Sheffield dialect/accent

[Brix 13]

In 21 years I've never heard the word snicket used once in Sheffield!!!

 

It's a gennel...pronounced Jennel

 

My family and friends have always said snicket; meaning a little gap between houses, trees etc. We are all born and bred in Sheffield.

[Omar Khatib]

My family and friends have always said snicket; meaning a little gap between houses, trees etc. We are all born and bred in Sheffield.

 

But what do you call the brick archway through a terraced row?

[baby tiger67]

gennel i say and i was born in sheff.

[HarmOKnee]

Never used the word snicket for anything (generations of us born & bred in Hillsborough)

Brick archway through a terraced row is an entry.

Pathway/shortcut from one road to another (usually with trees on either side) is a jennel.

[Yog Sothoth]

I'm from Pudsey and I've always said 'ginnel' with a hard G. I also call a 'breadcake' a plain teacake (as opposed to a currant teacake).

 

Lots of my family used to say stuff like 'thi' and 'tha' and 'ey up', and even 'well by gum!'

It's sort of died out a lot but I'm 47 and when I don't feel pressured to speak 'proper', I lapse into it myself.

 

I remember my dad, if I was not getting my act together, would say summat like "Ey up lad, stop lakin' about an' bloody frame thi' sen!"

[sheff_saying]

I'm new on here, but I've enjoyed the thread so much I wanted to add my two penn'orth!

 

The term I've always known for a narrow, public pathway, often between houses is pronounced 'Jennel' (general entry?) and the path between terraced houses to get to the back yard was always called the 'passage'. I'd heard it called an 'entry' where several houses had a shared courtyard, such as used to be found in the city centre.

 

I've never heard 'snicket' used for either of those, but would understand it to mean a way through a hedge or a fence.

 

'Sneck' for lock though!

 

My Dad was a proud Sheffielder, whose ancestors lived in the centre of Sheffield near the Cathedral. He had an 'old Sheffield saying' for every occasion, though by the end I tended to think he was making them up!

 

I think people commenting on here are proud of their accent and are not offended by seeing it written in a phonetic way – though I'm sure we'll all be fiercely critical if we think it's wrong! The trouble is there are lots of different variations within Sheffield – we are after all, a collection of villages.

 

I think a story in a Sheffield voice would have to include some phonetic spelling to capture the feel of a Sheffield person talking, partly because the contraction of some words fits in with the blunt turn of phrase often used.

 

The glottal stop is really key to the Sheffield accent, but even t' (for 'to the') doesn't seem to catch it quite right. I suppose this is a limitation of our written language – I like the description in the wikipedia article on the glottal stop.

 

(sorry - I'm not allowed to post it as a link, but a quick google will find it)

 

I'm really impressed that people have taken the trouble to attempt translation! Brilliant stuff – I can hear your voices! I suppose the question is, though, would somebody in the South understand it?

 

I wish the OP the best of luck with the story!

[JOGI]

Never used the word snicket for anything (generations of us born & bred in Hillsborough)

Brick archway through a terraced row is an entry.

Pathway/shortcut from one road to another (usually with trees on either side) is a jennel.

Tend to agree. Never heard of snicket. Brick archway,= Entry or Passageway. Regarding Jennel, I lived at the side of one for 40 years. It connected my road with the next road at the back. Never heard it called anything else. Except occasionally if I was outside the house, some-one would ask 'where's this ginnel lead to.' I used to think where've they got that word from.

[Annoni_mouse]

Could the difference between 'Jennel' and 'snicket' be a north/south city divide?

 

I, being from the north side of the city, have always referred to it as 'jennel' and the first time I heard 'snicket' was talking to a resident of Hackenthorpe. I always associate 'Ginnel' (hard G) with West Yorkshire, purely because my Brother in law is from L**ds and he is the only person I know who regularly uses the word.

 

Does anyone else refer to the living room as t' house? Whenever I want to tell the dog to get in the living room I always yell 'Goo on, get in t'house', much to the bemusement of anyone within earshot.

[JOGI]

Yes, when I was a kid into House. In later years this became lounge to most people but i think on some occasions its rather pretentious.

[willybite]

Could the difference between 'Jennel' and 'snicket' be a north/south city divide?

 

I, being from the north side of the city, have always referred to it as 'jennel' and the first time I heard 'snicket' was talking to a resident of Hackenthorpe. I always associate 'Ginnel' (hard G) with West Yorkshire, purely because my Brother in law is from L**ds and he is the only person I know who regularly uses the word.

 

Does anyone else refer to the living room as t' house? Whenever I want to tell the dog to get in the living room I always yell 'Goo on, get in t'house', much to the bemusement of anyone within earshot.

 

hiya reading the letters about the letter t before house was just an easier way of saying "the" surely the same as the other "t" words we always used entry as i lived in a court eg yard, what about an open yard, double entry,

also said many a time" come int ous its raynin thal cach cowd and thal beup orl neet coffin"

and i think jennel when it was used as a shortcut between the houses an entry was between houses but their bedroom was over the entry.we around our way would say darn't entry, never up't entry, but it might be up't passage,jennal.

Edited December 15, 2009 by willybite