Very interesting - as an ex Norfolk man myself. Doubtless you've listened to Alan, The singing postman singing in his broad Norfolk accent? To this day I love to hear him sing. The flip side to this is Tom Jones (say) is a 'Valley's boy born and bred but no trace of accent when he sings.
Arguably the most Anglo-Saxon area of England. Is the official definition of the 'Fen region' Norfolk, Suffolk, parts of Cambridgeshire and Lincolnshire?
'bruck' 'thaass' 'fair to middllin' etc, is just a West Norfolk or Suffolk accent :-) from when the Ely Island was connected by boats to the mainland of Norfolk -
We use bruck/brock for broken in the Lincolnshire fens. I've heard fair to middlin my whole life n often say it myself. We also have wesh instead of wash. Giz instead of give. 'Giz it wesh and no one'll know yer bruck it'
"You bin 'en?" "Bin bout" "So ee's got us is stuff'en en is it?" "Some. Real. I guess" "Paid?" "Ay. Proper" "Sin im?" "Did and done" "Lets call it a day an be out, en" Hampshire Dialect. 1998.
Ooh, that's more like it: thass, go (come, as I used too hear it) a gutzer, bruck, owd boi- those remind me of back home. Snuck, frit, tret, ahind, amorruh- I remember those, too. Never heard anyone say 'bor' for boy, though.
I grew up in March. People used to say ‘there were an old bor’. Meaning ‘there was a young lad’ (of about 15 or 16.). I think it’s true that the accent varies widely across the fens. Wisbech is pretty different to Ely say.
My grandad had a broad fen accent, my Nan to a large degree, too, but I don't remember any special vocabulary. My mum never spoke like her parents by the time I became aware of that sort of thing, despite living only a few miles from them. Despite spending probably thousands of hours with my grandparents, I can't do their accent properly:(
@@jakeyboy261992 Definition 3, it is a casually used insult sometimes used as a term of endearment for someone that is either excessively frugal or just a bit chavvy www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=Stig
I remember some of my Nan's neighbours speaking using phrases and words like these (especially Thass a Davil, and Fair to Middlin etc.). My Nan herself spoke RP as do I even though she grew up on a farm in the fen. It makes me sad that I hardly ever hear young people using any of these phrases.
