Potteries dialect

The 14th-century Middle English poem Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, which appears in the Cotton Nero A.x manuscript uses dialect words native to the Potteries, leading some scholars to believe that it was written by a monk from Dieulacres Abbey.

[5][6] Although the identity of the author is still disputed, J. R. R. Tolkien and E. V. Gordon writing in 1925 concluded that "his home was in the West Midlands of England; so much his language shows, and his metre, and his scenery.

"[7] The first documented instance of Potteries dialect was by the prominent Staffordshire lawyer John Ward (1781–1870) and local historian Simeon Shaw[8] in their 1843 book The Borough of Stoke-upon-Trent.

In the passage, entitled A Burslem Dialogue, Ward provided an explanation of some of the words unique to the district: 'mewds' (moulds), 'kale' (being called upon in order, first, second....), 'heo' (she), 'shippon' (a cow-house).

Example words and phrases: A popular cartoon called May un Mar Lady, created by Dave Follows, appears in The Sentinel newspaper and is written in the Potteries dialect.

[16] Alan Povey's Owd Grandad Piggott stories which have aired on BBC Radio Stoke for a number of years, are recited in the Potteries dialect by the author.