Comments on: Accent

By: Mick Jacks

Mick Jacks — Wed, 14 Dec 2011 12:02:35 +0000

I’d forgotten about writing on this site as it’s over a year since I did so.I found it today(14/12/11) & very much enjoyed reading the comments .Keep going Owain you have obviously been exposed to Brummie/Black Country accents & have formed an interest in those & many other accents.I’d forgotten about the North/South Wales controversy on T.V. and think that,like Owain,you have to live among these accents to understand them.We are all recieving different versions of our languages nowadays due to better & easier methods of communication –T.V. –comes easily to mind so that when they get it wrong they give everyone else a wrong impression .To most people it doesn’t matter at all but it can be quite irritating.
All the best for Christmas & the New Year. Mick Jacks.

By: Pamela Burt

Pamela Burt — Tue, 25 Oct 2011 11:49:48 +0000

I got married and left Birmingham some 33 years ago to live in Shropshire, then later to the Bristol area. Despite my long exile I’m proud to report that still have the accent (so my Bristolian friends tell me!). Not everyone hates the Brummie accent – some people have told me I sound Australian even(what was that about?). Most folk who have got to know me, tease me a little about the accent (as others here have already commented), but most say they like the way I speak. I’m also from the east side of Brum. Born in Marston Green and raised in Stechford. It’s true I think that the accent from my side of the city is less harsh than the one from the northern side is. Whatever, I don’t really care – go talk Brummie and confound all the critics!!

By: Pamela Burt

Pamela Burt — Tue, 25 Oct 2011 11:47:00 +0000

I got married and left Birmingham some 33 years ago to live in Shropshire, then later to the Bristol area. Despite my long exile I’m proud to report that still have the accent (so my Bristolian friends tell me!). Not everyone hates the Brummie accent – some people have told me I sound Australian even(what was that about?) ; most folk who have got to know me tease me a little about the accent as others here have already commented, but most say they rather like thre way I speak. I’m also from the east side of Brum. Born in Marston Green and raised in Stechford. It’s true I think that the accent from my side of the city is less harsh than the one fro the northern side is, but I don’t really care -

By: Owain

Owain — Wed, 19 Oct 2011 00:25:20 +0000

I live in Birmingham and although I’m not a native I am fascinated with all accents and dialects and the Brummie and Black country ones are no different. Although I struggle sometimes to tell the difference I have colleagues who are passionate about the nuisances of the different dialects and I pick up as much as I can. This was interesting reading.

I totally understand the point about being portrayed correctly on TV as I am Welsh and am used to being frustrated with characters in sketches for example being from North Wales yet speaking in a generic “valleys” accent. For a while it seemed every portrayal of Welsh folk would adopt this accent but I think it has got better over the years.

Can the same be said about the west midlands accents I’m not sure.

I found this site while looking for a phonetic Brummie translation for something sung at a football match by the bluenoses
“how sh*t must you be we’re winning away”

Any ideas? I had thought away would be awooy and you would be yaw but after reading your comments I’m not so sure and stand corrected.

By: Steph

Steph — Sat, 10 Sep 2011 13:03:09 +0000

I love being Brummie especially down at university in Ipswich, every time I give a presentation they look at me so wierdly, its awesome. Though alot of people down there confuse the Brummie accent with the Black Country. Still walking in a bakers and asking for ‘a pack of cobs’ and getting wierd looks is fun.

Since Ive moved to Walsall though, Ive gained a hybrid of Birmingham/Walsall accent so going back to uni should be fun. Especially as Ive now definately got into the habit of saying ‘ay’ it’

By: heather

heather — Tue, 19 Jul 2011 15:13:18 +0000

im a brummie, have been for quite a few years now, an i dont get the fascination! haha, its quite entertaining though. having realized how i say things from this article – to the rest of the world we must sound stupid! which is quite funny as a lot of people from around here are quite smart.

By: jason

jason — Wed, 29 Jun 2011 20:14:43 +0000

I’m from Surrey (in the South). I moved to the states 10 years ago, and I used to get that all the time too!
I guess my accent had adjusted now as it’s been a few years since I got that response.

By: nicola bailey

nicola bailey — Wed, 23 Mar 2011 21:34:37 +0000

I grew up and lived in the Black Country (Walsall) until I left home at 18 to go to uni 20 years ago. I remember all to well getting so frustrated with people who used to take the mick and say, ‘are yow from Birmingum’?…when the difference in our accents to me was soo obvious! Having lived away for 20 years I can see how differently my accent led me to pronounce words compared with other people with different accents. Walsall people pronounce all their syllables and letters, e.g. ‘I’ ve beeee-N swi-mmin-G’ whereas Brummies vowels are actyually shorter and more clipped – ‘I bin swimmin”. I married a true Brummie and we’ve had a lot of laughs over the differences in our accents even though we grew up only 10 miles apart from each other!

By: Married to a Brummie

Married to a Brummie — Thu, 17 Mar 2011 12:38:53 +0000

I’m a Texan married to a Brummie. There are frequent moments when we have to translate for each other. I have a love of language studying Italian, Chinese, Arabic, and French. I must say I’ve enjoyed the Brummie dialect just as much. My husband sounded Americanized when I first met him. I told him “you’re a Brummie, be a Brummie” and he has since then, not even realizing how much he’d lost his accent to satisfy a boss at work. Like most here, my family is made of mostly immigrants- English, Irish, Scottish, Italian. A few married Cherokee/Chickasaw Indians. I find it funny that what I thought were Texas slang phrases actually came from GB. ***sidebar: For ‘I hate all the Brummies in the world’ someone must have really pissed you off. Get over it.

By: Dean-Paul Johnson

Dean-Paul Johnson — Wed, 02 Mar 2011 17:09:52 +0000

I’m from Birmingham and now living in Solihull but very close to the border between the two towns. I was born and raised in Bordesley Green in East Birmingham. For some reason, even having lived in Bordesley Green for 13 years before moving, my Brummie accent is not that broad. People have told me i’m quite well spoken. However my Mom and Dad and Brother all sound strongly Brummie. My dad was brought up in the Weoley castle and Northfield area of South Birmingham and my Mom lived in Bordesley Green all her life. They are always pronouncing their words in a strong Brummie accent. Some examples are “Sure” will become “Shew-er” or “Insurance” will become “In-shewer-rance”. My dad has dad has a habit of saying “Song” and “Sung” and “Bonfire” and “Bunfire”. Sometimes they will come out with things like “Ya barmy bleeda” which basically means you’re crazy, and “Bostin” which means Excellent or good. I have to say for some reason I rarely ever say any of these words. I do however love saying “Bab”, such a funny word. Oh, and I also say the word “Aint” which means “is not”. Oh you have to love the accent, even if it can get annoying.