Monday, January 14, 2013

Warrington's North/South divide?

We had a very interesting question from David Ball that I would like to explore here.

In a comment on the "Your dialect words" section of the blog, David stated:

"The western parts of Warrington have Liverpool-influenced words. The eastern parts have a more Manchester/Lancashire influence. That's because of their relative positions, vis-a-vis our metropolitan neighbours.

What about the North-South divide? [ ] I would further guess that Cheshire influences the way people talk south of the canal. One thing I could imagine being the case is more words related to a farming lifestyle, as opposed to industrial related words to the north
"

David is absolutely correct about the East/West differences, but what about North/South?

The town north of the river is undoubtedly historically more industrial. The River Mersey was also the natural border for Lancashire and Cheshire for centuries up to 1974.

Has this history made a difference?

If so, is that difference still present in the modern speech of Warringtonians?

What do you think?

Do you live north of the River Mersey/Manchester Ship Canal, and do you think you speak differently from those "over the water"?

The same question to those living south of the River Mersey/Manchester Ship Canal.

Post your comments or send me an email!