BBC Voices

Conversation in Wigtown about accent, dialect and attitudes to language.

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  • Type

    sound

  • Duration

    01:37:11

  • Shelf mark

    C1190/43/37

  • Recording date

    2005-01-08

  • Is part of (Collection)

    BBC Voices Recordings

  • Recording locations

    Wigtown, Dumfries and Galloway

  • Interviewees

    Dick, Ramsay, 1965 Feb. 17- (speaker, male), McColm, Fiona, 1956 June 11- (speaker, female), Milligan, Tom, 1963 Dec. 05- (speaker, female)

  • Interviewers

    Bythell, Shaun, 1970 Oct. 01- (speaker, male)

  • Producers

    Radio Scotland

  • Abstract

    [00:00:00] Speakers introduce themselves. Discussion of words used to describe PERSONAL ATTRIBUTES.[00:04:58] Discussion of words used to describe WEATHER AND SURROUNDINGS.[00:09:22] Discussion of words used to describe PEOPLE AND THINGS.[00:15:38] Discussion of words used to describe CLOTHING.[00:17:03] Discussion of words used to describe EMOTIONS.[00:21:37] Discussion of words used to describe ACTIONS.[00:26:20] Discussion about Galloway speech, mention use and meaning of local words. Discussion about words used to mean unattractive/smelly/not physically clean/attractive/cold.[00:33:26] Discussion about how speakers know each other, mention words used to mean married. Discussion about attitudes towards regional accents, local speech, how accent varies around Scotland. Mention local way of pronouncing numbers.[00:38:45] Discussion about changing speech in different situations/when talking to different people, how their parents/teachers influenced their speech, speaking proper English, how their children are taught to speak in schools now, how their speech compares to that of their parents.[00:45:04] Discussion about various features of local speech and their attitudes towards them, how his childrens speech differs from his, how speech changes over time, influence of television/increased mobility, future of regional dialects. Mention meaning of various local phrases.[00:51:31] Discussion about Galloway dialect/accent, how speech varies across local area/Scotland, Galloway Irish accent, Irish/French influence on their speech.[00:59:15] Discussion about local area, why they like living there, what they dislike about their experiences of living in a city.[01:02:24] Discussion about use and meaning of various local words/phrases, technical words they use at work.[01:10:03] Discussion about use of and attitudes towards swearing, how this has changed over time, how they influence their childrens speech.[01:12:22] Discussion about local words, words for various types of animals/fish.[01:18:54] Discussion about rivalry between people living in different areas of United Kingdom, language associated with Celtic/Rangers football/religious divide.[01:25:47] Discussion about words used to mean toilet/sex/hot, other local words/phrases and their use/meaning, phrases used by their parents in past, words associated with diking/roofing. Mention some Scottish jokes. Speakers re-introduce themselves. More jokes. Mention nicknames they create for local people by shortening their names.

  • Description

    BBC warning: this interview contains language which some may find offensive. Recording made for BBC Voices project of a conversation guided by a BBC interviewer. The conversation follows a loose structure based on eliciting opinions about accents, dialects, the words we use and people's attitude to language. The three interviewees are all close friends from Wigtown.

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