BBC Voices

Conversation in Keresley about accent, dialect and attitudes to language.

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  • Type

    sound

  • Duration

    Unknown

  • Shelf mark

    C1190/01/04

  • Recording date

    2004-11-25

  • Is part of (Collection)

    BBC Voices Recordings

  • Recording locations

    Keresley, Warwickshire

  • Interviewees

    Black, Margaret, 1938 Dec. 15- (speaker, female, housewife), Haley, Wal, 1932 Dec. 27- (speaker, male, retired chartered engineer), Mather, Ethel, 1922 May 12- (speaker, female, Robson, Matt, 1920 Nov. 01- (speaker, male, retired)

  • Interviewers

    Donnelly, Amy, 1975 May 16- (speaker, female)

  • Producers

    BBC Coventry and Warwickshire

  • Abstract

    [00:00:00] Speakers introduce themselves, mention where they have lived. Discussion about their own accent, Keresley accent, cosmopolitan mix of people who worked in local colliery/live in Coventry. Description of their family backgrounds, anecdotes about their childhood, memories of Second World War, descriptions of pit injuries.[00:14:37] Description of games they played when young.[00:19:55] Discussion of words used to mean lacking money. Discussion about wages they received at various points in their lives, what life was like in the past, how life is different for young people now. Programmes they used to listen to on the radio in the past, how listening to the BBC influenced their speech, their school education. Discussion about food they ate in the past, eating home-baked bread. Description of living with extremely fussy sister in Ireland when young.[00:32:03] Discussion of words used to describe WEATHER AND SURROUNDINGS. Description of their houses in past, names for and uses of various rooms, how they washed clothes in past, outside toilet, heating the house, having a bath. Anecdote about seeing coal-miner going home from work to have his bath. Discussion about the Gorbals in Glasgow.[00:44:15] Discussion about language used in coal-mines/by surrounding coal-mining communities. Mention words used to mean friend. Explanation of words used as children. Anecdotes about life in past.[00:47:14] Continuation of discussion of words used to describe WEATHER AND SURROUNDINGS. Mention words used to mean cold/hot.[00:50:35] Discussion of words used to mean left-handed. Mention words used to mean horse. Description of pit ponies used in coal mines, holidays they went on in past.[00:53:59] Discussion of words used to mean mother/father. Stories about their fathers. Descriptions of working in various jobs in past compared to now. Discussion about drinking fizzy drinks as children. Mention words used to mean drunk.[01:03:31] Discussion of words used to describe EMOTIONS.[01:05:42] Discussion of words used to describe PERSONAL ATTRIBUTES.[01:09:05] Discussion of words used to describe PEOPLE AND THINGS. Mention terms of endearment they use.[01:14:24] Discussion of words used to describe CLOTHING. Mention words used to mean narrow walkway between or alongside buildings/running water smaller than a river.[01:16:45] Discussion of words used to describe ACTIONS. Anecdote about playing truant from school.[01:20:07] Mention words used to mean bread roll in different areas. Comment that some of the words they use have changed since moving to local area.

  • Description

    All four interviewees are residents of Keresley, a former mining village in Warwickshire, in a care home for the elderly which belongs to an organisation for former miners. The conversation follows a loose structure based on eliciting opinions about accents, dialects, the words we use and people's attitude to language.

  • Texts

    Linguistic description of this item

  • Metadata record:

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Conversation in Keresley about accent, dialect and attitudes to language.

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