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The Yorkshire dialect (also known as Broad Yorkshire, Tyke, Yorkie or Yorkshire English) is a dialect of
English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national ...
, or continuum of dialects, spoken in the
Yorkshire Yorkshire ( ; abbreviated Yorks), formally known as the County of York, is a Historic counties of England, historic county in northern England and by far the largest in the United Kingdom. Because of its large area in comparison with other Eng ...
region of
Northern England Northern England, also known as the North of England, the North Country, or simply the North, is the northern area of England. It broadly corresponds to the former borders of Angles, Angle Northumbria, the Anglo-Scandinavian Scandinavian York, K ...
. The
dialect The term dialect (from Latin , , from the Ancient Greek word , 'discourse', from , 'through' and , 'I speak') can refer to either of two distinctly different types of linguistic phenomena: One usage refers to a variety of a language that is ...
has roots in
Old English Old English (, ), or Anglo-Saxon, is the earliest recorded form of the English language, spoken in England and southern and eastern Scotland in the early Middle Ages. It was brought to Great Britain by Anglo-Saxon settlers in the mid-5th ...
and is influenced by
Old Norse Old Norse, Old Nordic, or Old Scandinavian, is a stage of development of North Germanic dialects before their final divergence into separate Nordic languages. Old Norse was spoken by inhabitants of Scandinavia and their overseas settlement ...
. The Yorkshire dialect has faded and faces extinction, but organisations such as The Yorkshire Dialect Society and the East Riding Dialect Society exist to promote its use. The dialect has been represented in classic works of literature such as ''
Wuthering Heights ''Wuthering Heights'' is an 1847 novel by Emily Brontë, initially published under her pen name Ellis Bell. It concerns two families of the landed gentry living on the West Yorkshire moors, the Earnshaws and the Lintons, and their turbulent re ...
'', ''
Nicholas Nickleby ''Nicholas Nickleby'' or ''The Life and Adventures of Nicholas Nickleby'' (or also ''The Life and Adventures of Nicholas Nickleby, Containing a Faithful Account of the Fortunes, Misfortunes, Uprisings, Downfallings, and Complete Career of the ...
'' and '' The Secret Garden'', and linguists have documented variations of the dialect since the nineteenth century. In middle of the twentieth century, the
Survey of English Dialects The Survey of English Dialects was undertaken between 1950 and 1961 under the direction of Professor Harold Orton of the English department of the University of Leeds. It aimed to collect the full range of speech in England and Wales before loc ...
collected dozens of valuable recordings of authentic Yorkshire dialects.


Early history and written accounts

In the fragments of early dialect work, there seems to have been few distinctions across large areas: in the early 14th century, the traditional
Northumbria la, Regnum Northanhymbrorum , conventional_long_name = Kingdom of Northumbria , common_name = Northumbria , status = State , status_text = Unified Anglian kingdom (before 876)North: Anglian kingdom (af ...
n dialect of Yorkshire showed few differences with the dialect spoken at
Aberdeen Aberdeen (; sco, Aiberdeen ; gd, Obar Dheathain ; la, Aberdonia) is a city in North East Scotland, and is the third most populous city in the country. Aberdeen is one of Scotland's 32 local government council areas (as Aberdeen City), a ...
, now often considered a separate
Scots language Scots ( endonym: ''Scots''; gd, Albais, ) is an Anglic language variety in the West Germanic language family, spoken in Scotland and parts of Ulster in the north of Ireland (where the local dialect is known as Ulster Scots). Most commo ...
. The dialect has been widely studied since the 19th century, with an early work by
William Stott Banks William Stott Banks (1821–1872) was an English lawyer, writer, and antiquary. Life Banks was born at Wakefield, Yorkshire, on 9 March 1821, to father William Banks and mother Harriot Stott, and was baptised at the congregationalist Salem C ...
in 1865 on the dialect of
Wakefield Wakefield is a cathedral city in West Yorkshire, England located on the River Calder. The city had a population of 99,251 in the 2011 census.https://www.nomisweb.co.uk/census/2011/ks101ew Census 2011 table KS101EW Usual resident population, ...
, and another by Joseph Wright who used an early form of phonetic notation in a description of the dialect of Windhill, near
Bradford Bradford is a city and the administrative centre of the City of Bradford district in West Yorkshire, England. The city is in the Pennines' eastern foothills on the banks of the Bradford Beck. Bradford had a population of 349,561 at the 2011 ...
. Significant works that covered all of England include the works of
Alexander John Ellis Alexander John Ellis, (14 June 1814 – 28 October 1890), was an English mathematician, philologist and early phonetician who also influenced the field of musicology. He changed his name from his father's name, Sharpe, to his mother's maiden n ...
in the mid and late 19th Century, the English Dialect Dictionary around the turn of the 20th century.
Charles Dickens Charles John Huffam Dickens (; 7 February 1812 – 9 June 1870) was an English writer and social critic. He created some of the world's best-known fictional characters and is regarded by many as the greatest novelist of the Victorian er ...
' ''
Nicholas Nickleby ''Nicholas Nickleby'' or ''The Life and Adventures of Nicholas Nickleby'' (or also ''The Life and Adventures of Nicholas Nickleby, Containing a Faithful Account of the Fortunes, Misfortunes, Uprisings, Downfallings, and Complete Career of the ...
'' (1839) and
Emily Brontë Emily Jane Brontë (, commonly ; 30 July 1818 – 19 December 1848) was an English novelist and poet who is best known for her only novel, '' Wuthering Heights'', now considered a classic of English literature. She also published a book of poe ...
's ''
Wuthering Heights ''Wuthering Heights'' is an 1847 novel by Emily Brontë, initially published under her pen name Ellis Bell. It concerns two families of the landed gentry living on the West Yorkshire moors, the Earnshaws and the Lintons, and their turbulent re ...
'' (1847) are notable nineteenth century works of literature which include examples of contemporary Yorkshire dialects. The following is an excerpt of Brontë's use of Yorkshire dialect in ''
Wuthering Heights ''Wuthering Heights'' is an 1847 novel by Emily Brontë, initially published under her pen name Ellis Bell. It concerns two families of the landed gentry living on the West Yorkshire moors, the Earnshaws and the Lintons, and their turbulent re ...
'', with a translation to standard English below:
'''Aw wonder how yah can faishion to stand thear i' idleness un war, when all on 'ems goan out! Bud yah're a nowt, and it's no use talking—yah'll niver mend o'yer ill ways, but goa raight to t' divil, like yer mother afore ye!''' '''I wonder how you can stand there in idleness and worse, when all of them have gone out! But you're a nobody, and it's no use talking—you'll never mend your evil ways, but go straight to the Devil, like your mother before you!'''


Geographic distribution

Yorkshire is a massive territory and the dialects are not identical in all areas. In fact, the dialects in the North and East Ridings are fairly different to that of the West Riding as they retained the original Northumbrian characteristics. The Yorkshire Dialect Society draws a border roughly at the
River Wharfe The River Wharfe ( ) is a river in Yorkshire, England originating within the Yorkshire Dales National Park. For much of its middle course it is the county boundary between West Yorkshire and North Yorkshire. Its valley is known as Wharfedale ...
between two main zones. The area southwest of the river is Northumbrian in origin, but with influence from the East Midlands dialects since the
industrial revolution The Industrial Revolution was the transition to new manufacturing processes in Great Britain, continental Europe, and the United States, that occurred during the period from around 1760 to about 1820–1840. This transition included going f ...
, whilst that to the northeast, like
Geordie Geordie () is a nickname for a person from the Tyneside area of North East England, and the dialect used by its inhabitants, also known in linguistics as Tyneside English or Newcastle English. There are different definitions of what constitute ...
, the
Cumbrian dialect The Cumberland dialect is a local Northern English dialect in decline, spoken in Cumberland, Westmorland and Lancashire North of the Sands, not to be confused with the area's extinct Celtic language, Cumbric. Some parts of Cumbria have a mor ...
and the
Scots language Scots ( endonym: ''Scots''; gd, Albais, ) is an Anglic language variety in the West Germanic language family, spoken in Scotland and parts of Ulster in the north of Ireland (where the local dialect is known as Ulster Scots). Most commo ...
, is descended more purely from the Northumbrian dialect. The distinction was first made by A. J. Ellis in ''On Early English Pronunciation''.Ellis also identified a third area around Craven, Ribblesdale, upper Wensleydale and Swaledale as part of his "West Northern" area (numbered Area 31), alongside almost all of Cumbria as well as north Lancashire and south Durham. In the tradition of the Yorkshire Dialect Society, this area is usually grouped with the North Riding dialect. The division was approved of by Joseph Wright, the founder of the Yorkshire Dialect Society and the author of the '' English Dialect Dictionary''. Investigations at village level by the dialect analysts Stead (1906), Sheard (1945) and Rohrer (1950) mapped a border between the two areas. A rough border between the two areas was mapped by the Swiss linguist Fritz Rohrer, having undertaken village-based research in areas indicated by previous statements by Richard Stead and J.A. Sheard, although there were "buffer areas" in which a mixed dialect was used, such as a large area between
Leeds Leeds () is a city and the administrative centre of the City of Leeds district in West Yorkshire, England. It is built around the River Aire and is in the eastern foothills of the Pennines. It is also the third-largest settlement (by popul ...
and
Ripon Ripon () is a cathedral city in the Borough of Harrogate, North Yorkshire, England. The city is located at the confluence of two tributaries of the River Ure, the Laver and Skell. Historically part of the West Riding of Yorkshire, the ...
, and also at Whitgift, near
Goole Goole is a port town and civil parish on the River Ouse in the East Riding of Yorkshire, England. The town's historic county is the West Riding of Yorkshire. According to the 2011 UK census, Goole parish had a population of 19,518, an increa ...
. One report explains the geographic difference in detail:Yorkshire dialect an explanation
/ref>
This distinction was first recognised formally at the turn of the 19th / 20th centuries, when linguists drew an isophone diagonally across the county from the northwest to the southeast, separating these two broadly distinguishable ways of speaking. It can be extended westwards through Lancashire to the estuary of the River Lune, and is sometimes called the
Humber-Lune Line The Humber-Lune Line is a term used for the traditional dialect boundary in England between descendants of Northumbrian Old English to the north and Mercian Old English to the south. It is considered the most significant dialect boundary within t ...
. Strictly speaking, the dialects spoken south and west of this isophone are Midland dialects, whereas the dialects spoken north and east of it are truly Northern. It is possible that the Midland influence came up into the region with people migrating towards the manufacturing districts of the West Riding during the Industrial Revolution.
Over time, speech has become closer to
Standard English In an English-speaking country, Standard English (SE) is the variety of English that has undergone substantial regularisation and is associated with formal schooling, language assessment, and official print publications, such as public servic ...
and some of the features that once distinguished one town from another have disappeared. In 1945, J. A. Sheard predicted that various influences "will probably result in the production of a standard West Riding dialect", and K. M. Petyt found in 1985 that "such a situation is at least very nearly in existence". However, the accent of Hull and East Yorkshire remains markedly different. The accent of the
Middlesbrough Middlesbrough ( ) is a town on the southern bank of the River Tees in North Yorkshire, England. It is near the North York Moors national park. It is the namesake and main town of its local borough council area. Until the early 1800s, the ...
area has some similarities with
Geordie Geordie () is a nickname for a person from the Tyneside area of North East England, and the dialect used by its inhabitants, also known in linguistics as Tyneside English or Newcastle English. There are different definitions of what constitute ...
accents.Joan C. Beal, ''An Introduction to Regional Englishes'', Edinburgh University Press, 2010, pp. 95–99 One anomalous case in the West Riding is
Royston Royston may refer to: Places Australia *Royston, Queensland, a rural locality Canada * Royston, British Columbia, a small hamlet England *Royston, Hertfordshire, a town and civil parish, formerly partly in Cambridgeshire * Royston, South Yorks ...
, which absorbed migrants from the
Black Country The Black Country is an area of the West Midlands county, England covering most of the Metropolitan Boroughs of Dudley, Sandwell and Walsall. Dudley and Tipton are generally considered to be the centre. It became industrialised during its ...
at the end of the 19th century. The speech of Royston contrasts with that of nearby
Barnsley Barnsley () is a market town in South Yorkshire, England. As the main settlement of the Metropolitan Borough of Barnsley and the fourth largest settlement in South Yorkshire. In Barnsley, the population was 96,888 while the wider Borough ha ...
, as it retains some Black Country features.


Authentic recordings

The
Survey of English Dialects The Survey of English Dialects was undertaken between 1950 and 1961 under the direction of Professor Harold Orton of the English department of the University of Leeds. It aimed to collect the full range of speech in England and Wales before loc ...
in the 1950s, 1960s and 1970s recorded over 30 examples of authentic Yorkshire dialects which can be heard online via the
British Library Sound Archive The British Library Sound Archive, formerly the British Institute of Recorded Sound; also known as the National Sound Archive (NSA), in London, England is among the largest collections of recorded sound in the world, including music, spoken word a ...
. Below is a selection of recordings from this archive: * Miss Madge Dibnah (b.1890) of
Welwick Welwick is a village and civil parish in the East Riding of Yorkshire, England, in an area known as Holderness. It is situated approximately south of the town of Withernsea and south-east of the village of Patrington on the B1445 road from P ...
,
East Yorkshire The East Riding of Yorkshire, or simply East Riding or East Yorkshire, is a ceremonial county and unitary authority area in the Yorkshire and the Humber region of England. It borders North Yorkshire to the north and west, South Yorkshire t ...
, "female housekeeper". According to the Library, "much of her speech remains part of the local dialect to this day". * Cooper Peacock (b.1887) of
Muker Muker is a village and civil parishes in England, civil parish at the western end of Swaledale in North Yorkshire, England, within the district of Richmondshire. The parish includes the hamlets and villages of Angram, Richmondshire, Angram, Kel ...
,
North Yorkshire North Yorkshire is the largest ceremonial county (lieutenancy area) in England, covering an area of . Around 40% of the county is covered by national parks, including most of the Yorkshire Dales and the North York Moors. It is one of four co ...
, farmer. * Unidentified speaker of Golcar,
West Yorkshire West Yorkshire is a metropolitan and ceremonial county in the Yorkshire and Humber Region of England. It is an inland and upland county having eastward-draining valleys while taking in the moors of the Pennines. West Yorkshire came into exi ...
, mill worker. * Mrs Hesselden (b.1882) of
Pateley Bridge Pateley Bridge (known locally as Pateley) is a small market town in Nidderdale in the Borough of Harrogate, North Yorkshire, England. Historically part of the West Riding of Yorkshire, it lies on the River Nidd. It is in the Yorkshire Dales an ...
North Yorkshire. * Easton, Ronald (b.1895) of Skelton,
North Yorkshire North Yorkshire is the largest ceremonial county (lieutenancy area) in England, covering an area of . Around 40% of the county is covered by national parks, including most of the Yorkshire Dales and the North York Moors. It is one of four co ...
, farmer.


Pronunciation

Some features of Yorkshire pronunciation are general features of northern English accents. Many of them are listed in the northern English accents section on the English English page.


Vowels

* Words such as ''strut, cut, blood, lunch'' usually take , although is a middle-class so-called "fudged" variant. * Most words affected by the trap-bath split in South East England – the distinction between the sounds and – are not affected in Yorkshire. The long of southern English is widely disliked in the "bath"-type words. However, words such as ''palm, can't, spa'' are pronounced with a long vowel, usually more fronted . * In parts of the West Riding, ''none, one, once, nothing, tongue, among(st)'' are pronounced with rather than A
shibboleth A shibboleth (; hbo, , šībbōleṯ) is any Convention (norm), custom or tradition, usually a choice of phrasing or even a single word, that distinguishes one group of people from another. Shibboleths have been used throughout history in many s ...
for a traditional Huddersfield accent is the word ''love'' as , pronounced to rhyme with "of". * Words such as ''late, face, say, game'' are pronounced with a
monophthong A monophthong ( ; , ) is a pure vowel sound, one whose articulation at both beginning and end is relatively fixed, and which does not glide up or down towards a new position of articulation. The monophthongs can be contrasted with diphthongs, wh ...
or . However, words with gh in the spelling (e.g. straight, weight), as well as exclamations and interjections such as ''hey'' and ''eh'' (the tag question), are usually pronounced with a
diphthong A diphthong ( ; , ), also known as a gliding vowel, is a combination of two adjacent vowel sounds within the same syllable. Technically, a diphthong is a vowel with two different targets: that is, the tongue (and/or other parts of the speech ...
. Some words with ''ake'' at the end may be pronounced with , as in take to ''tek'', make to ''mek'' and sake to ''sek'' (but not for ''bake'' or ''cake''). * Words with the
Received Pronunciation Received Pronunciation (RP) is the accent traditionally regarded as the standard and most prestigious form of spoken British English. For over a century, there has been argument over such questions as the definition of RP, whether it is geo ...
vowel , as in ''goat'', may have a monophthong or . In a recent trend, a fronted monophthong is common amongst young women, although this has been the norm for a long time in Hull (where it originates from). It has developed only since 1990, yet it has now spread to
Bradford Bradford is a city and the administrative centre of the City of Bradford district in West Yorkshire, England. The city is in the Pennines' eastern foothills on the banks of the Bradford Beck. Bradford had a population of 349,561 at the 2011 ...
. historically there was a four-way split whereby a diphthong (west riding) or (north and east ridings) exists in words subject to vocalisation in middle english (e.g. grow, glow, bow, bolt, folk, nought, ought). The Os in some words are pronounced as , such as ''open'', ''broke'', ''woke'', and ''go''. Other words spelled ow were pronounced with an aw sound such as know, snow, and blow, from old english āw. An (west riding) or (north and east ridings) sound was found in words that were subject to open syllabic lengthening in middle english such as coal and hole. Another was (west riding) or (north and east ridings) that originated from old english ā (e.g. bone, home, both, loaf, most). This four-way split was found throughout all northern england and contrasted with the historic two-way split found in the south and midlands. Due to dialect levelling however, these sounds were merged into the modern monophthong , and (east riding) by the 1950s. * If a close vowel precedes , a
schwa In linguistics, specifically phonetics and phonology, schwa (, rarely or ; sometimes spelled shwa) is a vowel sound denoted by the IPA symbol , placed in the central position of the vowel chart. In English and some other languages, it rep ...
may be inserted. This gives for and (less frequently) for . * When precedes in a stressed syllable, can become . For example, ''very'' can be pronounced . * In Hull, Middlesbrough and the east coast, the sound in ''word'', ''heard'', ''nurse'', etc. is pronounced in the same way as in ''square, dare''. This is . The set of words with , such as ''near, fear, beard,'' etc., may have a similar pronunciation but remains distinctive as . ** In other parts of Yorkshire, this sound is a short or long . This seems to have developed as an intermediate form between the older form (now very rare in these words) and the RP pronunciation . * In Hull, Middlesbrough and much of the East Riding, the phoneme (as in ''prize'') may become a monophthong before a voiced consonant. For example, ''five'' becomes (fahv), ''prize'' becomes (). This does not occur before voiceless consonants, so "price" is . * In the south of the west riding, there is a tendency to pronounce the diphthong (as in ''mouth'') as a monophthong (mahth) like in the east midlands, from where it originates. This is characteristic of informal speech in this area and may coexist with the more formal . In Hull, the offset of is strongly labialised. It occurs more in specific words – such as ''down'', ''about'', ''now'', ''how'', and ''out'' – than others. ** the traditional pronunciation of these words is in the east riding and eastern part of the north riding, in the western half of the north riding it is , this is now far less common than the RP found throughout Yorkshire. * Words like ''city'' and ''many'' are pronounced with a final in the Sheffield area. * What would be a
schwa In linguistics, specifically phonetics and phonology, schwa (, rarely or ; sometimes spelled shwa) is a vowel sound denoted by the IPA symbol , placed in the central position of the vowel chart. In English and some other languages, it rep ...
on the end of a word in other accents is realised as in Hull and Middlesbrough. * A prefix to a word is more likely not to take a reduced vowel sound in comparison to the same prefix's vowel sound in other accents. For example, ''concern'' is or , rather than . * In some areas of the Yorkshire Dales (e.g.
Dent Dent may refer to: People * Dent (surname) * Dent May (active 2007), American musician * Dent Mowrey (1888–1960), American composer, musician and music teacher * Dent Oliver (1918–1973), international speedway rider Places France * Dent d' ...
,
Sedburgh Sedbergh ( or ) is a town and civil parish in Cumbria, England. The 2001 census gave the parish a population of 2,705, increasing at the 2011 census to 2,765. Historically in the West Riding of Yorkshire, it lies about east of Kendal, ...
), the FLEECE vowel can be so that ''me'' is and ''green'' is . The following features are recessive or even extinct, generally they’re less common amongst younger than older speakers in modern Yorkshire: * Words originating from old English ō (e.g. goose, root, cool, roof) historically had an sound in the west riding as well as an sound in the north and east ridings, today a more RP like pronunciation is found in all Yorkshire accents. * Long vowel in words such as ''book'', ''cook'', and ''look''. Whilst some speakers adhere to the long vowel sound, other speakers adhere to the short vowel sound so much it is overextended so that ''food'' is also said this way. * ''Where'' and ''there'' often become a diphthong . This sound may also be used in words with ''ea'' in the spelling: for example, ''head'' as (eead), ''leaves'' as (leeaves) * may take the place of , especially in words such as ''key, meat, speak''. * Words such as ''door, floor, four'' may take a variety of diphthongal pronunciations . * Words which once had a
velar fricative A velar fricative is a fricative consonant produced at the velar place of articulation. It is possible to distinguish the following kinds of velar fricatives: *Voiced velar fricative, a consonant sound written as in the International Phonetic Alph ...
in
Old Old or OLD may refer to: Places *Old, Baranya, Hungary *Old, Northamptonshire, England * Old Street station, a railway and tube station in London (station code OLD) *OLD, IATA code for Old Town Municipal Airport and Seaplane Base, Old Town, M ...
and
Middle English Middle English (abbreviated to ME) is a form of the English language that was spoken after the Norman conquest of 1066, until the late 15th century. The English language underwent distinct variations and developments following the Old Englis ...
or a vocalised consonant may have for (e.g. ''brought, thought, nought, ought, grow, gold, bolt''). * Words that end ''-ight'' join the fleece lexical set, today they can still be heard in their dialectal forms. For example, ''neet'' and ''reet'' . This can also be heard in
Nova Scotia Nova Scotia ( ; ; ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada. It is one of the three Maritime provinces and one of the four Atlantic provinces. Nova Scotia is Latin for "New Scotland". Most of the population are native Eng ...
,
Geordie Geordie () is a nickname for a person from the Tyneside area of North East England, and the dialect used by its inhabitants, also known in linguistics as Tyneside English or Newcastle English. There are different definitions of what constitute ...
and the
Lancashire dialect The Lancashire dialect or (colloquially, Lanky) refers to the Northern English vernacular speech of the English county of Lancashire. The region is notable for its tradition of poetry written in the dialect. Scope of Lancashire dialect La ...
.


Consonants

* In some areas, an originally voiced consonant followed by a voiceless one can be pronounced as voiceless. For example, ''Bradford'' may be pronounced as if it were ''Bratford'', with (although more likely with a
glottal stop The glottal plosive or stop is a type of consonantal sound used in many spoken languages, produced by obstructing airflow in the vocal tract or, more precisely, the glottis. The symbol in the International Phonetic Alphabet that represents thi ...
, ) instead of the employed in most English accents. ''Absolute'' is often pronounced as if it were ''apsolute'', with a in place of the . * As with most dialects of English, final sound in, for example, ''hearing'' and ''eating'' are often reduced to . However, can be heard in Sheffield. * H-dropping is common in informal speech, especially amongst the working classes. * Omission of final stops and fricatives , especially in function words. As in other dialects, ''with'' can be reduced to ''wi'', especially before consonants. ''Was'' is also often reduced to ''wa'' (pronounced roughly as "woh"), even when not in contracted negative form (see table below). * A glottal stop may also be used to replace (e.g. ''like'' becomes ) at the end of a syllable. * In the Middlesbrough area,
glottal reinforcement Glottalization is the complete or partial closure of the glottis during the articulation of another sound. Glottalization of vowels and other sonorants is most often realized as creaky voice (partial closure). Glottalization of obstruent consonan ...
occurs for . * In some areas, an
alveolar tap Alveolus (; pl. alveoli, adj. alveolar) is a general anatomical term for a concave cavity or pit. Uses in anatomy and zoology * Pulmonary alveolus, an air sac in the lungs ** Alveolar cell or pneumocyte ** Alveolar duct ** Alveolar macrophage * M ...
(a 'tapped r') is used after a
labial The term ''labial'' originates from '' Labium'' (Latin for "lip"), and is the adjective that describes anything of or related to lips, such as lip-like structures. Thus, it may refer to: * the lips ** In linguistics, a labial consonant ** In zoolog ...
(''pray, bright, frog''), after a dental (''three''), and intervocalically (''very, sorry, pair of shoe''s). Some consonant changes amongst the younger generation are typical of younger speakers across England, but are not part of the traditional dialect: *
Th-fronting ''Th''-fronting is the pronunciation of the English "th" as "f" or "v". When ''th''-fronting is applied, becomes (for example, ''three'' is pronounced as ''free'') and becomes (for example, ''bathe'' is pronounced as ''bave''). (Here "fron ...
so that for (although Joseph Wright noted th-fronting in the Windhill area in 1892). *
T-glottalisation In English phonology, ''t''-glottalization or ''t''-glottalling is a sound change in certain English dialects and accents, particularly in the United Kingdom, that causes the phoneme to be pronounced as the glottal stop in certain positions ...
: a more traditional pronunciation is to realise as in certain phrases, which leads to pronunciation spellings such as ''gerroff''. * Possible for . The following are typical of the older generation: * In Sheffield, cases of initial "th" become . This pronunciation has led to Sheffielders being given the nickname "dee dahs" (the local forms of "thee" and "thou"/"tha"). * realised as before . For example, ''clumsy'' becomes .


Rhoticity

At the time of the Survey of English Dialects, most dialects in Yorkshire were non-rhotic, but full rhoticity could be found in Swaledale, Lonsdale, Ribblesdale, and the rural area west of Halifax and Huddersfield. In addition, the dialects on the east coast of Yorkshire retained rhoticity when was in final position but not in pre-consonantal position. A 1981 MA study found that rhoticity persisted in the towns of
Hebden Bridge Hebden Bridge is a market town in the Upper Calder Valley in West Yorkshire, England. It is west of Halifax and 14 miles (21 km) north-east of Rochdale, at the confluence of the River Calder and the Hebden Water. The town is the largest ...
, Lumbutts and
Todmorden Todmorden ( ; ) is a market town and civil parish in the Upper Calder Valley in Calderdale, West Yorkshire, England. It is north-east of Manchester, south-east of Burnley and west of Halifax. In 2011 it had a population of 15,481. Todm ...
in Upper
Calderdale Calderdale is a metropolitan borough of West Yorkshire, England, whose population in 2020 was 211,439. It takes its name from the River Calder, and dale, a word for valley. The name Calderdale usually refers to the borough through which the up ...
. Rhoticity seems to have been more widespread in Yorkshire in the late 19th and early 20th century: for example, the Wakefield dialect was marked as rhotic in the works of AJ Ellis and the recording of a prisoner of war from Wakefield in the Berliner Lautarchiv displayed rhotic speech, but Wakefield dialect now is firmly non-rhotic.


Further information

These features can be found in the English Accents and Dialects collection on the
British Library The British Library is the national library of the United Kingdom and is one of the largest libraries in the world. It is estimated to contain between 170 and 200 million items from many countries. As a legal deposit library, the Briti ...
website. This website features samples of Yorkshire (and elsewhere in England) speech in ''wma'' format, with annotations on phonology with
X-SAMPA The Extended Speech Assessment Methods Phonetic Alphabet (X-SAMPA) is a variant of SAMPA developed in 1995 by John C. Wells, professor of phonetics at University College London. It is designed to unify the individual language SAMPA alphabets, a ...
phonetic transcriptions, lexis and grammar. See also


Vocabulary and grammar

A list of non-standard grammatical features of Yorkshire speech is shown below. In formal settings, these features are castigated and, as a result, their use is recessive. They are most common amongst older speakers and amongst the working classes. * Definite article reduction: shortening of ''the'' to a form without a vowel, often written t'. See this overview and a more detailed page on the Yorkshire Dialect website, and also . This is most likely to be a glottal stop , although traditionally it was or (in the areas that border Lancashire) . * Some dialect words persist, although most have fallen out of use. The use of ''owt'' and ''nowt'', derived from Old English ''a wiht'' and ''ne wiht'', mean ''anything'' and ''nothing'', as well as ''summat'' to mean ''something''. They are pronounced and in North Yorkshire, but as and in most of the rest of Yorkshire. Other examples of dialect still in use include ''flayed'' (sometimes ') (scared), ''laik'' (play), ''roar'' (cry), ''aye'' (yes), ''nay'' (emphatic "no"), ''and all'' (also), ''anyroad'' (anyway) and ''afore'' (before). * When making a comparison such as ''greater than'' or ''lesser than'', the word "nor" can be used in place of "than", e.g. ''better nor him''. * Nouns describing units of value, weight, distance, height and sometimes volumes of liquid have no plural marker. For example, ''ten pounds'' becomes ''ten pound''; ''five miles'' becomes ''five-mile''. * The word ''us'' is often used in place of ''me'' or in the place of ''our'' (e.g. we should put us names on us property). ''Us'' is invariably pronounced with a final rather than an . * Use of the singular second-person pronoun ''thou'' (often written ''tha'') and ''thee''. This is a T form in the
T–V distinction The T–V distinction is the contextual use of different pronouns that exists in some languages and serves to convey formality or familiarity. Its name comes from the Latin pronouns '' tu'' and '' vos''. The distinction takes a number of forms ...
, and is largely confined to male speakers. * ''Were'' can be used in place of ''was'' when connected to a singular pronoun. The reverse – i.e. producing constructions such as ''we was'' and ''you was'' – is also heard in a few parts of Yorkshire (e.g. Doncaster).This is also common in Rotherham, South Yorkshire.Pronouncing 'hospital' as 'hospickle' and 'little' as 'lickle' is also common in Rotherham, as is shop workers and bus drivers greeting both males and females as 'love' or 'duck.' * ''While'' is often used in the sense of ''until'' (e.g. ''unless we go at a fair lick, we'll not be home while seven.'') ''Stay here while it shuts'' might cause a non-local to think that they should stay there ''during'' its shutting, when the order really means that they should stay only ''until'' it shuts. Joseph Wright wrote in the English Dialect Dictionary that this came from a shortening of the older word ''while-ever''. * The word ''self'' may become ''sen'', e.g. ''yourself'' becomes ''thy sen'', ''tha sen''. * Similar to other English dialects, using the word ''them'' to mean ''those'' is common, e.g. ''This used to be a pub back in them days''. * The word ''right'' is used to mean ''very'' or ''really'', e.g. ''If I'm honest, I'm not right bothered about it''. * As in many non-standard dialects, double negatives are common, e.g. ''I was never scared of nobody''. * The relative pronoun may be ''what'' or ''as'' rather than ''that'', e.g. ''other people what I've heard'' and ''He's a man as likes his drink''. Alternatively there may be no relative pronoun, e.g. ''I've a sister lives there''.


Contracted negatives

In informal Yorkshire speech, negatives may be more contracted than in other varieties of English. These forms are shown in the table below. Although the final consonant is written as , this may be realised as , especially when followed by a consonant. ''Hadn't'' does not become reduced to . This may be to avoid confusion with ''hasn't'' or ''haven't'', which can both be realised as .


Scandinavian York Scandinavian York ( non, Jórvík) Viking Yorkshire or Norwegian York is a term used by historians for the south of Northumbria (modern-day Yorkshire) during the period of the late 9th century and first half of the 10th century, when it was do ...

Scandinavian York (also referred to as Jórvík) or Danish/Norwegian York is a term used by historians for the south of
Northumbria la, Regnum Northanhymbrorum , conventional_long_name = Kingdom of Northumbria , common_name = Northumbria , status = State , status_text = Unified Anglian kingdom (before 876)North: Anglian kingdom (af ...
(modern day
Yorkshire Yorkshire ( ; abbreviated Yorks), formally known as the County of York, is a Historic counties of England, historic county in northern England and by far the largest in the United Kingdom. Because of its large area in comparison with other Eng ...
) during the period of the late 9th century and first half of the 10th century, when it was dominated by Norse warrior-kings; in particular, used to refer to
York York is a cathedral city with Roman origins, sited at the confluence of the rivers Ouse and Foss in North Yorkshire, England. It is the historic county town of Yorkshire. The city has many historic buildings and other structures, such as a ...
, the city controlled by these kings. Norse monarchy controlled varying amounts of Northumbria from 875 to 954, however the area was invaded and conquered for short periods by
England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe ...
between 927 and 954 before eventually being annexed into England in 954. It was closely associated with the much longer-lived
Kingdom of Dublin Vikings invaded the territory around Dublin in the 9th century, establishing the Norsemen, Norse Kingdom of Dublin, the earliest and longest-lasting Norse kingdom in Ireland. Its territory corresponded to most of present-day County Dublin. The N ...
throughout this period.


Yorkshire Dialect Society

The Yorkshire Dialect Society exists to promote and preserve use of this extensively studied and recorded dialect; there is also an East Riding Dialect Society. The Yorkshire society is the oldest of the county dialect societies; it grew out of the committee of workers formed to collect material for the ''English Dialect Dictionary''. The committee was formed in October 1894 at Joseph Wright's suggestion and the Yorkshire Dialect Society was founded in 1897. It publishes an annual volume of ''The Transactions of the Yorkshire Dialect Society''; the contents of this include studies of English dialects outside Yorkshire, e.g. the dialects of Northumberland, and Shakespeare's use of dialect. It also publishes an annual Summer Bulletin of dialect poetry. In the early 1930s, the society recorded gramophone records of dialect speakers from
Baildon Baildon is a town and civil parish in the Bradford Metropolitan Borough in West Yorkshire, England and within the historic boundaries of the West Riding of Yorkshire. It lies north of Bradford city centre. The town forms a continuous urban ...
,
Cleveland Cleveland ( ), officially the City of Cleveland, is a city in the United States, U.S. U.S. state, state of Ohio and the county seat of Cuyahoga County, Ohio, Cuyahoga County. Located in the northeastern part of the state, it is situated along ...
,
Cowling A cowling is the removable covering of a vehicle's engine, most often found on automobiles, motorcycles, airplanes, and on outboard boat motors. On airplanes, cowlings are used to reduce drag and to cool the engine. On boats, cowlings are a cove ...
,
Driffield Driffield, also known as Great Driffield, is a market town and civil parish in the East Riding of Yorkshire, England. The civil parish is formed by the town of Driffield and the village of Little Driffield. By road, it is north-east of Leeds ...
and
Sheffield Sheffield is a city in South Yorkshire, England, whose name derives from the River Sheaf which runs through it. The city serves as the administrative centre of the City of Sheffield. It is historically part of the West Riding of Yorkshire ...
. The recording from Cowling was provided by Lord Snowden of Ickornshaw. Significant members have included Joseph Wright,
Walter Skeat Walter William Skeat, (21 November 18356 October 1912) was a British philologist and Anglican deacon. The pre-eminent British philologist of his time, he was instrumental in developing the English language as a higher education subject in th ...
,
Harold Orton Harold Orton (23 October 1898 – 7 March 1975) was a British dialectologist and professor of English Language and Medieval Literature at the University of Leeds. Early life Orton was born in Byers Green, County Durham, on 23 October 1898 and w ...
, Stanley Ellis,
J. D. A. Widdowson J.D.A. (John) Widdowson (born 1935) is a British linguist and folklorist. Early life and education Widdowson was born in Sheffield and educated at Oxford University, the University of Leeds (where he wrote his MA dissertation on the dialect ...
, K.M. Petyt, Graham Shorrocks, Frank Elgee, and Clive Upton. Although Joseph Wright was involved in the Society's foundation, the Society's annual ''Transactions'' published one of the first critiques of his work in 1977. Peter Anderson, then the editor of the ''Transactions'', argued that Wright took much of his material for his work ''English Dialect Grammar'' without sufficient citation from the work of
Alexander John Ellis Alexander John Ellis, (14 June 1814 – 28 October 1890), was an English mathematician, philologist and early phonetician who also influenced the field of musicology. He changed his name from his father's name, Sharpe, to his mother's maiden n ...
, and that Wright did Ellis "a disservice" by criticising this same work.


Yorkshire dialect and accent in popular culture

Wilfred Pickles, a
Yorkshire Yorkshire ( ; abbreviated Yorks), formally known as the County of York, is a Historic counties of England, historic county in northern England and by far the largest in the United Kingdom. Because of its large area in comparison with other Eng ...
man born in Halifax, was selected by the BBC as an announcer for its North Regional radio service; he went on to be an occasional newsreader on the
BBC Home Service The BBC Home Service was a national and regional radio station that broadcast from 1939 until 1967, when it was replaced by BBC Radio 4. History 1922–1939: Interwar period Between the early 1920s and the outbreak of World War II, the BBC ...
during
World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...
. He was the first newsreader to speak in a regional accent rather than
Received Pronunciation Received Pronunciation (RP) is the accent traditionally regarded as the standard and most prestigious form of spoken British English. For over a century, there has been argument over such questions as the definition of RP, whether it is geo ...
, "a deliberate attempt to make it more difficult for
Nazis Nazism ( ; german: Nazismus), the common name in English for National Socialism (german: Nationalsozialismus, ), is the far-right totalitarian political ideology and practices associated with Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party (NSDAP) in N ...
to impersonate BBC broadcasters", and caused some comment with his farewell
catchphrase A catchphrase (alternatively spelled catch phrase) is a phrase or expression recognized by its repeated utterance. Such phrases often originate in popular culture and in the arts, and typically spread through word of mouth and a variety of mass ...
"... and to all in the North, good neet". The director
Ken Loach Kenneth Charles Loach (born 17 June 1936) is a British film director and screenwriter. His socially critical directing style and socialist ideals are evident in his film treatment of social issues such as poverty ('' Poor Cow'', 1967), homelessn ...
has set several of his films in South or West Yorkshire and has stated that he does not want actors to deviate from their natural accent. The relevant films by Loach include '' Kes'' (Barnsley), ''
Days of Hope ''Days of Hope'' is a BBC television drama serial produced in 1975. The series dealt with the lives of a working-class family from the turmoils of the First World War in 1916 to the General Strike in 1926. It was written by Jim Allen, produced ...
'' (first episode in south of West Yorkshire), ''
The Price of Coal ''The Price of Coal'' is a two-part television drama written by Barry Hines and directed by Ken Loach first broadcast as part of the ''Play for Today'' series in 1977. Set at the fictional Milton Colliery, near Barnsley in South Yorkshire, the e ...
'' (South Yorkshire and Wakefield), '' The Gamekeeper'' (Sheffield), ''
Looks and Smiles ''Looks and Smiles'' is a 1981 British drama film directed by Ken Loach. It is based on the novel of the same name, written by Barry Hines. The film was entered into the 1981 Cannes Film Festival, where Loach won the Young Cinema Award. The film ...
'' (Sheffield) and '' The Navigators'' (South and West Yorkshire). Loach's films were used in a French dialectological analysis on changing speech patterns in South Yorkshire. Loach said in his contribution that the speech in his recently released film ''The Navigators'' was less regionally-marked than in his early film ''Kes'' because of changing speech patterns in South Yorkshire, which the authors of the article interpreted as a move towards a more standard dialect of English. Dialect of the northern dales featured in the series '' All Creatures Great and Small''. A number of popular bands hail from Yorkshire and have distinctive Yorkshire accents. Singer-songwriter
YUNGBLUD Dominic Richard Harrison (born 5 August 1997), known professionally as Yungblud (pronounced "Youngblood"), is an English singer, musician, songwriter and actor. In 2018, he released his first EP, ''Yungblud'', followed shortly after by the albu ...
, originating from Doncaster, preserves a strong Yorkshire accent.
Louis Tomlinson Louis William Tomlinson (; born Louis Troy Austin; 24 December 1991) is an English singer and songwriter. He rose to fame as a member of the boy band One Direction. Tomlinson began his career appearing in television dramas before he auditioned ...
, who was a member of
One Direction One Direction, often shortened to 1D, are an English-Irish pop boy band formed in London in 2010. The group are composed of Niall Horan, Liam Payne, Harry Styles, Louis Tomlinson, and previously Zayn Malik until his departure from the g ...
, is from Yorkshire and in his solo music his accent is often heard.
Joe Elliott Joseph Thomas "Joe" Elliott (born 1 August 1959) is an English–Irish rock singer, best known as the lead singer and one of the founding members of the hard rock band Def Leppard. He has also been the lead singer of the David Bowie tribute ba ...
and
Rick Savage Richard Savage (born 2 December 1960) is an English musician best known for being the bass guitarist and one of the founding members of the English rock band Def Leppard. Savage and lead singer Joe Elliott are the only two remaining original ...
, vocalist and bassist of
Def Leppard Def Leppard are an English rock band formed in 1976 in Sheffield. Since 1992, the band has consisted of Rick Savage (bass, backing vocals), Joe Elliott (lead vocals), Rick Allen (drums, backing vocals), Phil Collen (guitar, backing vocals), ...
;
Alex Turner Alexander David Turner (born 6 January 1986) is an English musician, singer, songwriter, and record producer. He is well known as the frontman and principal songwriter of the rock band Arctic Monkeys, with whom he has released seven albums. He ...
, vocalist of the
Arctic Monkeys Arctic Monkeys are an English rock band formed in Sheffield in 2002. The group consists of Alex Turner (lead vocals, guitar, keyboards), Jamie Cook (guitar, keyboards), Nick O'Malley (bass guitar, backing vocals), and Matt Helders (drums, ...
;
Jon McClure Jon McClure (born 22 December 1981), known as The Reverend, is an English musician. He is the lead singer and frontman of Reverend and The Makers, and ex-vocalist of 1984 and Judan Suki. He says that the name "Reverend" became his moniker because ...
, of Reverend and The Makers; Jon Windle, of
Little Man Tate ''Little Man Tate'' is a 1991 American drama film directed by Jodie Foster (in her directorial debut) from a screenplay written by Scott Frank. The film stars Adam Hann-Byrd as Fred Tate, a seven-year-old child prodigy who struggles to self-act ...
;
Jarvis Cocker Jarvis Branson Cocker (born 19 September 1963) is an English musician and radio presenter. As the founder, frontman, lyricist and only consistent member of the band Pulp, he became a figurehead of the Britpop genre of the mid-1990s. Following ...
, vocalist of Pulp; and Joe Carnall, of Milburn and
Phil Oakey Philip Oakey (born 2 October 1955) is a British singer, songwriter and record producer. He is best known as the lead singer, songwriter, and cofounder of British synth-pop band the Human League. Aside from the Human League, Oakey has enjoyed an ...
of
The Human League The Human League are an English synth-pop band formed in Sheffield in 1977. Initially an experimental electronic outfit, the group signed to Virgin Records in 1979 and later attained widespread commercial success with their third album ''Dare' ...
are all known for their Sheffield accents, whilst
The Cribs The Cribs are a British indie rock band originally from Wakefield, West Yorkshire, that formed in 2001. The band consists of twins Gary and Ryan Jarman and their younger brother Ross Jarman. They were subsequently joined by ex-The Smiths guit ...
, who are from Netherton, sing in a
Wakefield Wakefield is a cathedral city in West Yorkshire, England located on the River Calder. The city had a population of 99,251 in the 2011 census.https://www.nomisweb.co.uk/census/2011/ks101ew Census 2011 table KS101EW Usual resident population, ...
accent. The
Kaiser Chiefs Kaiser Chiefs are an English indie rock band from Leeds who formed in 2000 as Parva, releasing one studio album, ''22'', in 2003, before renaming and establishing themselves in their current name that same year. Since their formation the band h ...
originate in Leeds, as does the Brett Domino Trio, the musical project of comedian Rod J. Madin. Graham Fellows, in his persona as John Shuttleworth, uses his Sheffield accent, though his first public prominence was as cockney Jilted John. Toddla T, a DJ on
BBC Radio 1 BBC Radio 1 is a British national radio station owned and operated by the BBC. It specialises in modern popular music and current chart hits throughout the day. The station provides alternative genres at night, including electronica, dance ...
and
1Xtra BBC Radio 1Xtra is a British digital radio station owned and operated by the BBC. It broadcasts black music and urban music, including hip hop and R&B and is a sister station to Radio 1. Launching at 18:00 on 16 August 2002, it had been code ...
, has a strong Sheffield accent and often uses the phrase "big up thysen" (an adaptation into Yorkshire dialect of the slang term "big up yourself" which is most often used in the music and pop culture of the
Jamaica Jamaica (; ) is an island country situated in the Caribbean Sea. Spanning in area, it is the third-largest island of the Greater Antilles and the Caribbean (after Cuba and Hispaniola). Jamaica lies about south of Cuba, and west of Hispa ...
n diaspora). Similarly, grime crews such as Scumfam use a modern Sheffield accent, which still includes some dialect words. The
Lyke Wake Dirge The "Lyke-Wake Dirge" is a traditional English folk song and dirge listed as number 8194 in the Roud Folk Song Index. The song tells of the soul's travel, and the hazards it faces, on its way from earth to purgatory. Though it is from the Chri ...
, written in old North Riding Dialect, was set to music by the folk band
Steeleye Span Steeleye Span are a British folk rock band formed in 1969 in England by Fairport Convention bass player Ashley Hutchings and established London folk club duo Tim Hart and Maddy Prior. The band were part of the 1970s British folk revival, and we ...
. Although the band was not from Yorkshire, they attempted Yorkshire pronunciations in words such as "light" and "night" as and . Actor
Sean Bean Sean Bean (born Shaun Mark Bean on 17 April 1959) is an English actor. After graduating from the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art, Bean made his professional debut in a theatre production of ''Romeo and Juliet'' in 1983. Retaining his Yorkshire ac ...
normally speaks with a Yorkshire accent in his acting roles, as does actor Matthew Lewis, famously known for playing
Neville Longbottom Neville Longbottom is a fictional character in J. K. Rowling's ''Harry Potter'' book series. He is described as a round-faced Gryffindor student in the central character Harry Potter's year. Throughout the series, Neville is often portrayed as a ...
in the ''
Harry Potter ''Harry Potter'' is a series of seven fantasy novels written by British author J. K. Rowling. The novels chronicle the lives of a young wizard, Harry Potter, and his friends Hermione Granger and Ron Weasley, all of whom are students at ...
'' films. Wallace of
Wallace and Gromit ''Wallace & Gromit'' is a British stop-motion comedy franchise created by Nick Park of Aardman Animations. The series consists of four short films and one feature-length film, and has spawned numerous spin-offs and TV adaptations. The series ce ...
, voiced by
Peter Sallis Peter may refer to: People * List of people named Peter, a list of people and fictional characters with the given name * Peter (given name) ** Saint Peter (died 60s), apostle of Jesus, leader of the early Christian Church * Peter (surname), a su ...
, has his accent from
Holme Valley Holme Valley is a large civil parish in the Metropolitan Borough of Kirklees in West Yorkshire, England. It has a population of 25,049 (2001 census), increasing to 34,680 for the two wards in the 2011 Census. Its administrative centre is in ...
of
West Yorkshire West Yorkshire is a metropolitan and ceremonial county in the Yorkshire and Humber Region of England. It is an inland and upland county having eastward-draining valleys while taking in the moors of the Pennines. West Yorkshire came into exi ...
, despite the character living in nearby
Lancashire Lancashire ( , ; abbreviated Lancs) is the name of a historic county, ceremonial county, and non-metropolitan county in North West England. The boundaries of these three areas differ significantly. The non-metropolitan county of Lancas ...
. Sallis has said that creator
Nick Park Nicholas Wulstan Park (born 6 December 1958) is a British animator who created ''Wallace and Gromit'', ''Creature Comforts'', ''Chicken Run'', ''Shaun the Sheep'', and '' Early Man''. Park has been nominated for an Academy Award a total of ...
wanted a Lancashire accent, but Sallis could only manage to do a Yorkshire one. The late British
Poet Laureate A poet laureate (plural: poets laureate) is a poet officially appointed by a government or conferring institution, typically expected to compose poems for special events and occasions. Albertino Mussato of Padua and Francesco Petrarca (Petrarch ...
,
Ted Hughes Edward James "Ted" Hughes (17 August 1930 – 28 October 1998) was an English poet, translator, and children's writer. Critics frequently rank him as one of the best poets of his generation and one of the twentieth century's greatest wri ...
originated from
Mytholmroyd Mytholmroyd (pronounced ) is a large village in the Upper Calder Valley in West Yorkshire, England, east of Hebden Bridge. It lies east of Burnley and west of Halifax. The village, which has a population of approximately 4,000 is in the L ...
, close to the border with
Lancashire Lancashire ( , ; abbreviated Lancs) is the name of a historic county, ceremonial county, and non-metropolitan county in North West England. The boundaries of these three areas differ significantly. The non-metropolitan county of Lancas ...
, and spent much of his childhood in
Mexborough Mexborough is a town in the City of Doncaster in South Yorkshire, England. Situated between Manvers and Denaby Main, it lies on the River Don close to where it joins the River Dearne, and the A6023 road runs through the town. It is contiguous ...
,
South Yorkshire South Yorkshire is a ceremonial and metropolitan county in the Yorkshire and Humber Region of England. The county has four council areas which are the cities of Doncaster and Sheffield as well as the boroughs of Barnsley and Rotherham. ...
. His own readings of his work were noted for his "flinty" or "granite" voice and "distinctive accent" and some said that his Yorkshire accent affected the rhythm of his poetry. The soap opera ''
Emmerdale ''Emmerdale'' (known as ''Emmerdale Farm'' until 1989) is a British soap opera that is broadcast on ITV1. The show is set in Emmerdale (known as Beckindale until 1994), a fictional village in the Yorkshire Dales. Created by Kevin Laffan, ...
'', formerly ''Emmerdale Farm'', was noted for use of broad Yorkshire, but the storylines involving numerous incomers have diluted the dialect until it is hardly heard. In the ITV Edwardian/interwar
period drama A historical drama (also period drama, costume drama, and period piece) is a work set in a past time period, usually used in the context of film and television. Historical drama includes historical fiction and romance film, romances, adventure f ...
''
Downton Abbey ''Downton Abbey'' is a British historical drama television series set in the early 20th century, created and co-written by Julian Fellowes. The series first aired in the United Kingdom on ITV on 26 September 2010 and in the United States o ...
'', set at a fictional country estate in North Yorkshire between
Thirsk Thirsk is a market town and civil parish in the Hambleton district of North Yorkshire, England known for its racecourse; quirky yarnbomber displays, and depiction as local author James Herriot's fictional Darrowby. History Archeological ...
and
Ripon Ripon () is a cathedral city in the Borough of Harrogate, North Yorkshire, England. The city is located at the confluence of two tributaries of the River Ure, the Laver and Skell. Historically part of the West Riding of Yorkshire, the ...
, many of the servants and nearly all of the local villagers have Yorkshire accents.
BBC One BBC One is a British free-to-air public broadcast television network owned and operated by the BBC. It is the corporation's flagship network and is known for broadcasting mainstream programming, which includes BBC News television bulletins, ...
series '' Happy Valley'' and ''
Last Tango in Halifax ''Last Tango in Halifax'' is a British comedy-drama series that began broadcasting on BBC One on 20 November 2012 until its final episode which was broadcast on 15 March 2020. Screenwriter Sally Wainwright loosely adapted the story of her mothe ...
'', both from creator
Sally Wainwright Sally Anne Wainwright (born 1963) is an English television writer, producer, and director from Yorkshire. Early in her career, Wainwright worked as a playwright, and as a scriptwriter on the long-running radio serial drama ''The Archers''. In t ...
of
Huddersfield Huddersfield is a market town in the Kirklees district in West Yorkshire, England. It is the administrative centre and largest settlement in the Kirklees district. The town is in the foothills of the Pennines. The River Holme's confluence i ...
, also heavily feature Yorkshire accents. In the HBO television series ''
Game of Thrones ''Game of Thrones'' is an American fantasy drama television series created by David Benioff and D. B. Weiss for HBO. It is an adaptation of '' A Song of Ice and Fire'', a series of fantasy novels by George R. R. Martin, the fir ...
'', many of the characters from the North of
Westeros The fictional world in which the ''A Song of Ice and Fire'' novels by George R. R. Martin take place is divided into several continents, known collectively as The Known World. Most of the story takes place on the continent of Westeros and in ...
speak with Yorkshire accents, matching the native dialect of Sean Bean, who plays Lord Eddard "Ned" Stark. Several of the dwarfs in the Peter Jackson film adaptation of ''
The Hobbit ''The Hobbit, or There and Back Again'' is a children's fantasy novel by English author J. R. R. Tolkien. It was published in 1937 to wide critical acclaim, being nominated for the Carnegie Medal and awarded a prize from the ''N ...
'', namely
Thorin Oakenshield Thorin Oakenshield (Thorin II) is a fictional character in J. R. R. Tolkien's 1937 novel '' The Hobbit''. Thorin is the leader of the Company of Dwarves who aim to reclaim the Lonely Mountain from Smaug the dragon. He is the son of Thráin I ...
,
Kíli This article describes all named characters appearing in J. R. R. Tolkien's 1937 book ''The Hobbit''. Creatures as collectives are not included. Characters are categorized by race. Spelling and point of view are given as from ''The Hobbit''. Ho ...
and Fili, speak with Yorkshire accents. The character of the
Fat Controller The Fat Controller, whose real name is Sir Topham Hatt, is a fictional character in ''The Railway Series'' books written by the Reverend W. Awdry and his son, Christopher Awdry. In the first two books in the series ('' The Three Railway Engi ...
in the ''
Thomas and Friends ''Thomas & Friends'' (originally known as ''Thomas the Tank Engine & Friends'' and later ''Thomas & Friends: Big World! Big Adventures!'') is a British children's television series that aired across 24 series from 1984 to 2021. Based on ''The ...
'' TV series, as voiced by Michael Angelis, has a broad Yorkshire accent. " On Ilkla Moor Baht 'at", a popular
folk song Folk music is a music genre that includes traditional folk music and the contemporary genre that evolved from the former during the 20th-century folk revival. Some types of folk music may be called world music. Traditional folk music has ...
, is sung in the Yorkshire dialect and accent and considered to be the unofficial anthem of Yorkshire. Actress
Jodie Whittaker Jodie Whittaker (born 17 June 1982) is an English actress who is best known for portraying the thirteenth incarnation of the Doctor in ''Doctor Who'' (2017–2022) and as Beth Latimer in ''Broadchurch'' (2013–2017). She came to prominence ...
keeps her native Yorkshire accent in her role as the
Thirteenth Doctor The Thirteenth Doctor is an incarnation of the Doctor, the fictional protagonist of the BBC science fiction television programme, ''Doctor Who''. She is portrayed by English actress Jodie Whittaker, the first woman to portray the character, st ...
in ''
Doctor Who ''Doctor Who'' is a British science fiction television series broadcast by the BBC since 1963. The series depicts the adventures of a Time Lord called the Doctor, an extraterrestrial being who appears to be human. The Doctor explores the ...
''. Freeware action game Poacher by Ben "Yahtzee" Croshaw features Yorkshireman as a protagonist and majority of the in-game dialogues is done in Yorkshire dialect. Studies have shown that accents in the
West Riding The West Riding of Yorkshire is one of three historic subdivisions of Yorkshire, England. From 1889 to 1974 the administrative county County of York, West Riding (the area under the control of West Riding County Council), abbreviated County ...
(that is, mostly, modern West and South Yorkshire), and by extension local dialects, are well-liked among Britons and associated with common sense, loyalty, and reliability.Yorkshire named top twang as Brummie brogue comes bottom , UK news , guardian.co.uk
/ref>


Books written in Yorkshire dialect


''Yorkshire Ditties'' (Series 1)
by John Hartley
'Yorkshire Ditties''
(Series 2) by John Hartley * ''Yorkshire Puddin' '' by John Hartley, 1876
''Yorkshire Tales''
(Series 3) by John Hartley
''Yorkshire Dialect Poems (1673–1915) and traditional poems''
by
Frederic William Moorman Frederic William Moorman (1872–1919) was a poet and playwright, and Professor of English Language at the University of Leeds from 1912 to 1918. Biography Moorman grew up in Devon. He married Frances Beatrice Humpidge (1867–1956) and was ...

''Songs of the Ridings''
by
Frederic William Moorman Frederic William Moorman (1872–1919) was a poet and playwright, and Professor of English Language at the University of Leeds from 1912 to 1918. Biography Moorman grew up in Devon. He married Frances Beatrice Humpidge (1867–1956) and was ...
* ''A Yorkshire Dialect Reciter''; compiled by George H. Cowling, author of "A Yorkshire Tyke", "The Dialect of Hackness", &c. London: Folk Press Ltd,
926 Year 926 ( CMXXVI) was a common year starting on Sunday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. Events By place Europe * Spring – The Italian nobles turn against King Rudolph II of Burgundy and request that ...
* ''A Kind of Loving'' and ''Joby'' by Stan Barstow. (specifically that of Dewsbury and Ossett) * Most of the dialogue in ''GB84'' by David Peace * ''
A Kestrel for a Knave ''A Kestrel for a Knave'' is a novel by English author Barry Hines, published in 1968. Set in an unspecified mining area in Northern England, the book follows Billy Casper, a young working-class boy troubled at home and at school, who finds and ...
'' later turned into the film '' Kes'' * '' The Secret Garden'' (parts of) by
Frances Hodgson Burnett Frances Eliza Hodgson Burnett (24 November 1849 – 29 October 1924) was a British-American novelist and playwright. She is best known for the three children's novels ''Little Lord Fauntleroy'' (published in 1885–1886), '' A Little  ...
* ''
Wuthering Heights ''Wuthering Heights'' is an 1847 novel by Emily Brontë, initially published under her pen name Ellis Bell. It concerns two families of the landed gentry living on the West Yorkshire moors, the Earnshaws and the Lintons, and their turbulent re ...
'' (parts of) by
Emily Brontë Emily Jane Brontë (, commonly ; 30 July 1818 – 19 December 1848) was an English novelist and poet who is best known for her only novel, '' Wuthering Heights'', now considered a classic of English literature. She also published a book of poe ...
(note that this is very old-fashioned Haworth dialect)


Notes


References


Bibliography

* * * * * *


Further reading

* * ''All Creatures Great and Small'' by
James Herriot James Alfred Wight (3 October 1916 – 23 February 1995), better known by his pen name James Herriot, was a British veterinary surgeon and author. Born in Sunderland, Wight graduated from Glasgow Veterinary College in 1939, returning to Eng ...
(
film A film also called a movie, motion picture, moving picture, picture, photoplay or (slang) flick is a work of visual art that simulates experiences and otherwise communicates ideas, stories, perceptions, feelings, beauty, or atmospher ...
and
TV series A television show – or simply TV show – is any content produced for viewing on a television set which can be broadcast via over-the-air, satellite, or cable, excluding breaking news, advertisements, or trailers that are typically placed b ...
) * * * * * ''Up and Down in the Dales'', ''In the Heart of the Dales'', ''Head Over Heels in the Dales'', by
Gervase Phinn Gervase Phinn (born 27 December 1946, Rotherham, England) is an English author and educator. After a career as a teacher he became a schools inspector and, latterly, Visiting Professor of Education at the University of Teesside. He graduated fro ...
* * * Several nineteenth century books are kept in specialist libraries.


External links


Sounds Familiar?
nbsp;– Listen to examples of regional accents and dialects from across the UK on the British Library's 'Sounds Familiar' website
English Accents and Dialects
collection on the
British Library The British Library is the national library of the United Kingdom and is one of the largest libraries in the world. It is estimated to contain between 170 and 200 million items from many countries. As a legal deposit library, the Briti ...
br>Collect Britain
website.
Yorkshire Dialect Society

Gramophone recordings of Yorkshire dialect made by the Yorkshire Dialect Society in the 1930s, advertised to the society's members in 1937


at Yorkshire Dialect website by Barry Rawling

* ttps://web.archive.org/web/20070310173638/http://www.freewebs.com/englishdialects/ Dialect Poems from the English regions
Whoohoo Yorkshire Dialect Translator

Guide to Yorkshire words given to international recruits to the Doncaster West N.H.S.

A Glossary of Provincial Words in Use at Wakefield in Yorkshire
1865, full book online, copyright has expired.
Yorkshire Dialect
from the BBC's "The Story of English."
Yorkshire Sayings, Phrases and Dialect
I'm From Yorkshire {{Yorkshire English language in England Yorkshire culture