Some examples of local words, their meanings - and how they're different in the North and East Ridings
West Ridings dialect is quite distinctive from North and East Ridings. Here is just a sample of the words which are pronounced differently.
This section has proved to be quite popular, (especially with those in offices of mixed accents!) and so we will continue to build this section...if you have any suggestions, or quotes that you think should be included, then please just contact us.
|
English |
West Riding |
North & East Riding |
|
School |
schooil |
skeeal |
|
Coat |
coit |
cooat |
|
Don’t |
dooant |
deeant |
|
About |
abaht |
aboot |
| Down | dahn | doon |
| House | 'ahse | 'oose |
| Boot |
booit | beeat |
| Fool | fooil | feeal |
| Door | dooar | deear |
| Floor | flooar | fleear |
| Speak | speyk | speeak |
| Coal | coil | cooal |
| Home | 'ooam 'eeam | 'ooam or yam |
| Father | fatther | feyther or faather |
In same cases, entirely different words are used in each Riding:
|
English |
West Riding |
North & East Riding |
|
Sweets |
spice |
goodies |
And even in the Holme Valley this may vary again, with abaht sounding like abairt. And Yorkshire is pronounced ‘Yorksher’ – rhyming with teacher, not ‘York-shire’ rhyming with fire, or ‘York-sheer’ as in beer!
The following highlights words and phrases in West Riding that are completely unique!
|
West Riding Saying |
Meaning |
|
Sneck-lifter |
a single drink (in a pub) bought in hope of being made welcome |
| Tabs | ears |
| Twinge | earwig |
| Tusky | rhubarb |
| Canned | drunk |
| Cah-clap | cow pat |
| Dooar 'oil | doorway |
| Mawngy | surly, complaining |
| Minnin-on | a snack in between meals |
| Snell | cold and wet weather |
The Yorkshireman's motto
This is a West Ridings saying that really demonstrates a tongue in cheek humour.
'Ear all, see all, say nowt;
Eyt all, sup all, pay nowt;
An' if ivver tha does owt fer nowt - Do it fer thissen!