The Brummie accent has long been a defining feature of Birmingham, sparking opinions both within the city and across the country. Whether celebrated or criticised, this distinctive way of speaking plays a key role in shaping how Birmingham is perceived.
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00:00The origins of the Brummie accent trace back to the dialect spoken in the black country which
00:08remains distinct but closely related. The accent has evolved alongside Birmingham's industrial
00:14heritage and multicultural influences. Let's hear what residents think about the accent
00:20and how it reflects the character of the city. Well I don't have a lot of choice because I've
00:26been stuck with it for 65 years so I wouldn't know any different. But when I moved away,
00:31when I lived away in Scotland for many many years and I'd watch Birmingham TV on the local
00:37telly there, I used to think oh my god do I sound like him or her or god. So the accent
00:42comes across very very strong and sing-songy but strong. I think that people outside of
00:50Birmingham don't have a good impression of the Birmingham accent but I don't know I think it's
00:55it's just part of the area and it's quite nice to hear like we're both at uni so when you go away
01:01and then come back it's kind of a comforting thing yeah. Yeah unfortunately I'm not a local
01:06but when I hear it I think it's it's a great cheerful accent you know there's lots of funny
01:11sayings that I can't remember many off the top of my head but I think it's yeah one of the better
01:16accents in the UK definitely. Birmingham's accent gets very very misunderstood. They often think
01:23we're yam yams, we're not yam yams, we're not from the black country, we're Brummies and it's
01:28completely different accent. Yeah there's worse accents, there's better accents, there's not much
01:37I can do about it and it's too I'm too old in life now to have elocution lessons aren't I
01:43and I wouldn't want them anyway because it's a part of me, part of who I am. I've lived in this
01:47city many many years and yeah you like it or you don't and you don't like it
01:53everyone's got their own opinion of it don't they so there you go.