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birmingham accent,good or bad

Rupert said:
I think the low regard of Londoner's for Brummies is something to do with hands. It's less the case now I suppose but Brummies used to use their hands to make things for sale and their heads to dream of and desiign the product. Totally foreign for Sir Humphries crowd and since London was the capital they thought we were all labourers and regarded that tough occupation as demeaning. Even BBC series denigrate Birmingham with snide remarks...such as when Lionel had to go to Brum to advertise his book in 'As Time Goes By".
If it's any consolation it's the same here in Canada although here it is a general thing against engineering and manufacturing. Whenever honors are handed out you never see anyone from these quarters included. Usually polititions or ex-hockey players or civil servants grab the goodies. I suppose it is impossible for the powers that be to quantify the value of manufacturing careers and input into such. (since we are rapidly getting to the point of not having any maybe an awakening is about to happen)
Accents here are so diverse and mixed that none stand out. Quebec is French speaking of course. Can't you have a white line painted down the middle of your drive way. Better still a low fence.[/QUOTE
Fortunately, that lot moved away Rupert, and we now have decent neighbours from 'up North'. The Londoners were unemployed, and held parties all night, and then had the cheek to bang on the wall when Hubby's alarm clock went off, as it disturbed them. That's the sort of things we put up with for 5 years. We erected a huge sign saying "Parking for no 6 only" but they totally ignored it, and we would come home from shopping to all their oiky mates parked in our driveway. God help us if we ever did the same to them though!!!
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lerryngal said:
Rupert said:
I think the low regard of Londoner's for Brummies is something to do with hands. It's less the case now I suppose but Brummies used to use their hands to make things for sale and their heads to dream of and desiign the product. Totally foreign for Sir Humphries crowd and since London was the capital they thought we were all labourers and regarded that tough occupation as demeaning. Even BBC series denigrate Birmingham with snide remarks...such as when Lionel had to go to Brum to advertise his book in 'As Time Goes By".
If it's any consolation it's the same here in Canada although here it is a general thing against engineering and manufacturing. Whenever honors are handed out you never see anyone from these quarters included. Usually polititions or ex-hockey players or civil servants grab the goodies. I suppose it is impossible for the powers that be to quantify the value of manufacturing careers and input into such. (since we are rapidly getting to the point of not having any maybe an awakening is about to happen)
Accents here are so diverse and mixed that none stand out. Quebec is French speaking of course. Can't you have a white line painted down the middle of your drive way. Better still a low fence.[/QUOTE
Fortunately, that lot moved away Rupert, and we now have decent neighbours from 'up North'. The Londoners were unemployed, and held parties all night, and then had the cheek to bang on the wall when Hubby's alarm clock went off, as it disturbed them. That's the sort of things we put up with for 5 years. We erected a huge sign saying "Parking for no 6 only" but they totally ignored it, and we would come home from shopping to all their oiky mates parked in our driveway. God help us if we ever did the same to them though!!!
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That's what you get from 'pikies' from 'darn sarth'....'
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I have been interested to read these posts. The differences between a Birmingham accent and a Black Country one are quite striking. Maggie & I went to visit relatives in Wales, they could not understand a word we were saying. Maggie being Birmingham and me being Black Country.

We are both proud of where we come from and rightly so.

So in Black County talk, Tomora Im gona tek the wammel down the cut after I eten me faggits n paes.
 
Hi

Strange subject how somebody talks. We are bombarded
by accents that are given credibility by the media yet
millions are not included. Clearly the cockney barrow boy
runs supreme, closely followed by the merseysound.
Newer accents via ant and dec formerly biker grove
and now cherl cole and her little joe. Scots and Welsh
get away with it and the Northern Island accent.
Other accents are not acceptable and if used on TV
portray loer levels of the Subject. Emerdale a Yorkshire
programme has had its dialect stripped and left to the
Dingles. Coranation Street imports its Southerners we
have Tony Valentine and Irish accents. The Manchester
dialect is left to the Workers. Mike Baldwin used his Cockney
accent for Years. I still smile in the Morning on GMTV when
Lorraine Kelly lets outs this inaudible Scots well I cant
understand a word similiar when Christine Beakley on the
one show lets out a burst of NI. Bring back Benney I say.
Another area that is virtually extinct is the South West.
Somerset Devon and Cornwall. I suspect the Worzells
ended any hope for them. Ive written to Dr Chinn on the
subject perhaps Im paranoid who knows.

Mike Jenks
 
Hello Mike Jenks--I wrote about my experiences with accents some weeks ago, on another thread that I now can't find. I lived mostly in the north Birmingham area as a kid---1941 to 1955. Despite moving 8 times during this period, we had no problem being understood---or understanding the locals. The exception was when we moved about 6 miles to Smethwick. A total change in dialect. Boy did we have problems. When our 3 year stay was over, we were fluent in 'Black Country'. Trouble was, our next stop was Bristol! This inner city dialect might have been from another country as far as we were concerned. 'Bristolian' is almost none existant now--thanks to TV and films. The only example I've heard in recent times is from the Tv comedien Justin Le Collins. There is still the West Country burr, but it could be Devon, Gloucester or Wiltshire now. This is a shame because officially, there is about 160 regional accents recorded by Keel University, before they disappear.
 
One accent which is quite scarce now is the local Tamworth accent. The most common accent here is the Birmingham accent or a mixture of. I remember when we first moved here in the 70's the funniest to me was the men calling each other youth. Everyone was me duck and Wilnecote was pronounced Wincut.
 
What difference does it make what accent a person has?, every person should be shown respect no matter what creed, colour or race. Len.
 
I agree with that lencops. I was not going to post on this thread but I have changed my mind. Who can define if an accent is good or bad? What makes an accent good or bad? The only possible answer is personal choice. The fact is that an accent should not be deemed as good or bad just because you personally like or dislike it. A very broad Scottish brogue can be almost impossible for someone from The West country to understand, and there are other similar situations. This does not justify anyone saying the Scottish accent is bad. I would imagine that every living Scot is proud of their accent. On the other hand, because the inhabitans of an area are proud of the accent it should not qualify them to be a T.V. or radio newsreader/presenter because some are a trifle difficult to understand. This brings into play the equal opportunities and rights stupidity. Any modern accent from the British Isles is perfectly understandable if the speaker is prepared to moderate it a little. If the speaker insists on his/her local dialect persay, then only locals will listen because they will be the only ones who understand.
 
Without doubt, the PC idiots have created a situation on the BBC in recent years, where News readers and anouncers, have to show off their regional accents. I have NOTHING against this, ( I still have my Brummie accent to some degree, despite being in the south west for 55yrs)---the exception is, as someone who grew up hearing the BBC 'voice', I still prefer to hear a standard english voice for more formal anouncements for an example--Michael Aspel. Istead of straining to understand a sharp regional one. I'm not reffering to the plummy tones we used hear in the 1950's--god forbid. One last point--with reference to WENDY's message, When my parents first wed in 1938--they lived in 'Wilnecot Grove' off the Walsall rd, Mom always called it Winne-cot. It was'nt till my brother moved to Tamworth 40yrs later that I spotted a road sign for 'Wilnecote' that I realised she had been pronouncing it like the locals did.-------------golightly.
 
Had to smile at some of these comments and agree with lencops. Having lived in Australia for over 30 years some people can still detect the accent.
 
Hi

never really got anywhere with this thread.
I agree with what people are saying but why should
some peoples accents be 'PC' on TV and others not.
It seems that im banging my head against a brick
wall or Im getting too old.(that must be it)

tarah for now

Mike Jenks

(good win by the Blues)
 
golightly said:
Without doubt, the PC idiots have created a situation on the BBC in recent years, where News readers and anouncers, have to show off their regional accents. I have NOTHING against this, ( I still have my Brummie accent to some degree, despite being in the south west for 55yrs)---the exception is, as someone who grew up hearing the BBC 'voice', I still prefer to hear a standard english voice for more formal anouncements for an example--Michael Aspel. Istead of straining to understand a sharp regional one. I'm not reffering to the plummy tones we used hear in the 1950's--god forbid. One last point--with reference to WENDY's message, When my parents first wed in 1938--they lived in 'Wilnecot Grove' off the Walsall rd, Mom always called it Winne-cot. It was'nt till my brother moved to Tamworth 40yrs later that I spotted a road sign for 'Wilnecote' that I realised she had been pronouncing it like the locals did.-------------golightly.
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I agree totally with your comments here Golightly. I struggle to understand too, especially having hearing problems as I do.
 
As a final input here. It's not the regional intonation that can bring problems for people who are not familiar with it, it's a question of clarity and uniformity, so that EVERYONE can understand it first time--especially if the information is important. It took me 3 series to understand Rab C Nesbitt, his Glaswegian accent was something else. Just like foreigners learning English, I got to understand the rude words first. Rab was great---but not for News Reading. PS when my elder brother ( bless his soul) used to deliver electrical goods all over south Gloucestershire in the early 1960's, many women said they loved his 'Midlands accent'. ---mind, he was a tall and good looking devil, and very fit, just out of the army.-----golightly.
 
hi guys
on the subject of brummie accents
as one or two may know i went to good old black pool on last friday
and over that week end i travelled down to fleetwood by the old bus
whilst standing waiting for the bus to arrive there was another bus driver
standing at the front of us al monitorig the crowd whom was geting on
and i started to chat with him when the bus arrived it was his wife
whom was driving it and he said here she come
janet battersey , i started to laugh at him and he said yeh ,
thats my misis ,s we are marrid and i only want to say tera to her before she starts her shift he started to tell me the price and how many stops it was back to the hotel a very nice friendly guy very pleasant
got on board and when we got up to get off i poped my head to her hatch
i said he was a nice guy back at that bus stop
she sajd he is a nice guy and we have been married ford ex number of years
oh yes i said he told me so and that he call you old norey battie she laughted
and we started to chat we discussed afew thing and i told her
i was from worcestershire and she said in reply
but you are not from there are you i said know i am a true brummie raised and dragged up from aston and she said i can tell by your brummie accent
and she told me she was a black country girl whom moved to black pook 25 years ago she as lost hers but me i am well travelled the country with pubs and clubs but syill cannot change my grammer which is the good old brummie lingo
so never feel put down by any body whom slates it and be proud of it
best wishes astonian ;;;;
 
hi all
i havn't lived in brum since the early sixty's but here in the east I am always asked are you a midlander, the accent we learn from an early age never really leaves you.
paul
 
Heres a good Brummie word just come into my head does anybody know what it means "SPONDULEX" not sure of the spelling.Dek
 
Hi Dek not sure about the spelling but it means money it may have come about from the Americans cheers Tom
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Tom well done thought it would take longer than that it,s a word we used when we were kids."any one got any spondulex " speltt as pronounced. Dek
 
I spent 11 months of my childhood in Scunthorpe and came back with a Yorkie accent. Since gone and back to being a Brummie 100%
 
Re: Birmingham accent, good or bad

The main entry in the New (1993) Shorter Oxford English dictionary is spondulicks, a slang expression meaning "money or cash"; it could be written "spondulix".
The Dictionary of Contemporary Slang simply defines the word as "money". db84124
 
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both the quote and the comment totally uncalled for...especially as neither member knows carl chinn personally....

lyn
 
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A strong Brummie accent is what i have i only need to say two words and anyone can recognize it but i dont feel i talk any differently to anyone else its only when i hear myself on recording that i realize i speak the way i do, I,ve never tried to change it and never will.Dek
 
dek carr said:
A strong Brummie accent is what i have i only need to say two words and anyone can recognize it but i dont feel i talk any differently to anyone else its only when i hear myself on recording that i realize i speak the way i do, I,ve never tried to change it and never will.Dek
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Well said
 
The thread asks Brummie accent, good or bad, who is to say if it is one or the other. We must accept the fact that different areas have local accents and it is wrong for people from one area to mock or criticise another aera's dialect/accent. I do think that national news readers on tv. and radio should speak proper English because whatever area you are from you can understand people who speak properly. Ditto for Wales and Scotland.
 
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