General Chat

Im confused here and perhaps some of you lovely Geordies can help me. Whats the difference between Newcastle and Durham? surely you people are all the same, cos you all sound the same. My dad is from Stanley and misses Durham and Newcastle and the people but what is the difference ANYONE Regards Yvonnex

Isn`t Newcastle a city within the county of Durham ?

Newcastle is in the County of Northumberland.... Durham, Sunderland, Washington etc are in the County of Durham. The river Tyne runs through Newcastle, the river Wear runs through Durham city, people are sometimes referred to as Tynesiders or Wearsiders. The accent is almost the same but there are a few variations.... generally speaking the Durham accent is slightly, ever so slightly, softer; but to the 'Southerners' we all sound the same! Either way, they're all warm hearted, generous and friendly people - geographically the counties are very similar with tracts of hills, moorlands, seascape etc. The heavy industries were also the same, coal mining and ship building. 'Geordies' typically refer to people from the Newcastle area, not Durham... we're either Makim's or Wearsiders! Hope that helps! Brenda from Durham!

This has confused me...(doesn't take much) Any address I write to in Newcastle is Newcastle upon Tyne, In Washington, Sunderland and Gateshead it is Tyne and Wear, I thought Northumberland started slightly north of Newcastle - covering Morpeth, Alnwick, Amble etc. I know Durham is definately County Durham - as I'm here right now - at least I think that's where I am!

Newcastle is not in northumberland ,and has'nt been for a number of years.Newcastle upon tyne is a county in it's own right.Macums are supposed to be from Sunderland but the only real rivalry is fighting over the two football teams which get's very heated at times. As an adopted Geordie i find all the people up here are fantastic, including the so called monkey hangers from Harlepool,and indeed the scenery is beutiful.Fred.ptfg.&a&g&s.

Thanks to all of you for answering my question and has given me some understand of it now. Thanks also to Brenda, Im not really a southerner cos Im in Liverpool but I suppose it is a bit south. ha ha I havent been to Newcastle for a long time, but dad has been back home more times than me, and like nearly all the men from Durham he and his father and brothers all worked down the mines. Thanks all Best wishes Yvonne x

Funnily enough when I lived in Seaton Carew (My Gran's Birthplace) in the late 1950s I could hear the difference between several accents in the area. Middlesbrough, Hartlepools, The Collieries, Durham, Newcastle and Sedgefield all had their nuances. I doubt if I could tell them now though after being away for over 40 years.

Divvent tak to me aboot them makems! I wadn't gan ter sunlun (sunderland) if yer paid uz! When I was a kid I was told that Jarrow (Jarrer) was the 'centre of Geordieland'. I was born and raised (or 'dragged up by me bootstraps') in South Shields, which was in County Durham. Then we became part of Tyne and Wear (a term most Geordies don't like as it lumps us in with the makems!). Then we became South Tyneside. Generally I consider South of the Tyne, but on the banks of the Tyne, ie South Shields (Soo Sheels), Gateshead (Gatesheed) and Jarrer to be South Tyneside. Towns on the north banks of the Tyne (North Shields, Tynemouth, etc, to be North Tyneside. Durham folk are lovely but as kids, we considered them to be 'al scenty bottle' and they taks a bit posh fer the likes of us proper Geordies. The Northumbrian accent is lovely and very different from 'reet' proper Geordie. Those in North Shields speak differently from those in South Shields (broader--if that's possible!) I didn't realise til I moved down south that I spoke a completely different language to the rest of the country! No-one understood a word I said--particularly when I used vernacular like honkers, geet, sneck, gowk, howk, howay, femmer, etc! The little girl I look after thrilled me today by telling me 'When I grow up i want to be a Geordie!'. I'm sure her upper class southerner parents will be delighted! Ta-ra pet! Gan canny! Sal

Just nipped on for quick browse and saw that . Way to go Sal. Still no kip kb?

Karen, have you never heard of 'geet lush'--as in 'That George Clooney, he's geet lush!'? Eeeeh, pet, where are you from like? My best mate is from Herts and I've even got her saying 'geet lush' now!

Karen, That is an outrage! If 'geet lush' makes you a makem, then it makes me one too! Ah've nivver been so insulted in all me born days! I sent your stamp joke to my cousin in North Shields--he just replied 'I went to Sunderland once...it was closed'.