Academics agree, accents make us fit in when we are children. Shared words and phrases help give us our identity. But, with so many families moving from one part of the country to another in search of work, many once strong dialects are being watered down or changed altogether. A study by Tim Shortis, a research fellow at the University of Bristol's Graduate School of Education, aims to find out what the patterns of changing use of accent are, and how that affects dialect in relation to what is happening with language elsewhere. The research has already thrown up a few interesting possibilities about Brissle-speak. The dialect words 'casn't' and 'bist', as in, how bist?, (how are you?), appear to be on their way out while 'ideal' and 'where's that to?' are resilient. 'Hark at ee' Using words and phrases ironically, rather than literally, is another way dialect survives, although, not in its original form. So, for example the phrases 'gert lush' and 'hark at ee' are more often used jokingly now than 10 years ago. Fossil words and phrases tend to be used by Bristolians to send themselves up in a playful way. Many of the teenagers involved so far in the research only realised they had a Bristol accent l when they went on holiday for the first time and into a social situation with people who were not from the Bristol area. "People were surprised that the perception was that Bristolians are all farmers," said Tim Shortis. The main words which show how much a dialect is changing are those for good, bad and very. A couple of years ago everything was pukka or pants whereas now, both words seem desperately over used and out of date. | Bristol dialect | Standard English use | | Where's that to? | Where is it? | | I was led down | I was lying down | | We was there yesterday | We were there yesterday | | I was sat/ I was stood | I was sitting/I sat | | I didn't do nothing | I didn't do anything | | Theirselves | Themselves | | Look at them people | Look at those people | | He do's it | He does it | | He can do it hisself | He can do it himself | | Casn't | Can't | | I looks at | I looked at | | Theys [real gems] | They're [real gems] | | Lush | Nice/good | | Gert/Gurt | Really big | | Mind [mid-sentence or used as a tag] | You know what I mean? | | Proper ['PrAprR] | Good or 'decent' | | They [kiddies] | Those [kiddies] | | Like | [used in mid-sentence] | | Laters | See you later/goodbye | | Babys/Babs/Bab | Baby/affectionate term | | Kiddie | Teenager or youth | | Me/My lover | Mate/pal/dear | | She's [got a nice finish] | It goes all right | | Scrage | To scratch yourself | | Hard 'en | Usually a young person with an attitude | | Babba | Baby | | Coopie down | Crouch down | | Slider | Playground slide | | Keener | 'swot', or someone who works too hard | | NeveR [emphasis on R] | Never | | AlaRm [mid-word emphasis on R] | Alarm | | Right [initial emphasis on R] | Right | | Rising intonation - using statements so they sound like questions | | | DrawLing [L pronounced within a word] | Drawing | | Area L [Bristol L specific to Area] | Area | | IdeaL [Bristol L specific to Idea] | Idea | | Funera [omission of L] | Funeral | | wURs [different vowel & R pronunciation] | Worse | | 'ave, 'im [Silent initial H] | Have, Him | | Bath, Glass ['a' as in sat] | Bath, Glass |
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The city is split - are you blue or red?
