The Brummie accent or dialect is traditionally spoken in and around Birmingham, UK. So what exactly is it, how does it sound, what words do they use, and why do they talk like that?
Where is the Brummie Accent Spoken?
The Brummie accent is typically spoken in Birmingham and some of the surrounding area. However, like with other accents in the UK, the geographical boundaries for dialects and accents are a little blurrier than you might think.
Typically, the Brummie accent is only used for the accent from Birmingham. While some people outside of the city, particularly those who grew up in the city or with family who did, will speak with the accent, other accents in the West Midlands of England don't talk with the same accent. The same is true of the Geordie accent, which is often confused with several places in the northeast of England, rather than immediately around Newcastle.
The Brummie accent is one of the West Midlands English accents. Still, it's not the same as neighbouring accents like Dudley in the Black Country, 15km away, for example.
Though often confused, the Black Country accent isn't the same and speakers of Brummie will likely be clear that they don't have a Black Country accent but rather the Birmingham accent.
Why Is It Called a Brummie Accent?
Across the United Kingdom, the words for where people are from (demonyms) are rarely related to the name of the actual place names.
With people from Liverpool called Scousers and Newcastle called Geordies, you might think Brummie has nothing to do with "Birmingham", but they're actually etymologically related.
You see, the word Brummie comes from Brummagem or Bromwichham. Brummagem, Bromichan, Bremicham, and others were variant names for the city of Birmingham. While these terms were used during the Middle Ages, they fell out of favour, and in modern times, the only commonly used word related to the terms is "Brummie."
In fact, the city of Birmingham is sometimes called Brum and the people Brummies.
What Is the Pronunciation Like in the Brummie Accent
The Brummie accent is pretty distinct, even within the West Midlands. When compared to other accents from across England, it also stands out.
After all, the Midlands exists in a unique situation where Southerners will think they speak with a northern accent, but Northerners, like those who speak with a Mancunian accent, for example, won't sound anything like them.
It's a fairly unique and interesting accent, and what makes it so interesting is how many of the vowel pronunciations differ from those in many other accents in England.
Here's a quick guide to the Birmingham accent.
How Vowels are Pronounced in the Brummie Accent
With words like "ride" and "high", the "i" sound is longer and pronounced more like a diphthong (a combination of two vowels) in other accents. Speakers of other English would hear these "i" pronunciations more like an "oi" sound than an "i" sound.
Remember that since everyone has an accent, we can only approximate these pronunciations, and your own accent may not pronounce the words like our example. For all of these examples, we're going with the most common pronunciations for a speaker of British English.
For the “a” sound in words like “bath” and “glass”, the Brummie accent tends to align more closely with northern English accents than southern English and London accents.
How Consonants are Pronounced in the Brummie Accent
There are a few consonants that are pronounced differently from a lot of other English accents in the Brummie accent.
Like Cockney, the Brummie accent often drops the "h" at the beginning of words.
The Brummie accent also sometimes uses the "glottal stop", whereby the "t" sound in the middle of words like "bottle" isn't pronounced. This isn't to say that the letter is silent. Instead, the speaker uses the glottis (part of the larynx) to cut the airflow in the middle of the word.
This means “bottle” is pronounced more like “bo-ul” rather than “bol”, which it would be if the “t” was simply silent or pronounced.
The Brummie accent is also non-rhotic. This means that the “r” in the middle of words isn't explicitly pronounced (the vowel sound typically changes). If it didn't, words like “cat” and “cart” would be pronounced the same, but they're not.
In the Brummie accent, however. The “r” will be pronounced or even rolled slightly if it's between two vowels. Even if these two vowels are in different words. This is called a linking R and intrusive R.
How the Brummie Accent Sounds
The Brummie accent's intonation is famous for being flat and unchanging. Compared to other accents like Scouse, Geordie, and Welsh accents, which are famously melodic, people speaking with a Brummie accent are often wrongly thought to be uninterested.
Naturally, this isn't true; it is simply how the Brummie accent sounds. The same is true of where the stress falls in words in sentences, and for those who don't speak with a Brummie accent, the stressed syllables can sound unusual or out of place.
Again, there's no right or wrong way to speak; these are just some of the unique and fascinating quirks of the Brummie accent.
Common Brummie Vocabulary
While all of these words and expressions are used in the Brummie dialect, some will also be used in other regional and local dialects elsewhere in England, the UK, or even around the world.
| Word | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Bab | Term of endearment, like "baby" or "mate" |
| Biff | To hit or punch |
| Blart | To cry |
| Bobby | A police officer |
| Bost | Broken |
| Bostin’ | Excellent, great |
| Bray | To hit or beat |
| Caggy-handed | Left-handed or clumsy |
| Chuffed | Pleased or happy |
| Clart | To mess around |
| Cob | A bread roll |
| Cut | Canal |
| Fittle | Food |
| Gaff | Home or house |
| Gambol | To jump or skip around playfully |
| Ginnel | Alleyway |
| Gor | Got |
| Jitty | A narrow passage or alley |
| Mash | To make tea |
| Mardy | Sulky or moody |
| Mither | To bother or pester |
| Mom | Mother |
| Nesh | Someone who feels the cold easily |
| Nobble | To catch or arrest |
| Ow am ya? | How are you? |
| Rile | To annoy or irritate |
| Round the Wrekin | Taking a long route |
| Ruddy | Used for emphasis, similar to "bloody" |
| Scrage | To scratch |
| Scrump | To steal fruit from an orchard |
| Skeg | To look at |
| Snap | Food, meal |
| Spoggy | Chewing gum |
| Summat | Something |
| Tararabit | Goodbye |
| Tay | Tea |
| Wammel | To wriggle or twist |
| Wench | Woman or girl, often used affectionately |
| Wossit | What's it |
| Yampy | Silly, mad, or daft |
Famous Speakers of the Brummie Accent
Listening to examples of people who speak the Brummie accent is the best way to understand how it sounds and feel connected to its cultural significance.
Fortunately, Birmingham has produced many famous people, particularly rock musicians. While their accents don't come through when they're singing, you can hear them in interviews.
Ozzy Osbourne
Probably one of the most famous people to come out of Birmingham, the singer Ozzy Osbourne of the band Black Sabbath has the typical Brummie accent.
Thanks to the reality TV show “The Osbournes” and decades of interviews, you can hear plenty of examples of him speaking.
Not all difficulties understanding Ozzy Osbourne is simply because of his accent.
Tony Iommi
Much like Ozzy Osbourne, Tony Iommi of Black Sabbath is also from Birmingham and speaks with the accent.
Frank Skinner
Frank Skinner is an English comedian from West Bromwich, about 10km northwest of Birmingham. While not an out-and-out Brummie accent, his accent does have many of the hallmarks of a Brummie accent.
However, the Black Country dialect's unique features make his accent stand out.
Lenny Henry
Lenny Henry is another comedian from near Birmingham. His accent is actually from Dudley, and again, it differs in a number of ways from the Brummie accent. Naturally, these are not Brummie accents for the people of Birmingham.
These are related accents from the Black Country, the West Midlands, and neighbouring towns and cities that share several similarities.
This group of accents sounds more alike to one another than they do to a Mancunian or Scottish accent, for example.
Peaky Blinders
The TV show "Peaky Blinders" is primarily set around Birmingham and features many characters with Brummie accents.
However, remember that most of the series' actors aren't from Birmingham, so the legitimacy of the accent will vary.
That said, this is a good (albeit sometimes violent) way to get a better idea of what Brummie sounds like.
Learn More About the Brummie Accent with a Private Tutor
If you'd like to learn more about any of the accents and dialects in the UK, why not study them with a private tutor?
There are many reasons to study the Brummie accent. Understanding it can help anyone travelling to Birmingham or with family there.
Actors may have roles that require them to perform with a Birmingham accent. For example, the TV series "Peaky Blinders", which we mentioned. However, as we said, many of the actors aren't actually from Birmingham, and the lead actor, Cillian Murphy, is Irish. That said, he's an excellent actor.
Those learning English as a second language may also be interested in the different English accents worldwide. While you don't have to necessarily adopt one of these accents, it can help to know about them and understand them as it makes them easier to understand.
You can learn more from English, drama, or linguistics tutors, depending on your motive. Just search on the Superprof site for whichever one's most appropriate to why you want to learn about Brummie and other English accents from the UK and start browsing the tutors' profiles.
Most of the tutors on Superprof offer the first session for free, which means you can always try a few different tutors before choosing the one who's right for you and what you want to learn.
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