Dussunt thee miss them po-uts yappin on about thic dialect mind!
If you missed the Forest of Dean edition of Radio 4’s 'Tongue and Talk: The Dialect Poets' it is available to listen to on BBC Sounds https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/m000m4b2 until 23rd September 2020.
Produced by Radio 4 in collaboration with Jason Griffiths, who also works on our Reading the Forest and Voices from the Forest projects, this episode features many local forest personalities as Jason uncovers a rich seam of dialect poetry within the Forest of Dean.
With such a history of dialect poets and performers in the Forest it is no surprise that the programme decided to turn its attention our way.
These are just a few of the things you will treated to:
Find out what it is like to be a ‘Forester’ and the origins of the words in our dialect.
Keith Morgan and Maggie Clutterbuck read their work and talk about the importance of Forest dialect in their poetry.
Dick Brice reads from one of the earliest published works to include forest dialect, and former forest bookshop owner Doug McLean remembers the forest poets and performers he got to know during his 40 years in local publishing.
Reading the Forest's Roger Deeks discusses the importance and influence of F. W. Harvey’s dialect poems, and the impact of his broadcasts about the forest in the early years of the BBC.
University of Gloucestershire's Dr Michelle Straw talks about her research on dialect use in the Forest in which she drew on recordings housed in the Dean Heritage Centre. (See also our Forest Dialect project, led by Michelle)
And considering the future of forest dialect, Jason visits Monument mine and hears how local schools are engaging young people in their linguistic heritage. The children share how they are taking pride in and get a sense of belonging through the way we speak.
Above all, this is a programme that helps tell our forest story in a fascinating way!