What’s In A Name? Part 2

Just like places names (see What's in a name? Part 1), the daily language we use marks our identity. Simply, because it signals group membership and affiliation to a special place. And how important that is, is shown by merchandise.

For years, we have bought merchandise which reflects local language. In Scotland, where I come from, this has been happening for ages. But when I moved to Nottingham, almost 20 years ago, these products were not readily available here. However, in recent years that has changed. Now you can buy mugs, tea towels, t-shirts and pens that give you a really good idea of which parts of Nottingham's language are thought of as ‘local’. And celebrated. A great way of showing you belong to a place or remind someone far away of what it means to be from Nottingham.

Linguists often refer to this as ‘commodification’ of language – a shared knowledge about what is ‘local’ can form an important aspect of a feeling to belong to a place. In this way, words, sayings and the way they are spelt on products are linked to a location and associated to specific values, which give them particular social meanings and contribute to identities.

Three very common words you find on Nottingham merchandise are cob, mardy and duck.

A cob is the local name for a bread roll. Every year social media pundits vigorously debate the ‘correct’ word for a roll, because different parts of the UK use different words. For example, barm cake in Manchester. But in Nottingham we have cob shops. You also find the word on mugs and cards. And it has been extended to phrases, such as ‘having a cob on’, which means being in a bad mood, or ‘sweating cobs’ meaning to sweat a lot.

Another popular word is mardy, meaning ‘moody’ or ‘bad tempered’. Some people claim this word belongs to Sheffield or Derby, but it is firmly rooted in Nottingham. The Oxford English Dictionary suggests it may come from mar (meaning ‘to spoil’). You also see this word frequently used by local authors, such as D.H. Lawrence and Alan Sillitoe. Many dialect words are in decline, but words such as cob and mardy are alive and well for young and old.

Probably, the most famous Nottingham word is duck. People use it as an affectionate form of address when greeting people. Unusually for these types of words, it can be said by and to men and women and people of all ages. You see it also with the expression ey up. This combination is very typical of Nottingham.

The exact origin of duck in this sense is unknown, but it has been suggested it came from a respectful form of address during Anglo-Saxon times. The Oxford English Dictionary records it being used in this way from 1600. The origins of ey up as a greeting are similarly unclear. Its meaning also extends to ‘be careful’ or to ‘take notice’.

The spelling of these words on merchandise tell you how they are pronounced and what people do to sound ‘local’. Here is just one example.

The coaster below – with words written closely together without spaces in between – suggests people in Nottingham speak quickly. Plus, there are plenty of missing letters. For example, the ‘h’ in ark and av. Some words show how pronunciation in Nottingham differs from standard English varieties, such as gerrup (get up) and shurrup (shut up where the ‘t’ has changed to an ‘r’), ovver (over), cowd (cold) and tret (treat). There are also lots of Nottingham words, such as podged for having eaten too much, or missen for myself. And, last but not least, mardeh gives you a local pronunciation at the end of the word which is quite typical of Nottingham.

Image from Dukki Design 

---

This blog was written by Natalie Braber, Professor of Linguistics at Nottingham Trent University.