bbc voices recordings...preference to ‘granny’ when older); nan (suggested by interviewer, not...

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BBC VOICES RECORDINGS http://sounds.bl.uk

Title:

Duston, Northamptonshire

Shelfmark:

C1190/25/03

Recording date:

30.03.2005

Speakers:

Carter, David, b. 1946 Duston; male; retired teacher

Lovell, John, b. 1934 Duston; male

Lovell, Mary (Wendy), b. 1941 Leicester; female

Tyler, Dorothy, b. 1937 Wellingborough; female

The interviewees are all long-term residents of Duston, a suburb of Northampton, and active in the local

community.

ELICITED LEXIS

pleased chuffed; well pleased; pleased

tired tired; whacked out; weary; done in

unwell poorly; unwell; sick

hot boiling; hot

cold freezing; friz○1

(used in past); frozen

annoyed cross; narked; mad; annoyed

throw toss; chuck; throw

play truant bunked off; hookey; bunk off; skive (thought to be Northamptonshire term deriving from

shoemaking industry); skive off (also used of being absent from work)

sleep sleep; kip

play a game play

hit hard (not discussed)

clothes clothes; togs; clobber

1 English Dialect Dictionary (1898-1905) records several dialectal past forms including ‘friz’.

○ see English Dialect Dictionary (1898-1905)

* see Survey of English Dialects Basic Material (1962-1971)

◊ see Green’s Dictionary of Slang (2010)

⌂ no previous source (with this sense) identified


BBC Voices Recordings

trousers trousers

child’s shoe pumps (most common); plimsolls; daps (heard used)

mother mother; mum

gmother grandma; gran (used now by own grandchildren of self, used of own grandmother in

preference to ‘granny’ when older); nan (suggested by interviewer, not used, disliked);

granny (used by own grandchildren when younger of self, used as young child of own

grandmother in preference to ‘gran’)

m partner husband; pop; partner

friend pal; mate

gfather grandad

forgot name whatsit; thingy; thingummy

kit of tools tool-box; gear

trendy scruff; flash Harry; Miss Selfridge⌂2

f partner partner; mother; wife; missus (“derogatory”)

baby bab○ (common locally)

rain heavily chucking it down; pouring; raining cats and dogs

toilet loo; lavvy; toilet

walkway alley; jitty○; back-way; back yard

long seat settee; settle

run water stream; brook

main room living room; front room (used as child); sitting room; lounge

rain lightly light rain; drizzle

rich well off; rich

left-handed cack-handed

unattractive unattractive; plain

lack money skint; boracic (used since youth)

drunk drunk; sloshed; ‘P’ dash dash dash dash ‘D’ (i.e. presumably ‘pissed’)

pregnant pregnant; in the club

attractive pretty; OK; attractive

insane insane (avoided); mentally ill; mental (used in past by speakers locally to refer to patients at

St Crispin’s3, avoided in Welfare Services); mentally disabled; loopy; loony (used in past of

relative at “Duston lunatic asylum”, not used now); mentally retarded, mentally

handicapped (used now in preference to “loony”, considered “not PC” in Welfare Services);

patient (“there was a patient in the shop today” used frequently in past of patients at St

Crispin’s3); mental, mad (“that was a mental/mad thing to do”, used as child)

moody moody; misery; sulky

SPONTANEOUS LEXIS

Artlenock4 = local nickname for Irthlingborough (0:24:57 (I mean I’ve always only ever known

Irthlingborough called ‘Irthlingborough’ I’ve never heard it called anything else Rothwell um ‘Rothwell’

2 UK high street chain founded as young fashion section of Selfridges department store, London, in 1966.

3 Large psychiatric hospital opened in 1876 as the Berrywood Asylum and closed in 1995.

4 This is included in list of local pronunciations of Northamptonshire towns and villages in Mia Butler & Colin Eaton’s Learn

yersalf Northamptonshire Dialect (1998, p.30).



yes and and various others but you were giving us an a lovely one for Irthlingborough and I’d never heard

of it) Artlenock)

Cockney = dialect of London (0:13:34 I suppose it’s not unlike um a L… a Cockney accent really a lot of

people will say that it it’s very akin to London I can’t see it myself but that a lot of people say that)

cool = great, excellent (0:42:28 uh little expressions that youngsters have for what is ‘good’ or ‘pleasant’

[…] they would come up with such things as ‘cool’)

eff and blind = to use strong expletives, to swear frequently (0:41:34 and one particular coach who I won’t

name was so uncouth with the effing and blinding all the time constantly)

F-word = euphemism for word ‘fuck’ (0:42:10 yeah, I I do think it, you know, I mean the F-word in

particular has become almost habit-forming I think and it’s just very sad)

gel = girl (0:14:27 Wellingborough miss the aitches out they miss the ‘T’s out they miss the ‘L’ out (can you

give us examples) “well I’m going on me holidays, gel” ‘I’m going on my holidays, girl’)

Geordie = dialect of/speaker from Newcastle upon Tyne (0:49:20 yes, I enjoy the uh the accents of the

North East although apparently County Durham and and uh north of the Tyne […] are completely different

and don’t like to be identified as uh as Geordie […] oh yes, a Mackem a Mackem would be most offended

by being called a Geordie)

gosh = exclamation expressing surprise or disbelief (0:45:43 (what changes have you noticed?) oh gosh, no

end)

hambone◊ = showily dressed, show-off (0:43:31 if somebody liked the look of your clothing or your you

looked really good on that day they would say you were ‘hambone’ and I was saying I’ve never heard that

expression either before or since)

Mackem = dialect of/speaker from Sunderland (0:49:20 yes, I enjoy the uh the accents of the North East

although apparently County Durham and and uh north of the Tyne […] are completely different and don’t

like to be identified as uh as Geordie […] oh yes, a Mackem a Mackem would be most offended by being

called a Geordie)

potty = insane (0:38:12 I mean there are certain um areas of work I think that use it I mean the the

National Health Service if you’re within the National Health Service use it all the time nearly drives you

potty)

PC = politically correct (0:46:10 I think my husband used the word ‘mentally retarded’ ‘mentally

handicapped’ well you you’d be totally not PC to be using those sort of words)

Queen’s English = popular term for Standard English (0:17:44 I think uh I think the lady was aiming for

more Queen’s English or shall we say uh easier to understand by anyone rather than (yeah) not because I

was in the North East)

well = very, really (0:06:52 (if you feel ‘pleased’ what do you say I feel?) (‘chuffed’) (‘chuffed’) ‘well

pleased’ I have used (I I I obviously I’m not pleased very often I just use the word use the word ‘pleased’))

PHONOLOGY

KIT [ɪ]

(0:00:50 as a child we used to call them ‘back-ways’ just ‘back-ways’ but I realised soon as I grow up

grew up and went around the area that they were ‘jitties’ [ʤɪtiz] as well because jitty [ʤɪti] has got an

entrance and an exit [ɛgzɪt]; 0:17:44 I think [θɪŋk] uh I think [θɪŋk] the lady was aiming for more Queen’s

English [kwiːnz ɪŋglɪʃ] or shall we say uh easier to understand by anyone rather than (yeah) not because I

was in the North East; 0:29:31 we were talking about Corby earlier I mean they there’s always been a

huge mix [mɪks] of cultures in Corby and language [laŋgwɪʤ] being part of it)

<en-, ex-> (0:01:44 (‘raining heavily’?) you’re getting really excited [ɛksɔɪtɪd] ‘chucking it down’

or ‘pouring’ (that’s right, yeah, ‘pouring’); 0:22:13 I would say “bath” but in my experience

[ɛkspɪːɹiəns] uh with the children primary school children in particular that little bit farther



towards the north and the north west it would be “bath” quite m… quite often with the majority of

the children; 0:25:41 um that isn’t a very good example [ ] but I I can at least acknowledge

that they’re they’re local but they I could guess that they came out of the town they grew up in the

town; 0:27:16 so I don’t think my Northamptonshire accent is as entrenched [ɪntɹɛnʃt] as perhaps

some that’ve have got families of generations that’ve lived in Northamptonshire; 0:27:41 uh I again

from my college days I recall using quite merrily the expression [ɛkspɹɛʃən] ‘off of’ “get off of my

bed”; 0:33:14 my telephone voice is entirely [ɪntɑɪəli] different to and especially when I’ve heard it

tape-recorded; 0:38:28 there are quite a lot I mean, you know, that that use initials and and expect

[ɛkspɛkt] that everybody else will understand exactly [ɛkgzaktli] what it said; 0:43:31 if somebody

liked the look of your clothing or your you looked really good on that day they would say you were

‘hambone’ and I was saying I’ve never heard that expression [ɛkspɹɛʃən] either before or since;

0:49:20 yes, I enjoy [ɛnʤɔɪ] the uh the accents of the North East although apparently County

Durham and and uh north of the Tyne […] are completely different and don’t like to be identified as

uh as Geordie […] oh yes, a Mackem a Mackem would be most offended by being called a Geordie)

DRESS [ɛ]


grew up and went [wɛnt] around the area that they were ‘jitties’ as well [wɛɫ] because jitty has got an

entrance [ɛntɹəns] and an exit [ɛgzɪt]; 0:27:41 uh I again from my college days I recall using quite merrily

[mɛɹəli] the expression [ɛkspɹɛʃən] ‘off of’ “get [gɛt] off of my bed” [bɛd]; 0:43:31 if somebody liked the

look of your clothing or your you looked really good on that day they would say you were ‘hambone’ and I

was saying I’ve never [nɛvə] heard that expression [ɛkspɹɛʃən] either before or since)

TRAP [a]

(0:27:05 my family [faməli] moved around so my mum um lived in Leicestershire and and all over and and

my grandmother [gɹanməðə] and, you know, family [faməli] they moved ’cause they were in service they

moved all over the place; 0:42:10 yeah, I I do think it, you know, I mean the F-word in particular has

become almost habit-forming [habɪʔfɔːmɪŋ] I think and it’s just very sad [sad])

LOT [ɒ]

(0:06:52 (if you feel ‘pleased’ what do you say I feel?) (‘chuffed’) (‘chuffed’) (‘well pleased’ I have used) I

I I obviously [ɒbviəsli] I’m not [nɒʔ] pleased very often I just use the word use the word ‘pleased’; 0:30:59

the dialect becomes stronger I [stɹɒŋgəɹ ɔɪ] think in a way um the smaller the community; 0:41:34 and one

particular coach who I won’t name was so uncouth with the effing and blinding all the time constantly

[kɒnstəntli])

<-body> (0:02:46 everybody’s [ɛvɹɪbɒdɪz] ‘front room’ was at the front of the house obviously but

there was a ‘lounge’ was where you got to be the upper, you know; 0:12:43 if as children we were

talking about somebody [sʌmbədi] or something nothing to do with St Crispin3 that we thought their

actions was mental then we would use the word, “that was a mental thing to do” or, “that was a

mad thing to do”)

STRUT [ʌ ~ ʊ ~ ə]

(0:00:30 we’ve already had this discussion [dɪskʌʃən] ‘alley’ or ‘jitty’ um we even had ‘back-way’

depending on the actual layout is it a countryside [kʌntɹɪsɔɪd] footpath is it in the built-up [bɪɫtʊp] area;

0:05:15 my grandmother [gɹanməðə] was always ‘granny’ and then became ‘gran’ as she as I got older;

0:06:10 ‘pumps’ [pʊmps] may mean something [sʊmθɪŋ] to some [sʊm] people I think they may be

dancing shoes but certainly ‘plimsolls’ were always known as ‘pumps’ [pʊmps]; 0:06:52 (if you feel

‘pleased’ what do you say I feel?) ‘chuffed’ [ʧəft] (‘chuffed’ [ʧəft]) (‘well pleased’ I have used) (I I I

obviously I’m not pleased very often I just use the word use the word ‘pleased’); 0:08:14 (‘to play truant

from school’?) ‘bunked off’ [bəŋkt ɒf] (‘hookey’) (‘bunk off’ [bəŋk ɒf]) (‘skive’ which I think is



Northamptonshire for from the shoemaking industry) yes; 0:23:12 so uh there’s a value I believe in us [ʌs]

southerners [sʌðənəz] saying words in a way which actually are foreign to us [ʌs] because it does [dəz]

actually help with the spelling)

ONE (0:12:43 if as children we were talking about somebody or something nothing [nʌθɪŋ] to do

with St Crispin3 that we thought their actions was mental then we would use the word, “that was a

mental thing to do” or, “that was a mad thing to do”; 0:13:54 and I find that on one [wɒn] of these

things it does pick out your accent ’cause I think I haven’t got one [wɒn] (that’s right) until I hear

my voice recorded; 0:14:57 (do you um do you gentlemen think you have accents?) I did I used to

have one [wʊn] until I went in the Forces; 0:17:44 I think uh I think the lady was aiming for more

Queen’s English or shall we say uh easier to understand by anyone [ɛniwʊn] rather than (yeah) not

because I was in the North East; 0:20:58 they just like to hear our voi… (the British) the British v…

way of speaking and it might be one [wʊn] of five-hundred different uh dialects sort of thing but uh,

no, they love it foreigners do; 0:30:15 I don’t think people that I’ve been talking about of say sixty

years ago in Duston would have the vocabulary that they would’ve had if they’d’ve been brought up

say one [wʊn] decade ago; 0:33:39 (have you got a phone voice?) possibly, yes, but perhaps it

varies on um on… once [wʊns] I’ve made contact that’s right and I realise who I’m talking to;

0:34:12 (do you think you you on a different voice to teach?) again I think uh one [wɒn] does when

you’re in the uh in the strange situation um when you’re in um a class or in a school I still do a bit

of uh work with schools in in the county; 0:38:03 the thing that that really annoys me I think is when

people use acronyms there is nothing [nʊθɪŋ] worse)

FOOT [ʊ]

(0:00:30 we’ve already had this discussion ‘alley’ or ‘jitty’ um we even had ‘back-way’ depending on the

actual layout is it a countryside footpath [fʊʔpaːθ] is it in the built-up area; 0:43:31 if somebody liked the

look [lʊk] of your clothing or your you looked [lʊkt] really good [gʊd] on that day they would say you were

‘hambone’ and I was saying I’ve never heard that expression either before or since; 0:51:56 I mean I don’t

have a a great aversion but uh certainly if you were to push [pʊʃ] me I think I’d probably say Birmingham)

BATH [aː > ɑː]


actual layout is it a countryside footpath [fʊʔpaːθ] is it in the built-up area; 0:06:10 ‘pumps’ may mean

something to some people I think they may be dancing shoes [dɑːnsɪŋ ʃuːz] shoes but certainly ‘plimsolls’

were always known as ‘pumps’; 0:22:13 I would say “bath” [bɑːθ] but in my experience uh with the

children primary school children in particular that little bit farther towards the north and the north west it

would be “bath” [baθ] quite m… quite often with the majority of the children; 0:25:41 um that isn’t a very

good example [ɛgzaːmp ] but I I can at least acknowledge that they’re they’re local but they I could guess

that they came out of the town they grew up in the town)

circumstance (0:02:27 in my circumstance [səːkəmstans] it was the ‘living room’)

CLOTH [ɒ]

(0:06:52 (if you feel ‘pleased’ what do you say I feel?) (‘chuffed’) (‘chuffed’) (‘well pleased’ I have used) I

I I obviously I’m not pleased very often [ɒftən] I just use the word use the word ‘pleased’; 0:07:37 (and if

you’re ‘annoyed’?) ‘cross’ [kɹɒs] (‘narked’ ‘narked’) (‘mad’) (‘annoyed’))

Australia (0:16:55 um one the children in the local school said that they thought I came from

Australia [ɔːstɹɛɪliə] […] but also um uh the English tutor at the college kept me back on several

occasions for speaking lessons)

NURSE [əː]

(0:02:27 in my circumstance [səːkəmstans] it was the ‘living room’; 0:14:10 yeah, the further [fəːðə]

towards Leicester you get the it changes the dialect changes the accent changes; 0:38:12 I mean there are



certain [ ] um areas of work [wəːk] I think that use it I mean the the National Health Service [naʃnəɫ

hɛɫθ səːvɪs] if you’re within the National Health Service [naʃnəɫ hɛɫθ səːvɪs] use it all the time nearly

drives you potty; 0:51:56 I mean I don’t have a a great aversion [əvəːʃən] but uh certainly [ li] if you

were to push me I think I’d probably say Birmingham [bəːmɪŋəm])

girl (0:14:27 Wellingborough miss the aitches out they miss the ‘T’s out they miss the ‘L’ out (can

you give us examples) “well I’m going on my holidays, girl” [gɛʊ] ‘I’m going on my holidays, girl’

[gəːɫ])

FLEECE [iː]

(0:13:34 I suppose it’s not unlike um a L… a Cockney accent really a lot of people [piːp ] will say that it

it’s very akin to London I can’t see [siː] it myself but that a lot of people [piːp ] say that; 0:17:44 I think uh

I think the lady was aiming for more Queen’s English [kwiːnz ɪŋglɪʃ] or shall we say uh easier [iːziə] to

understand by anyone rather than (yeah) not because I was in the North East [nɔːθiːst]; 0:26:36 they also

would feel [fiːɫ] um the need [niːd] to speak [spiːk] shall we say clearly and to pronounce the words as

they believe [bəliːv] they should be [biː])

been (0:20:10 I mean I work with do some work with a fellow that’s that’s been [bɪn] in

Northampton as I know and and London and Brighton and various places he’s lived for years and

yet he has the broadest Scottish accent; 0:29:31 we were talking about Corby earlier I mean they

there’s always been [biːn] a huge mix of cultures in Corby and language being part of it)

FACE [æɪ ~ ɛɪ]

(0:08:14 (‘to play truant from school’?) (‘bunked off’) (‘hookey’) (‘bunk off’) ‘skive’ which I think is

Northamptonshire for from the shoemaking [ʃuːmɛɪkɪŋ] industry (yes); 0:11:05 no, I wouldn’t use the word

‘insane’ [ɪnsæɪn]; 0:17:44 I think uh I think the lady [lɛɪdi] was aiming [æɪmɪŋ] for more Queen’s English

or shall we say [sɛɪ] uh easier to understand by anyone rather than (yeah) not because I was in the North

East; 0:26:01 it’s all down to education [ɛʤukæɪʃən] in the Middle Ages [ ] and all that sort of

thing; 0:34:12 (do you think you you on a different voice to teach?) again I think uh one does when you’re

in the uh in the strange [stɹæɪnʤ] situation [sɪʧuɛɪʃən] um when you’re in um a class or in a school I still

do a bit of uh work with schools in in the county)

ain’t5 (0:14:37 “ain’t [ɛnt] can’t shan’t and ain’t [ɛnə] going to” ‘ain’t’ [ɛnt] meaning ‘isn’t’

(that’s right) ‘shan’t’ meaning ‘shan’t’ (or ‘shall not’) ‘can’t ‘can’t’ “ain’t [ɛnt] can’t shan’t and

ain’t [ɛnə] going to” ‘I’m not going to’)

<-day> (0:14:27 Wellingborough miss the aitches out they miss the ‘T’s out they miss the ‘L’ out

(can you give us examples) “well I’m going on my holidays, [ɔʊdɪz] girl” ‘I’m going on my

holidays, [hɒlədɪz] girl’; 0:43:26 and you used to dress up on a Saturday [satədɛɪ] you didn’t go in

your ordinary clothes you dressed up on a Saturday [satədɛɪ]; 0:51:22 at home I’ve got a poem

about Wellingborough ‘Sunday School [sʊndɪ skuːɫ] Treat Day’ and that is written actually in the

Wellingborough dialect)

PALM [aː ~ ɑː]

(0:05:27 I’ve never I never liked it and um have never used it as a child myself and didn’t want it um myself

so we’re ‘gran’ and ‘grandad’ or ‘granny’ and ‘grandad’ and the other grandparents are ‘grandma’ and

‘grandad’ [gɹanmɑːɹ əŋ gɹandad]; 0:13:34 I suppose it’s not unlike um a L… a Cockney accent really a lot

of people will say that it it’s very akin to London I can’t [kɑːnʔ] see it myself but that a lot of people say

that; 0:18:08 we are rather [ɹaːðə] parochial perhaps in our accents if we’ve lived in one area for a long

5 This utterance is consciously ‘performed’ in imitation of broad dialect speech locally.



time whoever we are; 0:48:36 uh a teacher can’t [kaːnʔ] address Mother’s Day and Father’s Day [faːðəz

dæɪ] in the same way as they used to be able to)

can’t, shan’t5 (0:14:37 “ain’t can’t [kɛnt] shan’t [ʃɛnt] and ain’t going to” ‘ain’t’ meaning ‘isn’t’

(that’s right) ‘shan’t’ [ʃɛnt] meaning ‘shan’t’ [ʃɑːnt] (or ‘shall not’) ‘can’t [kɛnt] ‘can’t’ [kɑːnt]

‘ain’t’ ‘can’t’ [kɛnt] ‘shan’t’ [ʃɛnt] and ‘ain’t going to’ ‘I’m not going to’)

THOUGHT [ɔː]

(0:12:43 if as children we were talking [tɔːkɪn] about somebody or something nothing to do with St

Crispin3 that we thought [θɔːt] their actions was mental then we would use the word, “that was a mental

thing to do” or, “that was a mad thing to do”; 0:20:10 I mean I work with do some work with a fellow

that’s that’s been in Northampton as I know and and London and Brighton and various places he’s lived

for years and yet he has the broadest [bɹɔːdɪst] Scottish accent; 0:30:59 the dialect becomes stronger I

think in a way um the smaller [smɔːlə] the community)

fault, Gibraltar (0:18:54 and it was the same when we went abroad I was stationed in Gibraltar

and [ʤɪbɹɒɫtəɹ ənd] uh some of the labour force was from the local uh Gibraltarians

[ʤɪbɹɒɫtɛːɹiənz]; 0:39:01 that’s the Primary Care Trust’s6 fault [fɒɫt] that you don’t understand

what it means)

GOAT [əʊ]

(0:41:34 and one particular coach [kəʊʧ] who I won’t [wəʊnʔ] name was so [səʊ] uncouth with the effing

and blinding all the time constantly; 0:43:31 if somebody liked the look of your clothing [kləʊðɪn] or your

you looked really good on that day they would say you were ‘hambone’ [hambəʊn] and I was saying I’ve

never heard that expression either before or since; 0:51:22 at home [həʊm] I’ve got a poem [pəʊɪm] about

Wellingborough ‘Sunday School Treat Day’ and that is written actually in the Wellingborough dialect)

going (to) (0:14:27 Wellingborough miss the aitches out they miss the ‘T’s out they miss the ‘L’ out

(can you give us examples) “well I’m going [guːɪn] on my holidays, girl” ‘I’m going [gəʊɪŋ] on my

holidays, girl’; 0:14:37 “ain’t can’t shan’t and ain’t going to” [gʊnə] ‘ain’t’ meaning ‘isn’t’ (that’s

right) ‘shan’t’ meaning ‘shan’t’ (or ‘shall not’) ‘can’t ‘can’t’ “ain’t can’t shan’t and ain’t going

to” [gʊnə] ‘I’m not going to’ [gəʊɪŋ tu]5; 0:49:09 I’m going to [gənə] turn it into a competition in

actual fact it’s so amazing it really is great)

<-ow>, so (0:20:10 I mean I work with do some work with a fellow [fɛlə] that’s that’s been in

Northampton as I know and and London and Brighton and various places he’s lived for years and

yet he has the broadest Scottish accent; 0:39:13 (do you get annoyed by how anybody talks?) not so

[sə] much now but I used to)

GOAL [ɔʊ]

(0:05:15 my grandmother was always ‘granny’ and then became ‘gran’ as she as I got older [ɔʊɫdə];

0:06:10 ‘pumps’ may mean something to some people I think they may be dancing shoes shoes but

certainly ‘plimsolls’ [plɪmsɔʊɫz] were always known as ‘pumps’; 0:34:01 the one thing I can say is that

I’m told [tɔʊɫd] by many people that when I’m on the phone I wave my arms about)

GOOSE [uː]

(0:06:10 ‘pumps’ may mean something to some people I think they may be dancing shoes [dɑːnsɪŋ ʃuːz]

shoes but certainly ‘plimsolls’ were always known as ‘pumps’; 0:08:14 (‘to play truant from school’?)

(‘bunked off’) (‘hookey’) (‘bunk off’) ‘skive’ which I think is Northamptonshire for from the shoemaking

[ʃuːmɛɪkɪŋ] industry (yes); 0:41:34 and one particular coach who I won’t name was so uncouth [ʌŋkuːθ]

with the effing and blinding all the time constantly)

PRICE [ɑɪ > ɔɪ]

6 Administrative body of UK National Health Service abolished in 2013.




actual layout is it a countryside [kʌntɹɪsɔɪd] footpath is it in the built-up area; 0:37:07 I sometimes

[sʌmtɑɪmz] get frustrated when adults in particular try [tɹɔɪ] to use the uh what shall we say slang we

haven’t used that word; 0:41:34 and one particular coach who I won’t name was so uncouth with the effing

and blinding [blɑɪndɪŋ] all the time [tɑɪm] constantly)

entirely, tired (0:07:08 (do you get ‘tired’?) yes, and I use the word ‘tired’ [tɑɪəd]; 0:33:14 my

telephone voice is entirely [ɪntɑɪəli] different to and especially when I’ve heard it tape-recorded)

my (0:05:27 I’ve never I never liked it and um have never used it as a child myself [mɑɪsɛɫf] and

didn’t want it um myself [məsɛɫf] so we’re ‘gran’ and ‘grandad’ or ‘granny’ and ‘grandad’ and the

other grandparents are ‘grandma’ and ‘grandad’; 0:13:34 I suppose it’s not unlike um a L… a

Cockney accent really a lot of people will say that it it’s very akin to London I can’t see it myself

[məsɛɫf] but that a lot of people say that; 0:14:27 Wellingborough miss the aitches out they miss the

‘T’s out they miss the ‘L’ out (can you give us examples) “well I’m going on my [mi] holidays, girl”

‘I’m going on my holidays, girl’; 0:33:14 my [mə] telephone voice is entirely different to and

especially when I’ve heard it tape-recorded)

CHOICE [ɔɪ]

(0:01:40 no, I grew up with the word ‘toilet’ [tɔɪlət] ‘loo’ is a a newer word; 0:07:37 (and if you’re

‘annoyed’?) (‘cross’) (‘narked’ ‘narked’) (‘mad’) ‘annoyed’ [ənɔɪd]; 0:13:54 and I find that on one of

these things it does pick out your accent ’cause I think I haven’t got one (that’s right) until I hear my voice

[vɔɪs] recorded)

MOUTH [aʊ]

(0:02:46 everybody’s ‘front room’ was at the front of the house [haʊs] obviously but there was a ‘lounge’

[laʊnʤ] was where you got to be the upper, you know; 0:25:41 um that isn’t a very good example but I I

can at least acknowledge that they’re they’re local but they I could guess that they came out [aʊt] of the

town [taʊn] they grew up in the town [taʊn]; 0:26:36 they also would feel um the need to speak shall we

say clearly and to pronounce [pɹənaʊns] the words as they believe they should be; 0:34:12 (do you think

you you on a different voice to teach?) again I think uh one does when you’re in the uh in the strange

situation um when you’re in um a class or in a school I still do a bit of uh work with schools in in the

county [kaʊnti])

hour, our (0:15:35 a lot of people used to say to me you talk like a Londoner and they still do today

this day but I I’ve never spent more than six hours [aʊəz] in London; 0:18:08 we are rather

parochial perhaps in our accents [aːɹ aksɛnts] if we’ve lived in one area for a long time whoever

we are)

NEAR [ɪː > ɪə]

(0:09:05 (‘tool-box’) (yeah) ‘gear’ [gɪə] ‘gear’ [gɪə] (yeah) (‘tool-box’); 0:22:13 I would say “bath” but in

my experience [ɛkspɪːɹiəns] uh with the children primary school children in particular that little bit farther

towards the north and the north west it would be “bath” quite m… quite often with the majority of the

children; 0:20:10 I mean I work with do some work with a fellow that’s that’s been in Northampton as I

know and and London and Brighton and various places he’s lived for years [jɪəz] and yet he has the

broadest Scottish accent; 0:26:36 they also would feel um the need to speak shall we say clearly [klɪəli] and

to pronounce the words as they believe they should be; 0:30:15 I don’t think people that I’ve been talking

about of say sixty years [jɪːz] ago in Duston would have the vocabulary that they would’ve had if they’d’ve

been brought up say one decade ago; 0:38:12 I mean there are certain um areas of work I think that use it I

mean the the National Health Service if you’re within the National Health Service use it all the time nearly

[nɪːli] drives you potty; 0:49:09 I’m going to turn it into a competition in actual fact it’s so amazing it

really [ɹɪːli] is great)



SQUARE [ɛː]


grew up and went around the area [ɛːɹiə] that they were ‘jitties’ as well because jitty has got an entrance

and an exit; 0:20:10 I mean I work with do some work with a fellow that’s that’s been in Northampton as I

know and and London and Brighton and various [vɛːɹiəs] places he’s lived for years and yet he has the

broadest Scottish accent)

START [ɑː ~ aː]

(0:07:37 (and if you’re ‘annoyed’?) (‘cross’) ‘narked’ [nɑːkt] ‘narked’ [nɑːkt] (‘mad’) (‘annoyed’);

0:18:08 we are [aː] rather parochial perhaps in our accents if we’ve lived in one area for a long time

whoever we are [aː]; 0:22:13 I would say “bath” but in my experience uh with the children primary school

children in particular that little bit farther [faːðə] towards the north and the north west it would be “bath”

quite m… quite often with the majority of the children; 0:29:31 we were talking about Corby earlier I mean

they there’s always been a huge mix of cultures in Corby and language being part [pɑːt] of it)

NORTH~FORCE [ɔː]

(0:01:44 (‘raining heavily’?) you’re getting really excited ‘chucking it down’ or ‘pouring’ [pɔːɹɪŋ] (that’s

right, yeah, ‘pouring’ [pɔːɹɪŋ]); 0:14:57 (do you um do you gentlemen think you have accents?) I did I used

to have one until I went in the Forces [fɔːsɪz]; 0:17:44 I think uh I think the lady was aiming for more

[mɔː] Queen’s English or [ɔː] shall we say uh easier to understand by anyone rather than (yeah) not

because I was in the North East [nɔːθiːst]; 0:22:13 I would say “bath” but in my experience uh with the

children primary school children in particular that little bit farther towards [təwɔːdz] the north [nɔːθ] and

the north west [nɔːθwɛst] it would be “bath” quite m… quite often with the majority of the children;

0:42:10 yeah, I I do think it, you know, I mean the F-word in particular has become almost habit-forming

[habɪʔfɔːmɪŋ] I think and it’s just very sad)

or (0:50:41 but every now and again um in a so… at a social gathering or something like that he’d

he’d come out with the odd phrase or two [fɹæɪz ə tuː] in his old Birmingham accent)

CURE [ɔː]

(0:07:19 (‘poorly’ [pɔːli]) (’unwell’) (‘poorly’ [pɔːli]) yes, ‘poorly’ [pɔːli] or ‘sick’; 0:19:53 but all of a

sudden if we had ten thousand Scotland Scottish people come in from Corby we’d all change I’m sure [ʃɔː]

we would)

happY [i > əi]

(0:30:59 the dialect becomes stronger I think in a way um the smaller the community [kəmjuːnətəi];

0:38:12 I mean there are certain um areas of work I think that use it I mean the the National Health

Service if you’re within the National Health Service use it all the time nearly [nɪːli] drives you potty [pɒti])

lettER [ə > a]

(0:14:10 yeah, the further [fəːðə] towards Leicester [lɛstə] you get the it changes the dialect changes the

accent changes; 0:17:44 I think uh I think the lady was aiming for more Queen’s English or shall we say uh

easier [iːziə] to understand by anyone rather [ɹaːðə] than (yeah) not because I was in the North East;

0:29:31 we were talking about Corby earlier [əːlɪə] I mean they there’s always been a huge mix of cultures

[kʌʊʧəz] in Corby and language being part of it; 0:30:59 the dialect becomes stronger I [stɹɒŋgəɹ ɔɪ] think

in a way um the smaller [smɔːlə] the community; 0:37:07 I sometimes get frustrated when adults in

particular [pətɪkjəla] try to use the uh what shall we say slang we haven’t used that word)

<-shire> (0:08:14 (‘to play truant from school’?) (‘bunked off’) (‘hookey’) (‘bunk off’) ‘skive’

which I think is Northamptonshire [nɔːθamptənʃɪː] for from the shoemaking industry (yes); 0:27:05

my family moved around so my mum um lived in Leicestershire and [lɛstəʃɪːɹ ən] and all over and



and my grandmother and, you know, family they moved ’cause they were in service they moved all

over the place)

commA [ə]


grew up and went around the area [ɛːɹiə] that they were ‘jitties’ as well because jitty has got an entrance

and an exit; 0:16:55 um one the children in the local school said that they thought I came from Australia

[ɔːstɹɛɪliə] […] but also um uh the English tutor at the college kept me back on several occasions for

speaking lessons)

horsES [ɪ]

(0:14:10 yeah, the further towards Leicester you get the it changes [ʧæɪnʤɪz] the dialect changes

[ʧæɪnʤɪz] the accent changes [ʧæɪnʤɪz]; 0:14:57 (do you um do you gentlemen think you have accents?)

I did I used to have one until I went in the Forces [fɔːsɪz])

startED [ɪ]

(0:01:44 (‘raining heavily’?) you’re getting really excited [ɛksɔɪtɪd] ‘chucking it down’ or ‘pouring’ (that’s

right, yeah, ‘pouring’); 0:13:54 and I find that on one of these things it does pick out your accent ’cause I

think I haven’t got one (that’s right) until I hear my voice recorded [ɹɪkɔːdɪd]; 0:37:07 I sometimes get

frustrated [fɹʌstɹɛɪtɪd] when adults in particular try to use the uh what shall we say slang we haven’t used

that word)

mornING [ɪ]

(0:01:44 (‘raining heavily’?) you’re getting [gɛʔɪn] really excited ‘chucking [ʧʊkɪŋ] it down’ or ‘pouring’

[pɔːɹɪŋ] (that’s right, yeah, ‘pouring’ [pɔːɹɪŋ]); 0:06:10 ‘pumps’ may mean something [sʊmθɪŋ] to some

people I think they may be dancing shoes [dɑːnsɪŋ ʃuːz] shoes but certainly ‘plimsolls’ were always known

as ‘pumps’; 0:41:34 and one particular coach who I won’t name was so uncouth with the effing [ɛfɪŋ] and

blinding [blɑɪndɪŋ] all the time constantly)

ZERO RHOTICITY

PLOSIVES

T

word final T-glottaling (0:00:30 we’ve already had this discussion ‘alley’ or ‘jitty’ um we even had ‘back-

way’ depending on the actual layout is it [ɪʔ] a countryside footpath [fʊʔpaːθ] is it in the built-up area;

0:04:18 I hadn’t [had ʔ] got [gɒʔ] anything for that particularly I don’t think; 0:06:52 (if you feel ‘pleased’

what do you say I feel?) (‘chuffed’) (‘chuffed’) (‘well pleased’ I have used) I I I obviously I’m not [nɒʔ]

pleased very often I just use the word use the word ‘pleased’; 0:49:09 I’m going to turn it [ɪʔ] into a

competition in actual fact it’s so amazing it really is great [gɹæɪʔ]; 0:51:22 at [əʔ] home I’ve got a poem

about Wellingborough ‘Sunday School Treat Day’ and that [ðaʔ] is written actually in the Wellingborough

dialect)

word final & syllable initial T-glottaling (0:01:44 (‘raining heavily’?) you’re getting [gɛʔɪn] really

excited ‘chucking it down’ or ‘pouring’ (that’s right, yeah, ‘pouring’); 0:20:10 I mean I work with do some

work with a fellow that’s that’s been in Northampton as I know and and London and Brighton [bɹɑɪ ] and

various places he’s lived for years and yet he has the broadest Scottish accent; 0:38:12 I mean there are

certain [ ] um areas of work I think that use it I mean the the National Health Service if you’re within

the National Health Service use it all the time nearly drives you potty; 0:51:22 at home I’ve got a poem

about Wellingborough ‘Sunday School Treat Day’ and that is written [ɹɪ ] actually in the Wellingborough

dialect)



frequent T-voicing (e.g. 0:05:15 my grandmother was always ‘granny’ and then became ‘gran’ as she as I

got [gɒd] older; 0:15:35 a lot [lɒd] of people used to say to me you talk like a Londoner and they still do

today this day but I I’ve never spent more than six hours in London; 0:22:13 I would say “bath” but in my

experience uh with the children primary school children in particular that little [ ] bit farther towards

the north and the north west it would be “bath” quite m… quite [kwɑɪd] often with the majority of the

children; 0:32:34 I I pick the phone up say what I’m going to say and they’ll say, “oh Wendy, can you do

this for me” or whatever [wɒdɛvə]; 0:34:12 (do you think you you on a different voice to teach?) again I

think uh one does when you’re in the uh in the strange situation um when you’re in um a class or in a

school I still do a bit [bɪd] of uh work with schools in in the county; 0:42:28 uh little [ ] expressions that

youngsters have for what is ‘good’ or ‘pleasant’ […] they would come up with such things as ‘cool’;

0:51:22 at home I’ve got [gɒd] a poem about Wellingborough ‘Sunday School Treat Day’ and that is

written actually in the Wellingborough dialect)

NASALS

NG

velar nasal plus (0:30:15 I don’t think people that I’ve been talking [tɔːkɪŋg] about of say sixty years ago

in Duston would have the vocabulary that they would’ve had if they’d’ve been brought up say one decade

ago)

NG-fronting (0:12:43 if as children we were talking [tɔːkɪn] about somebody or something nothing to do

with St Crispin3 that we thought their actions was mental then we would use the word, “that was a mental

thing to do” or, “that was a mad thing to do”; 0:24:38 it didn’t take very long about twelve months before

she’d picked up the accent where she was living [lɪvɪn]; 0:43:31 if somebody liked the look of your clothing

[kləʊðɪn] or your you looked really good on that day they would say you were ‘hambone’ and I was saying

[sɛɪʲɪn] I’ve never heard that expression either before or since)

N

frequent syllabic N with nasal release (e.g. 0:04:18 I hadn’t [had ʔ] got anything for that particularly I

don’t think; 0:05:27 I’ve never I never liked it and um have never used it as a child myself and didn’t

[dɪd ʔ] want it um myself so we’re ‘gran’ and ‘grandad’ or ‘granny’ and ‘grandad’ and the other

grandparents are ‘grandma’ and ‘grandad’; 0:11:05 no, I wouldn’t [wʊd ʔ] use the word ‘insane’;

0:11:26 well a lot of people just say ‘mental’ but it wouldn’t [wʊd t] be something that I would’ve ever’ve

used; 0:19:53 but all of a sudden [sʊd ] if we had ten thousand Scotland Scottish people come in from

Corby we’d all change I’m sure we would; 0:24:38 it didn’t [dɪd t] take very long about twelve months

before she’d picked up the accent where she was living; 0:35:47 I wouldn’t [wʊd t] correct the children if

they weren’t speaking properly as often as some of the other teachers)

syllabic N with epenthetic schwa (0:06:52 (if you feel ‘pleased’ what do you say I feel?) (‘chuffed’)

(‘chuffed’) (‘well pleased’ I have used) I I I obviously I’m not pleased very often [ɒftən] I just use the word

use the word ‘pleased’; 0:22:13 I would say “bath” but in my experience uh with the children primary

school children in particular that little bit farther towards the north and the north west it would be “bath”

quite m… quite often [ɒftən] with the majority of the children; 0:35:47 I wouldn’t correct the children if

they weren’t speaking properly as often [ɒftən] as some of the other teachers)

FRICATIVES

H



H-dropping (0:20:58 they just like to hear our voi… (the British) the British v… way of speaking and it

might be one of five-hundred [fɑɪvʊndɹəd] different uh dialects sort of thing but uh, no, they love it

foreigners do)

LIQUIDS

R

approximant R (0:00:50 as a child we used to call them ‘back-ways’ just ‘back-ways’ but I realised

[ɹiəlɑɪzd] soon as I grow [gɹəʊ] up grew [gɹuː] up and went around [əɹaʊnd] the area [ɛːɹiə] that they

were ‘jitties’ as well because jitty has got an entrance [ɛntɹəns] and an exit; 0:18:08 we are rather [ɹaːðə]

parochial [pəɹəʊkiəɫ] perhaps in our accents [aːɹ aksɛnts] if we’ve lived in one area [ɛːɹiə] for a [fəɹ ə]

long time whoever we are; 0:27:41 uh I again from my college days I recall [ɹɪkɔːɫ] using quite merrily

[mɛɹəli] the expression [ɛkspɹɛʃən] ‘off of’ “get off of my bed”)

L

clear onset L (0:24:08 well it isn’t a village [vɪlɪʤ] it’s part of the borough of Northampton of course but it

used to be a village [vɪlɪʤ] and of that village [vɪlɪʤ] in the old days there’s not many people left [lɛft] of

course; 0:27:05 my family [faməli] moved around so my mum um lived [lɪvd] in Leicestershire and

[lɛstəʃɪːɹ ən] and all over and and my grandmother and, you know, family [faməli] they moved ’cause they

were in service they moved all over the place [plɛɪs]; 0:41:34 and one particular [pətɪkjələ] coach who I

won’t name was so uncouth with the effing and blinding [blɑɪndɪŋ] all the time constantly [kɒnstəntli])

dark coda L (0:25:41 um that isn’t a very good example [ ] but I I can at least acknowledge that

they’re they’re local [ləʊkəɫ] but they I could guess that they came out of the town they grew up in the

town; 0:38:12 I mean there are certain um areas of work I think that use it I mean the the National Health

Service [naʃnəɫ hɛɫθ səːvɪs] if you’re within the National Health Service [naʃnəɫ hɛɫθ səːvɪs] use it all

[ɔːɫ] the time nearly drives you potty)

L-vocalisation (0:00:50 as a child [ʧɑɪʊd] we used to call them ‘back-ways’ just ‘back-ways’ but I realised

soon as I grow up grew up and went around the area that they were ‘jitties’ as well because jitty has got an

entrance and an exit; 0:02:20 (‘light rain’) (‘light rain’, yeah) (‘drizzle’ [dɹɪzʊ]) yes, I had the word

‘drizzle’ [dɹɪzʊ]; 0:29:31 we were talking about Corby earlier I mean they there’s always been a huge mix

of cultures [kʌʊʧəz] in Corby and language being part of it; 0:37:07 I sometimes get frustrated when

adults [adʌʊts] in particular try to use the uh what shall we say slang we haven’t used that word; 0:38:28

there are quite a lot I mean, you know, that that use initials [ɪnɪʃʊz] and and expect that everybody else

[ɛʊs] will understand exactly what it said)

syllabic L with lateral release (0:03:20 (I’d call it a ‘settee’) and and a ‘settle’ [ ] a ‘settle’, [ ]

yeah; 0:11:26 well a lot of people just say ‘mental’ [mɛn ] but it wouldn’t be something that I would’ve

ever’ve used; 0:24:57 (I mean I’ve always only ever known Irthlingborough called ‘Irthlingborough’ I’ve

never heard it called anything else Rothwell um ‘Rothwell’ yes and and various others but you were giving

us an a lovely one for Irthlingborough and I’d never heard of it) Artlenock [ nɒk]; 0:26:01 it’s all down

to education in the Middle Ages [ ] and all that sort of thing)

syllabic L with epenthetic schwa (0:12:43 if as children we were talking about somebody or something

nothing to do with St Crispin3 that we thought their actions was mental [mɛntəɫ] then we would use the

word, “that was a mental [mɛntəɫ] thing to do” or, “that was a mad thing to do”)

GLIDES



J

yod coalescence (0:16:55 um one the children in the local school said that they thought I came from

Australia […] but also um uh the English tutor at [ʧuːtəɹ əʔ] the college kept me back on several occasions

for speaking lessons; 0:26:01 it’s all down to education [ɛʤukæɪʃən] in the Middle Ages and all that sort

of thing; 0:34:12 (do you think you you on a different voice to teach?) again I think uh one does when

you’re in the uh in the strange situation [sɪʧuɛɪʃən] um when you’re in um a class or in a school I still do a

bit of uh work with schools in in the county)

ELISION

prepositions

of reduction (0:13:54 and I find that on one of [ə] these things it does pick out your accent ’cause I think I

haven’t got one (that’s right) until I hear my voice recorded; 0:24:08 well it isn’t a village it’s part of [ə]

the borough of [əv] Northampton of course [ə kɔːs] but it used to be a village and of [ɒv] that village in the

old days there’s not many people left of course [əv kɔːs])

simplification

word final consonant cluster reduction (0:43:26 and you used to dress up on a Saturday you didn’t go in

your ordinary clothes [kləʊz] you dressed up on a Saturday)

word initial syllable reduction (0:24:38 it didn’t take very long about [baʊt] twelve months before she’d

picked up the accent where she was living; 0:33:14 my telephone voice is entirely different to and

especially [spɛʃli] when I’ve heard it tape-recorded)

syllable deletion (0:13:34 I suppose [spəʊz] it’s not unlike um a L… a Cockney accent really a lot of

people will say that it it’s very akin to London I can’t see it myself but that a lot of people say that; 0:33:14

my telephone voice is entirely different to and especially [spɛʃli] when I’ve heard it tape-recorded)

definite article reduction (0:14:10 yeah, the further towards Leicester you get the it changes the dialect

changes the accent [ðaksɛʔn] changes)

L-deletion with only (0:23:53 every village had its own even though they only [əʊni] might about three or

four miles apart; 0:24:57 I mean I’ve always only [əʊni] ever known Irthlingborough called

‘Irthlingborough’ I’ve never heard it called anything else Rothwell um ‘Rothwell’ yes and and various

others but you were giving us an a lovely one for Irthlingborough and I’d never heard of it (Artlenock))

V-deletion with have (0:30:15 I don’t think people that I’ve been talking about of say sixty years ago in

Duston would have the vocabulary that they would’ve had if they’d’ve [ðæɪdə] been brought up say one

decade ago)

LIAISON

frequent linking R (e.g. 0:16:55 um one the children in the local school said that they thought I came from

Australia […] but also um uh the English tutor at [ʧuːtəɹ əʔ] the college kept me back on several occasions

for speaking lessons; 0:18:08 we are rather parochial perhaps in our accents [aːɹ aksɛnts] if we’ve lived in

one area for a [fəɹ ə] long time whoever we are; 0:27:05 my family moved around so my mum um lived in

Leicestershire and [lɛstəʃɪːɹ ən] and all over and [ɔːɫ əʊvəɹ ən] and my grandmother and, you know,

family they moved ’cause they were in [wəɹ ɪn] service they moved all over the place; 0:30:59 the dialect

becomes stronger I [stɹɒŋgəɹ ɔɪ] think in a way um the smaller the community)



zero linking R (0:43:31 if somebody liked the look of your clothing or your you looked really good on that

day they would say you were ‘hambone’ and I was saying I’ve never heard that expression either before or

[bɪfɔː ɔː] since)

intrusive R (0:05:27 I’ve never I never liked it and um have never used it as a child myself and didn’t want

it um myself so we’re ‘gran’ and ‘grandad’ or ‘granny’ and ‘grandad’ and the other grandparents are

‘grandma’ and ‘grandad’ [gɹanmɑːɹ əŋ gɹandad])

SUBSTITUTION

negation

alternative negator5 (0:14:37 “ain’t can’t shan’t and ain’t [ɛɪnə] going to” ‘ain’t’ meaning ‘isn’t’ (that’s right)

‘shan’t’ meaning ‘shan’t’ (or ‘shall not’) ‘can’t ‘can’t’ “ain’t can’t shan’t and ain’t [ɛɪnə] going to” ‘I’m not

going to’)

WEAK-STRONG CONTRAST

word final vowel strengthening (0:32:51 she now uses her business [bɪznɪs] voice, you know, now she’s a J.P.7

sort of thing; 0:44:44 but isn’t there more willingness [wɪlɪŋnɪs] on the part of the youngsters now to do these

things but to be brazen with it)

LEXICALLY SPECIFIC VARIATION

again (0:27:41 uh I again [əgɛn] from my college days I recall using quite merrily the expression ‘off of’

“get off of my bed”; 0:35:25 back to the ‘grass’ and the ‘glass’ again [əgæɪn] saying that is I believe

correct you must do that I I would vary the way the way I would say those words; 0:50:41 but every now

and again [əgæɪn] um in a so… at a social gathering or something like that he’d he’d come out with the

odd phrase or two in his old Birmingham accent)

(be)cause (0:00:50 as a child we used to call them ‘back-ways’ just ‘back-ways’ but I realised soon as I

grow up grew up and went around the area that they were ‘jitties’ as well because [bɪkʊz] jitty has got an

entrance and an exit; 0:13:54 and I find that on one of these things it does pick out your accent ’cause

[kʊz] I think I haven’t got one (that’s right) until I hear my voice recorded; 0:17:44 I think uh I think the

lady was aiming for more Queen’s English or shall we say uh easier to understand by anyone rather than

(yeah) not because [bɪkʊz] I was in the North East)

either (0:43:31 if somebody liked the look of your clothing or your you looked really good on that day they

would say you were ‘hambone’ and I was saying I’ve never heard that expression either [ɑɪðə] before or

since)

Rothwell4 (0:24:57 I mean I’ve always only ever known Irthlingborough called ‘Irthlingborough’ I’ve

never heard it called anything else Rothwell [ɹɒθwɛɫ] um ‘Rothwell’ [ɹaʊəɫ] yes and and various others but

you were giving us an a lovely one for Irthlingborough and I’d never heard of it (Artlenock))

often (0:06:52 (if you feel ‘pleased’ what do you say I feel?) (‘chuffed’) (‘chuffed’) (‘well pleased’ I have

used) I I I obviously I’m not pleased very often [ɒftən] I just use the word use the word ‘pleased’; 0:22:13 I

would say “bath” but in my experience uh with the children primary school children in particular that

little bit farther towards the north and the north west it would be “bath” quite m… quite often [ɒftən] with

the majority of the children; 0:35:47 I wouldn’t correct the children if they weren’t speaking properly as

often [ɒftən] as some of the other teachers)

7 ‘Justice of Peace’, layperson with responsibility for giving judgement on variety of cases at magistrate’s court.



GRAMMAR

DETERMINERS

definite article reduction (0:14:10 yeah, the further towards Leicester you get the it changes the dialect

changes th’ accent changes)

PRONOUNS

indefinite one (0:34:12 (do you think you you on a different voice to teach?) again I think uh one does

when you’re in the uh in the strange situation um when you’re in um a class or in a school I still do a bit of

uh work with schools in in the county)

possessive me (0:14:27 Wellingborough miss the aitches out they miss the ‘T’s out they miss the ‘L’ out

(can you give us examples) “well I’m going on me holidays, gel” ‘I’m going on my holidays, girl’)

relative that (0:20:10 I mean I work with do some work with a fella that’s that’s been in Northampton as I

know and and London and Brighton and various places he’s lived for years and yet he has the broadest

Scottish accent; 0:27:16 so I don’t think my Northamptonshire accent is as entrenched as perhaps some

that’ve have got families of generations that’ve lived in Northamptonshire; 0:30:15 I don’t think people

that I’ve been talking about of say sixty years ago in Duston would have the vocabulary that they would’ve

had if they’d’ve been brought up say one decade ago)

VERBS

past be – was generalisation (0:12:43 if as children we were talking about somebody or something nothing to

do with St Crispin3 that we thought their actions was mental then we would use the word, “that was a

mental thing to do” or, “that was a mad thing to do”)

compounds double conditional (0:11:26 well a lot of people just say ‘mental’ but it wouldn’t be something that I

would’ve ever’ve used; 0:30:15 I don’t think people that I’ve been talking about of say sixty years ago in

Duston would have the vocabulary that they would’ve had if they’d’ve been brought up say one decade

ago)

invariant there is (0:24:08 well it isn’t a village it’s part of the borough of Northampton of course but it

used to be a village and of that village in the old days there’s not many people left of course)

NEGATION

alternative negator5 (0:14:37 “ain’t can’t shan’t and aina

* gonna” ‘ain’t’ meaning ‘isn’t’ (that’s right)

‘shan’t’ meaning ‘shan’t’ (or ‘shall not’) ‘can’t ‘can’t’ “ain’t can’t shan’t and aina* gonna” ‘I’m not

going to’)

be – ain’t for negative be5 (0:14:37 “ain’t can’t shan’t and aina gonna” ‘ain’t’ meaning ‘isn’t’ (that’s

right) ‘shan’t’ meaning ‘shan’t’ (or ‘shall not’) ‘can’t ‘can’t’ “ain’t can’t shan’t and aina gonna” ‘I’m not

going to’)

PREPOSITIONS

insertion



off of (0:27:41 uh I again from my college days I recall using quite merrily the expression ‘off of’ “get off

of my bed”)

DISCOURSE

intensifier well (0:06:52 (if you feel ‘pleased’ what do you say I feel?) (‘chuffed’) (‘chuffed’) ‘well

pleased’ I have used (I I I obviously I’m not pleased very often I just use the word use the word ‘pleased’))

© Robinson, Herring, Gilbert

Voices of the UK, 2009-2012

A British Library project funded by The Leverhulme Trust

bbc voices recordings...preference to ‘granny’ when older); nan (suggested by interviewer, not...

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