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Origins of the Brummie accent

  • Thread starter Thread starter Seabird
  • Start date Start date
Radiorails said:
what bob means, I believe David is that when 'g' occurs at the end of a word is is pronounced hard with some emphasis i.e. singing.
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On the head, nail hit. Praaper job uz ave got e zorted m'dear. However, he asked in his posh training consultant's voice are 'Well, I'll go to the foot of our stairs' and 'at the back of Bills mothers (and I forget the rest of the reason for this statement was it 'as black as the back of Bills mothers?) and if I have forgotten apostrophes....sorry. Are these purely Midland/Birmingham sayings? Grandmother at Harborne used them both regularly

Bob
 
The version I know is when it looks like rain the phrase used was "it's black over Bill's mother's". Carl Chinn believes that "Bill's mother's" refers to Bill's Town or Bilston making it definitely a Black Country saying. I am not so sure.
 
As a true brummie and understand we speak to each other where out siders do not grasp our word when speaking
to people, i myself intend to speak fast and un gramouryings my speach , of the brummie lingos
but the question i would like to asked ,when a person of brummy goes into a shop and asked the assistant for a bottle of milk
do you speak correctly or should i be saying in clear english as people say
do you say a bokkle of milk ,or do you say a bottle of milk
How do you say it ,,? .
questions asked by our wench and our kid ,
Alan,,, Astonian,,,,,
 
Astonian said:
As a true brummie and understand we speak to each other where out siders do not grasp our word when speaking
to people, i myself intend to speak fast and un gramouryings my speach , of the brummie lingos
but the question i would like to asked ,when a person of brummy goes into a shop and asked the assistant for a bottle of milk
do you speak correctly or should i be saying in clear english as people say
do you say a bokkle of milk ,or do you say a bottle of milk
How do you say it ,,? .
questions asked by our wench and our kid ,
Alan,,, Astonian,,,,,
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At my local corner shop - I just say - my usual 4 sterra, please
 
If I was misbehaving my mother would tell me to stop acting the goat - don't know why the breed was associated with bad behaviour.
Well, go to the foot of our stairs! Was that West Bromwich?
 
There are probably subtle layers in the extent of having a Brummie accent. I used to watch the TV programme "Kilroy" between 2000 and 2004. It was hosted by Robert Kilroy-Silk who had been an MP and who was born in Birmingham. His accent was not "strong" but it was fairly obvious to me that he was brought up in Birmingham. Something about the sounds and rhythm of the sentences without going into using words like Buzz (Bus), or Baboy (Baby).
I think if you yourself were raised in Birmingham then you develop an ear for the softer Brummie accent. Dave.
 
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I always thought that "I'll go to the foot of our stairs" was more northern. I have heard "I'll goo ter Brierley Hill" in the Black Country and I think that is a euphemism for "I'll go to Bloody Hell".
 
Hi PEGGY BABY
i Just adore what you have printed up for us brillient its made me smile
because today i have had a rubbish sunday and i have just walked straight in and logged onto my emails
and it said yes Astonian we are up and rumnning so that cheered me up and a presto your comic cartoon comes on
so now i am enjoying it every minute great
By the way Dave do you ever recall in the fiftys and sixties onwards in the gentlemans toilets around the country
seein scratched on the toilet walls in large writing KILROY was here
from brum to lands end i did and i am sure other guys must have seen it
best wishes to you both Astonian,,,,, Alan,,,,
 
Do you know what?, Alan, I reckon that Kilroy must have had a hell of a lot of dodgy curries during his lifetime.
 
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I think there is a more than a little "Middle English", in the Birmingham accent and very much a "Nordic", influence in the Black country one. Paul
 
paul stacey said:
and very much a "Nordic", influence in the Black country one. Paul
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If I tell you that I often go to Sweden and that I see buses running around with "Ej i Traffik" on their destination boards, this probably would not mean anything to you. However if I tell Black Country people that that is pronounced "Ay in traffic" they laugh as they understand it immediately as the equivalent of "Not in Service".
 
I lived in Denmark for a while, and on the West coast is a small town above Esbjerg, near Hansholm, they speak Danish with a distinct Scottish accent, when I hear the Norse speak, you can tell words from both Scottish and Geordy.Paul
 
Only 2 Brummies in the line-up: Ozzy and Benny (Both born Birmingham), Noddy: born Walsall and Tim: Born London (Battersea).

Peg.
 
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I was born and raised in Birmingham (Acocks Green), attended an ordinary infant and junior school then a secondary modern senior school. Mom and Dad moved into Acocks Green from Aston under the demolition scheme that was taking place at the time. My parents never corrected our speech as we were growing up and all our friends spoke the same, which is why I always believed this to be how all brummies spoke. After leaving school I had a couple of jobs, Co Op bakery and Co Op milk but as soon as I was old enough I got a Lorry drivers job travelling all over the country. On more than one occasion I was asked where I was from to which I replied Birmingham. The other person would then say "you do not sound like a brummie" and when I asked what they meant they would say something like, a brummie would say "how am ya" or "they wow pay we fer this". I would then explain that Brummies' do not speak like that, it is people from the Black country with that course brogue. I have to say also that I have very rarely if ever, come across anyone with a Birmingham accent as heavy as what is portrayed on radio or T.V.
 
Your right, they definatly think we are from the Black, I've told a few people the same thing when they start laying in on a bit thick.
 
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Funny thing is my parents always insisted that I avoid talking with a Brummie accent and I have lived in Australia since 1961. So it always surprises me when some people pick me as a Brummie. The most recent case was only a few weeks ago, but he said that whilst he was from Bristol he had been stationed with the RAF at Castle Bromwich during National Service.
How he picked me Our Kid is a right mystery.
Cheers Tim
 
1956 (aged 7) saw my acting debut as one of the dwarfs in The Farm St School production of Snow White and The Seven Dwarfs - did my Brummie accent get in the way? No! I was cast as Doppy!
 
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Hi Folks, the new Cartoon Thread sounded great until I realised it involved the deletion of Peg Monkey's adventures from the majority of my postings they originally related to. Each cartoon was created on-topic, hopefully providing amusing enhancement to the posting content, to date I have contributed towards some 40+ Threads, notably the Harry Lucas School Thread where I uploaded a photograph of the school (the only known one in the universe, which I had digitally restored following it's mutilation during school times) and a detailed floor plan.
The question now, of course, is, is Peg Monkey content to have his escapades side-lined on an obscure Thread that will be seldom, if ever visited, to languish in obscurity for all time?
Time for me to jump ship.
This is my last posting.
Goodbye and Good Luck.
Hopefully you'll get to see Peg's last cartoon below before it is transferred.
Peg.
Peg - Bye Folks.jpg
 
I am sorry that you have chosen to leave us,but I won't try to persuade you otherwise.
I wish well and your membership remains open.
Regards. Jim...
 
Peg Monkey said:
1956 (aged 7) saw my acting debut as one of the dwarfs in The Farm St School production of Snow White and The Seven Dwarfs - did my Brummie accent get in the way? No! I was cast as Doppy!
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I remember a little Brummie lad in a grey rabbit costume on Tiswaz singing `Broyt Oys, Burnin loike foya,' from Watership down. Do you?
 
When I used to travel the country as a lorry driver I was asked several times where I lived. I would say Birmingham, and the reply would usually be something like "you don't talk like a brummie". My dad was born and raised in Brearly street Aston and Mom was born in London but lived most of her life in Birmingham. I attended a normal infant and junior school in Acocks Green and secondary modern senior in Hall Green. The way we three lads spoke in the house was never corrected by our parent's as long as it wasn't swearing. We spoke the same as all our friends and this carried on after we left school and I still speak the same now. I have never known anyone, man or woman who I knew or know now to be a brummie who has this accent. The only time I heard the accent discussed in this thread was when I was delivering or loading in the Black country area. If you were to meet a radio or tv personality who played the part of a brummie as I did as a taxi driver in Birmingham you would understand that they exaggerate the brummie accent out of all proportion.
 
You don't know how strong your accent is until you hear a recording of you own voice. I didn't think I had a strong Brummie accent until then. I didn't even think it was me, but it was.Away from Brum people always know where I come from I'm proud to say.
Bit like photos, looking at yourself in the mirror, I'm sure I look different on photos, generally I think I look worse on photos, sometimes cant believe its me, hence I hate being in photos.
Does anybody agree with me
 
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