Durham & Tyneside Dialect Group / Word Lists / GEORGE MERITON & NORTH YORKSHIRE 1683
For the North-East, recognition began with the publication of a small number of
Yorkshire dialect texts in the 17th century e.g. George Meriton's
A Yorkshire Dialogue
(1683). Perhaps these reflected the growing status and awareness of Yorkshire
gentry in the 17th century; they also probably symbolised a rejection of the London standard and an assertion
of regional identity. In some way they may have been responses to new theories about
language like that ennunciated by Thomas Sprat, Secretary of the Royal Society,
in 1667, who recommended "a close, naked, natural way of speaking - positive
expressions, clear sense, a native easiness, bringing all things as near the
mathematical plainness as they can, and prefering the language of artisans,
countrymen, and merchants before wits and scholars."
Meriton lived
1634-1711, in Northallerton, and printed not only short dialect texts (which
might have appealed to a purely local audience) but added his own glossary,
implying that he was aware of outside scholastic interest. From this glossary
the following items are selected for their relevance to the North-East (his explanations are
abbreviated or paraphrased):
arfe - afraid
awd - old
beestling - rich milk
cawd - cold
clim - climb
crawe/creake - crow
deau - do
deaun - done
dee - die
dike - pond
ding - hit
don - to put on
dree - to endure
een - eyes
feaul - fool
flee - to fly
fra - from
geay/gang - go
git - get
gitten - got
greet - weep
haud/hawd - hold
haver - oats
hing - hang
ive our stable - in our stable
Ise - I am
keauks - cooks
kend - known
kites - bellies
kittle - tickle
knawe - know
kye - cows
lang - long
leauke - look
leet - to alight
ligg - to lie
lows - to loosen
macks - makes
mawks - maggots
mell - meddle
mickle - much
monny - many
mun - must
neane - no one
newke - nook
neem/eam - uncle
nut - not
onny - any
ore - over
owght - aught
owse - ox
pokes - sacks, bags
put - to butt, push with the horns
rame - to roam
reek - to smoke
rencky - large and well-made
rive - to tear
rowt - to bellow
sall - shall
sarke - shirt
seeay - so
selld - sold
sike - such
sine - since
slocken - to quench [thirst]
snawke - inhale
sneck - latch
snithe - cold, piercing
snurles - nostrils
speer - find out by enquiring
stee - ladder
stob - thorn
tack - take
tawk - talk
telld - told
tite - neat, tidy
tweay - two
wad - would
wark - work, fuss
warse - worse
weaud - mad
weel - well
weese - we are, we will
wheay - who
wheesht! - hush!
whope - to hope
yawd - horse
yeaud - to go.