To those who live here, there is nothing unusual about the way we speak, but the Yorkshire dialect is often thought of as simple speech for simple folk. But it has a long and ancient history, with many words reflective of the language used by the Angles, Saxons and Vikings, and most of the distinctive words date back to when the Romans left Britain around 400AD. The Angles laid the first foundations of the Yorkshire dialect and it still retains many old words that have since been discarded from Standard English. Key characteristics include shorted vowel sounds, dropped ‘h’ and ‘g’ sounds at the start and end of words, and the letter ‘t’ generally being half pronounced, or dropped all together. The unique turn of phrase has brought with it a number of classic insults over the years that only true Yorkshire folk can deliver with such passion, fury and annoyance. How many of these do you know?
1. Mardy bum
Used to describe someone in a bad mood, the term mardy has spurned a number of common phrases, including mardy bum, mardy cow and mardy b*gger.
2. Barmpot
While it can be used affectionately, this word describes a person who is foolish, an idiot, or objectionable.
3. Arse end
Used to describe a person who is unattractive, like the arse end of a donkey.
4. Do one/Chuff off
An effective phrase to use when you want to angrily tell someone to leave you alone, or go away.