Pronouncing <ing>

There are two equally valid ways of pronouncing words that end in the spelling <ing>: with an ‘ng’-sound (morning) or an ‘n’-sound (playin’). The ‘n’-pronunciation is not a sign of sloppiness or laziness. The existence of alternative pronunciations reflects a complex historical development going back many centuries. At one point, the ‘n’-pronunciation was even considered the standard pronunciation! It is only because we have come to use the letter ‘g’ in writing that some people incorrectly assume that we should also have to use a /g/ sound in speech.

‘n’-substitution occurs across all varieties of English but is generally more frequent in the North of England than in the South. In fact, Tyneside adults aged 70+ replace ‘ng’ with ‘n’ about 70% of the time – more so in ‘action’-words (playin’) than ‘thing’-words (morning). So, as Tynesiders, if we stigmatised people who use the ‘n’-pronunciation, we would be stigmatising ourselves.

Saying ‘like’ and ‘you know’ (or ‘y’knaa’)

Youth in Tyneside – and elsewhere in the English-speaking world – make a lot of use of ‘like’: Well, I was at like this like summer school. And there was like people there from like Sunderland. Tyneside adults aged 70+ also use ‘like’ occasionally. The phrase they use a great deal is ‘you know’: But I do feel because of, you know, Facebook and selfies, people are quite self-obsessed, you know.

Both ‘like’ and ‘you know’ can appear in many – though not all – places in an utterance. Both ‘like’ and ‘you know’ ensure that speakers’ messages are understood as intended; they keep conversations moving and highlight important information. Yet while the word police do not comment on older adults’ frequent use of ‘you know’, they emphatically and incessantly denounce young people’s extensive use of ‘like.’ Why would that be? It is because language policing is an effective way of demeaning and oppressing certain social groups: the young, the powerless and the vulnerable.

Pronouncing ‘custard’ and ‘cake’

Some Tynesiders pronounce the first vowel in 'custard' like ‘c-UH-stard' while others, including some aged 70+, pronounce it like ‘c-OOH-stard’. Some Tynesiders pronounce the vowel in 'cake' with tongue movement while others, of all ages, pronounce it without tongue movement. The latter pronunciations tend to be stigmatised, even by those who use them. But unlike some of the grammar school teachers mentioned in From You to Me, we do not condemn these or other local and regional pronunciations. Why?

Condemning certain ways of speaking means denying individuals their basic right to speak the accent and dialect of their choice. Worse still, perpetual stigmatisation of certain ways of speaking can lead to linguistic discrimination in education, employment and housing, i.e., it can contribute to social inequalities. Instead of silencing speakers of non-standardised accents and dialects, we should relish and celebrate the diversity of voices we hear around us.

Using Geordie words and pronunciations

Tyneside residents of all ages and social backgrounds share words and pronunciations that are not widely used beyond Tyneside or the North-East of England, such as: 'gan', 'nowt', 'cannit', 'knaa', 'toon'. Because language variation is linked with speakers’ social characteristics, backgrounds and identities, some Tynesiders use these features more than others. The most regular users of traditional Tyneside dialect features tend to have left school aged 15 and be male, working class and over 75. Does this mean the Tyneside dialect is dying out? We don’t think so.

Our idea of what constitutes traditional Tyneside English will inevitably change. Accents and dialects always change, and increased mobility – both social and geographical – may accelerate these changes. But that does not mean that the local dialect will die out. There will always be distinct language elements associated with those hailing from Tyneside, not least because language is so closely tied to who we are.