Misunderstanding dialects

[letsavagoo 961]

Misunderstanding

I picked my daughter in law up from town the other day to give her a lift home. She’s from Leicester and I am a Radfordite. To make conversation I asked her what she’d bought.

‘A new scarf’ she said.

‘That’s nice what’s it like’

She said ‘Dotty’

So I says ‘whys it dotty if its new un’

‘It just is’ She replied looking puzzled.

‘Never mind’ I said, ‘You can wash it.’

She looked more puzzled

It wasn’t until we got home and she showed the polka dot scarf I cottoned on to the misunderstanding.

[firbeck 859]

I'm puzzled anall.

Some of the best dialect misunderstandings I came across were from West Yorkshire, the first time I went up there I thought I'd landed on the moon, they were real, them.

[rob237 89]

When I briefly lived in Leicester, during the early 70's, I found the accent difficult to follow at first and, likewise, I'm sure they had a similar problem with me. They use flat vowels, but also spoken with a more 'southern' lilt..."me orld chip"... and they lack the range of 'odd' wordings, that we use. Unsurprising that they don't understand Nottinghamese...not many do!

Guess that Leicester provides the genuine boundary between north and south, with their delivery often being a mixture of the two. Seems to be the same horizontally across in southern Lincolnshire...their accent, and phrases, being very different to the northern Scunny/Humber version.

Cheers

Robt P.

[Fynger 841]

I used to get it in the shop....after ide Tattooed someone they'de show it to a mate who said .." Thas Bad"...an ere's me thinkin ide done it ok......ah well.....hee hee......

[Ayupmeducks 1,730]

During my brief period at Cotgrave Colliery in 1968, I did hear a Scotsman on the face tannoy talking to a Geordy, one at one end of the face and the other at the other end. Now that's something to behold!! How they understood each other I'll never know!! Again, when I was at Boulby, we had men from all over, Geordies, lads from Barnsley, a couple of us from Notts, North Derbyshire, local Yorkshiremen, Durham, Scots Lancastrians, sort of linguistic melting pot!! 30 years on I wonder how they changed the local North York accent!!

[Beefsteak 305]

It's amazing when you go to localised pit 'villages' how they have thier own accents, Cotgrave has a distinct Geordie 'twang' to it, as does Bilsthorpe, obviously decendants of the Bevan boys brought down during the war, who left their mark on the area , in more sense than one !!

[firbeck 859]

I have to say that one, little known, local dialect has almost dissapeared and that's rural Essex.

When I first moved down here 30 years ago it was quite common place, especially amongst the old boys, but as they've died out, so has the dialect.

I've just been over to see my old boss at Little Dunmow, his late father had the most incredible Essex accent, it was almost impenetrable, his builder, Bob, believe it or not, was working round there today and he has a slight twang, but it's not the same. I've just called in Sainsbury's on the way home and you can hear refined versions amongst the old folk shopping, and it's lovely to hear it, but I'm sure it will die out completely within the next few years.

Hard to describe, it's a bit like the Norfolk accent, but the vowel sounds are produced very open mouthed, it's quite unique, all of our George's school friends tend to speak 'Home Counties' I've never heard anybody under the age of 50 have a hint of the Essex accent anymore, sad isn't it. As for me, 'Oi'm thaaat Naaaartherrrn Boiy, caarnt tell awoid im speeeeaks'.

[Beavis 0]

Beefy, Cotgrave pit didn't open till the early 60s, so not the bevin boys descendents.

My dad a miner, moved from Stanley (co Durham) to Carway (Wales) to Cotgrave, you got a better house the newer the pit.

The Cotgrave geordie accent is dying out with each generation, the youth all talk in ghetto slang these days, ya get me....

[firbeck 859]

Beat me to it Beavis.

I recall that when the new 'revolutionary' mine opened at Cotgrave, that the local Notts coalfields were thriving, couldn't spare anybody and that recently redundant miners from the NE were grafted in to run it.

My mate at BGS had his family transferred to Cotgrave from Wollaton as that pit was earmarked for closure. His dad died shortly after transfer, well, NCB must have felt responsible as Pip's mum was never chucked out of her NCB house at Cotgrave. Poor Pip had to find his way into Bilborough every morning, no mean feat.

Cotgrave was the only pit I went down and suffered the fear and loathing of sitting under the coal face Dowty props as the cutters ran wild, I recall the amazing complexity of dialects, Geordie, Scottish and Northern Notts, they must have had fun with their p#ss taking of each other, what has happened to all these people.

Ayupmeducks will no doubt have more to tell us about it all, what do you say matey.

[Beefsteak 305]

When I worked in Cotgrave not long after the pit closed (Circa 1990) a couple of the ex colliery workers were working at our place and it was them who brought it to my attention!!! with some of the local dialect words for things , tabs for cigarettes and Marra for mate etc, I never thought about it being a relatively 'new' pit

[Fynger 841]

Just go to Cornwall and ask for a 'COB'.....its like falling off the edge of the world.

[Limey 242]

I did hear a Scotsman on the face tannoy talking to a Geordy, one at one end of the face and the other at the other end. Now that's something to behold!! How they understood each other I'll never know!!

My older sister was married to an Italian who, despite having lived in the UK for a number of years and in the States before that, still spoke with a very strong Italian accent. He was a chemical engineer and his best "mate" at work was a Geordie! At my brother-in-law's funeral, the Geordie gave a eulogy that was brilliant - and one of his comments was that lots of people had overheard them chatting over the years, and couldn't understand a word either of them said! (They worked near Huntingdon, Cambs.)

We had a number of Geordies, but more Scots, working in the pits in South Mids Area - it was always my understanding that they moved there in the late 50's, early 60's when jobs were plentiful in the midlands, but pits were closing up north.

[Ayupmeducks 1,730]

The problem with Cotgrave from day one until established, was no Notts mineworker wanted to work there. During the 60's it had an extremely high turn over in labour. Many left the industry after a local pit closure than be transferred there. WHY?? The NCB in it's wisdom, ran the pit with an "iron fist" It had to work "by the book" and men could be fined for breaking rules. Management incited industrial action, not a rumour either, I witnessed it first hand! I was nearly involved with a full craftsmans walkout through managements sheer stupidity and thickheadedness! One fitter requested one of us call the police as he was being held against his will in pit bottom. It was escalating to a full strike. What happened?? We were waiting, fitters and electricians , for a ride down, we'd have been on the last "draw" of the dayshift going down the pit. The phone rang on pit top, a Deputy who was also waiting for a ride down took the call. The Undermanager had sent an order to "single deck" to the Banksman. That meant we'd be docked an hours pay! Single decking just didn't happen with manriding, ever! We just turned around and headed for the bathroom to get showered and go home on principle. We notified our NUM delegate what was happeneing and bid him good day.

A call was sent to the underground "workshops" to let the other fitters and leckos what had happened, they voted to withdraw their labour for the day too and were on their way to pit bottom.

The Elec Engineer was fuming, wasn't long before the five coal faces were stopped as they had no safety cover from Elecs and Fitters. (requirement under the M&Q Act) In the bathrooms, we were asked not to change and stay in our "pit rags". Negotiations were started, alright half hour docked, we started to get undressed and getting ready for a shower, once through that side, we would not return. Eventually the Colliery Manager took over and said, make your way to pit bank and your pay is safe.

This sort of thing happened on a regular basis, not a nice place to work.

Wollaton was just about worked out, Clifton had over 50 years work in a "virgin" seam, the Ashgate seam, plus the one beneath it, the Blackshale seam. The NCB had invested money to drive a drift down from the Tupton seam, much of the work was underway, with further money available to drive a drift from the coal prep plant, on the surface down to 51's main gate, to turn Clifton into a million tons per year pit. Cotgrave was bleeding manpower, Clifton had to go.

Ironically, very few men stayed after the transfer, so it was left to "import" labour from the closing pits of the north east and Scotland. A good deal of the manpower when I arrived there in early 1968 was from the north east.

[Ayupmeducks 1,730]

The fuuniest I ever saw was when we got our first Heliminer at Boulby. (North Yorks) It was made at their factory in France, and Jeffrey Dresser sent a team of French fitters across to assist in the assembly of the machine. Just one word, none of us could speak French, yep, you guessed, none of them knew a single word of English!! Odd how we all managed to communicate, but we did. Of course there is always one comedian, one of our workshop fitters! He had the Frenchmen in tears laughing at him.

[Beavis 0]

I worked down Cotgrave pit from 86 till closure, believe me, rules and regs got pretty slack towards the end.

Still, I got to drive an FSV which was fun.

Where did you work Beefsteak, I might know you IRL

[Ayupmeducks 1,730]

It usually happens as a colliery "matures", we as electricians weren't allowed to help the fitter, or miners. Our boss said if we were doing our job right, we wouldn't have the time. Yeh right! It was 5 quid if you were caught riding a belt, the list goes on, it wasn't a nice place to work during the 60's! Several of my mates came from the electrical staff, both underground and surface, some I served my apprenticeship at the same time, and another one, who lives in Canada now, he was at Cotgrave during the shaft sinking, saw the first faces driven in Deep soft on the north side. I started shortly after the last of those had finished and all workings were in deep hard on the south side. Barry Clements"Clem" to everyone finished there on closure, he was an electrician. I know him from our drinking days in the mid 60's, I stay in touch via his wife. He's too lazy to get on a computer!

[rob237 89]

John,

When at Cotgrave, did you know deputy Stef Clews?

Every so often, when he was tired of working, he'd play a game of squash against me at Bingham Leisure Centre - safe in the knowledge that he'd bust his Achilles tendon yet again and wangle a few weeks off duty!

Cheers

Robt P.

[Ayupmeducks 1,730]

No Rob, I was only there a few months and I barely remember many names. If I'd completed my apprenticeship before Clifton had closed, I'd never have gone to Cotgrave at all.

[Beavis 0]

It usually happens as a colliery "matures", we as electricians weren't allowed to help the fitter, or miners. Our boss said if we were doing our job right, we wouldn't have the time. Yeh right! It was 5 quid if you were caught riding a belt, the list goes on, it wasn't a nice place to work during the 60's! Several of my mates came from the electrical staff, both underground and surface, some I served my apprenticeship at the same time, and another one, who lives in Canada now, he was at Cotgrave during the shaft sinking, saw the first faces driven in Deep soft on the north side. I started shortly after the last of those had finished and all workings were in deep hard on the south side. Barry Clements"Clem" to everyone finished there on closure, he was an electrician. I know him from our drinking days in the mid 60's, I stay in touch via his wife. He's too lazy to get on a computer!

Fat clem is still mad about fishing, he goes to Barnstone ponds with my neighbour 3 times a week.

[Ayupmeducks 1,730]

I've known Clem and his wife Sheila for around 44 years. There was a group of us knock about together in our late teens, Clem, Stewart Stenson, Johnnie Booth, he was an electrician at Cotgrave, and Bill "Lou" Blair, another Cotgrave electrician.

[Beefsteak 305]

Beavis

I worked at Business post which was in the units on the left, on the way out towards Stragglethorpe for a few years before we moved to larger premises at Wilford

[denshaw 2,871]

I worked at Cotrave pit around 1971 as an apprentice electrician. Does anyone remember an electrician called Jess, all i can remember was he lived in West Bridgford and drove a Marcos.