Birmingham Accent (Brummie) / Black Country Accent & Dialect

We are exploring features that appear in both the Birmingham accent and the Black Country accent. As our lovely guest Mirren is a Yam Yam we will also look at some of the Black Country dialect words. If anyone from the Black Country or Birmingham is watching then please comment below with any additional dialect or accent features. Accents are such a hot topic, and the UK has so many accents that are all so different from one another. It's incredible the variety of accents that exist across such a small area. Unfortunately, there is a lot of underlying judgment and prejudice among some people, which can affect
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[@EnglishLikeANative]

👅Interested in transforming your pronunciation? Join my FREE Pronunciation masterclass: bit.ly/3J7tw3D

[@khalilmachkour3153]

Thanks to peaky blinders who spread this fookin accent around world

[@RottenbergZhenya]

Fookin roight, braw

[@willts06]

I'm from brum

[@GabrielRodriguesYT]

lmao

[@vegawinnfield7002]

Actually ozzy been speaking like that for ages..but i guess ozzy isn't well known to the younger generations

[@khalilmachkour3153]

@@thunderider1 yes brother, she must be learned by Arthur 😆😆😆😅😅

[@pawlutsada8935]

I loof this accent

[@hansnichirin11]

totally after learning russian i realized this accent is influenced by russian language

[@moss1066]

Whats loof supposed to mean? Luv? As I love?

[@moss1066]

@@hansnichirin11 started learning Russian myself via memrise app and at no point did it have any resemblance to either the dummie brummie or black country accents. And I'm a born and bred yam yam.

[@thesnowygarden]

@@moss1066 I'm Russian and I see no resemblance either

[@Alexxxx17]

@@moss1066 ye loof is love lad

[@sangsampan5775]

This channel is under new management ... BY ORDER OF THE PEAKY BLINDERS .

[@AhmedKMoustafa2]

hahaha nice one

[@jmac5023]

Peaky FOOKIN blinduhs ***

[@MW2OPSKID]

Peakay *FOOKIN* Blindahs

[@Richwiking318]

@@MW2OPSKID thats fookn roight

[@yurichiku9008]

*peakay fookin bloindahs

[@liverush24]

In the '80s, I used to hang around with a lad with this type of accent, but he was always spikey when I would bring it up. I used to mention it a lot. The reason that I would constantly go on about it, was that he was insistent that he was born & bred in Chester, which has a very different accent. I could never get over it. In 2001 this was still bothering me, so I decided to find a way to solve this mystery, and I did. It turns out that around the turn of the 19/20th century, tens of thousands of "black country" residents moved to the Chester/North Wales area for employment. So some of the descendants of those people still speak with a very obvious West Midlands accent. As did my mate, Chris. I haven't seen him for years, so he doesn't know about this, yet.

[@tjfSIM]

Mirren's adorable! Such a friendly sounding accent, and she seems like a lovely person as well :)

[@thomasburke2683]

Yes, she's gorgeous!

[@darrenwilson99]

She absolutely is. Somehow she's made the Brummie accent utterly lovely.

[@Riley_ufc234]

* me being a brumie and for some reason watching this*

[@rebeccahanson190]

Same!🤷🏻‍♀️🤦🏻‍♀️

[@colinp2238]

To see if they go wrong?

[@rebeccahanson190]

@@colinp2238 Good point actually. xxxx

[@armaanahmed9725]

Same here

[@katiebrampton1939]

Same

[@darthwatson8274]

It's good to see a video showing the differences between a Brummie accent and a Black Country accent. Often when people from other areas of the the UK think of the Brummie accent, they think of the Black Country accent.

[@dude157]

Black country accent only sounds like brummie to outsiders because they tone it down to outsiders in order to communicate, but if you listen to them talking to each other in their own dialect, it is like a different language :p I do prefer the yam yam accent to brummie, brummie has that "Dopey" sound thanks to negative stereotypes. I'm from West Bromwich, but I live and work in Birmingham, and even though these two places are only a few miles apart the accent shift seems night and day.

[@itssunflower3522]

I just love this accent so much ❤❤❤ I am a person who learned english as a 3rd language and I gotta say ..it's so sad that in countries, where english isn't spoken much, we don't get to know many english accents or dialects.. We miss out so much. But I am glad that the internet makes it possible for us to learn anything we want.

[@Dranamolous]

I’m an American student living in Dudley and the first time I heard a true Black Country accent I thought it was a different language. Mirren is quite easy to understand actually - just letting you all know the Black Country accent can be incomprehensible to us Americans.

[@jthomas4361]

Why come to this shithole

[@blackandwhite3423]

True..i lived in Dudley too..I ain't a native English speaker, so their accent was almost incomprehensible to me

[@user-ed7et3pb4o]

how did you find yourself in Dudley of all places? lol

[@gamesmaster1060]

@@user-ed7et3pb4o Bit of a silly question, Its a place like any other with jobs and a uni near by etc

[@TheFarinared]

We had a new guy in the workshop from Stratford upon Avon. Also a really strong accented Blackcountry lad. Im from the Blackcountry but struggled at times to decipher. I had to interpret for a year. 😂😂😂

[@fernandomilicich8160]

Any kind of accent from Britain sounds good, it's so beauty. Greetings from Argentina

[@user-ed7et3pb4o]

the first time I've seen someone call the west midlands accents beautiful!

[@KarrieDreammind5]

Years ago I met a Brummie in an Irish pub in Berlin and loved his accent, without knowing anything about it. I struggled to understand everything but he spoke clearly and when I focused more that helped. When he met my Venezuelan friend however she really couldn't understand what he was saying. He introduced himself as being from Birmingham and when she asked him to repeat that he started spelling the name. When he got to the second letter she got confused as it sounded like "oi". 😂 It was so funny to listen to them two! I later returned home and searched the internet for videos with the Brummie accent but it was impossible to find anything! That was back in 2014. Now luckily, thanks to Peaky Blinders, the interest in this dialect has grown and so have the videos devoted to it. Thank you for this! I now live here myself and have gotten quite used to the dialect and understanding people around me, so it's quite interesting to hear people talk about it as an exotic strange accent/dialect.

[@ir-star-dust1747]

I'm from Birmingham and know the exact irish pub you're talking about haha! right over the road from Das Klo? something Harp pub right? i went there in 2019 though so it wasn't me you met :D

[@KarrieDreammind5]

@IR-STAR-DUST Haha, would have been funny if it was, but no, the Irish pub was in the Eastern part of the city centre of Berlin, close to Alexanderplatz. The pub is on Friedrichstrasse and it's called Murphy's. Loads of Brits there always when I used to go back in 2013-2014. Haven't been for ages though, so wouldn't know what's happening now.. Seems you Brummies like Berlin as a stag do destination or just for a party weekend.. 😀

[@leonardocabrera9253]

Thanks to peak binders, Ozzy Osborne, and Aston villa players to spread this accent.

[@conallomahoney9311]

I was gonna say “dont u mean wolves” but the only thing they’re spreading is tapas

[@villaandy77]

up the villa

[@lorddarlo6194]

@@conallomahoney9311 Well Villa and Blues spread Brummie well the fans do. West Brom, Walsall and Wolves fans spread Black Country accent.

[@wattsnottaken1]

I’m feeling like taking a little walk to the edge of town

[@jimmysavile69]

@@lorddarlo6194 I don't think anyone knows about Walsall. I couldn't name a person who has ever played for them

[@allennewborn936]

Hands down, one of the best genuine regional accents I've ever heard in a person. That girl is amazing.

[@furiousfelicia5751]

I absolutely love British accents. Birmingham is one of the coolest. I find “tapping r” the most difficult. It’s definitely different from other variants.

[@gamesmaster1060]

No black country better

[@emrahokumus2832]

I am really looking forward to these accent videos, love them. Thank you so much, brilliant as always. Keep them coming :)

[@andrewuk2683]

Another word unique to the Midlands is Mom. Not Mum or Mam, but definitely MOM. It always annoys me that I can never find birthday cards with Mom on!

[@chloejones5568]

I’m sure a very well known card shop used to sell them as I’m certain I bought them for my mom in the past, cannot find them anymore though

[@michaellee9272]

Get one from north America.

[@beekind14]

So true. My partner is from the south and he was shocked we used an "American" spelling for it.

[@ajs41]

I live 15 miles outside Birmingham and everyone says mum here. Shows how quickly accents change so to speak.

[@annquinn6780]

That’s true . I always said mom , everyone I played with on the street ( in the 60s in Brum) said mom . I moved to the south west of England in 1980 and it was always mum . Maybe it changed like language always does .

[@Fern635]

You do such a lovely job explaining the finer differences between accents in a clear and memorable way.

[@theoverthinkingalien224]

In Birmingham specifically we go with the Northern variation for "bath", "path", "fast" etc. except for "laugh"- where we use the Southern variation for some reason. It's the only exception I can think of. In the Black Country they use the Northern variation for everything. I don't know why Birmingham has that one exception. Birmingham and the Black Country is also known for the word "babby" in place of "baby" and pronounced like the name 'Abby/Abbie' but with the added 'b' at the front. In Birmingham we also use 'o' instead of 'u' sometimes. i.e. from a Brummie you'll be told to "fock off" We're known for rounded vowels. So "time" is "toime", "lime" is "loime", "mine" is "Moine" etc. In stronger variants vowels can be dragged out a bit, so "me" would sound like "muy", "mate" like "maai'" (because we're another place known for the glottal stop i.e. "ghetto" is "ghe'o", "sensitive" is "sensi'ive" etc. The Black Country is unique for using "am" a lot. "I am", "they are", "he is", "you are" all become "They am", "he am", "you am". Birmingham doesn't do this- it's a key difference between the dialects. Black Country: "I haven't" = "I ay" "I don't" = "I day" "I won't" = "I wor" "I can't" = "I cor" Overall, the rest of the UK generally thinks both of us sound friendly but stupid and neither accent isn't too popular elsewhere.

[@EnglishLikeANative]

Thank you for your contribution.

[@theoverthinkingalien224]

@@EnglishLikeANative No problem, hopefully it sheds some light on the subject. A lot of people confuse Brummie for Black Country and vise versa and both sides can get quite offended by it. I don't personally mind- I've been mistook as coming from Wolverhampton before, it is what it is. Long story short: If yew speek loike this aw the toime you're a brummie ent ya, bab? But If yow goo ova tew the uvver towens we caw wouves, or Wawsall, or Dudlay then yow is from the Black Countray- that's yow owm, ay it?

[@thunderider1]

Laugh is the same as bath.....laff.....as in gaff

[@theoverthinkingalien224]

@@thunderider1 Are you talking about brummie or black country? Where I'm from in Birmingham nobody says "laff", but it's a big place so maybe it varies.

[@thunderider1]

@@theoverthinkingalien224 brummie i dont know wich side of brum u are...i was brung up in kinstanding so we mixed with sutton and greatbarr we all said laff....i then lived 20 years in yardley wood they said laff ut funny enoughmy nan born 1904 around newtowm?ladywood area daid loff......not knowing how old u are im 51 so i would be the last genration to here old brummie spoken

[@chrislowe6926]

This is great. Thank you very much. It's nice to have a video like this that I can point my students towards to learn about the local accent.

[@thefelinelover9001]

Thank you so much! Finally you've made a video about the brummi accent. I asked you for it more than once about two years ago. 😁

[@sergioaguero6018]

I confess that I fell in love with Mirren....I love her accent not to mention that She is the most beautiful woman I've ever seen in my life

[@chevinbarghest8453]

You having a laugh ?

[@T33K4Y]

bloody hell, my guy's smitten 😂

[@anfanglove]

yes she is lovely

[@vutid]

😭💀

[@paddotk]

I think she's very cute too

[@rebeccaingram4449]

The black country accent and brummie accent are totally different - they shouldn't be used interchangeably

[@scottscott232]

I thought so too. Isn't the BCA more like the accent used in places like Somerset?

[@sianwebb2128]

Tbf mate it's very simler with just small differences I'm from walsall but ye I would say do one on the black country becouse it's a different dialect

[@GeminiMoon1994]

They're different, but not totally different. The difference is the degree of broadness, with black country being more broad.

[@sianwebb2128]

@@GeminiMoon1994 its more about the fact sme have a thick and sme habe a thinner accsent simple I'm from walsall trust me I know hahahah 😂

[@GeminiMoon1994]

@@sianwebb2128 I'm from Birmingham and spent a lot of time in the black country. Broadness is the same as thickness so we both agree.

[@fhol]

Lived in Stafford for half a year 33 years ago. Love the accent, the sound of this variety of English!

[@yousifmhmd1]

Wonderful Anna, Regional Accents you’re presenting are really helpful to us as knowledge of Great Britain English.

[@michald9243]

When I was working in Birmingham, my supervisor was from Dudley... Gosh, I didn't understand that guy although I was learning English for 15 years! Thank you for this video, it's really nice to go back to that lovely time in Birmingham and Black Country!

[@weaver900]

Yesss dudlay, bet ya gaffa wuz a riyt geeza.

[@stefanoenricosalvadorebesu1445]

I am a non native speaker, but I definetely understand Brummie/Black Country accents quite well. Ah, and let's not forget the region's importance in the develpment of hard rock and heavy metal: Black Sabbath, Judas Priest and John Bonham and Robert Plant from Led Zeppelin all hail from there.

[@usergoldenstudent1344]

Thank you, Anna and also thanks to your beautiful guest Mirren

[@newbiegamer3040]

Hi Anna! I started watching your once I was accepted in college in the department of English. I'm really thankful, because you helped me a lot Now I'm in 4th and finall stage. I can speak almost a perfect British accent. I subscribed to many English teachers on youtube, and to be honest, you and English with Lucy are the best.

[@matheuswerly5320]

It is a beautiful video showing culture, diversity and knowledge. It is very impressive the richness of the English language in Great Britain.

[@madlad1391]

I'm from the black country. People also say: day = didn't Cor/car = can't Gooen/gooin = going So you could day "you cor! I day say I was gooin there" instead of "you can't! I didnt say I was going there"

[@TomGB-81]

I'm from Stourbridge. Actually its more like: "yaw cor! ar day say ar was gooin there". Av yaw bin up mezza lately? I ay cuz ar live n work in Brum these days, barmy lot the lads am raand here they talk a bit too posh for ma likin! Of course I have to talk posh when I'm outside the black country, dow I lol

[@Rochelle007]

ya naw wod I meeyn ;)

[@marksandsmith6778]

@@TomGB-81 your "brummies talk posh" comment >> I'm blartin' w laffter I was born on the Dudley road btw

[@uliseslira577]

I love this particular content when you interview person with different dialect it's so enchanting Ana.❤️🤩😍

[@king-rat_]

A phrase that really confused an American I used to know was “Om tekkin the wammel dahn the cut” which means “I’m taking the dog for a walk down the canal”. It’s one of my favourites!

[@marcusbettina7543]

so now you have a vague idea how the english usually sounds to all the rest of Europeans, like a "wammel dahn the cut"

[@ASTMA193]

Nice one, Mirren. It's lovely to hear our Wolverhampton accent on KZbin spoken by such a happy person. Thanks.

[@mickrose6450]

I cum frum wulvuramtun to 😁many moons ago😅🫡🇦🇺

[@HappyAppleSteph07]

I'm from the black country and used to work in Tipton, my accent definitely got stronger whilst working there

[@observerstation]

Ay it?!

[@rocketreindeer]

This was great. She's super sweet. I could listen to her talk all day. Thanks from western Canada.

[@moniqueboyce1260]

Brummie here. I love how Mirren said "Billy, you'm very silly" instead of "...you're very silly." She says it a bit later in the interview as well. That is something only a yam yam would say. It comes from how Black Country folk use "am" instead of "are" which then gets shortened. So "you are/you're" becomes "you am/y'am/you'm." The way she pronounces "brown" like "browun" is also something uniquely Black Country. Brummies only use one syllable for that. Ironically, I live in Olbury now which is not far from Tipton. BTW, what Mirren said about the "banter" is spot on and I HATE it. LOL!

[@empty_cognizance2234]

Just wanted to say that, while I don't watch your videos that often (I'm from New York, so the general English instruction stuff is usually a pass for me), I really enjoy these regional accent videos you do from time to time. Also, last time I remember looking at your sub count it was (I think?) 250k-ish, so congratulations on your channel growth as well! 😁

[@storma95000]

I'm french but i love England and its multiple accents, your videos are all very interesting and inspiring ! Favourite is the scouser accent :) in french WE have multiple accents too, on the North, south, west ... Very interesting

[@vidiagamara]

the guest is so adorable, especially how you can tell their stifling a laugh with the pronunciations. thanks!

[@SalomDunyoIT]

I really loik it! amazing experience I got, thanks for finding and pursuing her to come.

[@TheLizardKing1967]

I do love your accent videos! Thanks Anne for your amazing accent videos. You always make my day mate. Cheers!

[@EnglishLikeANative]

My pleasure 😊

[@sewwoollyltd4509]

@@EnglishLikeANative It is just a shame that you are giving the wrong information when you are so called teaching. This video is a perfect example of that. There is no such thing as a West Midlands accent. Also people from Wolverhampton have a totally different accent to people that are living in Birmingham. I am a Brummie so I know a lot better than you do. You need to either take this video down and reupload it ONLY after you have edited it to correct yourself about saying that there is a West Midlands accent when there isn't and also to say that the Brummie accent to completely different in every way to a Wolverhampton accent.

[@youtuber7186]

This lady guest is so lovely! I'm autistic and all her micro-expressions and that remind me of myself, as well as her seeming over the moon excited to get to talk about her accent. I'm also from a "country" place with a very distinct dialect in Sweden, so I get all giddy in the same way when people ask me to "put it on"! I'm not trying to claim she is autistic too or anything, it's just an observation and reflection on myself and my own mannerisms. Great video :)

[@cejannuzi]

Thank you for making these different accents understandable linguistically and phonetically in terms that everyone can understand.

[@EnglishLikeANative]

Glad you like them!

[@izzy1987vazquez]

and that´s quite a good idea for teaching , interviewing english people , thanks Anna

[@monasticbacon1972]

Love the Birmingham accent. Thank you, Anna.

[@EnglishLikeANative]

You’re welcome 😊

[@sewwoollyltd4509]

That was not the Birmingham accent. That was the Wolverhampton accent. They are 2 totally different accents. I know this because I am a Brummie.

[@sewwoollyltd4509]

Except you didn't have someone with a Birmingham accent. You had someone with a Wolverhampton accent. They are 2 completely different accents. There is also no such thing as a West Midlands accent. I am a Brummie so I know more about it than you do. You should really do your research if you are going to be putting out so called educational videos. You are teaching people things that are not right.

[@salwatair8277]

@@sewwoollyltd4509 i want learn that can you help me? ❤

[@marcushudson3198]

Well Im from wolves I would say there pretty close tbh

[@martinmcgregor3569]

I now live in New Zealand but I miss the Midlands, the whole of the UK, very much. I am not exactly homesick, but the Kiwis are not my kind of people on the whole. When I revisited Warwickshire in 2014, I felt very much at home. I love the Midlands accent in all its forms. Most Kiwis are descended from immigrants from the north of England. Many of the farmers of Scottish stock. I did not come to New Zealand for a better life, I just happened to end up here as part of a working overseas experience. I am in touch with my cousins and some old school pals and that's nice. I make great use of KZbin and Google Earth to keep in touch with the UK, especially Warwickshire and Birmingham.

[@IITianProudIndian]

Interesting that you say that the Kiwis are not your kind of people..I have lived in NZ for a year and they were the nicest people I have ever met .. kind, outdoorsy and well spoken. A million times better than most Aussies. Would love to come back

[@seamusin1697]

I am curious to hear about what primary differences you have noticed between Kiwis and people from the north of England. What about New Zealanders bothers you or makes you feel uncomfortable? No judgment here. I just wanted to hear your thoughts on the matter.

[@ajs41]

Why are they not your kind of people? Just interested to know.

[@brunoliddle]

Interesting about the comment about most Kiwis being descended from the North of England - are you living in the South Island? I know in Taranaki a lot of the initial English settlers were from the Westcountry (hence New Plymouth) and you can still hear hints of that in some of the older families there.

[@martinmcgregor3569]

@@brunoliddle Huge numbers of immigrants from England arrived in New Zealand in the 1880' and 90's as a consequence of the Revolt of the Field by English farm labourers for better conditions. They came on assisted passage schemes and had to be people of good character. Although the revolt started in the south midlands, it was the people of the economically depressed northern counties who opted to migrate. At the time, New Zealand was in dire need of agricultural labourers and domestic servants. Opportunities opened up. A study of surnames would further confirm the northern English origins of the immigrants. To my ear, the NZ accent of the North island, at least, is distinctly northern English. There is not the slightest trace of a midlands accent. The people of Otago and Southland are mostly of Scots descent and that is reflected in the use of certain words, rather than accent. However, the famous Southland 'burr' (rolled 'r' at the end of a word) is distinctly West Country, not Scottish (which is a trill at the beginning of a word). The NZ accent generally spoken in the South Island is softer and more classic 'English' somewhat akin to the accents of the South Midlands and the Home Counties middle-class and not rustic. Overall, the NZ accent has become stronger and more northern English over the past 20 years or so. There are instances, such as the one you mention, where a cluster of immigrants settled, such as West Auckland by Croatians, Nelson by Germans, Akaroa by French, Dannevirke by Danes, as well as widespread Dutch settlement, but this has had Little impact on the NZ accent. Incidentally, the use of grammar in NZ is sometimes somewhat different to classic English - for instance "much more fastly" instead of "much faster." In truth, the NZ accent is changing regularly, new pronunciations ( or rather - mispronunciations) occur on a regular basis and largely spread by news readers and radio/TV journalists and usually by females. One of the problems is that the NZ education system has deteriorated markedly over the past three decades and, in fact, was never as good as Kiwis would have one believe.

[@izzy1987vazquez]

thanks for this lesson Anna , actually , I´ve got a friend from Birmingham and that was quite difficult to undarstand ,and at watching this video now I can undestand the way he speaks

[@nastyamastereng1893]

I'm looking forward to this video!!!

[@futraveller5498]

I love all the UK accent, they sound beautiful, awesome I simply love them

[@bordoraux9537]

I love this accents series. I would really like someone doing this in Spanish.

[@cdog6725]

Im from NC USA, I came upon this by way of reading about Jeff Lynne of ELO and it said he still had his Brummie accent. So we learn something new everyday. Blessing from America 😊.

[@blackmirror5601]

Lived in the WM for years and this sounds about right. Love Brummie. Thanks so much for thid video!

[@philhill3359]

I really enjoyed this, particularly the chat at the end. I'm 54 and I've lived in the Black Country my whole life and there can be a real difference in dialect used by people in towns that are only a few miles apart. I spent the first 20+ years living in Blackheath, moving to Dudley for ten years and I now live in Stourbridge. Even though these towns are only a few miles apart there will be differences in dialect. For instance I would always pronounce coat the same way as I would boat, but my wife (Dudley) would say coot, like boot. Sweets = suck. Shut the door = Put wud in the ole She also uses the phrase 'as gain as a glass eye' (as useful as a glass eye) regularly when we are discussing the Government. The use of wench can actually be used as a term of endearment - ower wench (my wife/sister) I have a friend who regularly drives up from Oxford for a night out at his favourite watering hole - The Bull & Bladder for several pints of Bathams and I spend most of the evening acting as a translator 😂😂

[@EnglishLikeANative]

Thank you for sharing your experience. I love the phrase you mentioned ‘as gain as a glass eye’ - I’ve never hear that but it’s brilliant.

[@TheEyez187]

Agreed. As different as Brummie is to yam-yam I think there's a similar difference between Yam-yam and those of us from Dudley, Brierley Hill and Stourbridge (born in Wordsley, just down the road from Lenny Henry's mothers, saw him and Dawn in Amblecote quite often). I'm Black Country, aye a yam-yam! :D

[@omaralali3784]

Thank you so much, Anna, for this such an amazing and lovely lesson. To be honest you are the best teacher and always you teach me different topics that make me happy to improve more my English language 😍😍

[@sewwoollyltd4509]

She has taught you wrong in this video. There is no such thing as a West Midlands accent. Also the Wolverhampton accent is totally different to the Birmingham accent. I am a Brummie so that means that I know what I am talking about.

[@YourShiza]

The way your shirt and your lipstick are almost the same colour in the beginning is so satisfying!

[@seanlaoch1678]

Oh, Jaysus! Deadly, class, sound, mint, top notch, brilliant! I like it.

[@davids1inwestholl45]

I've stumbled upon your channel & I have to tell you how much I adore your cultural & technical structure of your accents! I am amazed how a country (approx. 400 miles North to South?) that is not as large as the US, yet you can have such dynamic differences in the same language. It can sound like 2 different languages, but you're only separated by a few miles. For example w/ Birmingham, it is 100 mi. from Liverpool, yet as a Yank, I hear a huge difference. Where I live in the Midwest, I would have to drive 8 hours to get to NYC to find as thick an accent as the 100 mi. trip I mentioned above. Even within the Midwest, I could drive West for 6 hours & still not have much of a noticeable difference, however, I would find certain words used differently. For example, in one part of Ohio, if you said something that wasn't loud enough for me to hear, I would say "What?" (casual), or "Excuse me?" (formal), or "Huh?" (slang). But if I drove 200 miles South, they would say, "Please?" What a fascinating video, and an interesting channel. Thanks!😁

[@stevecollins6858]

It comes across really working class and like everyone would be friendly and willing to always help you. Could just be me.

[@melreed682]

Good video! I am an English learner from Germany and like your video a lot. If you could also show the phonetic writing of the changed vowels and diphthongs, this would be very helpful. Thanks a lot!

[@VikasGupta-waterrides]

I always learn something new here. I appreciate your effort making such video

[@BrummieLadd]

IM A PROUD BRUMMIE I LOVE MY ACCENT AND HERRITAGE IM NOT THE SHARPEST KNIFE IN THE DRAW BUT WHY AM I TYPING IN WITH CAPS LOCK BUGGER IT GREAT VIDEO 👍😊👍

[@TAKE_BACK_BRITAIN]

I appreciate anyone who is proud of their background, such pride is dying these days.

[@marksandsmith6778]

Ha Ha

[@owenwba710]

@@TAKE_BACK_BRITAIN Nice name mate

[@dmw1280]

I love hearing different accents from the great country of England. As a American who has family roots from Britain 🇬🇧 this makes me very interested in English culture.

[@geoffadams5537]

Ay up ar kid. I'm from Smethwick which is just out side Birmingham. In 1968 my family upped sticks and we moved to new Zealand.primary school was a complete sodding night mare. There was always some daft pillock ready to take the piss just because of my accent. Not 3 months into my new school this ignoramus decide to take the piss. He was daft enough to say he needed to put a plum in his in his mouth so he could talk like me. So I lumped him in the gob. Copped a colossal bollocking from the teacher copped a bollocking from the head master,and when I got home copped an earful from dad. Much later I calmed down a bit and in my 20's still had a bit of an accent, that's when I met this lovely American lass from Texas, she thought my accent was rather cute.sadly I've lost most of my accent. That's what you get for growing old. No sod it I'm proud of where I was born. And I couldn't give a tinkers cuss what people say about me.

[@chiaraippoliti]

Mirren is STUNNING! I could stare at her and listen to her lovely accent all day!

[@docmacyou]

Great video, really interesting accent. Your guest was charming.

[@martinmcgregor3569]

Just to add a bit more. I have almost lost my Midlands accent, probably due to the time I spent in the Australian Army. The middle-class Warwickshire accent is very neutral and I find it very easy to pick up other accents quickly. Both my parents were born and raised in Aston but had little trace of a Brummie accent. I really don't know why that was. Most of my cousins are much the same, either born in Henley-in-Arden of Earlswood, but none of them having an easily detectable accent. A mystery is four of my cousins, siblings with not much age separation, all have different accents!!!

[@SuperAnimelover100]

All UK accents are yummy but Aussie accents are Eweeeeeeeeeee.

[@wolfganghertwig3865]

Mirren is really lovely and charming ... I like her pronunciation very much 👌

[@ranabahadur1430]

she beautifully articulating the accent that i really love

[@abbysands9510]

This is a good video. I do love the comparison of the different accents in the UK. Like most people in the UK, well maybe I should just speak for myself, I had no trouble understanding this accent but I not able to differentiate it from some of the different accents in the North. I can differentiate it from Liverpool and Manchester and can also tell when the accent is from the north based on the vowels but to specific county is anybody guess.

[@FailedAragorn]

A native Yorkshire lad, I moved to the West Midlands when I was very young to a town called Stafford, which sits between the Black Country and Stoke on Trent, and it is fascinating to hear the gradient, which also means a lot of people in Stafford end up having a very neutral accent as the Stokie and the Yam Yam balance out.

[@lucmeredith2904]

Stafford is in Staffordshire...

[@FailedAragorn]

@@lucmeredith2904 so is Cannock and Leek, respectfully I'm not quite sure what your point is?

[@alvishussain770]

Peaky Blinders 😂 Arthur will be like..."Thommmaey"

[@BazColne]

Beautiful sounds. Great study. Very accurate. (Brummy)

[@carolelaeticiaakossongo238]

I love this accent so much.

[@xshez0n531]

"It ay" liked this word. Thanks Anne it was great words

[@EnglishLikeANative]

Glad you liked it!

[@TomGB-81]

Good song this is ay it, all/most of the Black Country slangs: kzbin.info/www/bejne/rKOsooaiqZ6Djsk KZbin vid: Black Country Alphabet Song

[@07Potterhead]

My granddad is from Rugby (I am American), and he sounds almost just like this! He says the long “aaa” sound and pronounces t’s in the middle of words. My grandma is from a tiny village called Hardmead and sounds pretty much the same. I’ve been hearing their accent my whole life and always assumed it was the “default” British accent, but now it’s fun to learn about all the variations.

[@nizampurking]

Nice

[@walter7x71]

I’m polish and I mastered my English language in Black Country in early 90ies so it was a pleasure to listen Mirren

[@glenlau5848]

This is a SUPER useful and helpful lesson! If you could put an accent lesson in Easterend TV Series of BBC in London, it would have the highest help! Thank you very much!

[@francescopuglisi2356]

Mirren, I love your accent! It's so lovely and sounding so kind and warm.

[@naturalbby1722]

I LOVE THE BRUMMIE ACCENT SO MUCH-SADLY I LIVE IN THE SOUTH AND HAVE A LONDONER ACCENT😭😭😂

[@aizaakhtar5166]

Thankyou for this wonderful video! 👍🤩

[@ElSa-bo4yd]

Amaaaaazing teacher and bostin' lecture 🤗

[@alif8884]

Grew up with frequent visits to my grandparents in the Birmingham area, I find myself slipping into it sometimes

[@LanguageEasy]

This accent seems pretty cute to me 😁 I love it!

[@nobbynoris]

Ha ha, yeah, cute like Shrek was cute . . .

[@sarahspilsbury9776]

Live right in the border of Black Country AND bIRMINGHAM: This is spot on! Thanks goes to the volunteer! Also: taught ESOL a few years back, and had Russian learner repeat my flat vowels back to me. Hope I have not limited her choices in life!

[@mustafaalbasry8198]

Oh you are certainly the best teacher to learn english and british accent I solute you madam

[@cc6546]

I love how their pitch rises and falls when they speak

[@rugbyjames3718]

You have to always go up at the end of the sentence

[@rugbyjames3718]

Or should I say sentunce

[@nissitchameny4204]

@@rugbyjames3718 hah!

[@ajs41]

Lots of accents do that including Scouse and Geordie. Maybe also Yorkshire.

[@nutsriket9687]

I do love your accent videos! Pls do the Essex accent next.

[@evalex71]

As an American (New Yorker) I learned a lot -- love it! Thank you

[@uliseslira577]

I love love this content related to accent culture in all different parts of London , please carry on upload this amazing content.

[@colonyofrats4193]

Birmingham isn’t in London you wet wipe

[@colonyofrats4193]

London isn’t Britian

[@paulnortham]

Thank you for taking our accent seriously! Really great to hear. I live in Bearwood, right on the border between the two, and while I can often tell the difference, it can be VERY HARD to explain to others! I think one general difference is that Brummie happens more towards the front of the mouth, and Black Country to the back of the mouth. Yam Yams can also add extra syllables here and there. So for 'home' you might hear 'howam'. In Brum, the 'y' at the end of some words can sound more like an 'i', while in the Black Country more like an 'ay'. Some of my fave words are: Yampy - mad Scraze - graze Outdoor - off-licence Kaylied - drunk Ar - Yes

[@thebrownehornet1]

YES! My wife grew up in the Black Country (Walsall), and i love the way she says shoes (shew-wezz), similar to your 'howam' example.

[@noellewilliams3362]

I found this because I'm reading "Confess" by Rob Halford of Judas Priest, who grew up in the Black Country. It's wonderful to hear the words and phrases he describes brought to life! And I'm a native Texan, so I understand being teased over one's accent!

[@knferris]

I found this video because I’m reading the same book. I’m Canadian so yes I have my own accent as well.

[@MetalTelecaster]

That’s also why I looked it up!

[@sir7586]

Wish to see more practice of this, thanks indeed

[@77kralle]

Greetings from Munich, your videos are always very instructive....😉👏

[@doddu]

The brummie accent dipthong in "Right" is very close to the way Australian's say it

[@Sn1k3rS]

I'd like to see the jamaican / patwa accent, that'd be so cool, especially that a good amount of people do speak jamaican in London :)

[@armaanahmed9725]

I love my brummie accent. I lost it when I moved away from brum. But i found it again last year. And I'm glad to have my brummie accent back. ☺😁😁😁

[@anlengocthien5678]

your channel is awesome. thank you very much for the videos!

[@xOmniCloudx]

American here. I have the VERY unpopular opinion of not being fond of most accents from England that many have. However, I discovered the West Midlands style of accents a couple of years ago and fell in love with them. It's one of my favorite accents on the planet. I was shocked to learn that it's incredibly unpopular in the UK and has even made worst UK accent lists. I've met some amazing people with that style accent that talk about all the nasty thing people say about it or them because of them having it. It always astounded me why it was so unpopular given how many accents there are and, how accent with drastically different pronunciations from the written rules have no problem being beloved in the UK. It led me to believe that it had to have been perhaps a joke or gag from the past that stuck around and, then people actually believed in it not knowing that it was never meant to be serious. In any case, so happy that you did this video. Mirren's accent is as amazing as are the others I know with it and it was a treat to watch and hear this video!

[@paulbrent7293]

I’m a Brummie and while in Tennessee on holiday I was asked by several people if I was Australian. I’ve been there twice and it happened on both occasions.

[@brumboru]

Im from Birmingham and spend a month in Blue Ridge GA every year and every one thinks I'm Australian

[@paulbrent7293]

@@brumboru Good to hear that it’s not just me John, I’m wondering whether it’s our (my) speech rather than accent. I tend to use the words “mate” and “bloke” quite often in general conversation and like to consider meself an affable sort of bloke. I could see some folks maybe associating this with the Aussie way.

[@user-ed7et3pb4o]

I think it's not so much the accent itself as stereotypes about the place. Which are themselves stupid. Birmingham was the most prosperous town in the country (average income higher even than London) until the end of the 70s and for over a hundred years had an unemployment rate around 2% max. It's only with central government meddling last century that its growth was deliberately suppressed and reversed, and it's been underfunded ever since. There's always been a lot of snobbery about the place because it's an industrial town that did away with feudalism a couple centuries before everywhere else - since the mid-16th century it basically functioned as an independent little city-state of 'free men' who had no 'lord of the manner' to answer for. It has a great civic history and spirit, another thing that was ruined by the scourge of centralisation.

[@jordanrt]

I have been to Chicago numerous times over the years and like others my brummie accent is always mistaken for an Australian accent.

[@LukeTR2000]

Currently at uni and in the first year I was in the same flat as someone from the Harlow area in London and he used to ask me multiple times what I was saying. I don't see myself as having a strong black country accent as my girlfriend has a stronger accent, though we aren't as strong as anyone from my moms or my grandads generation. I would say I'm one of those where my accent will change a bit to fit in in the surroundings or on the phone to be a bit clearer, I've even noticed that I articulate words more on a phone call than in everyday conversations. For me I definitely can hear the difference between Black Country and Brummie accents however, they are subtle and are easy to ignore unless someone asks me if I'm from Birmingham. Nah mate, I'm from Dudley and they always seem to go "Doodlaaaay" which is annoying sometimes as it's not quite the same sound 😂

[@golden220student7]

thank you Anna and thank you so much for your lovely guest Mirren.🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹❤❤❤❤✨