Burnley and Blackburn Accents

[ElectroClaret]

Scientists from the University of Lancaster want to know why people from Burnley
and Blackburn sound so different apparently, despite being just ten miles apart.(Mailonline)

They're actually recruiting volunteers to have their mouths scanned in a new study which will
examine things like tongue shapes.
The researchers are inviting Burnley residents to have their mouths scanned at Burnley
Market Hall on 11th November.

Last year, they did similar research in Blackburn.
And a Professor Claire Nance said "We were told in no uncertain terms that people in Burnley and Blackburn speak very differently."
"We are looking for 30 to 40 volunteers to compare with our 35 Blackburn participants last year."

Got any advice for her?

[jollyjack]

We say Ba$^ard Rovers, they say Burnley Ba$^ards...

[Goody1975]

It's simply down to evolution.

[IanMcL]

We say Ba$^ard Rovers, they say Burnley Ba$^ards...

Sorted!

[Jel]

They don't have to go that far, Accy is very different too!

[eastanglianclaret]

We speak with an accent exceedingly rare whilst they whinny, neigh and snort!

[Burnley1989]

Burnley fans have half as many teeth to be fair

[TopCat]

Bus v Buzz

[mdd2]

Nothing unique in that change which is seen throughout UK
My son did LEJOG some years ago and he was struck by how accents changes over a matter of a few miles
I would be interested in the findings as how/why accents change

[NottsClaret]

I would be interested in the findings as how/why accents change

The scouse accent in particular. It's so exaggerated now, compared to 30 years ago. Watch any old footage of Liverpudlians being interviewed and it's so much softer than how they speak today. Perhaps a deliberate show of identity. (Not an attack on scousers btw).

Funny how you slowly tune in to the differences. All Southerners sound the same to me. So did all Yorkshire folk, but having lived here a while you can tell if someone's from Barnsley or Sheffield in an instant.

[Florian]

If you speak like Phil Bird then your accent is awful

[AGENT_CLARET]

Blackburn women speak differently to Burnley women because Blackburn women tend to have more kids than teeth

[RicardoMontalban]

The scouse accent in particular. It's so exaggerated now, compared to 30 years ago. Watch any old footage of Liverpudlians being interviewed and it's so much softer than how they speak today. Perhaps a deliberate show of identity. (Not an attack on scousers btw).

Funny how you slowly tune in to the differences. All Southerners sound the same to me. So did all Yorkshire folk, but having lived here a while you can tell if someone's from Barnsley or Sheffield in an instant.

I’m sure I remember a reading somewhere, either during my English Language A level or at uni, that the ‘Scouse’ accent comes from the influence of large welsh, and particularly Irish, immigration to the city and is probably something that developed late 19th early 20th century. Prior to that Liverpudlians generally spoke with something more akin to Lancastrian. Certainly Liberal Party giant and PM William Gladstone spoke with noted a Lancashire accent.

[DCWat]

The scouse accent in particular. It's so exaggerated now, compared to 30 years ago. Watch any old footage of Liverpudlians being interviewed and it's so much softer than how they speak today. Perhaps a deliberate show of identity. (Not an attack on scousers btw).

Funny how you slowly tune in to the differences. All Southerners sound the same to me. So did all Yorkshire folk, but having lived here a while you can tell if someone's from Barnsley or Sheffield in an instant.

As a Yorkshire lad, I’d say that when most ‘outsiders’ think of a Yorkshire accent, they’re thinking of Barnsley, which is a really strong accent and where you will hear most of the stereotypical Yorkshire phrases. Think Dicky Bird.

West and North Yorkshire tend to be a more toned down version (I would say that being from West Yorkshire) although, go across to Dewsbury, Batley, Hecky and Clecky and you start moving towards that more southern Yorkshire accent.

I don’t really notice much difference between Burnley, Accrington and Blackburn accents - all lots of longer r’s, to me.

Alright as a greeting is often a bit of a giveaway. Yorkshire more of alreet, east Lancashire more of an ‘alraat’. The ‘l’ in both versions often being pretty silent!

[RMutt]

The scouse accent in particular. It's so exaggerated now, compared to 30 years ago. Watch any old footage of Liverpudlians being interviewed and it's so much softer than how they speak today. Perhaps a deliberate show of identity. (Not an attack on scousers btw).

Funny how you slowly tune in to the differences. All Southerners sound the same to me. So did all Yorkshire folk, but having lived here a while you can tell if someone's from Barnsley or Sheffield in an instant.

Agree. Possibly the nasally Mancunian one too.
I suspect living in valleys might have something to with it. Still, amazing though, when you think of the numbers of outside workers that must have poured into Lancashire during the Industrial Revolution.

[basil6345789]

Blackburnians roll their "r"'s - they can't touch you for it!

[sjb]

They catch a buzz from t'boolyvurrd & their kids go to skoo.

[Bowclaret]

Burnley folk pronounce their “i,s” as “a’s” ie - Burnley folk say “what tame is it” instead of “what time is it” or going to the bar to order a “Pant” instead of “pint”

Had a barmaid in Burnley once asking me if I would like “ass” in my drink - my reply was “well, if you are offering love” !!!!

Think about it !

[sjb]

Burnley folk pronounce their “i,s” as “a’s” ie - Burnley folk say “what tame is it” instead of “what time is it” or going to the bar to order a “Pant” instead of “pint”

Had a barmaid in Burnley once asking me if I would like “ass” in my drink - my reply was “well, if you are offering love” !!!!

Think about it !

Well I'm Burnley born & bred & certainly have never pronounced time as tame or pint as pant!!

[gandhisflipflop]

It’s good to know that they don’t waste their time on pointless studies at university

[Burnley1989]

Well I'm Burnley born & bred & certainly have never pronounced time as tame or pint as pant!!

I know what he means as I have always worked outside of Burnley and get pulled up for it on a daily basis

It’s more of a ‘what tieeemee is it”
Piiiie un Peas

Spiiiicy Riiissss

[ClaretTony]

Burnley folk pronounce their “i,s” as “a’s” ie - Burnley folk say “what tame is it” instead of “what time is it” or going to the bar to order a “Pant” instead of “pint”

Had a barmaid in Burnley once asking me if I would like “ass” in my drink - my reply was “well, if you are offering love” !!!!

Think about it !

That’s a load of nonsense whoever came up with that one

[Stayingup]

Well years ago people didn't travel out of their towns and villages for work as they do now and so the different accents or dialects evolved. There was an influx of mainly Irish immigrants into East Lancashire in the mid 1800's (and since) and and some of their word sounds were incorporated into the local dialect. Interesting this. Local dialects spoken say 100 years ago would not be easily understood I imagine by some now. Yeyd wark haha meant what?

[gawthorpe_view]

Burnley folk pronounce their “i,s” as “a’s” ie - Burnley folk say “what tame is it” instead of “what time is it” or going to the bar to order a “Pant” instead of “pint”

Had a barmaid in Burnley once asking me if I would like “ass” in my drink - my reply was “well, if you are offering love” !!!!

Think about it !

Well I've thought about it and come to the conclusion that it's bo££ocks.
Sorry.

[ClaretTony]

Ours isn’t a traditional Lancashire accent, we’ve got quite a bit of Yorkshire in it such as having ‘us tea’ and we don’t have herr on our heads or catch buzzes as they do in many parts of our county.

[Stayingup]

Ours isn’t a traditional Lancashire accent, we’ve got quite a bit of Yorkshire in it such as having ‘us tea’ and we don’t have herr on our heads or catch buzzes as they do in many parts of our county.

Yes its a buzz in Rossendale. Even in Rossendale the accents vary in the various towns. Many Manc accents now, particularly around Rawtenstall.

[Bowclaret]

Is called having a laugh - think about that one ! Jeez - you miserable lot !

I’m going for a paaaannnnt now !

Jeez !

[ClaretTony]

Yes its a buzz in Rossendale. Even in Rossendale the accents vary in the various towns. Many Manc accents now, particularly around Rawtenstall.

One of my neighbours once asked me if I was from Manchester. I worked in Manc & Salford for around ten years so I must have picked things up. But Rossy is nothing like our accent either.

[CoolClaret]

Yes its a buzz in Rossendale. Even in Rossendale the accents vary in the various towns. Many Manc accents now, particularly around Rawtenstall.

There's a ton!

People getting priced out of MCR moving to commuter Towns

No wonder the Traffic in Rawty is horrific

[RMutt]

There's a ton!

People getting priced out of MCR moving to commuter Towns

No wonder the Traffic in Rawty is horrific

I think these Mancs might be to blame for this ‘Rawty’ thing too……Rocky!

[cbx750]

I once worked with a lad from Blackburn and he said something about how many urrs there were, we asked what the hell he was talking about. He replied there's urr on your head, urr to the throne and urr like a rabbit.

[ClaretsPadiham]

Blackburn accent is horrible, used to work with a guy who called the bus … buzz. School pronounced skoo and the usually stairs as sters.

Rough accent

[groove]

The Blackburn/Accy accent is more or less the same. In fact I'd say the whole of Hyndburn is the same. The accent changes once you get past Baxenden, when it takes on a Rossendale twang. I can only presume Blackburn was a bit more accessible to Accy folk. And when you consider Oswaldtwistle is contiguous with Accy, there is only a couple of miles between Ossy and Intack. I'm really interested in this subject and look forward to the results of this project.

[groove]

The Blackburn/Accy accent is what described as rhotic. This means the R's are very prominent. Not very common in England. But common in Ireland and the USA. Can only presume it comes from the influx if Irish immigrants in the 1800's, as a previous poster pointed out. My Dad did the family tree thing and we were surprised to find our ancestors were from County Cork. Moved to Accy in the 1840's. All down to the industrial revolution.

[Casper2]

Nay

[Cirrus_Minor]

I was raised in Barrowford (Nelson) and my wife comes from Burnley. Even though Barrowford is only 5 miles from Burnley she would come out with alsorts of phrases I had never heard before, such as; "I'm agate". The Barrowford accent was closer to Yorkshire.

[AfloatinClaret]

...their kids go to skoo.

Seriously? Are you saying the kids in Blackburn go to school? What sort of schools are they... you surely can't be educated yet still support Rovers.

[Sproggy]

We drop our dipthongs if you must know.

[Belial]

Burnley isn't that much further to West Yorks but they sound completely different. There's a lot of the word 'pal' used around Burnley too, pal

[timshorts]

One is sometimes hoarse because they have a cold, the other suffers from sore throats because they've pleasured a horse.

[groove]

Well I've thought about it and come to the conclusion that it's bo££ocks.
Sorry.

The pronunciation he's trying to explain is impossible to type. I know exactly what he means. Burnley accents pronounce their I's differently. It's more of an ahh than an aye.

[groove]

Burnley folk pronounce their “i,s” as “a’s” ie - Burnley folk say “what tame is it” instead of “what time is it” or going to the bar to order a “Pant” instead of “pint”

Had a barmaid in Burnley once asking me if I would like “ass” in my drink - my reply was “well, if you are offering love” !!!!

Think about it !

Spot on. Clear indicator of a Burnley accent. I can hear it straight away.

[evensteadiereddie]

I was raised in Barrowford (Nelson) and my wife comes from Burnley. Even though Barrowford is only 5 miles from Burnley she would come out with alsorts of phrases I had never heard before, such as; "I'm agate". The Barrowford accent was closer to Yorkshire.

Absolutely right. Not only the accent but the dialect too.
Hold thi horses, off at bogart, yon it and so on.

[gawthorpe_view]

The pronunciation he's trying to explain is impossible to type. I know exactly what he means. Burnley accents pronounce their I's differently. It's more of an ahh than an aye.

Nope.
Still Bo££ocks.

[ChrisG]

Nope.
Still Bo££ocks.

I don't think it is, it's definitely not like pant, but I can understand what the post meant, and agree with Groove.

It's impossible to type it, but I get what it means

[ChrisG]

Spot on. Clear indicator of a Burnley accent. I can hear it straight away.

Yep, it's hard to type, but it's a very different sound to anywhere else in Lancashire. Like the other chap further up I'm from Barrowford, and it's definitely different.

[FCBurnley]

We have us tea. They have an orse

[DCWat]

Yep, it's hard to type, but it's a very different sound to anywhere else in Lancashire. Like the other chap further up I'm from Barrowford, and it's definitely different.

It’s probably not really heard, other than by ‘outsiders’.

Can I have a pie - definitely isn’t said as in eye it’s more a can I have a paah. Definitely difficult to type an explanation, perhaps it needs a vowel with a diacritical mark. Paah doesn’t quite explain it.

[ClaretPete001]

My favourite East Lancashire accent is Rossendale spoken by old timers. Not quite as exaggerated and rounded on the vowels as Blackburn and not as staccato and Yorkshire as the Burnley accent.

As has been said above though it's getting more Mancunian, which is a bit sad. Bury is much more pronounced and Mancunian than any of the East Lancashire accents.

Burnley and Blackburn accents sound very different to my ears.

In terms of Yorkshire, South Yorkshire is very pronounced as is Leeds but bits of West Yorkshire and North Yorkshire around the borders sound similar to a generic Lancashire accent but not like the Burnley accent.

I think the accent in this country does change quite dramatically over small distances so it's no surprise that Burnley and Blackburn are different. How different is Wigan and Leigh from St Helens for example...

[ChrisG]

It’s probably not really heard, other than by ‘outsiders’.

Can I have a pie - definitely isn’t said as in eye it’s more a can I have a paah. Definitely difficult to type an explanation, perhaps it needs a vowel with a diacritical mark. Paah doesn’t quite explain it.

Yeah that's definitely more like it.