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Bostin' Black Country dictionary to be compiled

Josh Tranter,BBC Radio WMand
Eleanor Lawson,West Midlands
BBC A woman with short dark curly hair smiles at the camera. She wears a blue t-shirt with a checked blue shirt over the top.BBC
Dr Esther Asprey from the University of Wolverhampton said some Black Country words were being lost

The University of Wolverhampton is looking to compile an online dictionary devoted to the Black Country dialect.

From "owhamya" to "tara a bit", the area is known for its distinctive dialect, and researchers at the university want to ensure words spoken in the area are not lost to history.

The university brought together local residents and language enthusiasts at a workshop in Dudley on Tuesday to explore how the region's language could be preserved for future generations.

Linguistics lecturer Esther Asprey, who led the session, said: "Some of the words have gone and people aren't hearing them anymore. Some of these words are getting lost."

She added: "That would indicate this dialect is under pressure from the standard."

Asprey hopes the internet can be used as a levelling tool with anyone able to access the online dictionary and send in nominations for words.

At the session, attendees shared terms they would want to be in the dictionary, such as:

  • Lungeous - meaning rough in play
  • Gain - meaning convenient
  • Ackerdock - meaning aqueduct
  • Fizzog - meaning face
  • Bobhowler - meaning moth

Discussions highlighted a growing concern that elements of Black Country speech were at risk of being lost, with people emphasising the importance of dialect as a core part of their regional identity.

A woman with blonde hair tied up smiles at the camera. She is sat in a chair, with a black t-shirt and green shirt over the top.
Maddy Wheeler from Tipton attended the session and spoke about how her classmates at school struggled to understand her accent

Keith Hodgkins from Tipton joked about the use of the word "bab", which many people now associate with the region.

"I get very frustrated about use of the word bab because bab is a Brummie expression which has gradually come into the Black Country over the past 10 or 20 years and now absolutely everybody is saying bab," he said.

Maddy Wheeler, a nurse from Tipton, shared how her accent had shaped her own life.

Wheeler, who went to a primary school in Coseley, struggled to be understood by her peers when she first attended school.

"In the end someone brave enough came up to me and asked if I was from Scotland, I went 'no bab I'm not'," she said.

"There were a lot of people who didn't understand me, but they did say it sounded like I was singing so I thought that was a winner."

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