To those who live here, there is nothing unusual about the way we speak, but the Yorkshire dialect is often thought of as simple speech for simple folk.
But it has a long and ancient history, with many words reflective of the language used by the Angles, Saxons and Vikings, and most of the distinctive words date back to when the Romans left Britain around 400AD.
The Angles laid the first foundations of the Yorkshire dialect and it still retains many old words that have since been discarded from Standard English.
Key characteristics include shorted vowel sounds, dropped ‘h’ and ‘g’ sounds at the start and end of words, and the letter ‘t’ generally being half pronounced, or dropped all together.
The unique turn of phrase has brought with it a number of classic insults over the years that only true Yorkshire folk can deliver with such passion, fury and annoyance.
How many of these do you know?


10. Barmpot
While it can be used affectionately, this word describes a person who is foolish, an idiot, or objectionable.

11. (Yorkshire) Tyke
Originating from Old Norse, meaning female dog, specifically a mongrel, the term is often applied to describe a coarse or unpleasant man.

12. Nesh
Used to insult someone who is either afraid of the cold, or feels the cold even when its warm. For example, its not cold, you nesh sod!

