Moving away but always a Brummie

[Brummie a long time ago]

I thought they, mainly those folk from Wolverhampton, were known as 'Yam Yams'.

A bit weird I know, but back in the mists of time, in my little train spotting circle, (Snow Hill, wipes eyes), the little green 2 car diesel trains with the yellow curved V on the front, were called yam yams.

Wulfruns would have been a better tag.

Good catch. https://wolverhamptonhistoryandmore.weebly.com/the-saxons.html

Andrew.

 

[Richard Dye]

I recently went to a liquor (Wine & Spirits) merchant to look for some adult beverages. The fellow that helped me was head and shoulders over me and I am 6’ 1”. He was clearly not from Tennessee, so I asked where he was from, Manchester! I told him I would not hold that against him . He asked me, I told him a Brummie. He said he felt sorry for me! We laughed and shook hands……

 

[Terence David Lines]

I recently went to a liquor (Wine & Spirits) merchant to look for some adult beverages. The fellow that helped me was head and shoulders over me and I am 6’ 1”. He was clearly not from Tennessee, so I asked where he was from, Manchester! I told him I would not hold that against him . He asked me, I told him a Brummie. He said he felt sorry for me! We laughed and shook hands……

Best thing to come out of Manchester the M62.

 

[Martyn]

i dont care where you move too,or for how long if you meet another brummie the accent comes out

I learnt today that this is called 'bidialectalism' i.e. using a different dialect depending on the context in which you find yourself.

 

[devonjim]

I learnt today that this is called 'bidialectalism' i.e. using a different dialect depending on the context in which you find yourself.

Would one be aware of "bidialectalism". I recall a friend who didn't speak with any marked accent who when he visited his parent's home spoke with a distinct "geordie" accent.

 

[adap2it]

When you you think that I left Brum at 16, lived in Crawley, Sussex for 10 years and emigrated to Canada 56 years ago, one might believe that my Brummie accent would have bit the dust...not so. It's still my predominant lingo and I still identify as a Brummie, which still garners much attention over here, but more so in the US.
Dave A

 

[MartinS]

I left Brum at 21 in November 1974, headed to Canada near Vancouver. I married into a Brummie family that I'd never known, that had lived 1/2 mile away.

My accent doesn't quite fit here or back in Brum anymore, has became a "mongrel" accent. That said, I can turn on my natural accent at will, which raises eyebrows pretty quickly.

I had to slow down my speech and round out my words, so people here could understand me. I felt like winding everyone up to listen faster! If I get a little excited it can be fun.

 

[MartinS]

Born in Handsworth and brought up in Duddeston and Washwood Heath, I left Birmingham a LONG time ago, and emigrated to Castle Bromwich, then Solihull! Since then, however, I've lived in Cyprus for the last 14 years or so, and we Brummies are few & far between here. I have a Brummie friend who I see occasionally who understands what a "scrage" is, and a another who's a Silhillian, but I'll forgive her for that......

I was working on one of my training vehicles and scraged my arm pulling it out from deep behind the engine, just last week! They don't heal like they used to.

I started out in Castle Brom, moved to Erdington, but my family was originally from Aston/Nechells/Duddeston.

I worked at Pressed Steel Fishers, then Erdington, Oldbury (Tat Bank on the canal) and Marshall Lake Road in Solihul. I've been 40 miles inland from Vancouver BC Canada since '74.

FWIW, my wife's name is Sue Smith. My cousin is Sue Smith. My sister in law is Sue Smith and a friend we met here in Mission BC a few years ago, is yet another Sue Smith and used to live on Castle Vale, at the same time I worked at Fishers.
So, it can get a bit confusing when "Sue" with a Brummy accent phones! VBG.

 

[Brummie a long time ago]

My accent doesn't quite fit here or back in Brum anymore, has became a "mongrel" accent.

Same here, moving around the south of UK flattened my accent, although Brummies can hear it OK. I am trying hard over here to popularise West Midlands French. I can only get as far as Bo… from Bonjour and they know I am English. (Bownjower).
Andrew.

 

[RRJ]

I left Birmingham 49 years ago (aged 17) for the North Devon coast. Still have an easily recognisable brummie twang.
I think the holiday makers I meet in the summer keep me topped up !!

 

[Chunky AC]

I was born near Villa Park, left when I was 21, and have now lived in South Yorkshire for 47 years. Local people still ask, “ Are you from Birmingham”?
Even after so long our accents are still the give away. AC.

 

[MartinS]

I left 48 years ago on November 8th, which I think was about a week before the Birmingham bombings. There's not too many Brummies here on this side of Canada. A few years ago we gave some goldfish away to the parents of one of our daughter's friends.

When we met, not only was her mother a Brummie, but she shares her name "Sue" with my wife and lived on Castle Vale at the time I had worked across the Chester Road at Pressed Steel Fishers (Jaguar) in Castle Bromwich. It was also the first time that I'd heard anyone say "babby" since I was little!

 

[MartinS]

A Yamma I know said what’s so good about Birmingham. I replied I have done some research since I moved into Halesowen. Between 1750 and 1899, 66% of the patents taken out in the world were perfected in Birmingham at this time you Yammas made nails. They tend to say Yam carnt do that. Yam goooin the match in the Black Country.

Yam awroight mite, 'ower yo goooin?
My wife's cousin Freddie Games (RIP) and wife Gillie (RIP) moved out to Halesowen years ago and ran the Shelton Inn in Belle Vale, I think until it closed down and they retired.

My last visit there was in 2004. The Inn had originally been an old mill. It was later converted into apartments or similar living spaces. I saw my first ever "car boot sale" in their car park across the road.

Freddie's younger brother Roger and I rented some premises from their uncle, on Tat Bank along the canal in Oldbury for a while in the early '70s.

 

[Ogri]

We left Brum over 40 years ago , worked a lot with Stokies around Stafford & stoke travelled a lot around Europe and was asked recently if we were Brummies..........by a South African gent.

 

[Astoness]

thread now open....could members please stay on topic

thank you

the team