Geordie, an English dialect and the people who speak it, is the oldest English dialect still spoken. If you are not a Geordie, it is also probably the hardest to understand. Have you ever wondered why you can’t understand some British sports figures and celebrities? Could it be that they have Geordie accents?
Geordie is the name of the people around Newcastle and Tyneside, in the northeast of England, and the dialect that many of them speak. But don’t feel bad if you don’t understand Geordie (pronounced ” Jordy “). Most Brits are also puzzled.
When the popular UK talent show the X Factor made its American debut in the spring of 2011, English pop star Cheryl Cole (now Cheryl Tweedy, who reverted to her maiden name after touring Cole, Fernandez -Versini and “Just Cheryl”). «), One of the most popular judges in the UK original, was destined to be a judge. The exhibition was expected to make Cheryl an even bigger star in the United States than she already was in the United Kingdom. But, before the show actually went live in the States, Cheryl was packing her bags and heading home.
And all for a small problem; Most of the American audience, the contestants, and his fellow judges couldn’t understand a word of what he said. Cheryl Geordie’s accent ruined her fledgling career in the United States before it even started.
Where did you say you were from?
Geordie is a dialect spoken by many people in the northeast corner of England, particularly Newcastle and the Tyneside area. The word also refers to the people of that area. Despite various theories, no one really knows why the people of this region and their way of speaking are called Geordie. Some suggest the name George, popular locally in the 18th century, featured in various popular ballads. Others say that Geordies was a supporter of the King of Hanover, George I, in Newcastle, during the Jacobite rebellion of 1745, when the surrounding area supported Stuart’s cause.
There is even a theory about a mining shaft lamp brand.
Talking geordie
Geordie is more than an accent. It is a strong regional dialect, a complete variant of English with many of its own words for common things. It is packed with words of Anglo-Saxon origin compared to the English spoken further south (which has more Latin roots) and may be derived from Anglo-Saxon mercenaries brought in by the Romans to fight the Scottish tribes from the north.
Some experts say that Geordie’s words and pronunciation may be close to the English spoken by Chaucer. The Geordie word “claes,” meaning clothing, for example, is more than “clothing” pronounced with an accent. It is the real Anglo-Saxon word.
Geordie Words
This small selection of Geordie’s words, pulled from the internet and listening to Geordie’s friends and celebrities, is more than just jargon. They are everyday words with origins in English that were spoken before William the Conqueror added Norman French to the crucible.
- bait = food or a snack taken to work. It’s tempting to theorize, maybe that’s why we say “bite” when we talk about getting something quick and light to eat.
- bobby dazzler = a conceited smug. Someone could be described as a “proper bobby dazzler” because they think about the world of themselves, their appearance, their clothes, or their social class.
- calzones = pants – this is a bit archaic, but it is possible to hear it jokingly
- canny = good, nice, true (different from its meaning elsewhere as “clever” or “cunning”). Pronounced CAH-nee or even CUH-nee for Geordies.
- clart = to get in, create a commotion, as in “spinning”
- Cushat or comfortable = dove (not to be confused with the southern English expression “cushty”, which means very well)
- dunch = to hit or hit someone
- fash = to annoy someone, to be worried or, as a noun, a little trouble
- gan = to go. You may be invited to the pub: “Come on, we’ll win the pub.” And if someone goes somewhere (usually in a state of mind) the word is gannin, A s in “I do n’t care, she’s gannin micey” – Pay no attention to Grandma, she’s freaking out.
- jumps = a fair
- monkey blood – Relax. If someone asks you if you want monkey blood in your ice cream, they only offer you raspberry sauce.
- scran = something to eat, asin “Where am I scran?” Where is my dinner?
- wazzock – a jerk or a jerk
- whisht = silence
A Geordie dialect joke
The word Geordie “today” means to throw or toss. Locals occasionally annoy visitors by telling them about a “famous Japanese company”: Hoyahama Owaheah . Actually, what they just said in Geordie is “throw a hammer around here.”
Stottie: a plato de Geordie
Stottie is a thick, doughy loaf baked in a flat round. Its name comes from the word geottie stott, which means to bounce, and it is meant to suggest that this is what it will do if you let it go. A good stottie was supposed to be heavy and hard enough to support a large fill, the kind of thing a miner would take to work as his “bait” for lunch. A common filling for a stottie might be a thick slice of ham and a slab of pease pudding, a greenish porridge made from dried peas and still an old-fashioned favorite in some parts of England.
Modern stotties, or stotty cakes, like this recipe from the BBC, are lighter.
Geordie Celebrities
Very few Geordies are famous outside the UK, simply because their accent is often difficult for other English speakers to understand. Of those who have made a huge impact on the international scene, some like Sting have lost their distinctive Geordie accent. Some others whose names may ring a bell include:
- Charlie Hunnam of Sons of Anarchy and The Lost City of Z fame
- Bryan Ferry of the 70s band Roxy Music
- Actor Jimmy Nail
- Rowan Atkinson of Black Adder and Mr Bean fame.
- Film directors Ridley Scott ( Blade Runner ) and Tony Scott ( Deja Vu ).
- England football coach, the late Bobby Robson
- Ant and Dec: The team of comedy hosts Anthony McPartlin and Declan Donnelly (hosts of ABC’s Wanna Bet )
