[General] Yorkshire English

[Wardie1993]

Up in Yorkshire, Northern England, we have our own variety of English, which is so different from Queen's English it's almost a foreign language, sadly this thick dialect isn't commonly heard any more, but can still be heard in the deepest parts of the Yorkshire countryside, the reason Yorkshire English is so different is because Yorkshire English is a mix of Old English and Old Norse (roughly about 75% Old Norse) compared to Queen's, which is Old English and Norman. Being a Yorkshireman, I do wish our traditional dialect will be put on the Intangible Cultural Heritage list, since it definetly applies, it's a dialect which is important in our culture, but we're losing it (because Queen's English is now the lingua franca).

A dictionary of Yorkshire English words:
http://www.yorkshire-dialect.org/dictionary.htm

 

[MikeNewYork]

I have been to Yorkshire several times, but did not encounter this variant of English. Mostly I was in Harrogate to lecture at the Majestic Hotel and the city of York. But your tape was very interesting.

 

[Tdol]

I stayed in a remote village in Yorkshire some years ago and I struggled to understand what the locals were talking about if they spoke like that guy. There was one farmer who tried to chat when I was walking a dog and I couldn't even manage the gist.

 

[MikeNewYork]

It sounded like a foreign language.

 

[Wardie1993]

I have been to Yorkshire several times, but did not encounter this variant of English. Mostly I was in Harrogate to lecture at the Majestic Hotel and the city of York. But your tape was very interesting.

Harrogate in't real Yorkshire, Harrogate's all posh in't it!?

Finding this type of dialect in Harrogate would be like finding the proverbial needle in the proverbial haystack.

"It sounded like a foreign language."

Indeed, back in the early Middle Ages there was basically two English nations, the Kingdom of Wessex and Danelaw, each with forms of English so different that a Northerner and a Southerner would literally not be able to understand each other.