Children will elwis recall these words

Oct 4 2007 By Paul Loraine, The Journal

LIFE and language in Northumberland a century ago are being preserved in the county’s schools and libraries.

The Moody Book, or The Mid-Northumbrian Dialect, by Thomas Moody, is a hand-written guide to the subject in the early 20th Century.

Mr Moody, born in Amble in 1901, wrote it between 1951 and 1967 after he had moved to East Anglia.

With sections on the history and grammar of Northumbrian speech, the book is a treasure trove for linguists and historians.

In addition to a glossary of terms, there are appendices on children’s games, North-East literature and songs.

Secretary of the Northumbrian Language Society, Kim Bibby-Wilson, said: “This has been a long time in the making and it’s thrilling to get to this stage. There have been lots of volunteers working on it for years now.

“Around 100 copies will go to the council for schools and libraries, but we have already had around 100 expressions of interest.”

The author drew the illustrations and even bound the finished work by hand. Mrs Wilson said a full facsimile of the original two-colour book was impossible to fund, but the text had been word processed over several years by a team of volunteers.

The monumental effort saw the society team up with Northumberland County Council and the Catherine Cookson Foundation at Newcastle University to bring the study back to life. “It has been a huge undertaking and eventually it’s all been done. It’s a delight when you read the content of it. It’s very much part of our local life and it’s important to hang on to these things. Mr Moody’s family were keen on keeping the work alive, but it was difficult to get interest nationally.

“With it going to all the libraries, hopefully it will create some interest. The next plan is a CD-Rom so people can access it across the world.”

The book, 300 copies of which are being bound, will be launched at the society’s annual lecture on October 20.

Council acting divisional director for archives Marguerite Gracey said: “This is an important historical text that explores the rich culture of Northumberland. Many of these words are long forgotten in daily use and it is important that we keep the heritage alive.”

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Examples of Northumbrian dialect:

Illtorn – Literally, an action of malice, eg “Waatch, or she’ll try an’ dee yi an ill-torn.”

This is a warning to keep a watch in case she does you an ill turn.

Ill-throven – Badly nourished, poorly developed, in poor condition.

Brat – A coarse apron for rough work, often made of sacking.

Brattish

1 A wooden partition or screen formerly set up in the kitchen or living room between door and fireside.

2 A similar screen used in byres and stables to separate the stalls.

3 A common mining term – planking to support a roof or wall or a wooden screen used in the ventilation of a coal mine.

Elwis – Always.