It seems my speech is slowly but surely turnin' in ta one like me mams.
After living in London for 3 years, all the northern nonsense just started to fade out.
I started to talk 'proper' English, rather than propa English.
Now, after just a short while at home, I've found me northern roots again.
For those of you that do not understand northern terminology and would like to have a conversation with a northerner, here are a few basics to get you started:
- yes = yer
- your = yer
- no = nor
- go = gor
- over there = ower thur
- washing = weshin'
- hole - orl
- hall = orl
- water = wata
- mates = merts
- Saturday = Satdee
- my = me
- here = ere
- don't = dorn't
- isn't = int
- her = er
- him = im
- the other = t'other
- the internet = t'internet
- self = sen
One word that has originated amongst my very large family, though, is 'minge'.
Meaning goodbye/see you later.
I believe this came from my mother.
The long winded 'see you in a minute' was shortened to 'see you in a min'.
Then shortened further to 'in a min'.
Until finally it just became 'minge'.
Language is beautiful, isn't it?
Now go forth, spread your wings; be a northerner for a day, be a southerner for day, be whatever the hell you want to be for a day.
Listen and embrace the ever changing terms that live within such a wonderfully diverse language.
