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Harry Watson's avatar

Thanks Maureen and yes, something I’ve enjoyed since moving back to the northeast is being surrounded by that rich vernacular - purely belter as we say up here or doubleplusgood as Orwell would have offered in Newspeak 😉

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Charlotte C's avatar

Hi Harry, I was taught this song by my Geordie dad and sang it a lot as a girl with him and my sisters. I enjoyed reading your article. I had no idea of the background of the song. Thank you.

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Harry Watson's avatar

Pleasure Charlotte - hope it brought back some fond memories

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Kevin's avatar

Great meeting you today in the half moon. Tam and I are meeting there at 1030 next year. I hope you can join us.

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Harry Watson's avatar

Much enjoyed it too Kevin and it's in the diary! 👍🍺

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Jenn's avatar

So very interesting, thanks, Harry.

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Connie J. Casella's avatar

Interesting language (wording, spelling) I assume Ridley didn't go to school?

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Harry Watson's avatar

It's the Geordie vernacular that people of the northeast of England still speak today Connie - a very distinctive accent in England unlike the pronunciation that many outside these islands would recognise, with many words dating back over a thousand years. Not sure if you've read this that might help give you an insight into the region ...

https://open.substack.com/pub/harrywatson/p/larn-yersel-geordie?r=1v4z4o&utm_medium=ios

It's unlikely Ridley went to school given he began working in the coal mine aged eight so no one knows how he learnt to read and write although it's suspected he was self taught.

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Jun 9, 2024
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Harry Watson's avatar

Hi Maureen - sorry missed this. My accent has always 'thickened' whenever I spoke in the past to other Geordies. It just happens naturally as if flicking a aural switch. And now I'm back in the north not only has the accent thickened I'm using the phrasing too. ie 'you'll get wrong' instead of 'you'll be told off' , 'me' for 'my' and the introduction of 'man' as in 'why aye man' etc

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Jun 12, 2024
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Harry Watson's avatar

Sarah's parents moved from Barnet to the little village of Chipperfield in Herts and that's where she was born and raised. And yes it's a small world at times!

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Jun 12, 2024
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Harry Watson's avatar

Indeed Maureen.... 😊

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Harry Watson's avatar

I'm not alone, all exile Geordies I know automatically slip back into the accent whenever 'home'. Yes, I do know St Albans very well from my years in the south. My first visit was in 1975 and the last time I was there was around three years ago to speak at the wedding of some dear friends. And in between there were countless visits. Even worked out of an office there very briefly in the 1990s.

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Jun 12, 2024
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Harry Watson's avatar

I always think the Brummie accent makes it appear the people there are sad and downhearted! Small world re Barnet. Sarah's father's family all hailed from there and going back to St Albans - Sarah and I had our first proper 'date' there and also our wedding breakfast back in 2005.

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Jun 9, 2024
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Harry Watson's avatar

Thanks Maureen - I can't see Geordie ever fading away and as I write this the prize giving at this year's Blaydon Races road race is just over. Twenty five people took part in the first one in 1982, 5000 people took part this year (that's the maximum that can run because of H&S)

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