Sheffield dialect/accent

[Forumosaurus]

Hello everyone,

 

I know there are a couple of threads on Sheffield accent/dialect but this is a little different as I have some specific questions... Some of them may seem a bit naive so set me straight as you can:

 

[*]Do locals still use 'tha' or 'thou' or 'thee' instead of 'you'? Which would you say was more accurate for Sheffield?

[*]Is the word 'the' missed out all the time or just sometimes? In some threads on this post I've seen it written t' - which is more accurate for the Sheffield accent? To miss it out completely or to use the t'?

[*]I'm struggling with contractions - things like wasn't, didn't, wouldn't? How would you attempt to spell these to approximate a Sheffield accent?

 

I don't say 'tha', never have, I'm guessing that died out in the 80's, 'thee' as well, I've not heard it said in ages.

 

As for 'the', it depends on how you say it, for example I'd say "I'm gooin t' shop", or "I went t' shop'

 

So whenever I, or any true Sheffield says "t" they are replacing "To the".

 

Final example: Sheffielder "Did you go t' cinema earlier?"

Non Sheffielder "Did you go to the cinema earlier?"

 

As for your other question:

 

Wasn't = Weren't

Didn't = Dint

Wouldn't = Wunt

haven't = 'ant

[Hayley1]

I thought 'clarty' was a Northumbrian term for muddy?

[HarmOKnee]

A Jennel is a brick archway through a terraced row.

 

no that's called an entry

[HarmOKnee]

proudly born and bred in sheffield i couldnt agree more with you,, the way i would write it down would be " am gooin downa t' shops, dus da one owt gerrin or even am gunna t' shops so proud to be a sheffielder, the only ones who can take a barely understandable northern dialect and make it even harder to understand, little subtle changes such as thee and thar to dee and daar make it even easier to spot a fake sheffielder, hence the nickname dee daars used by close towns such as rotherham and barnsley

 

giyor, nobdy sez dee or daa anymoower

[BobbyDazzler]

giyor, nobdy sez dee or daa anymoower

That probably reight lad! I think it's died out a bit nowadays. I remember a kid I went to schol with in the 70s used to call News at Ten "Nyoize at 10"

[rubydazzler]

no that's called an entry

In Heeley we called that a passage . A gennel is an open passage between walls (of buildings), a snicket is an open path between gardens or fences. At least it was years ago. Not heard anyone say 'snicket' since my aunty died in the 80s. People today speak some composite language made up of Estuary, Jafraken, Oz and US, that they've cobbled together from TV and popular music. Horrible to listen to. It's well bad vo, innit!

[catabolickid]

HarmOKnee said:

 

Having read the "original" script and the translated one I definitely found the translated one the easier to read in the Sheffield accent. Sorry catabolickid but your original just seemed wrong and very stilted.

 

No need to apologise; that's what I'm trying to find out. It's difficult - the transcript I pasted was part of an interview from a Ken Loach film on the Miner's Strike. I just transcribed word for word what I heard the interviewee say. I didn't spell the words differently as Digby did as I thought this might be an insult to the person who was speaking in the film. And yet, even though he spoke with an accent, I haven't seemed to able to capture it!

 

Also cd1965 said:

 

I also feel that the example you posted is a mixture of Sheffield and English i.e. you are not consistent in the use of Sheffield Speak.....either choose one or the other!

 

This is the bit where I get confused. Sheffield dialect is a form of English. I can understand why my approach might be seen as inconsistent. But while I'm happy to miss out the word 'the' and use phrases like 'I were', I'm reluctant to spell 'where' as 'weer' (for example) even though I hear it because I think there can be more than just one way of pronouncing 'where'. If I used 'weer' it's like saying only Southerners can speak properly.

 

After all I wouldn't spell 'where' as 'wair' for someone from the South. Does that make sense? If you think I've totally got the wrong end of the stick, please say so.

 

Thanks for your comments,

ctk

[catabolickid]

Catabolic. Your text needs to be altered as follows(as we spoke it 75 years ago) or you would have been regarded as very posh and sniggered at. Normly NOT normally. Weerever Not Where-ever. Weer Not where. Inter Not into. Ont reight. Ont left. Theer not There. Agean not Again. If I was in Pond st and saw a a Sheff. United fan (identified by a red and white scarf),I would ask him 'R di gon on' meaning 'How have they gone on'.Meaning 'what was the result'. My favourite one as said by so many on here is 'Who were she wee,were she by hersen.'

 

Sorry, missed this one first time round! Cheers JOGI - that's useful.

 

Will happily change Normally to Norm'ly as you suggest

 

Not sure what to do about Where (see my post to HarmOKnee and cd1965 above).

 

Not sure about Ont reight and Ont left as you put them - in the interviews I listened to I don't hear the 't' - except maybe a silent one like a glottal stop or a small gulp. But transcribed it comes out as 'On right' and 'On left', for me. I could understand it if the word 'to' was involved, as someone else mentioned above, as I can actually hear the 't' then.

 

Perhaps I'm missing something? But seems like whenever someone tries to impersonate a Sheffielder and they actually say the 't' sound it sounds fake...? So by writing it, that seems kind of wrong to me too. What do you think?

 

thanks for the phrases too - could be useful

ctk

[Impecunious]

I thought 'clarty' was a Northumbrian term for muddy?

 

Never been to Northumbria so can't comment...I'd describe clarty as how a mascara goes when it gets old and all cloggy!!

[Omar Khatib]

To me, "clarty" describes foodstuffs that plaster themselves to the inside of your mouth, like caramel.