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People often mix
up the Birmingham and Black Country accents. Over the years the two have almost
merged. The overall sing-song quality and word pronunciation make the two accents
very similar. People
that live in the Black Country are very proud of the way they speak. They have
their own dialect and vocabulary as opposed to just being a different accent. One
of the most famous features is the
'yam yam' sound when saying certain phrases.
'You are' is pronounced yo'am and 'are you' is pronounced 'am ya'. Vowels
are also often changed. When people greet each other they use the phrase 'Yow
awight' meaning 'you alright'. Here
are a few other examples of vocabulary and pronunciations: | Black
Country word
| Meaning
|
| It
ay | It
isn't | | Babby | baby | | Alf baerked | Stupid | | Argy- bargy | fight | | Blarting | Crying | | Bostin | Very
Good |
More
words and phrases>>
Click
here for the dialect dictionary  | | Lenny Henry |
Among the
celebrities from the area who speak with the Broad Black Country accent are, funnyman
Lenny Henry and ex-slade frontman Noddy Holder. Aynuk and Ayli comedy duo are
Black Country fictional characters who often comment on current events or everyday
life in the local dialect. A
strong regional accent can sometimes convey a negative impression and can also
be considered as a drawback in business. Tony Butler, 成人快手 WM presenter, was born
in Wolverhampton and worked in Birmingham all his life. Listen
to the experiences he had when it came to getting his job in local radio.(
)
Just a quick note to say that 'ark' as in 'ark at im' tends to mean 'listen'
(from hark) not 'look' as in the table. Also missed from the list is 'Snap', meaning
food / packed lunch. Ta, and ta-ra-a-bit!!
Fiona - UK Here's
another item for your Black Country phrasebook - " gone bad ways" -
meaning a wound has gone septic or pus-filled.
Anne and David - UK Now
I have read this - I may venture further north than the Watford Gap.
Tom
- London
Love the website, very funny to a cornish girl from a family of black country-ers
whom i can never understand!
Katie Pearson Being an
exile i love to hear that singing lilt I can pick it out anywhere even in a room
full of people I think accents should be a subject studdied in our schools as
they are historically interesting as well as vocally facinating Trevor
Taylor - Northampton Ourer accent
is sound as a pound. It al the other soft cows accents that's the darwback. Ray
- Walsall
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