Welcome to The Briercliffe Society Forum

I discovered yesterday that one can watch a lot of Fred Dibnah clips on YouTube, including the whole of (I believe)the first ever nationwide broadcast of him in Fred Dibnah, Steeplejack. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xuSW9kOB ... re=related . I haven't lived in Lancashire for many years, and it got me wondering whether the way Fred talks (especially before he became the David Attenborough of the Industrial Era!) is a good example of an East Lancs accent, and if so whether it's pretty much like the way folk talk in Burnley these days.

Any comments from the locals?

Charon

Yes I think so, I know that me and me family talk like that, that includes me friends too. I dont think you notice the accent the same when you live with it and surrounded by it, but most of the people I come across talk like that. Perhaps saying that me Grandson's lanky is not quite as strong, but he has outside influences as his Mum and other set of Grandparents and cousins are all Southerners, plus his peers at school come from all walks of life, so it is bound to be diluted I think. Also when I am on here I try to use correct grammer, but my lanky comes through on occasions. I am proud to say. Ee' bi gum (well I never)


Stephanie.

I think I am very broad. I was brought up around Burnley before moving over to the Blackpool area, totally different accent, where I learnt to speak properly, as my grandma used to say. We then moved back in my late teens and I became broad again. I think Fred was very broad but the Bolton accent is a bit different, but no less broad.

_________________
Gloria

I'd be dangerous with a brain.

Your accent is very broad Gloria

_________________
Mel

Searching for lost relatives? Win the Lottery!

I yoost ter tork posh

_________________
Gloria

I'd be dangerous with a brain.

Thanks for the comments. I'm not surprised Bolton is a bit different from Burnley - I grew up in Wolverhampton, and it was said there that an expert could identify within a mile or two where someone came from in the Black Country. Each town and village specialised in one type of manufacture (pins, nails, chains, tinware and so on) and I suppose they were very clannish. Was it the same in the cotton/woollen trades?

Charon

The Sykers (Briercliffe) have always had a reputation of being clickie, me Dad told me when he was a young lad they always kept to themselves, that's probably why all the rellies of Sykers are related one way or another.


Stephanie.

When I and friends went to the Grammar school in Burnley, having been at Heasandford Juniors, we met people from the other end of town, towards Padiham and Accrington. They had what to us was a strange accent, though I couldn't now (having lived away for umpteen years) put my finger on why. In other words, just a few miles produced a recognisably different accent. My impression was that the Burnley Lane way of talking was pretty indistinguishable from Nelson, even Colne, but not say Padiham. Certainly Blackburn is clearly different to this day, they roll their r's more I think. Go over towards Rochdale and buses get called buzzes.

Rex

Dad reckons he could tell a Nelson accent from a Burnley one when he was a lad, but that was pre 1940. Where was Fred Dibnah from?

Bolton

My husband and his side of the family are from Ramsbottom born and bred and their pronunciation is different to mine e.g.
bear/bare is bur, hair is hur, look is luke, book is buke, fair is fur, there/their is thur, bus is buzzes. I sometimes find myself picking up the bad habit of their pronunciation but I always correct myself because I want to keep my own Burnley accent.


Stephanie

So how do you say book/look/cook Stephanie?

_________________
Mel

Searching for lost relatives? Win the Lottery!

I can say either book/buck cook/cuck look/luck probably depending who I am talking to and their accent.

_________________
Gloria

I'd be dangerous with a brain.

I say the same as Gloria, book is buck, look is luck, cook is cuck.


Stephanie.

So how do you say moon?

_________________
Mel

Searching for lost relatives? Win the Lottery!