@maninayton Gives A Lesson In How To Speak Yorkshire Or "Lern Tha' Yorksher"
We here in Yorkshire are very proud of our county and tend to look at anyone who was born elsewhere with pity as they have never experienced the joys of our great land.
Yorkshire Tykes = Yorkshire Dogs ie Yorkshire Terriers. Image attribution below.
Does Yorkshire Have A Language?
One of Yorkshires most defining characteristics is that it has its very own language. Well, ok, maybe it's a bit of an exaggeration to call it a language but Yorkshire certainly does have a strong local dialect.
(Roseberry Topping In North Yorkshire - Source at bottom of post)
In order to bring some education to those who have never lived in Englands greatest county, I have provided some translations of common Yorkshire words and phrases into English.
Yorkshire To English
Allus = always
Usage - Tha's allus jiggered! = You are always tired!
'Appen = perhaps
Usage - Aye 'appen = Yes, perhaps.
As-ta = have you
Usage - As-ta summat t' say? = Have you something to say?
Aye = yes
Bait = snack/food
Usage - bait box = lunch box.
Dus't = do
Jiggered = tired
Hast - has
Lern = teach
Nowt = nothing
Usage - Thou hast nowt = You have nothing
'Ow do = Hello / how do you do
Owt = anything
Usage - Dus't tha' hav' owt? - Do you have anything?
Parky = chilly, cold
Usage - 'Ts reight parky out = Its cold outside
(Bilsdale - Yorkshire - Source at bottom of post)
Reckon = Think
Usage - Wha' dus’t a reckon? = What do you think?
Reight = right
Tha'/thou = you
Tyke = dog
Put wood i’th’oil = close the door
Popped ‘is cloggs = died
Goin’ dahn t’ nick = deteriorating, normally refers to health.
Dialect Origins
A lot of Yorkshire words have their origins in old Norse and date back to the time when much of the North was settled by the Vikings. Many place names in Yorkshire also bear the stamp of the Vikings. The village of Scargill, for example, is derived from the words 'Scar' meaning a rocky outcrop and 'Gill' meaning a steep rocky valley or ravine.
If you would like to listen so some spoken Yorkshire dialect the link below will take you to the Yorkshire Dialect Society website where there are recordings of people speaking 'proper Yorksher'.
The Yorkshire Creed
Finally I want to leave you with the Yorkshire Creed:-
See all, 'ear all, say nowt.
Eyt all, sup all, pay nowt.
An' if tha ivver does owt fer nowt
Allus do it fer thisen.
And the translation
See all, hear all, say nothing.
Eat all, drink all, pay nothing.
And if you ever do something for nothing
Always do it for yourself.
Sources For This Post
Images.
Yorkshire Terrier image by SOMMAI at FreeDigitalPhotos.net
Landscape views of Yorkshire Images by PaulR at FreeDigitalPhotos.net
External Links
Information for this post was obtained from the following websites:-
silsden.net
freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.ancestry.com
Yorkshire Dialect Society
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Until next time - take care of yourselves.
That's great!
I'm having a difficult time pronouncing it though! :P
I love the post!
Have you listened to the recordings in the link? There are still people who do talk like that in the more rural areas. Unfortunately, dialects all over the country are dying out which is a shame as they bring so much richness, tradition and sense of community to an area.
Thanks for your kind comments.
What a good lesson! I will save it for when I realize my dream of traveling to Europe! I can read English well (11 years studying) but your dialect .... impossible! Greeting from the Andes
Hi @patry and thank you for your comment. There used to be a rich tradition of different dialects all over the UK but unfortunately, they are all dying out now which is a shame. Greetings from Yorkshire.