Friday, March 9, 2012

Lancashire Dialect by Peter Wright

I have just finished reading Lancashire Dialect by Peter Wright. It was first published in 1976, and gives a wonderful insight into the Lancashire dialect(s) of that time. The style of writing is a little dated, but it was a very enjoyable read especially as it is contemporary with the dialect(s) in use around the time of my birth (1974). What struck me about the linguistic data contained in the book is how "broad" it sounds, and yet how familiar it is at the same time. Many of the words and sayings in the book I did not use growing up, and I cannot remember my parents using them, but I do remember them being in use.

One thing that struck me in particular, however, is the use of the Middle English (circa 1150- 1500) personal pronouns in use at the time. They are, indeed, still in use to a much lesser extent today, but I am sorry to say that I believe they have completely fallen out of use in the speech of the younger generation. I would love to be proved wrong!

For comparison, here are the personal pronouns in Modern English:

             Singular                                                Plural                 
Subject  Object    Possessive            Subject   Object    Possessive

I              me            mine                  we            us            our
you          you           your                  you           you          your
he/she/it   him/her/it   his/hers/its         they          them         their




and here are the personal pronouns in Middle English:




              Singular                                             Plural                     
Subject   Object     Possessive          Subject    Object    Possessive

ik/ich/I       me               my(n)             we          us              oure
thou           thee             thy(n)             ye           you            your
he/sche/hit  hit/him/hire   his/his/hire     he/they    hem/them   her/their


The personal pronouns I am referring to are the 2nd person singular subject and object forms: thou and thee.

I can distinctly remember hearing these used in ordinary everyday speech in sentences such as:


  • 'Ow's thee doin'? (How are you doing?)
  • Sit thee doon/down. (Sit down.)
  • Ay, tha wer' reet. (tha=thou) (Yes, you were right.)
and the classic play on the Middle English 2nd person singular personal pronoun thee and the definite article the. As follows:

A person is looking for somewhere to throw a piece of rubbish, and they ask:

- Where's the bin? (lit. - Where is the bin?) (Dialect - Where has thee been?)

to which comes the reply:

- A's bin nowhere, where's you bin? (I haven't been anywhere, where have you been?)
Do you use these pronouns? Are they still common in Warringtonian speech? Or are they archaic and old fashioned?





7 comments:

  1. I've not heared the use of "thee" or "tha" for "you" much in the Warrington speech of late. I think you are more likely to hear it in the Leigh or Wigan areas.

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  2. I still use them occasionaly and still hear them being used:

    "Wheres tha bin?"
    "Hows tha diddlin?"
    These days this way of speaking seems to come across more light heartedly than "Whereve yer bin?" Maybe because it is old fashioned.
    Just going off the subect a bit.This conversation shows how other words can mean different things to different generations. I was at an elderly friend's(who is going deaf,which complicated things even more,when a younger relative visited.

    Friend: "Will you help Gaynor move that form out of the garage?"
    Relative(looking puzzled)"You havent any forms in the garage Gran"
    Friend:(exasperated)"The one near the doors"
    Relative:"I dont know what youre talking about Gran.All your forms are in your file".
    Me"We've been talking about moving the bench outside now its nice again"
    Relative:"You mean your bench Gran"
    Friend:"Yes.What did you think I meant?"

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    Replies
    1. As I said, I didn't use the Middle English personal pronouns when I was growing up, but I can remember my Dad occasionally using them in phrases like, "Sit thee down lad" even though he doesn't normally talk in that way. I have heard the "Where's the bin?" refrain many times, and I've tried to teach it to my own kids.
      Gaynor's comment about "form" is interesting. I can remember in primary school (1978-1985) the word was always used for the long wooden things we would sit on. Some people would call them "benches", but for us they were always called "forms".

      What is interesting is that the OED (Oxford English Dictionary) online search places "form" in the eigth position of a list of eleven. See below:

      form (form)
      Pronunciation: /fɔːm/
      noun
      8 British, a long bench without a back.

      Is this word on the way out, so to speak?

      I will do some digging.

      Delete
    2. I think it is on its way out. I use both bench and form.Used as meaning any long hard seat.Glad to hear youre keeping the dialect going.I have resolved to use at least two sayings/words evry day!

      Delete
    3. I'm sorry to say that I always use bench. I'll make an effort to say form from now on. My kids know a little bit of the dialect, but it's virtually impossible to keep it going over here in Finland. Hopefully a visit to Warrington in the summer will help.

      Delete
  3. I also remember "yourn and "thern or tharn" for yours and theirs.

    ReplyDelete
  4. I remember "I'll si'thi'"....tomorrow, next week or whenever for "I'll see you....".

    ReplyDelete