The language in the North East is loud and constant

The language in the North East of England is as colourful and vibrant of the different dialects of the United Kingdom. Certain phrases can be inpenitrable when you first arrive but they grow on you and many have a certain charm. I'll take at individual phrases in another later blog as it's the communication that interests me in this edition. It may seem strange to split the two but there are two distinct things happening here. Language itself has many different facets and the part of language that uses no words is often quoted as carrying the majority of the communication message.

Upon moving to the North East of England, for the first few months my family and I thought that there were far more arguments here than in other parts of the UK. Raised voices and what sounded from a distance as aggressive conversations had me believing that people were often at each other's throats. If you add to this either minimal body language or quite animated body language then you'll probably believe that there's trouble brewing. North East inhabitants tend to have one or the other of these traits - either wildly gesticulating as they are talking or talking loudly with no real body language and both can have quite a disconcerting effect on the uninitiated.

It takes a little while to get used to the volume of life here. People shouting across the street at each other would pass as trouble brewing in many parts of the country but it's usually a friendly gesture here. Starting a sentence or conversation with a loud "Now...." seems odd to most of us but is actually commonplace in North East parlance. And volume is here in cafés, shopping centres, restaurants, pubs, the streets and homes. Communication happens at high speed and high volume and it all adds to the vibrancy of this part of the world.

You don't have to be afraid of the way that people speak. If you think that there is an argument going on then wait a few seconds to see what is being spoken about. I will bet you that it isn't an argument at all but just two people speaking in their normal voice.

And it isn't just the way that people communicate but the words that they use that will catch you off guard if you are not from this part of the world. If you thought you knew English then spend a little time in the North East and you will find a whole new vocabulary that you had no idea existed. In fact there are dictionaries available that will help you navigate ordinary daily conversations that you might have.

Three phrases in particular have really go me and I'll give you a quick run-through of these here.

"It's hoying it down"

This actually means that it is raining heavily. I love this phrase as it captures the insensitivity of the rain shower for me. I like to use this as often as I can. Even when it isn't raining.

The word "hoy" can also mean to throw, as in the phrase "hoy me that pencil" so you can start to seethe origins of the phrase.

"Ket"

This is a word used to mean sweets or candy. Ket is the general phrase that covers all of the sweet things that kids shouldn't be eating.

"Boils my piss"

I love and hate this phrase in equal measure. It means to make someone very angry. If you have done something to upset someone in the North East then you could be said to "boil their piss."

I love the anger that goes with this but I also have the image in my head that makes me dislike the phrase too. I most often hear it from working class people and I've never had the inclination to research if it is used in other parts of the country. I'd love to hear from you if it is.

A trip back to the South East reminds me what the North East is all about

I've just come back from a trip down South over Christmas and some parts of living in the North East have really come home when I spent 10 days away. I have lived in various parts of England and spent a lot of my time living in the South East. I don't know whether it is as I have got older or whether the place has changed but the way of life in and near London really got to me during a ten day stay.

Traffic

I have written before about traffic in the North East and the way that people drive before but the difference becomes even more startling the longer I live here. The drivers in the South East are only interested in getting on their way, whether this means driving in the wrong lane, cutting you up or almost causing a crash makes no difference. As long as they can shave a few seconds off their journey then you are inconsequential.

So people spend so much of their time in the wrong lane because they think it will get them there faster. I saw people cross four lanes of traffic from the wrong lane to the one they wanted because they saw the chance to cut under 2 or 3 cars.Added to the traffic was the fact that it was Christmas and everyone faced this time of festive cheer with a cutthroat attitude of "I'm getting there before you." It was heaven!

The main problem that causes all of the other issues on the roads in the South East is the amount of traffic. In the North East I can drive 20 miles in 20 minutes on a regular basis, no matter what the road or the time of day. In the South East you struggle to do this on a motorway (especially the M25) and this creates a tension in every driver on the road. People know it is going to be hell so the prepare for the worst in their mind. Drivers turn into racers.

People

I have actually seen the people in the South East go in the opposite direction of the traffic. There are fewer people walking and it reminds me in many ways of visits to the United States where people use their car to travel short distances,. The first time I went to Las Vegas I walked along The Strip and the only others I saw walking were Brits.You can walk for a few miles in the South East and not see people until you arrive at a coffee shop or a pub. It's becoming a lost art and it only adds to the problems on the road.

I walked from where I was staying to the local town one day, around a mile and a half and saw nobody outside of their vehicles or homes. I made the similar journey on the way back from the train station one night and again was the only one that didn't choose a taxi.

It will improve health and traffic in one go!

Prices

I am known in my family for the way that I analyse the price of something before making a purchase. I like to have value for money and often I would rather do without than pay what I consider to be over the odds.

Again this may be because it was close to Christmas, but it felt as though the price of absolutely everything in the South East was over the odds and far away. It cost me less for me and the kids to watch a Premier League match when we got home than it did to watch a League 1 match in the South East. The various Santa's Grottoes that I saw were charging between £10 and £15 for a few brief moments with the big man himself. Even after using the discount given by the meerkat off the telly I had to pay nearly £30 for 4 of us (2 adults and 2 kids) to watch the new Star Wars film..

It feels as though everyone wants their cut of your income. It is hard work trying to find value in the South East so I generally went with the flow and knew that I would have to tighten my belt when I got back home in January. So expect to see blogs in the near future to show you how to have a great time in the North East without spending any money!