Lost for words – saving the mother tongue

What with the “weans”, they had had little time to “red up” but how about if they were to “wet a pot of tea“?

A new survey carried out for Collins Dictionaries lists regional expressions in England that are dying out.

Words like “ommuck” for sandwich and “drangway” for lane are no longer popular. But the unique Northern Ireland “speak’ is also under threat.

Linguistics expert Professor Loreto Todd from the University of Ulster said many of the words linked to the shipyard were disappearing and the language of the linen industry was almost extinct.

“As long as a language lives it will grow and parts will drop off,” she explained.

More information at: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/northern_ireland/8339552.stm