Reet Good Reading Goin' On int Whitby

Proper Yorkshire Speaking is coming to Whitby tonight as the town's library hosts a recital of poems and stories in a Yorkshire Dialect.

It's part of a series of events taking place across North Yorkshire this month as part of a research project into the way we speak, it's led by the University of Leeds.

Dr Fiona Douglas says they are updating a major study of local dialects which was carried out in the 1950's and want to see what's changed in the way we speak over the last 70 years.

In the 1950s and ’60s, researchers from the University of Leeds carried out the Survey of English Dialects, visiting people in more than 300 places to record their many ways of speaking. More than half a century later, staff at the university are working with museums around the country to find out what has changed and what has stayed the same.

A number of events celebrating local accents will be taking place on the Yorkshire Coast this month starting with the recital of poems and stories in a Yorkshire Dialect at Whitby Library this evening.

Dr Fiona Douglas says the events will share important local history.

North Yorkshire libraries and two county museums are joining forces to encourage residents to discover and enjoy their community heritage during Local History Month in May.

Events will be held in libraries around the county as Ryedale Folk Museum and the Dales Countryside Museum theme the month around dialect and language.

Chrys Mellor, General Manager Libraries, said:

“North Yorkshire libraries are really excited to be working with Ryedale Folk Museum and the Dales Countryside Museum to bring this Leeds University project to life in libraries across the county.

“Dialect and language are synonymous with libraries and we are looking forward to celebrating our rich dialects across sites during Local and Community History Month in May. We plan to build on the foundations laid during the month to hold a series of follow-up events in a number of libraries across North Yorkshire throughout the year and create a lasting legacy to the project.”

Claire Midgley, Project Engagement Officer based at Ryedale Folk Museum. said:

“We’re delighted to be able to work with North Yorkshire libraries on the project, the aim of the month is to increase awareness of local history and to encourage members of the community to participate. It’s a wonderful opportunity for us to bring research into the way we speak to the attention of library users.”

The collaboration with North Yorkshire libraries will provide opportunities for the public to get involved in sharing their own dialect.

They will be able to join officers from the dialect and heritage project at a series of dialect drop-in events. These will explore words from across the country recorded in the 1950s as part of the Survey of English Dialects, as well as have fun with word games and activities. Visitors will be able to contribute their words to researchers at the University of Leeds.

Dialect and Heritage Project drop-ins will be at the following libraries: 

• 12 May, Pickering, 10am to 1pm
• 19 May, Filey, 1pm to 3pm  
• 24 May, Malton, 10am to 1pm

To complement the Dialect and Heritage Project Dialect drop-ins, North Yorkshire libraries are hosting five pop-up archive events with the County Record Office and funding talks with speakers from the Yorkshire Dialect Society, celebrating Yorkshire dialect through stories, poems, history, and humour.

Yorkshire Dialect Society talks, free, please book in advance:

• Whitby, Tuesday 10 May, 5pm: Telling T' Tale: Poems and Stories in Yorkshire Dialect
• Scarborough, Thursday 19 May, 6pm: Telling T' Tale: Poems and Stories in Yorkshire Dialect

There is also a poetry event at Scarborough Library:  

• 26 May, Scarborough library, 6pm to 7.30pm, entrance fee will apply, please book in advance.

Chrys Mellor, General Manager Libraries, added:

“Go along to one of the events and stick your nose in, or should that be beak, conk, cronk, hud, immy, sneck, snitch, snitcher, snotter, snout or trunk?”