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The Scots and Welsh have been successful in keeping alive their languages.  It is now taught in schools and in many areas it is actually, the population’s first language.  The people of Cornwall are now promoting their ancient language and good luck to them.  With the standardisation of language at schools and places of further education and the influence of TV and other forms of media outlets, there has been a dilution of many local dialects, a reduction in the use of certain words and expressions.  For some of us, this is quite sad – one of the unique facets of our local identity may well be lost in time. 

Britain has a rich diversity of dialects.  The accents of the North East are clearly discernible from those of southern England, the Midlands, Yorkshire and Lancashire.  Once you get over the River Tees, you are in the land of, “Haway Man”!  We in south west County Durham are not Geordies, as is often mistaken and we speak totally differently.  There are many accents of the North Eastern counties of Durham and Northumberland and ours is but one.  Our accent is influenced by the county to our immediate south, Yorkshire, quite simply because we live near there and there are many cultural links through work, education and so on.  Many people moved into the area during the 19th century to seek work in the pits, moving from the lead mining areas of Teesdale and the North Yorkshire Dales.  Therefore, our local dialect has evolved taking influences from the south.  Our accent is much different from someone living on Tyneside.  There seems to be a dividing line.  Those north of Tow Law and Durham City tend to have a more “Geordie” accent and those living to the south less so.     

Some words come from a coal mining background, usually called, “Pitmatic”.  Bill Griffiths has studied this and published, “Pitmatic: The Talk of the North East Coalfield” 2007.  Kathleen Teward published work on upper Teesdale, “Teisdal’ en how twas spok’n” 2003.  Words and expressions from both areas will have found their way into our dialect but many are disappearing.

Barbara Laurie, in her booklet, “A Lifetime in Schools 1910-1966” said of her father, Bill Johnson, when he was Headmaster of Evenwood School:

“They wanted him to introduce French but he objected on the grounds that, “they all spoke two languages already”.

In that, he meant that the pupils were taught English, as a subject in school and could attempt to speak it when required but their first language, was what they spoke at home, in the schoolyard and then, later, at work.  This language was what their parents, friends and relations spoke, their local dialect.

Such was the strong use of dialect that some teachers at Staindrop Secondary Modern School attempted to re-educate the pupils.  The letters R D T would be written, large, on the white board – things had progressed from the blackboards of our day!  The teacher would then announce that “R D T: I do too.”  You have to say, “I do too!”  Whether this had any influence on how they spoke in future, who knows? 

I used to love going in the Travellers and listening to Peggy and Alf Fuller and the old fellers having a bit crack.  Anyone from south of the River Tees or maybe Darlington, wouldn’t have a clue what was going on.  Nelson Dunn, from Newholme Crescent studied the local dialect.  He collected words and expressions and made a recording of his work on a “tape”, entitled, “Dinna Tark Si Fond”.  This means, “Don’t talk so stupidly”.  The proceeds of the sale were shared between Evenwood and Ramshaw primary schools.  It is our intention to post this recording on this website, once we have the “knowhow” to do it.  Can anybody help with this?

Until then, we will publish notes from, “Dunn’s Dictionary of Dialect” here.