Yorkshire Lass and Proud of It

  "My girl's a Yorkshire girl —
Yorkshire through and through.
My girl's a Yorkshire girl,
Eh! by gum, she's a champion!
Though she's a factory lass
And wears no fancy clothes,
Still I've a sort of a Yorkshire relish
For my little Yorkshire Rose."

 (Click here to listen to the song above.)

Yesterday, I had the pleasure of spending time with my youngest grandson, Noah, aged just three. He, like all small children, says funny things, and yesterday I had to laugh when he looked me in the eye and, apropos of nothing, asked me: "Grandma, why do you talk Yorkshire?"

His older sister too, aged five, has also, in the past, commented on the sound of my northern vowels.

I'm not really aware of my accent, until someone comments on it, but if it sounds 'Yorkshire' I'm truly proud of that.

When I first started university and was among 'southerners' for the first time, they would often pick up on my accent, sometimes laughing at it.There was nothing funnier, however, than hearing my peers from the south, who had perfect received pronunciation, trying to mimic, unsuccessfully of course, a Yorkshire accent. Attempts to teach them to say, "Put wood in t'oil" were generally unsuccessful!

I had a poster in those days that said, "You can always tell a Yorkshire girl, but you can't tell her much!" I don't know if that's true, but the county has certainly produced its fair share of strong women. Click here to read about some of them. 

I'm married to a Lancastrian, so we have both white and red roses growing in our garden, and an image by the front door of a Tudor rose, which unites the two. 

Writing prompts:

• Has anyone ever commented on the way you speak? If so, how did it make you feel? Write about your reaction.

• How do you feel about your accent (if you have one)? Write down your thoughts.
• Are you proud of where you cone from? Explore the answer to this question in your writing.
• Write about a time when a small child has made you laugh.