Publisher Description

This book combines dialect vocabulary and literature as a way to explain the North Sea coast and its social development a history-by-vocabulary approach. Fishing and Folk is the only book to bring together subjects as challenging as the coast itself; scenery, weather, wildlife, boats and fishing traditions, smuggling, communities and people. Bill Griffiths, the foremost scholar of northern English dialect was a genuine polymath. A former Hells Angel who spent some time at Brixton Prison he trained as a classical pianist; had a History degree; a doctorate in Saxon literature; was a member of the Society of Archivists and an internationally acclaimed poet. This rich background gave him an ear for the rhythm of language, a deep etymological range, a strong sense of time and place plus a fastidious attitude to accuracy. His range of skills and enormous enthusiasm for the language of ordinary northerners is clearly evident in Northumbria University Press successful Wor Language series, which includes the books Stotty n Spice Cake and Pitmatic: The Talk of the North East Coalfield. AUTHOR: Bill Griffiths was born in Middlesex but settled in Seaham, County Durham in 1990, in a sad decade for traditional trades and communities. Sometimes it seemed that only dialect was left as evidence of the centuries of hard work and social commitment that shaped the North East. He has produced a number of books on the history, dialect and place names of the North East and become involved with the Durham and Tyneside Dialect Group in 1998.

Notes

A history of the North Sea coast and its social developments, looking at the dialect, vocabularly and literature. B/w photos and line illustrations.

Author Biography

Bill Griffiths was a translator; a book designer, editor, and publisher; an archivist; a social historian; and a scholar of Old English. Recognized as one of the greatest dialect poets of the 20th century, he was the author of several hundred published works, including "Binaries. Not Sonnets," "Cycles," "The Dictionary of the North East Dialect," "Durham"" and Other Sequences," "Future Exiles," and "War with Windsor," ""as well as the Wor Language series.

Review

"A detailed work that draws together history, etymology and socio-linguistics to produce an original and interesting perspective on communities which have changed almost beyond recognition over the past few decades." --"Mariner's""Mirror "(Journal of the Society for Nautical Research)
"For more than one fellow poet, he was the only one of whom they would use the word genius." "--Guardian"
"The poet Bill Griffiths was an extraordinary writer: radical, experimental and scholarly, but also fun . . . His poetry may be held in the same regards as Ezra Pound." "--Independent"

Long Description

With enormous enthusiasm for the language of ordinary northerners, this scenic portrait of coastal peoples combines history, etymology, and recollections to record a folk culture that strives to survive against current worldwide trends of uniformity. The examination delves deep into the boat and fishing traditions that shape this small angler community, including smuggling, the scenery, and the surrounding wildlife. The increasing threat that globalization poses to these sea populations makes this an important preservation--as well as an excellent source of factual information and reference material about those who live on the North Sea.

Review Quote

"The poet Bill Griffiths was an extraordinary writer: radical, experimental and scholarly, but also fun . . .

Details