North of England dialect vocab list

by Veronica

If you intend to travel to the glorious, beautiful, North of England then you may need to know some dialect expressions before you go. You may get confused otherwise.

I am not talking about accent here, ( some accents are difficult enough ) I am talking about local dialect – terms that are specific to an area which are understood only in those areas. North of England dialects rely heavily on Norse terms and show the history of the area.

For this article I am choosing examples from mainly 3 different areas. I have chosen words which may have another meaning and therefore be confusing to visitors and also words used in English that you may not have heard of. There are several. Here's a few examples.

Our dialect is as distinctive and unique as our food.

The dialects are as fascinating as the scenery

Northern England
Northern England

North of England

This is the place that our ancestors chose to settle.

For me, the North starts at Manchester

Sheep counting system

Similar dialects all over England

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.

Sheep Counting system

(From North Lakeland, England)

Yan                    1

Tan                   2

Tethera             3

Methera            4

Pimp                 5

Sethera             6

Lethera              7

Hovera              8

Dovera              9

Dick                  10

Yan-a-Dick -     11

Tan-a-Dick -    12

Tethera-Dick -   13

Methera-Dick -  14

Bumfit    -          15

Yan-a-bumfit -   16

Tan-a-bumfit - 17

Tethera Bumfit -18

Methera Bumfit -19

Giggot   -            20

                

 

Lakeland counting dialect area

Liverpool and Manchester

Dialects

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.

Liverpool and Manchester

General Northern dialect words

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 - home of The Beatles

 

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 )

 

Glossop and Manchester

Manchester and environs

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 )

The North East

The North East has an old Norse influence on their dialect

A few North East phrases

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

Conclusion

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.

the North
the North
Updated: 12/30/2022, Veronica
 
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Veronica on 06/22/2024

I do not like it but most people accept it. It refers to Liverpool's connection to Ireland .
catholic persecutions in Britain have meant that even today , Catholics tend to keep a low profile.

DerdriuMarriner on 05/18/2024

The last entry to the fifth subheading, Liverpool - home of the Beatles, correlates Paddy's wigwam with RC cathedral.

Is it considered amusing, charming, deprecatory, dismissive to invoke such a phrase about such a religious, spiritual site?

frankbeswick on 01/01/2023

Absolately right. I once had to have a page of one of my textbooks replaced because a spell checker had been used, and that wasn't the only time a problem has happened. Beware of an idiot armed with a spell checker.

Veronica on 12/31/2022

Spell checkers have a lot to answer for.

frankbeswick on 12/31/2022

I need to correct my typography. I should have said chorv not chore. Sorry. The spell checker is correcting what I write and making it wrong. So the word is C H O R V..

Veronica on 12/31/2022

Frank,

Thank you for that input. The beauty of Wizzley is the group learning and pages being kept open for open

frankbeswick on 12/31/2022

Lancashire: a gradely lad or lass was someone that you thought respectable. Also Lancashire, to chore someone is to annoy them.it is the opposite of to chuff..

Veronica on 12/30/2022

Derdriu
That is a fascinating connection. I was unaware of it. This is how words develop in dialect. I love it. Although, I very rarely use it .

DerdriuMarriner on 12/30/2022

That's particularly interesting about Clem as meaning to starve because couldn't it be said that the imperial intention was to make St, Clement famished and parched by sending him to stone quarry work, where his prayers brought clear-water streams for fellow prisoners?

This starvation connection makes me hesitant to continue calling those with the full name Clement Clem here, on the (Atlantic) pond's west side!

Veronica on 12/30/2022

Frabbit , Clem, Shut ?
My 19th C English Literature studies through Gaskell House Manchester have uncovered some new Northern dialect words which I have added to the age above under Manchester.


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