Pitmatic: The Talk of the North East Coalfield (Wor Language) - Softcover

Griffiths, Bill

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1904794254 ISBN 13: 9781904794257

Publisher: Northumbria University Press, 2007

Synopsis

More than just a gathering of mining terms, this collection is an heartfelt attempt to bring together the words spoken by miners of the North East pits and how they relate to the wider language world of the region and its literature of story and song. It brings together the pit literature its words, jokes, stories and songs that is fast disappearing and helps attest to the remarkable vitality of the region’s dialect as well as the inventiveness of its speakers.

About this title

About the Author:

Bill Griffiths is the author of Northern Sinfonia and Stotty n’ Spice Cake.

Review:

"An exceptionally rich combination of borrowings from Old Norse, Dutch and a score of other languages, with inventive usages dreamed up by the miners themselves."  —The Guardian

"This valuable text adds to our knowledge of linguistic form and meaning and it seems likely that it will direct and inform further lines of historical and cultural enquiry."  —Labour History Review

"A fascinating trip down memory lane for this former pit yakker."  —Northumberland Gazette

"The welcome arrival of the book Pitmatic captures a unique dialect of Northern coal mining."  —Bill Lancaster, historian and director, the Centre for Northern Studies

About this edition

• Publisher: Northumbria University Press
• Publication date: 2007
• ISBN 10: 1904794254
• ISBN 13: 9781904794257
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 280