North of England dialect vocab list

This is the place that our ancestors chose to settle.

I am also going to include the old North of England sheep counting system used by farmers. Some of these dialect counting systems are so specific even to a particular valley. I have heard farmers in the North of England Lake District even now counting like this. It is quite startling when you first hear this but a charming custom. This counting system is similar all over England by farmers . I have chosen one northern Lakeland valley dialect where I heard this as a child and the farmer repeated it for me.

Sheep counting is based on the old Briton numbering system which counted in 20s.

Dialects are largely dying out in England unfortunately. The onset of national television and radio has largely standardized the language but some local words still remain and would be confusing to visitors. They certainly take some explanation but I find them charming and a relic of our ancestry. This isn’t a full list of course. I have chosen a few words from Liverpool and Manchester as these are well known places world wide.  

My Manchester parents were very particular about us using good English and good speech so we wouldn’t have been using many of these phrases and words at home.

General Northern dialect words

Tea – evening meal  

Chuffed – very pleased

Daft Chuff -  stupid person

Daft ‘apeth – affectionate term for a  silly person

Owt – anything

Nowt - nothing

Bangers – sausages

Butty – bread and butter

Chippy ( fish and chip shop )

Our kid – close friend , sibling

Dinner – lunch

Gradely - good natured

Flit - move house

Shippon - animal pen

Liverpool has been a major British port for centuries and is a few miles across the Irish Sea to Ireland. The dialect and the accent are quite a distinct mixture of cultures and language.

 Examples

Strawberry jam tats - head lice, nits  ( Liverpool  )

Giz – Give ( Liverpool )

 La -  Lad, male  ( Liverpool )

 Knock off – steal  ( Liverpool )

 Scally -  badly behaved youth

 Ye wha – pardon  ( Liverpool )

 Go’ a cob on – in a bad mood  (Liverpool  )

 Bevvy – beer ( Liverpool )

 Divvy – stupid person ( Liverpool )

 Ozzi – hospital  ( Liverpool )

 Ar kid – close friend, sibling ( Liverpool )

 Paddy’s wigwam – RC cathedral ( Liverpool )

Manchester is further inland than Liverpool and has been influenced by Norse, Irish, South , Welsh and Eastern England factors.

Examples

fair gets mi mad up ... Makes me very annoyed

Mingin’ / Manky – dirty, horrible  (Manchester )

Ginnel – narrow passage between two houses (Manchester )

Galoot – clumsy person ,  ( Manchester )

Skrickin’ – crying   (Manchester )

Bung – Cheese   (Manchester  )

Made up – happy  (Manchester )

Buzzin’ – exciting  ( Manchester )

Brew – cup of tea  ( Manchester )

Mint – nice ( Manchester )

Dead – very ( Manchester )

Dinner  - lunch  ( Manchester )

Gaggin’ – thirsty ( Manchester )

Claggy – clay – based soil ( Manchester )

Pop – soft drink, fizzy drink ( Manchester )

Corporation pop – water ( Manchester )

Mither – irritate  ( Manchester )

Frabbit - peevish   19th C  ( Manchester )

Clem - verb meaning to starve  (Manchester ) 19th C

Shut - quit ( Manchester )  19th C

Glossop  Derbyshire

Gobbin’ – dirty, horrible  ( Glossop )

These dialect phrases will be like a completely different language when you hear them.

North East

examples

Dunni get the bairn a new frock – a waste of time ( North East )

Awp ya dunni find y’ave swapped ya fiddle furra gewgaw  - I hope you don’t find you’ve made the wrong choice  ( North East  )

Gain’ yame -  going home   (North East )

Hinney – affectionate term for a loved one

Language is a living thing. It moves along with the people. All over the world each area will have its own terms for making themselves understood. Languages mingle and merge together with migration. American English and Standard English will have differences. I hope you have seen some of those above.

If you are English speaking though and visit England  don't be surprised if you don't understand what is being said. There are a vast number of different dialects in every area.