Talk Dialect

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People Adore Dialect

By Everyone. For Everyone. For Ever.

Talk Dialect is a national language initiative. We record and revitalise dialect words, sayings and slang from England's 39 historic counties.

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Discover Dialect Words

Why do dialects have all the best words?

Take giddy-kipper or plonker or bang-a-bonk, they are sayings that bring a smile to everyone’s faces.

In a few simple and clever ways they make language fun, memorable and full of personality.

Also on a deeper note, people hold these words close to their hearts because they foster warmth, integrity, identity and bring deeper, more meaningful connections between humans.

It is in this spirit that Talk Dialect brings people, language, communication, connection and technology together to harness the deeper emotional and cultural resonance of these words.

AI threatens to render our dialects obsolete, yet it is the very tool we shall use to revitalise our oral history that spans millennia.

From individual contributions to dialect groups and communities to AI-driven conservation and open-source tools, we invite everybody to contribute dialect words from all of England.

By recording and revitalising dialect language from each of the 39 historic counties of England from Cornwall to Cumberland, Talk Dialect gives old people their voice back and younger people a sense of pride in the place where they live.

This national project has grown out of the evergreen No.1 Google-ranking blog An Alphabetical Compilation of Lancashire Dialect by Nikki Wordsmith.

Even more importantly, the Talk Dialect Team gratefully acknowledges the work of all the linguists and language enthusiasts who have gone before.

This includes seminal works, such as BBC Voices (2005), The English Dialect App (University of Cambridge, 2016), Our Dialects (2013), Peter Trudgill (1970s), The Linguistic Atlas of England (1978), The Survey of English Dialects (1950-1960s), The English Dialect Dictionary by Joseph Wright (1898-1905) and The English Dialect Society (1873-1896).

The Talk Dialect Team would especially like to thank the Lancashire Dialect Reading Group based at Euxton Library, who very generously gave us their full Lancashire Dialect Glossary many many moons ago.

We promise to share, support, help and carry on all the gradely dialect work gone before, onwards in the present day and forwards for future generations to come.

By Everyone. For Everyone. For Ever.

Talk Dialect County Championships
Talk Dialect Blog
Meet The Team

The County Championships Leaderboard

1 Lancashire

500 Entries

the cumberland flag, three flowers on a green background, in the top half of the flag. underneath are two wavy lines alternating white and blue to look like water.

2 Cumberland

100 Entries

3 Cornwall

100 Entries

4 Suffolk

2 Entries

the flag of berkshire. a red deer eating from the branch of a tree on a yellow background.

5 Berkshire

4 Entries

6 Yorkshire

12 Entries

7 Westmorland

4 Entries

8 Worcestershire

4 Entries

9 Essex

4 Entries

10 Durham

10 Entries

View the full list of England’s 39 historic counties and dialect dictionary words

Featured County: Lancashire

The Historic County of Lancashire

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Discover the Location

FEATURED DIALECT WORD:

Gradely (great, proper, super)

Featured Dialect poet:

Maureen Rebecca Lahee: ‘Ihave laboured in the field of Lancashire literature for over half my life-time, and have tried to bring forth the pure gold hidden beneath the surface.’

classic dialect examples:

1. ‘Ey up, are y’alreet?‘

Meaning: Hello, are you alright? / How are you?

2. ‘Tha’s nowt but a soft bugger.‘

Meaning: You’re just a soft / gentle / silly person — usually affectionate, not rude.

3. ‘I’m fair clemmed, get us some scran.‘

Meaning: I’m really hungry, get me some food.

Latest NEWS, Articles & Blogs

Dispatches from the Dialect Frontlines

What is a Community Interest Company?

Talk Dialect operates as a people and place first community interest company (CIC).

All of our business profits are reinvested back into the community and organisation to help improve people’s lives through cultural engagement, education and connection.

This helps solve and support the mission of the Talk Dialect project – to record and revitalise all dialects – thus creating social good by connecting people culturally through language.

The vision of the project is to help give old people their voice back and give younger people a sense of pride in the place where they live and work.

A BIG THANK YOU goes out to the early supporters who believed in us. We run on the passion and talent of our community. We work community first. Always.

We do this by being honest, transparent, and putting people and the planet first.

By Everyone. For Everyone. For Ever.

We look forward to working with you,

Nikki Wordsmith Talk Dialect

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