Ark at that – This one probably originated in the West Country, but has travelled across to the West Midlands. It is an instruction to look or listen to something that someone has said, usually as a way to draw attention to something foolish. More generally, the Brummie accent has a bad reputation, met with a lot of stereotypes, and we have no idea why. It’s delightful, and Brummies are some of the friendliest people in the country. Face as long as Livery Street – Someone who looks unhappy. The phrase comes from the road running from Colmore Row to Constitution Hill, a half-mile in length. As for consonants, it’s the ‘g’ which makes a big difference. Words with an ‘ng’ sound, like singer, are given a much heavier ‘g’ sound (sin-Ga). However, words with an ‘ing’ ending are often just shortened to an ‘in’, cutting out the ‘g’ altogether, just to confuse you. You’re welcome. One of the biggest differences is the way Brummies pronounce their vowel sounds, which tend to be drawn out longer than in ‘standard English’, or received pronunciation (RP).

The regular vowel, ‘I’, is often pronounced as ‘oy’, like in ‘choice’ (for example, ‘Oy went to the shops’). Following this pattern, ‘price’ becomes ‘proys’. The short ‘u’ sound, used in words like ‘up’, ‘above’ and ‘hut’, is often lengthened into an ‘oo’ sound, like in ‘took’. Round the Wrekin – Going the long way round, or telling a long story rather than getting to the point. Named after the Wrekin Hill in East Shropshire.

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Do One – Get lost/go away. (0121 is the Birmingham dialling code). Brummies aren’t an unfriendly bunch, and the phrase is often said in jest. Tea – This is one to confuse the Southerners, but put your kettle down, ‘tea’ is the evening meal, known as ‘dinner’ in RP. Whereas ‘water’ is traditionally pronounced as ‘waw-tuh’, in Birmingham it is a little closer to ‘waw-tA’, with the ‘uh’ sound being replaced by a stronger ‘a’ sound. The same applies to a lot of adverbs and words ending -er, including ‘better’ and ‘faster’.

Bab – Nice and simple, bab is a word similar to ‘love’, or ‘dear’. It’s a term of endearment, perhaps slightly more often directed at women, but applicable to people of all gender identities. Anyone can be a ‘bab’, from someone you know and love, to someone you’ve just met. Babby – A baby. Not sure why we added an extra ‘b’, but as the pronunciation is different (like ‘tabby’ cat) it makes sense.Since you are here, we would like to share our vision for the future of travel - and the direction Culture Trip is moving in.