Tongue and Talk: The Dialect Poets

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Series exploring dialect poetry in different parts of the UK.

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Tongue and Talk: The Dialect Poets: Hull

Hull

BBC Radio 4 - Tongue and Talk: The Dialect Poets, Hull

Playwright, poet and comedian Gill Adams explores dialect and poetry in her native Hull.

Playwright, poet and comedian Gill Adams explores dialect and poetry in her native Hull, the East Yorkshire city with a long association with fishing, ships and the sea.

The popular series soaking up poetry and dialect from different corners of the UK returns - and in the first episode playwright, comedian and poet Gill Adams explores the way people speak in her home city of Kingston upon Hull on Yorkshire's East Coast.

From the heart of Hessle Road in the centre of Hull, once a thriving fishing community, to the banks of the river Humber, Gill goes back to her roots with fellow poets Dean Wilson, Carol Coiffait, Ian Winter and David Okwesia. 

Gill asks if the Hull dialect with its flat vowels and unique terminology come from the fact that it's a port and gateway to Europe? Or are we still hanging onto the sayings our Mams and Grannies used to keep us in check when the men were away at sea?

Gill visits Rayners, the pub at the very heart of the sea-faring community, she talks about her childhood and growing up in Hull, hears from experts about how the unique dialect of Hull has evolved over the years, and finds out how new writers are using the changing dialect and accent in their poetry.

Other episodes in the series explore poetry and dialect in Portsmouth, Liverpool and Cornwall.

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