The Birmingham and West Midland area has retained vowel sounds from old English, where other areas lost them in a period called the great vowel shift from middle English to modern English. You can hear it in words like ‘you’ pronounced ‘yow’. The rest of England say BirmingHAM but people from that city say BirmingUM.
Why do people from Birmingham use mom?
Mom and Mommy are old-English words, words that are stilled used in Birmingham and most parts of the West Midlands, we all use the term Mom and Mommy never Mum or Mummy, as here the correct spelling is Mom and Mommy has been for hundreds and hundreds of years, when people from the West Midlands went to America all
Do Birmingham people say mom or mum?
Like Birmingham, ‘Mom’ is what is generally used in the US, with ‘Mum’ more popular in most of England. But it’s popularity in the West Midlands shows it may be a regional pronunciation, maybe influenced by the Brummie accent.
Why do the British use the term mom?
In British English, it is mostly used as a sign of repect for a woman of superior rank, say, in the military or police. In the film clip, Keeley Hawes appears to be playing the Prime Minister, whose bodyguard addresses her as ‘ma’am’ with the reduced vowel.
What is the British spelling of mom?
mum
Certainly if you’re in the US, your mother is your “mom” – short for “mommy” and in the UK, Australia and New Zealand it’s “mum” – shortened from “mummy”.
How do brummies say tooth?
Brummies everywhere seem to forget that the word ‘tooth’ has a double ‘O’. Instead of pronouncing it like they would any other word with a double vowel, they seem to go with saying ‘tuff’.
Where in UK do people say mom?
Birmingham
In Birmingham and the West Midlands, in England, most say and write mom. Even the local newspapers and schools spell it as mom. Although Mother’s Day occurs on a different date in the UK, Brummies and Americans would both be sending cards to the “Best Mom.”
Who says mom in England?
One word in particular that stands out in English dialects is the word we use for our mothers. The British typically use ‘mum’, and the Americans, ‘mom’.
What is a true Brummie?
The Brummie dialect, or more formally the Birmingham dialect, is spoken by many people in Birmingham, England, and some of its surrounding areas. “Brummie” is also a demonym for people from Birmingham.
Who says mam in the UK?
Mum is common throughout Britain, but particularly in the south. Mam is used in Ireland, Wales, Scotland and parts of northern England. Mom is most associated with American English.
What do Brits call their dad?
The UK generally goes with “mum” and “dad”, the Irish with “mam” (mammie). Down south (towards London) it’s pronounced “m-uh-m”, whereas up north (towards Scotland, Manchester) they pronounce it “m-ooh-m”.
Why do British say mum instead of mom?
But ‘mum’ is the correct spelling in the UK, and ‘mom’ is recognised as an American word. This wasn’t always the case however. In Middle English Circa 1400s words were spoken as they were pronounced, the word ‘mome’ was used to mean mother, and was likely pronounced /moːm/.
Why do the British say oy?
Oi is an interjection used in British English to get the attention of another person or to express surprise or disapproval. “Oi” was first documented in the 1930s and is particularly associated with working class and Cockney speech. It is effectively a local pronunciation of “hoy”, an older expression.
Why do West Midlands say mom?
Brummies just say ‘mom’. It’s like the way that people from Manchester say ‘sound’ when they mean ‘good’.
Why do British people say Zed?
The British and others pronounce “z”, “zed”, owing to the origin of the letter “z”, the Greek letter “Zeta”. This gave rise to the Old French “zede”, which resulted in the English “zed” around the 15th century.
Do British say mum instead of ma am?
We have several informal words for “mother” in English: mum (heard in much of England), mom (heard in much of America), and mam (heard in Ireland and Northern England).
Why do Brummies say Bab?
Definition: Bab is generally a term of endearment meant for people you know quite well. Kind of like saying ‘hun’ or ‘babe’.
Is mom an English word?
Mom is the American English version. Mum is the British English version.
What’s the Birmingham accent called?
Brummie
Different parts of the UK have their own dialects and their own different ways of using the English language. ‘Brummie‘ is the term for Birmingham’s own dialect, as well as a name for people who come from the city of Birmingham.
What words do Brummies say weird?
16 Birmingham and Black Country slang terms explained
- ‘Ackee 1-2-3’
- ‘Bostin”
- ‘Scrage’
- ‘Buzz’
- ‘Evelyn Mel’
- ‘This ain’t gettin’ the babby a frock and pinny’
- ‘Donnies’
- ‘Gambol’
What do Brummies call a roundabout?
Gully – an alleyway, or space round the back of houses. Having a Benny – to throw a strop. Island – a roundabout.