well eh could you tell us first of eh where you were born please

I was born in Newcastle

were you whereabouts

Liverpool Street

yes whereabouts is that again

(unclear) Percy Street but it's nowhere now it's finished

it's gone now

yes

yes yes eh and ehm whereabouts else have you lived you know how long did you stay there

well I was over there a long time I was bred and born in Newcastle

yes

and I come over here when eh I had the eh two babies I had (NAME) no (NAME) and (NAME) over Newcastle and when I come over here I had the third one

yes

I had (NAME)

I see and you've just lived in this house have you in Gateshead

all the time yes uh-huh I was down in Cowper Street first

oh I see yes

that's on Askew Road

yes yes

and then I come up here and I've been here ever since

aye yeah eh which place did you like best to live in you know how did Gateshead compare with Newcastle do you think

well I think they're both the same

aye

yes I made myself quite happy in Cowper Street

mm-hm yes what about

I was about eleven year there Cowper Street then come up here been here ever since oh (pause) oh it was quite nice at one time here but oh it's getting awful now

oh we w what's wrong with it now like

well they're getting all the little kids in

aye

oh and it's ridiculous they go and interfere with the gardens and everything

(unclear) aye (pause) would you say that ehm you were fairly attached to Tyneside you know as a (interruption) place to live

oh yes yes aye oh aye

you would never move away I mean you've never been tempted to

no I've never been away at all not from here

do you think that ehm Tynesiders are very different you know from people from other parts of the country

oh yes yes the Tynesiders are (pause) th they're friendly up here very friendly

yes most people say that ehm (pause) whereabouts eh (pause) were your parents born please were they born in (interruption) Newcastle

they were born Newcastle ehm I think my father was born in born in Durham somewhere

ah yes and they all l and they both lived locally all their lives

oh yes yes they did uh-huh

and eh what was your father's occupation

he was just a labourer well he was a crane man at Armstrong's

aye yes yes ehm eh can I ask you how old you are at the moment

I'm seventy six

eh could you tell us ehm you know what what jobs you've done in your life sort of

well I think I've mostly been I've mostly done home help

mm well what did you do when you first left school you know

I just went to I went to Saint (unclear) school in the Catholic school in Newcastle

aye

and eh I left school when I was fourteen

yes

and I just was at home

aye

because my mother was poorly and I was always kept at home

yes

but I've always gone out looking after people that's been poorly

yeah

sort of like a home help you know

yes that's like working for the more or less for the co corp (interruption) for the corporation as it were

no I just for myself

just oh I see yes uh-huh

I used to look after my two daughters when they were out at work I used to try and help them cook and clean and that for them

yes

oh I've always found housework all right

yes yeah (pause) eh (pause) you were eh fourteen when you left school is that right

yes

yeah eh do you think you were glad to leave school at the time or not

well I was

yes did you not enjoy it very much

well I liked school but it was getting enough because I was so long in the last class I was sick of it

(laughter) yeah yeah

there was nothing like what they have now for them in in my day when we were at school

aye do you think eh education's better these days

well it is oh yes education's better

mm

well there's nothing else for them there's no work or anything you know they've just got to stop at school

mm-hm yes do you think it's ehm like a fairly good idea for children to stay on at school you know after (interruption) (unclear)

oh yes yes because they're just running the streets wild

yes yes

I've a grandson goes to Saint Cuthbert's Grammar school

oh aye that's where I used to go to school

uh-huh two that's eh (NAME) was at Saint Cuthbert's Grammar school that's that's two grandsons I've had there

yeah

this last one he's finished his exams and he's just waiting for the results now

oh aye what ex are they O level exams

uh-huh

uh-huh yes

they have to wait that long (interruption) (unclear) get them

oh yes it's about August sometime isn't it

aye because he's eh if he hasn't passed his exams he'll not get back to school

that's right yeah yes yeah yes mm

but his father's going to send him for college education

yes do you think ehm do you think there's anything wrong with schools now you know do you is there any way in which they've got worse since you went to school

well not worse they're getting better

yes

you get better education and everything now

yes you don't think ehm well discipline in schools for instance now do you think there's anything wrong with it

well they've got to use a certain amount of discipline to keep them under

yes

but nowadays if you you see the teachers are frightened to do anything about children because they go to their mothers and then there's such a (unclear)

yes (pause) most people think they're not strict enough (interruption) (unclear) these days (unclear)

that's right oh that's right they're not

you know eh looking back on your own education you know would you say that eh it had been worth very much to you in your life since you left school or (interruption) not particularly

no it hasn't been much value to me you know that when I was left school you had to go straight to work that was the idea then because you had to help your family they were bringing bigger families up you see you had the next ones coming on

aye

he's eating it (laughter) no he's not

actually he's playing with it I think

it's a strawberry (laughter)

cracker can't decide whether it's the sort of thing you eat or not (unclear) eh w you were living in Newcastle when you were fairly young yourself like when you were under twelve

well I never come to Gateshead till I was eh I was (pause) well I was eh our (NAME) was just a baby when I came here to live and he's eh what is he now

be about fifty years ago I'd say

he's fifty fifty fifty four (interruption) fifty three aye two year old (unclear)

nineteen twenty when (unclear) came here (unclear)

did you eh did you think that it was a good place to live from your point of view as a child like did you (interruption) enjoy your childhood there

oh no it was they were real slums then

aye

and the they they were real slums and they're just going back now to the three storey buildings you know we lived in a three storey

that's right aye

there was s six three on that side and three on this side and there was just the one lavatory in everything be a big yard and about s three lavatories for each passage

yes

oh it was very (pause) very awful

did you notice that sort of thing yourself when you were little you know I mean lots of people say (interruption) aye

oh yes yes oh aye we used to because when we got on a bit we used to think oh we used to be frightened to let anybody know where we lived at the finish

aye yes ehm do you remember any of the like eh you know games you used to play or things (interruption) you used to do as a child

oh aye

yes

tell the truth

(laughter)

(laughter)

eeh aye we used to have to amuse ourselves there was no no things made for we then we used to play tredgy

yes how do you play that

in the s in the street with a kick the kick the block and we used to all run around get get around to the base

yeah

aye we used to play in the street you ca you couldn't gan anywhere else to play

yes I know yes do you think do you think the kids still play like in that way now like or

eeh no they're all oh kids are awful now

(laughter) yes

you can't speak to them when they do anything

aye

you get nothing but (unclear) oh and the the language is terrible off some of them

aye

get away

do you think they're really a lot worse behaved than they were (interruption) when you were young you know

oh yes aye oh yes we had parents that kept we down

yes

course they were none the better for that we found out when we got older but

mm (pause) eh do you remember ehm what you used to call you know a game where one of the children has to chase the others to try to touch them

oh aye

what did you used to call that

relievo eh (laughter)

no I was thinking of a simpler game than that

ehm

you have to touch somebody and then when you've (interruption) touched them

aye then you (unclear) they were on

that's right

aye I know I don't know what they what do you call that

I used to call tuggy I remember

tag

tiggy

tag tag

tiggy aye did you yeah yeah and eh what did you used to say eh when you wanted to call a halt in a game you know when you wanted to stop a game or something did you used to cross your fingers and say (interruption) anything

skinchers

no we used to just say oh that's enough we've had enough

aye you didn't have a word for it (laughter) eh

skinchers

that's what I used to say (laughter)

skinchers (laughter)

(laughter) eh still on the lines of what words you use for things like could you tell us please ehm just what you call each of the rooms of this house you know what your normal word is for each room

no you just call it the bedroom and this was the kitchen

uh-huh

and that were the scullery and that was the front room

aye that's right

these offshots were the bedrooms

aye

we had no sc no sculleries like that (unclear) where we lived

yes

no sculleries at all and the water was outside

aye and what do you call the thing that you're in as soon as you come through the front door you know what do you call that

well some of them you come in and you open up you come in the front door and you open a door there and you're straight into your room

aye but in this one you know where you've got (interruption) the (unclear)

oh ahh just come straight in the kitchen that's the front room there the passage

the passage

passage

uh-huh yeah and eh oh you happen to have one standing there what do you call that thing that's standing in front of the fire you know the sheet of tin that you use to get it going

the blazer

mm-hm yes yes ehm and eh to get out the back door you have to have to lift the (interruption) what do you call that

the latch

sneck

yes ta ehm (pause) yes I call it the sneck as well (laughter) eh (pause) can you tell us please just how you like to spend your spare time you know what sort of things you like to do

well I cannot do very much now

aye

but one time I used to (unclear) to look after my house and that was all just the work and the house

aye

always something to do

uh-huh

sowing and knitting and one thing and another

aye

plenty darning and all that to do

did you did yous used to enjoy that like you know

oh yes uh-huh

wasn't wasn't really like work was it

oh no it wasn't

yes

you kept that for your for your when you had nothing else to do you used to keep your knitting and (unclear) darning and all that

mm-hm

when you had nothing to do s sitting down that's when you used to do that

yes eh do you eh do you watch television very much

oh yes I like my television

yes yeah do you watch it ehm you know is it usually on sort of the whole of a (interruption) of an evening or

no eh from the from the news at six o'clock

mm

and if there's then an a good play on late late at night I watch that

yes

and generally about one o'clock when it finishes

cannot drown the bugger out like

(laughter) yeah

eeh no when a when there's anybody in I must be watching the television I take no notice of the people that's saying

yes eh what eh what kinds of things do you like to watch particularly you know (interruption) (unclear)

I like dramas

aye

I like the dramas and cowboys

mm-hm yes

don't care nothing for the (pause) (pause) the what (laughter)

wrestling

oh aye yes

(unclear) oh the wrestling

oh aye (laughter) (unclear) I like the (unclear)

Mick McManus (unclear)

oh I like it when he's getting a hiding (laughter)

(laughter) yes do you think the eh do you think the plays and that on television are very good you know do you think the standard of programmes is good

well sometimes they're good but other times they're right off to they're just old ones any old play old films that they've used and they're just playing them back now

aye yes that's true

and I've seen the pictures of them

what you saw them all when they were in the picture (interruption) houses

uh-huh it's back up here

yes (laughter)

picture hall

eh (pause) these are just a few questions about your opinions on some eh ordinary things eh what do you think that eh parents should do when their children misbehave you know how do you think they should check them

well I think their parents should check them

yes

but if they don't check them well they'll have to smack them

yes

I believe in smacking kids when they're not well when they're not doing as they're told

aye that's yes if you can't get them to do what they're told you smack them

if you can't do that well I think you have to threaten them and if that's no good well that's hopeless

yeah

we've got a few down here like that

mm

eeh they're terrible well it's a wonder some of them's not killed they play on the middle of the roads and the mother's sitting standing talking watching them never say (unclear) anymore

yes and what about eh you know a young person of say sixteen or so what sort of control their parents should have over them

eeh well th if they'll have a job to control them

yes

it's n you cannot do nothing with them

yes

you can't do nothing with them

yes do you think they should try to control them you know do you think they should

well I think their parents is encouraging

aye

they give them the key of the door if they're going out and then leave them

yeah

there's a house at Lobley it's terrible one of their young daughters is pregnant and the other one's fleeing along after lads all the time

yes (pause) ehm going on to something different like and it is ehm a question you don't have to answer if you don't want because some people don't ehm which way do you vote

well I vote Tory now

do you

uh-huh but I used to vote Labour

aye what was it that changed your mind

well the way they're all going on the Labour was giving too much away they're giving everything away they're you know as much money to everybody went on strike oh give them the money and that'll settle them

aye

and this is how we are on the day they're not going to get paid they're asking for (unclear) high prices

yes

(unclear) wanting ever so much now again and as one go and another starts you see just like a vicious circle going round

yes what do you think about the eh you know the present government like how do you think they're running things

well up to now he's not doing much

yes (pause) but with the prices were

oh prices are terrible eeh dear me it's te well I'm an old age pensioner and it takes me all my time to live

aye yes I know (pause) ehm do you eh do you usually vote in every election you know say local government elections

oh yes I vote oh yes I usually vote

yes (pause) ehm do you ever think that eh you know a lot of people say that they vote in a particular way because of eh you know because they're working class people let's say or because they're not working class people you know eh do you think that's a reasonable way to vote or or or do you make your decision (interruption) (unclear)

well oh no there's two or three round here they're just working class people and they always vote Tory

is that right

yes I used to be very strong Labour though

yeah (pause) eh if we could ehm just go on to talk for a bit about the thing we are most interested in like that's the way you talk and so on and and what you think about it ehm firstly do you think that you ever change the way you speak according to you know the person you're talking to or any other sort of circumstances

well I don't know I th y you do you do eh talk more polite like you get out of that old fashioned way of talking

yes

you know you say howay and all that but you get out of it I think when you get older

oh I see you mean just in yes i it's not it's not a matter of sort of certain people that you would talk more politely to but y you just ehm

there's some never gets out of the old fashioned way of talking

mm-hm

they still talk the old fashioned way

mm do you think you do you think you have changed quite a lot like (interruption) in your in that in that way

oh yes yes I've changed a lot in that uh-huh

being more sort of do you think you were more Geordie you know when you were younger

oh yes when I was young

aye yeah why w why do you think it is that you've changed you know

well I don't know it's just I've just changed and I was unaware I changed

aye yes

I just you know just

yeah I think it it's definitely true (interruption) I think you know

it's eh you know getting into different people you get to know different people and they're a little bit

aye uh-huh yeah

you just get like them and there you go on

yes eh (unclear) ehm (pause) but you know say now r right at the moment do you think that eh do you think you always talk the same in all situations or do you think do you think you talk differently to different people

well sometimes when you're gossip and you forget yourself and you just (unclear) talk Tyneside

aye so how would you say you're talking now you know what sort of voice do you think you're talking in now

well I don't think I'm talking very much I'm doing all right I think

(laughter) is this just a s (laughter) yeah is this just a sort of normal voice (interruption) like for you do you think

yes aye just the way I talk always

okay eh do you eh do you like to hear people talking in sort of local accents you know do you like Tyneside accents

oh yes yes when we're gossiping we have a bit fun and we're forgetting that we're talking broad Tyneside

uh-huh aye eh (pause) you know eh if you hear say s a young child talking in a very localized sort of eh voice you know if he said something like a've just fallen doon and hit me heed eh do you think you would correct him about it you know I mean if he was sort of in your charge like

well I would say you shouldn't talk about that you know but eh often get my my great grandbairns here

aye

and when they talk I try to talk polite because they they talk polite and all

oh I see yes

you have to keep them right you see

mm-hm yes they never talk very Geordie do they

no

no mm ehm do you eh do you like you know other accents of England you know like say Cockney or Liverpool accents do you like to hear people talking them

well I don't like the Cockney talk

do you not

na I like to hear the Liverpudlians when they're on the wireless when they're talking from Liverpool

mm-hm yeah you know ehm (pause) eh you know the way the newsreaders talk (interruption) on the television like when they're reading out the news

yes uh-huh

eh do you sort of approve of that way of talking

oh yes yes yes aye because you can understand what they're saying

yes do you eh do you know anybody yourself that talks like that

well there is one or two around the doors you just get talking to lot of people I meet that go to church and one thing and another and they stop us and they'll ask us how I am well they well they're quite nice when they're talking to us

aye yes they talk fairly (interruption) like that

yes oh yes

do you think ehm do you think it would be a good idea if everybody talked like that

well I think it would be better (unclear)

do you

yes if everybody was talking nice

yeah y you don't think you would miss the sort of variety (interruption) of the different accents

no I don't no

what eh what sort of accent would you say that I've got from listening to us you know (pause) would you say it was li like yours or different

well I think it's all the same

aye more or less the same as yours (interruption) like

as yours yes

now ehm I'm just going to read out eh this list of words you see that I've got here that are all fairly local sort of words you know and I would just like to know eh firstly if you eh if you're familiar with them and secondly if you actually use it yourself you know eh bairn little bairn

aye I say that yes I say that aye

(unclear) eh bait

mm-hm

mm-hm eh bonny

yes I've used that

yes eh bray

yes

yes eh bullets

oh aye (laughter)

(laughter) aye eh clamming

aye I'm clamming now (laughter)

(laughter) yes uh-huh

do you say that

yes uh-huh

eh boody

oh aye

yes ehm (pause) coin coin a corner

uh-huh yes uh-huh coins

eh cree

yes

yes eh fettle

oh aye say bad fettle

aye what about to fettle something do you use it for that as well

uh-huh

to fettle this yeah ehm gully

oh aye (laughter) gully

do you do you call that do you use that word now

oh yes a big knife a gully

yes yes eh howk

oh aye (laughter)

(laughter)

yes eh lowe do you know the word lowe

no

no for a a light or a flame

no

no eh mense be more to your mense to get some work done

oh I've heard that one

(laughter)

yes eh parky

oh yes

about your food

uh-huh

ehm varnigh

oh yes (laughter)

aye you use it

oh yes uh-huh

eh knooled

oh aye (laughter) getting knooled

(laughter) (unclear) is knooled (pause) eh now eh more or less on the same lines like I'm going read out eh a list of sentences for each one I'd just like to know eh whether it sounds like a normal sort of sentence to you you know eh like like whether it sounds like something you might say if the circumstances came up you know what I mean

yes

ehm eh were you wakened last night when I came in

oh aye

were you wakened yes yes eh I was still a bed when you called this morning

yes I've heard of (interruption) that I've talked about that

aye yeah you say that yeah (pause) eh he never gave us any

oh aye

yes eh do you not go there very often

no oh I've heard them say (unclear) I've heard that oh yes I've heard

yes eh they're useless them

aye I have I've heard that many times

yes eh me and John went to the races on Saturday

oh aye

mm-hm eh I might could manage it

yes

yes eh he wouldn't could have worked even if you'd have asked him

yes

yeah eh it's ower big to get through there

oh aye

(laughter)

yes eh you know my cousin that her husband died

oh aye (laughter)

(laughter)

(unclear)

eh with the wife being ill I had to stay in and look after her

oh aye yes uh-huh

yes ehm I'm going to stay with the son for the holidays

yes

yes eh they go to the pictures of a Sunday

oh aye

yes eh here she had left her pram standing outside the shop

uh-huh

uh-huh aye eh (pause) eh I think we're going to be soon for the picture

oh aye (laughter)

yes yes yes ehm (pause) would you mind stop talking

oh aye (laughter) yes I've said that many a time

do you want a cup of tea making

oh aye (laughter)

yes eh you know him that used to work on the railways

yes

yes eh he happened a nasty accident

yes

(laughter)

yes eh I'll put the kettle on for to make some tea

aye yes (laughter)

what about I wanted for to talk to you about it

(laughter)

(laughter)

do you think you would say that

oh yes uh-huh

yes

yes

eh when did it happen you

uh-huh

yes ehm I've got money belonging him

yes I've heard that and all

(laughter)

yes yes yes eh could you mind your head so as I can see out the back

(laughter)

(laughter)

(laughter) can I take a laugh to mean yes

(laughter) yes (laughter) (unclear) (laughter)

(unclear) (laughter)

eh I'm going to get some wool for our Pamela a jumper

mm-hm yes

(laughter)

eh it's all right for you you're used with it

(laughter)

yes

eh we've been waiting of a bus

yes

yeah eh I think they're going to give him the job permanent

yes

yes eh I don't bother much about the television and that

yes I'd say that

ehm there was all these bottles of beer what we had brought

(laughter)

(laughter) yes aye oh it's happened

yes (laughter) yes eh many people were there there

oh aye (laughter)

eh where did you get it at

yes

yes eh never mind I'll manage but

yes

yeah eh never the wonder I couldn't get it to work (interruption) it's not plugged in

that's right (laughter) yes

never the wonder aye eh me and George is going to the town today

yes

yes eh Jack didn't think much to the race

yes

yeah

yes

ehm (pause) it's far too long this

yes

yeah eh how's your wife and family then

yes

aye eh (NAME) can't come tomorrow being as he's working late

(laughter)

yes (laughter)

yes

(laughter)

yes you would still say that though would you

mm-hm well I've got a son called (NAME) (laughter)

yes

you do say that (NAME)'s not coming the day (laughter)

you'd say being as he's working late

yes

eh what is it he does for a living

well he's a bricklayer

(laughter)

(laughter) oh (laughter)

(laughter) that was another sentence I was eh (laughter)

yes

that's okay yes eh just light the fire on will you

oh yes

yes light it on mm-hm ehm I'll clout yous both in a minute

oh aye (laughter) (unclear)

eh how much have they offered we

yes

yes eh eh pass us one of those spanners

yes

yeah eh I've broke a plate

yes

yeah ehm I come this morning but you weren't in

yes

eh he done it all right

yes

eh I had forgetten to buy the onions

yes

yes eh he give us a pound for doing it

yes

yes eh we had went to the coast for the day

oh aye yes

yeah eh I seen Albert on Tuesday

yes

eh I'm not going to stand being tret like that

yes

yes eh that's what happens when you be naughty

yes

mm eh I'll probably see you a Saturday

yes

aye eh I doubt he'll have to stay in hospital for a long time

yes

yes eh you've letten him get away

yes

aye eh my mother's keep coming in to see us

yes

yes eh we'll sharp get this done

yes

aye (pause) he's as Tyneside as what I am

yes

yes eh you used to sweep the floor and us used to wash the dishes

yes

yes good