The Cumberland Dialect, Cumberland Words & Cumberland Phrases & Cumbria Slang

Posted On 06/02/2023

Published & Written 
By Nikki Wordsmith Blogger & Journalist

Communication

• Are ye gannin yam? (are you going home?)
• Barie (good)
• Fettle (condition)
• Gannin yam (abbreviation of phrase above)
• La’al crack (what’s the goss?)
• Radge (very poor quality)
• Stop twining — stop moaning
• Telt (told)

Food & Drink

• Mass a brew (make us a cup of tea)
• Pleate ceake (a cake on your plate)

Nature

• Clarty (filthy / muddy / dirty)
• Gadgey (bloke)
• K-eyed / Kalied (drunk)
• Ladgeful (embarrassing)
• Yal watter (heavy rain)

Numbers

• Yan (one)
• Tan (two)
• Tethera (three)
• Hovera (the number 8)
• Bumfit (the number 15)

The Cumberland Dialect

Cumberland is the old or historic name for Cumbria.

It is one of the 39 historic counties of England whose map I am following for these English language and English dialect blogs.

The Cumberland dialect is descended from Northern Middle English, which in turn comes from Old Northumbrian English.

The Cumberland dialect has a large north east sound and influence and is also influenced by Scots.

The old historic county of Cumberland covers part of the Lake District, the Pennies and the Solway Firth.

Geographically, it relates to the north and the west of Cumbria.

The name Cumberland was first recorded in AD945 in the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle.

It wasn’t until recently, that I had forgotten all about these old words, I used to say as a teenager when I was a pupil at Trinity School, Carlisle UK.

Then, last year, I started caring for a Cumberland couple in their 90s who had relocated to be near family in Lancashire.

They spoke in turns of phrase that were bandied about with great gusto from my childhood.

Listening to this determined old couple, made many of the words like ‘gannin’ yam’ and ‘gadgey’ come flooding back.

Hence the blog.

And, in turn this sparked an explosion of interest in me for the historic counties England and English dialects, and just how English we are.

Jean Scott-Smith Of The Lakeland Dialect Society Recites A Poem In The Cumberland Dialect By John Richardson

Jean Scott-Smith, Hon. Secretary of the Lakeland Dialect Society said, ‘I have watched the recording of your relative Frank Speak, it is good Lancashire dialect.

‘There are a lot of similarities between all the northern dialects, Lancashire, Yorkshire, Northumberland and Cumbria; even Lincolnshire use quite a lot of the Scandinavian words that we do.’

‘Yes, the man in the video is the late James Theodore Relph, known to all his acquaintances as Teddy or Ted.  

‘He was native of Crosby Ravensworth a small village in the old County of Westmorland.

‘He held several positions in the Lakeland Dialect Society; Editor, Vice President and President, he was then accorded the title of President Emeritus. 

‘He died in March 2020; in the house where he had been born almost 95 years earlier. 

‘The Society certainly considers him as one of their leading dialect experts, speakers and writers. 

‘The poem he reads was written by the late Irving Graham, a native of the Wigton area who died in 2005.

‘Irving was a committee member and then Secretary of the Society; a position I inherited from him.’ 

USE IT OR LOSE IT  by the late Irving Graham

Use it or lose it, that wat fwoak say

If yah divvent deuh this, it’ll whurrel away

Use ook mak o’ tawk. Oor Cummerlan crack

Coz yance it hez gone, it’ll nivver cum back.

Ah’s tellen yah noo, tawk as much as yah can

In oor mak o’ tawk, it’ll keep it gay strang

Use it gey often – es much es yah leyke

Or it’ll just gan away leyke snaw off a deyke

Jean Scott-Smith, imparts her own piece of literary analysis about the last few lines of Irving Graham’s poem, Use It Or Lose It.

‘Well, what it is telling us that if we do not use dialect and keep it alive, it will melt away like snow off a hedgerow. 

‘We are comparing the transitory nature of snow when it settles on the top of a hedge where it soon disappears, with that of regional speech if it is allowed to fall out of use.’

If, indeed.

With such ardent dialect enthusiasts keeping these ancient lifeline words alive, is unlikely it will become and endangered or moribund language anytime soon

The 39 Old Historic Counties of England

The 2023 National Dialect Festival is hosted by the Yorkshire Dialect Society this year on 20th – 22nd October 2023 at the Expanse Hotel, North Marine Drive, Bridlington YO15 2LS.

Please note these lists are an blend of Internet research, talking to people and asking the right people the right questions. It is, as we say in Lancashire, also based on the gradley skill of no-nonsense reet good communication via the method of using yer loaf.

I would like to personally thank Trinity School, Carlisle teacher Mrs McVey who helped me get an A in my GCSEs of Classical Civilisation, and the teacher whose name I can’t remember in English Language.

Huge thanks to the Cumberland couple that initially sparked the idea for these blogs. I never agreed with you that you were ALWAYS twining.

Previous post was Lancashire…next up Northumberland…