwardian/interwarperiod dramaDownton Abbey,set at a fictional country estate in North Yorkshire betweenThirskandRipon,many of the servants and nearly all of the local villagers have Yorkshire accents.BBC OneseriesHappy ValleyandLast Tango in Halifax,both from creatorSally WainwrightofHuddersfield,also heavily feature Yorkshire accents.[91][92][93]

In theHBOtelevision seriesGame of Thrones,many of the characters from the North ofWesterosspeak with Yorkshire accents, matching the native dialect of Sean Bean, who plays LordEddard "Ned" Stark.

Several of the dwarfs in the Peter Jackson film adaptation ofThe Hobbit,namelyThorin Oakenshield,KíliandFili,speak with Yorkshire accents.

The character of theFat Controllerin theThomas and FriendsTV series, as voiced byMichael Angelis,has a broad Yorkshire accent.

"On Ilkla Moor Baht 'at",a popularfolk song,is sung in the Yorkshire dialect and accent and considered to be the unofficial anthem of Yorkshire.[94]

ActressJodie Whittakerkeeps her native Yorkshire accent in her role as theThirteenth DoctorinDoctor Who.[95]

The freeware action gamePoacherbyBen "Yahtzee" Croshawfeatures Yorkshireman as a protagonist and majority of the in-game dialogues is done in Yorkshire dialect.[96]

Studies have shown that accents in theWest Riding(that is, mostly, modern West and South Yorkshire), and by extension local dialects, are well-liked among Britons and associated with common sense, loyalty, and reliability.[97][98]

Resources on traditional Yorkshire dialect

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External videos
5 YouTube videos
Knur & Spell(Explanation of the game of Knur and Spell via commentary in West Riding dialect)
Yestie(Recital of the prose text "Yestie" in the Huddersfield Variety of West Riding dialect)(as spoken by Barbara Stinchcombe)
Yorkshire Dialect(Spotlight on East Riding dialect)(as spoken by Irwin Bielby)
Yorkshire Dialect Recording (1952) Traditional Recipe for White Bread(a walkthrough of a traditional white bread recipe in North Riding dialect)(as spoken by Mrs Hesselden)
Locks Down 3 Video 1(Humorous anecdotes in North Riding dialect)(as spoken by Adam Collier)

Books showcasing the dialect

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Notes

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  1. ^Ellis also identified a third area around Craven, Ribblesdale, upper Wensleydale and Swaledale as part of his "West Northern" area (numbered Area 31), alongside almost all of Cumbria as well as north Lancashire and south Durham. In the tradition of the Yorkshire Dialect Society, this area is usually grouped with the North Riding dialect.

References

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Bibliography

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Further reading

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Several nineteenth-century books are kept in specialist libraries.

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