I was brung up in Sparkbrook and later went to school and also worked in Handsworth which being on the other side of the city could have been another planet. Sometimes people would ask where Sparkbrook was and I would say "Between Sparkhill and Balsall Heath, most had heared of Balsall Heath as it was a tough area and some people wouldn't go there after dark (I'm talking 1950's).
Not only would you hear things called different names ie. Bombsite v Bomdpeck you even had upper or lower class of talking, I was always being told by my parents not to talk like (fill in name of kids I played in the horse road or our street)
Mind you my parents were foreigners as Dad was from Buckinghamshire and Mom from Elmdon Heath
Dad had many witty sayings, one was in reply to someone claiming to have been brought up at Eton, "You look more like you was Eaten and brought up!!" Cheers Tim.