| Northumbrian dialect | |
|---|---|
| Northumberland and Durham dialect North East dialect | |
| Native to | England |
| Region | Northumberland and Durham (Northumbria) |
| Ethnicity | English |
Native speakers | (<307,000 cited 2001) |
Early forms | Old English
|
| Language codes | |
| ISO 639-3 | – |
| Glottolog | nort3300 |
Location of the historic counties of Northumberland and Durham in England. | |
Northumberland and Durham dialect, Northumbrian dialect, or in England North East dialect is any one of several traditional English dialects spoken in the historic counties of Northumberland and County Durham. The term Northumbrian can refer to the region of Northumbria but can also refer specifically to the county of Northumberland. This article focuses on the former definition and thus includes varieties from throughout the wider region, including County Durham.
The traditional Northumbrian dialect is a moribund older form of the dialect spoken in the area. It is closely related to Scots and Cumbrian and shares with them a common origin in Old Northumbrian.
The traditional dialect has spawned multiple modern varieties, and Northumbrian dialect can also be used to broadly include all of them:
Alexander John Ellis, a 19th century linguist and philologist, divided Northumberland and Durham into three main dialect groups based on their linguistic features. Ellis considered the bulk of Northumberland and northern County Durham as belonging to the "North Northern" dialect group. This group was deemed to be a transitional variety between other Northern dialects (those north of the Humber–Lune Line) and Scots, but overall still considered a form of Northern English. However, a small portion of northwestern Northumberland around the Cheviot hills was deemed to be Scots-speaking and therefore categorised as a variety of the Scots language. The southern part of County Durham was considered part of the 'West Northern' dialect group, which was deemed to be more closely related to Richmondshire and Cumbrian dialects, especially that of the Vale of Eden. Like Cumbrian, the dialect of south Durham was subject to greater Scandinavian influence than the rest of Durham and Northumberland. Scandinavian influence is evident in the naming of streams in south Durham, which are typically named "becks" (from the Old Norse "bekkr"). In contrast, "burns" (from the Old English "burna") are found in north Durham and Northumberland.
Urban North East English dialects are a group of English dialects spoken in urban areas of the North East of England, including major cities such as Newcastle upon Tyne, Sunderland, and Middlesbrough. These dialects have emerged as a result of the region's rapid urbanization during the 19th and 20th centuries, which brought about significant social and demographic changes. In comparison to traditional dialects, urban North East English dialects have undergone a greater degree of dialect levelling. A tripartite division is recognised among modern urban dialects in the North East of England, which distinguishes between the northern, central, and southern urban dialects:
Central and northern urban dialects retain a decidedly Northumbrian base, but have been shaped by a standard English superstrate, resulting in hybrid dialects that incorporate elements of both traditional dialects and more standardised forms of English. On the other hand, the southern urban dialects have been subject to more significant dialect restructuring, resulting in a dialect which, while still North Eastern in character, lacks more marked Northumbrian forms such as 'gan' (to go) and 'divvent' or 'dinnet' (don't) that survive in Tyneside, Wearside and Durham.

| Labial | Dental | Alveolar | Postalveolar | Palatal | Velar | Uvular | Glottal | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nasal | m | n | ŋ | |||||
| Stop | p b | t d | t͡ʃ d͡ʒ | k ɡ | ʔ | |||
| Fricative | f v | θ ð | s z | ʃ ʒ | ʁ | h | ||
| Approximant | (ɹ) | j | ʍ w | |||||
| Lateral | l |
| Front | Central | Back | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Unrounded | Rounded | |||||
| Short | Long | Short | Long | |||
| Close | ɪ | iː | ʊ | uː | ||
| Close-mid | eː | øː | ə | oː | ||
| Open-mid | ɛ | ɛː | ɔː | |||
| Open | a | aː | ɒ | ɒː | ||
| Endpoint | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Front | Central | Back | ||
| Start point | Front | ai | iɐ | æu |
| Back | oe | uɐ | ||
Berwick-upon-Tweed is unique within Northumberland. The local speech has characteristics of the North Northumbrian dialect and due to its geographical location, has characteristics of the East Central Scots dialect as well.
A sociological study of the Anglo-Scottish border region conducted in the year 2000 found that locals of Alnwick, 30 miles (48 km) south of Berwick, associated the Berwick accent with Scottish influence. Conversely, those from Eyemouth, Scotland, 9 miles (14 km) north of Berwick, firmly classed Berwick speech as English, identifying it as Northumbrian.
The Northumbrian Language Society (NLS), founded in 1983 to research, preserve and promote the Northumbrian language variety, considers it divergent enough to be not a dialect of Modern Standard English but, rather, a related but separate Anglic language of its own, since it is largely not comprehensible by standard English speakers. Northumbrian has perhaps an even closer relationship with Modern Scots, and the NLS regards both as distinct but closely related languages derived from Old English; however, mainstream scholarly sources regard them as essentially the same language, albeit with minor differences. The similarities are not commonly or formally recognised, possibly due to sensitivities on both sides of the border. The status of Scots and Northumbrian as either languages or dialects therefore remains open to debate.
Northumbrian includes some weak plurals such as ee/een (eye/eyes) and coo/kye (cow/cows) that survived from Old English into Northumbrian. Nouns of measure remain unchanged in the plural: fower fuit (four feet), twe mile (two miles), and five pund (five pounds)
| Standard English | Northumbrian |
|---|---|
| I, me, myself, mine, my | aw, me/uz, mysel, mine, my/maw |
| thou, thee, thyself, thine, thy (Early Modern English) | thou, thee, thysel, thine, thy/thaw |
| we, us, ourselves, ours, our | we, (h)uz/we, oursels/worsels, our/wor |
| you (singular), you (plural), yourself, yours, your | you/ye, you(se)/ye(se), yoursel/yersel |
| they, them, themselves, theirs, their | they, them, themsels/theirsels, theirs, their |
T–V distinction, or the of the singular second-person pronouns thou, thy and thee are traditionally used in Durham and South Northumberland. In North Northumberland, only ye is encountered.
In modern Tyneside speech, we can be used for the first-person plural object (us).
| English | Northumbrian |
|---|---|
| this, these | this, these/thur/thor |
| that, those | that/thae, them/thur/thor/thae |
| anyone | onybody |
| anything | onything |
| nothing | nowt/nowse |
| something | summat/summick |
| everyone | iverybody |
| everything | iverything |
| both | baith/byeth/byath |
| each | each ilka (archaic) |
| every | ivery ilka (archaic) |
| other | other |
aw’s (I is) and thou's (thou is) are the first and second person present forms of the verb "to be" in Durham and south Northumberland. In north Northumberland aw'm (I am) is used as in Scots and Standard English.
Similar to Scots, double modals are used in the Northumbrian dialect. For example, the English verb "to be able" is in Northumbrian in the older form "te can".
| Standard English | Northumbrian |
|---|---|
| I used to be able to sing | Aw used te could sing |
| You'll not be able to do that | Ye'll not can de that |
| He hadn't been able to do it | He hadn't could de it |
| Standard English | Northumbrian |
|---|---|
| are, aren't | are, aren't |
| can, can't | can, cannet/canna |
| could, couldn't | could, couldn't |
| dare, daren't | dar, darn't |
| did, didn't | did, didn't |
| do, don't | de/div, dinnet/dinna/divn't |
| had, hadn't | hed, hedn't |
| have, haven't | hae/hev, hennet/henna/hevn't |
| might, mightn't | might/meet, mightn't/meetn't mud, mudn't (South Durham) |
| must, mustn't | mun, munnet/munna |
| need, needn't | need, needn't |
| should, shouldn't | shud/sud, shudn't/sudn't |
| was, wasn't | was/wes, wasn't |
| were, weren't | war, warn't |
| will, won't | will, winnet/winna |
| would, wouldn't | wad, wadn't |
In Northumberland and north Durham the definite article is unreduced as in Standard English and Scots. This is considered a peculiarity among Northern English dialects. In south Durham the definite article is traditionally reduced to [t] or [d], usually written as t'. An isogloss running just north of Bishop Auckland separates the two varieties.
In 1883, Prince Louis-Lucien Bonaparte was granted a civil list pension for his work on English dialects. His dialect studies draw upon both written texts and the results of field work, which consisted of the direct interrogation of native speakers. In 1862 he published a compilation of 24 dialectal translations of the Old Testament passage, The Song of Solomon, which he commissioned from local dialectologists from throughout England and southern Scotland. According to a register of his known works, six Biblical translations were commissioned in the Northumbrian dialects, four of which appear in The Song of Solomon.
Northumbrian has no single standard orthography, and conventions vary between authors. In these examples, orthography has been partially normalised to provide a consistent basis for comparison, while retaining individual dialect features and remaining as faithful as possible to the original texts.
| Verse | Weardale | Northumberland | Newcastle | English Standard Version (ESV) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Be neet on me bed aw sowt him at me sowl luveth: aw sowt him, bud aw fand him nut. | Be neet on me bed aw sowt him it maw sowl luves: aw sowt him, but aw cuddent find him. | Be neet on maw bed aw sowt him whe maw sowl luivs: aw sowt him, but aw diddent find him. | On my bed by night I sought him whom my soul loves; I sought him, but found him not. |
| 2 | Aw'll rise noo, an gan aboot t' city, i' t' streets an i' t' braead ways aw'll seek him at me sowl luveth: aw sowt him, bud aw fand him nut. | Aw'll get up noo, an gan aboot the toon i' the streets, an i' the tornpikes aw'll leuk for him it maw sowl luves; aw leukt for him, but aw cuddent find him. | Aw'll get up noo, an gan aboot the toon i' the streets, an i' the braid ways aw'll seek him whe maw sowl luivs: aw sowt him, but aw diddent find him. | “I will rise now and go about the city, in the streets and in the squares; I will seek him whom my soul loves.” I sought him, but found him not. |
| 3 | T' watchmen at gan aboot t' city fand me. Te them aw sed, "Saw ye him at me sowl luveth?" | The watchmin it gans aboot the toon fand us: aw says tiv thim, "Hae ye seed owt o him it maw sowl luves?" | The watchmen that gan aboot the toon fund me: te whe aw said, "Saw ye him whe maw sowl luivs?" | The watchmen found me as they went about the city. “Have you seen him whom my soul loves?” |
| 4 | T' was bud a bit at aw passed frae them, bud aw fand him at me sowl luveth. Aw held him, an waddent let him gan, til aw'd browt him intuv me mudder's hoose, an intud chamber uv hur at bred me. | Aw'd hardlies gean away fra thim, thin aw fand him it maw sowl luves; aw clapped ahad on him, an waddent let him gan, tiv aw'd fetcht him intiv me muthor's hoose, an intiv the bed-rum o hur it bore us. | Aw'd nobbut left them when aw fund whe maw sowl luivs: aw hadded him, an waddent let him gan, tiv aw browt him te maw muthor's hoose, an intiv the chaumer o her that conceived me. | Scarcely had I passed them when I found him whom my soul loves. I held him, and would not let him go until I had brought him into my mother’s house, and into the chamber of her who conceived me. |
| 5 | Aw charge ye, O ye dowters uv Jerewsalem, be t' roes an be t' heynds ud field, at ye stur nut up nor waaken me luv til he please. | Noo, aw chairge ye, O ye dowtors o Jeruz'lem, be the bucks an the does o the field, it ye dinnet stur, nor roose up maw luve tiv he likes. | Aw chairge ye, O ye dowtors o Jeruzalum, be the roes an be the hinds o the field, that ye stor nut up nor wyeken maw luiv tiv he likes. | I adjure you, O daughters of Jerusalem, by the gazelles or the does of the field, that you not stir up or awaken love until it pleases. |
| 6 | Whe's this at cums oot ud wilderness leyke pillers uv reek, scented wi myrrh an frankincense, wi ō powders ud marchent? | Whe's yon it cums oot ower the moor, like pillors o reek, sçaentid wi myrrh an wi ā the poothurs o the maerchint? | Whe's this that cums oot o the wildorness like pillors o reek, sçainted wi myrrh an frankincense, wi ā pouthers o the maerchant? | Who is this coming up from the wilderness like columns of smoke, perfumed with myrrh and frankincense, with all the fragrant powders of the merchant? |
| 7 | Behowld his bed, whilk's Solomun's. Threescower valiant men er aboot it, uv t' valiant men uv Israel. | See it his bed! that's Solomon's; threescore sowlgers stans roond aboot it, ā the bravist o Isril. | Sees-ta the bed, which is Solomon's: threescore valiant men ar aboot it, o the valiant o Israel. | Behold, it is Solomon’s carriage; sixty mighty men are around it, of the mighty men of Israel. |
| 8 | They ō hoad swerds, bein clivver i war. Ivery man hes his swerd atoppiv his thee, becouse they'r flaid i t' neet. | They ā weer swurds a-piece, 'caws they'r nimmel i battle; ivery yen hes a swurd biv his thee, 'caws they'r feered o the neet. | They ā had swurds, bein expert i war: ivery man hes his swurd upon his thee, becaws o dreed i the neet. | All of them wield swords and are expert in war; each has his sword at his thigh, against terror by night. |
| 9 | King Solomun maade hissel a chariot ud wud uv Lebanon. | King Solomon beelt hissel a cairige mead oot o the timmor o Leb'nin. | King Solomon myed hissel a chariot o the wud o Lebanon. | King Solomon made himself a carriage from the wood of Lebanon. |
| 10 | He maade t' pillers on't uv silver, t' boddom on't uv gowld, t' cuverin on't uv purple, t' middle on't bein paaved wi luv, for t' dowters uv Jerewsalem. | He mead the posts on't o sillor, the floorin on't o goold, the cuvor-pairt on't o porple, an the middle on't wis flagged wi luve for the dowtors o Jeruz'lem. | He myed the pillors thareon't o sillor, the bottom thareon't o gowld, the coverin on't o porple, the middle thareon't bein pyeved wi luiv, for the dowtors o Jeruzalum. | He made its posts of silver, its back of gold, its seat of purple; its interior was inlaid with love by the daughters of Jerusalem. |
| 11 | Gan furth, O ye dowters uv Zion, an behowld King Solomun wi t' croon at his mudder crooned him wi i t' days uv his espousals, an i the day ud gladness uv his heart. | Gan yor ways oot, O ye dowtors o Zion, an see it King Solomon weerin the croon it his muthor crooned him wiv on his weddin-day, an i the day o the greet plishur o his heart. | Gan forth, O ye dowtors o Zion, an luik at King Solomon wi the croon wi which his muthor crooned him if the day o his espousals, an i the day o the gladness o his heart. | Go out, O daughters of Zion, and look upon King Solomon, upon the crown with which his mother crowned him on the day of his wedding, the day of the gladness of his heart. |
Some Northumbrian words include:
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