Brum - Birmingham (formerly Brummagem) and full of Brummies

BRUM

Noun. Slang. Mid-19th century.

[Shortened from BRUMMAGEM.]

(A nickname for) the town (now a city) of Birmingham, England.

BRUMMAGEM

Adjective & noun. Archaic. Mid-17th century.

[Dialect form of BIRMINGHAM.]

A1 adjective. Of the quality of coins and some other goods made in Birmingham, England;

counterfeit, sham, tawdry. M17

A2 adjective. obsolete. See BIRMINGHAM.

B1 noun. obsolete. See BIRMINGHAM.

B2 noun. (an article of) counterfeit or cheap and showy ware. M19

BRUMMIE

Noun & adjective. Colloquial. Also Brummy. Mid-20th century.

[formed as preceding: see -IE.]

(A native or inhabitant) of Birmingham, England.

The Brummie accent, one of the most recognisable of the UK's plethora of regional accents, frequently tops the "Worst British Accent" type poll, and is attached to stereotypes such as Brummies being stupid and uneducated (in UK slang, a 'Brummie screwdriver' is a hammer). It's also a mercilessly impersonated accent, being (fairly) easy to copy for crude comedic purposes; in fact, during my research for this post, I found it exceptionally difficult to find a good quality video of someone Brummie talking in a Brummie accent, as YouTube is so full of people impersonating it. All of this, quite naturally, is rather irksome to the good people of Birmingham, who feel that the stereotypes are unfair (which is fair enough), and also feel that if us outsiders are going to impersonate them, we could at least bother to make sure we're impersonating the right accent, and not confusing a Brummie accent with, say, a Black Country one (don't ask me - I wouldn't have a clue).

Veteran BBC broadcaster Sue Lawley who consciously changed her Black Country accent at the start of her career
(photo courtesy of BBC Radio 4)

So, are Brummies a stupid and uneducated lot? Is Birmingham really a big, rough, dirty, run-down city full of unemployed louts, as its stereotype suggests? Well, it's worth noting that, contrary to popular opinion, Birmingham is a rather exceptional place, with a proud history in trade and commerce, manufacturing, the arts and literature and architecture. Some rather 'bostin' facts about Birmingham include:

• It's the UK's second most populous city after London with a population of over one million.
• It's the birthplace of numerous great musicians and bands, including: Black Sabbath, ELO, Dodgy, Ocean Colour Scene, Duran Duran, and UB40
• Birmingham's 18th century canal network, with 56kms of waterways, is longer than that of Venice
• Birmingham's Jewellery Quarter is the epicentre of the UK's jewellery industry, accounting for over 40% of the national production

One last thing - if (like me) you didn't ever know the origin of Brummie, it's from the name Brummagem, which was the dialectical form of Birmingham and has been in use since the 17th century. I also leave you with a video of Roy Wood of ELO being interviewed so that you can hear a Brummie accent. You can also listen to a BBC discussion regarding the Brummie accent by clicking here.

*It's not the best sound quality, so if you know of a better example of someone talking Brummie, do let me know and I'll gladly include it.

Are you from Brum?

Do you speak with a Brummie accent? Do you suffer from dialectism?

Do you have any thoughts on the accent or city that you'd like to share with the world?

Do please comment below.