Geordie accent to be studied at Newcastle University in 'celebration of diversity'

Hadaway man! A university has launched a study into the to celebrate its diversity.

Stars like Sting, Ant and Dec, Alan Shearer and Jimmy Nail have helped to make Geordie one of the most popular accents in Britain. Now is holding an open day to identify varieties of the dialect and create an audio archive. Phonetics lecturer Dr Cong Zhang said: “We are looking at the accent heard in Newcastle and dialects from Sunderland and North and South Tyneside.

“We want people to be aware of the rich diversity and celebrate that.” Language experts are seeking views on regional stereotypes to see if they are partly driven by the way we speak.

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Dr Zhang, 36, from Tianjin in , said: “I came to Newcastle in 2011 and at first found the accent very difficult to understand. But it feels to me like a very nice, very welcoming dialect.

“I always wanted to learn more about it. Everyone likes rainbows because of their rich colours and it should be the same with dialects.” The event, “Wey aye, man: Think you know a North-East accent when you hear one?” is part of a Festival of Social Science. It is on this Saturday at Farrell Centre, Newcastle.

Wey aye, how to speak like a Bobby dazzler

Howay man: This phrase means many things depending on the tone. It could mean “hurry up” or “get off it”.

Wey aye man: Or simply “wey aye”, is an excited way of saying “yes, of course”.

Pet: A term of endearment, used in the same way as “dear” or “my love”.

Makem: A native of Sunderland. From “mack ‘em” (make them) in shipbuilding. Not always a term of endearment.

Gadgie: An old man.

Radgie: A particularly aggressive person.

Bobby dazzler: Something or someone excellent.

Bait: Packed lunch for work, see also clamming: hungry.

Bonnie: Good looking.

Hadaway (man): This can be used to express disbelief.

Canny: Nice.