The British Library The British Library http://sounds.bl.uk/JISC ASR IPR STATUS LIST.xls Conversation in Middleport about accent, dialect and attitudes to language. C1190/32/04 BBC Voices Recordings BBC warning: this interview contains strong or offensive language from the start. Recording made for BBC Voices project of a conversation guided by a BBC interviewer. The conversation follows a loose structure based on eliciting opinions about accents, dialects, the words we use and people's attitude to language. The five interviewees are allotment owners from Midddleport. [00:00:00] Speakers introduce themselves. Discussion of words used to describe PERSONAL ATTRIBUTES. Discussion about their own speech, how other people react to it, potteries accent, bingo jargon. How local speech has changed over time, how young people speak now, how speech varies locally. Anecdotes about people speaking with broad local accent that younger people cant understand. Mention local pronunciation of place names. Discussion about use of various terms of endearment.[00:15:50] Discussion of words used to describe WEATHER AND SURROUNDINGS. Discussion about their allotments, effect of the weather on plants, Nortons huge parsnip, plans for the future of the allotments. Description of rooms in house and what they were used for in past, using outside toilet.[00:24:18] Discussion about how speech varies locally. Description of farming job in past, distributing milk in local area. Discussion about prices of products in past, names for old currency.[00:27:10] Discussion of words used to describe PEOPLE AND THINGS. Mention words used to mean father. Discussion about Potteries language, cartoon strip in local paper written in Potteries language, writing in Potteries language when working down pit in past. Mention terms of exasperation, words used on allotment. Description of local dish called lobby.[00:37:02] Discussion of words used to describe EMOTIONS. Mention word used to mean hungry/thirsty. Description of working down coal mine in past, snap tin used to take food down pit, coal mining machinery, clothes they wore to work.[00:45:00] Discussion of words used to describe CLOTHING. Mention words for young person in cheap trendy clothes and jewellery, words/phrases used by young people. Anecdote about local prostitute. Discussion about Potters holidays and Stoke Wakes week.[00:50:37] Continuation of discussion of words used to describe EMOTIONS. Discussion about local pronunciation of various words, use of swear words and attitudes towards swearing.[00:53:31] Discussion of words used to describe ACTIONS. Description of what happened if they played truant from school in past, how much time they spend on their allotments. Mention words for running water smaller than a river, local pronunciation of various words, how speech varies locally, distinctive regional accents. 2004-11-25 Middleport, Staffordshire sound Ashton, Paul, 1962 Nov. 23- (speaker, male pottery worker) Fryer, Anthony, 1939 July 01- (speaker, male retired) Hammond, Peter, 1937 April 29- (speaker, male retired builder) Heath, Norton, 1931 Sept. 28- (speaker, male) Simpson, Norman, 1934 Nov. 04- (speaker, male) Stanworth, Paul, 1979 Oct. 03- (speaker, male) Radio Stoke 01:02:15