The Strange Way we Talk

[raveydavey]

A phrase I heard today that I haven't heard for ages is 'getting ideas' - said either about someone getting too big for their boots or disparagingly about someone trying to better themselves. Not sure if it's just a Leeds thing though.    

[tilly]

Its funny how you come out with some words you have not used for many years .Eg This morning I was in jimmys I saw this woman walking along every time she lifted her foot her foot came out of her shoe I said to my wife look her shoes are slobbing off,were did I get that from.Then another word came into my head clomping about has in what are you clomping about at, this was said if you were making a loud noise with your feet.    

[Johnny39]

"Stop smacking your lips", was a term of admonishment to any child heard eating noisily, or any adult for that matter.

[vbporscha]

raveydavey wrote: A phrase I heard today that I haven't heard for ages is 'getting ideas' - said either about someone getting too big for their boots or disparagingly about someone trying to better themselves. Not sure if it's just a Leeds thing though.     I think that comes from "getting ideas above their station". Don't think it's exclusive to Leeds.

[Steve Jones]

This link will take you to a recording of Ivy from Hunslet talking about growing up in the 1920's.it is to illustrate accents:http://www.bl.uk/learning/langlit/sound ... d/leeds/If you also click on the tab marked "Your voices" at the top of the screen you will see that it is a project to let people send in recordings of their own voice to illustrate different accents! very apt for this discussion I thought.

[Jogon]

Steve thanksthe Hunslet lady is a joy to hear.I had a look round the map and clicked on Bradford and Coventry, hoping for the original articles, slightly frustrating tho'.For each of these they'd picked (or had received sent in) non-native speakers rather than going for the oldest link to the original accent 'as was'......demonstrates perfectly the wonderful hybrid accent of a speaker who is fluent in a language other than his mother tongue, but whose accent betrays traces of interference from his first language......etc Thought it was a waste of such a venue not to drill down for remnants of the pre-1900's regional dialects. ie Bradford differed from Leeds etc.

[jdbythesea]

When my mother used to realise she should be doing something more important she would say "Well, this won't get the baby a new pram". Don't hear it used much these days.One that I've never heard but that tickled me when I read it in Keith Waterhouse's "City Lights" was "not a pot washed and the house full of Chinamen". Alas, I have no idea what it means.

[volvojack]

I'd say plaster - short a but head master - long a but pronouncing it as two words. But then I'm form Morley so what do I know? Morleans do sound different to Loiners, or they used to any way. But then just down the road in Batley they sound different again. Ask someone from Batley or Dewsbury to say working or turkey - I bet they say work - in and tur - key with a pause between the first and second syllables

Having a good laugh looking back at these early posts.
When I worked in Morley a local Lad Raymond said "Esta banning tet Seccy fot Tug o wah."
Are you coming to the Sycamore (Pub) for the Tug Of War"

I was brought up in East Leeds so it was not Master or Ma.rster.... it was Sir or something under your breath.

[dogduke]

Nice to read some older topics again.
One thing that's just come up in conversation was did I use the outdoor pool
at Roundhay?
I replied it was too cold and was a bit sort/sought into by then - it had seen better days!

[bgams]

In 1979 at the age of 32 and having spent all my life living and growing up in Leeds I went to work in Northern Ireland expecting to return to Leeds within 6 or 9 months at most. Although I did not think that I spoke with any particularly strong or distinct accent or mannerisms I soon had to modify my way of speaking generally in order to be understood. Specifically I had to speak less quickly and avoid running words into each other or more exactly missing words out i.e. the use or non-use as it was of and or the. I remained and continue to live in Northern Ireland taking various academic courses and was involved in some teaching all of which forced me into noticeably correcting my speech and pronunciation patterns which I know coming from a Leeds lad sounds a bit hoity-toity to say the least. However all of that did not stop locals here in NI identifying my accent but people at home in Leeds usually saying that I had taken on an 'Irish' accent. wbg