Construction

A VERY interesting feature of Lancashire dialect is the contraction of the definite article. This appears in German, too, and is an accepted feature of that language. I can only assume that the great influence of Norman French on the English language has prevented its wider adoption here.

It must be remembered that London and the Home Counties were the hub of England four centuries ago, and the rest of the country evolved in semi isolation. I will refer to this again later in the article. The contraction of the definite article has two forms, the first before a closed syllable and the second before an open one.

A closed syllable refers to a word whose first letter is a consonant, while an open one begins with a vowel. The closed version takes only "t'" as the definite article, while the open one takes "th'". The "t" IS pronounced, and this gives endless trouble to actors who try to imitate Lancashire talk. It is difficult to describe this in print, but I shall try.

The problem arises from the fact that, contrary to what the uninformed might believe, the sound "t" is pronounced. Merely to miss out "the" altogether is not enough. For instance, to say or write "Man took dog for walk," is gibberish. The "t" must be vocalised.

This is best explained in such phrases as "In t' garden." "Int" is run into one sound, in which the "t" is forcibly pronounced. Wherever the "t" falls in a sentence or phrase, it must be enunciated.

Anyone who can say "int" can learn to say "t'cat" or "t'dog", etc. The open syllable is somewhat easier to master. "Th" is always like "th" in "thatch" or "thing," never as in ""though" or "that". So the pronunciation of phrases like "th'oven", "th'opera" or "th'owd man" is easy - they become "thoven," "thopera" and "thowd man."

A word of warning, though - all words beginning with "h" take the "th" sound. And using "t" before an open syllable is NOT Lancashire dialect, although it may occur in other counties. Saying, for example, "int'ouse" would brand you as a bloody townie!

There is another, though unimportant contraction, namely the use of "o" for "of", which needs no explanation.

Two more: "Ah sh't" for "I shall not," and "We sht," pronounced "wisht," for "We shall not."

Another word, once universal but little used today, is "hoo" for "she." The logic for this becomes clear when we realise that in Shropshire, Staffordshire and adjoining areas, ordinary folks used the word "her" instead of "she": "Her's still at school," for instance. From "her" to "hoo" is a short step.

This glossary is far from complete, but will I believe, give some insight into Lancashire speech.

We will conclude by mentioning the words "aye", an affirmative far stronger that a simple "yes," and "yon" or "yonder." So "Yon mon o'er yon," is "That man over there."

"Nobbut" is an archaic word seldom used in my experience, short for "Nowt", "Nothing but" or "Only."