Survey/Intro

[Ms Diddles]

There is a noticeable difference between the Black Country and Birmingham accent, providing you've spent a bit of time down there.

The Black Country accent is more melodic, a bit of a sing-song accent, whereas the Birmingham accent is more flat. But then again, I'm talking more Wolverhampton and I'd imagine there's a difference the closer you get to Birmingham, e.g. Sandwell.

As for Scotland, the accent you can't understand will be Glaswegian. Anyone listening to Kenny Dalglish being interviewed in the 1980s would have been thinking: "what?".

Yeah, F.M!

I must admit that I can spot a North East accent fine, but can't differentiate between geordie, maccum (spelling?!) and Durham accents at all.

I've lived in Glasgow for thirty years, so have no problems understanding it (even Kenny Dalglish!!).

I can now do a fairly convincing Glasgow accent if the mood takes me, but am told that I actually still sound much more English (ie people can understand me!!!)

Edit: Sorry, I mixed up my post a bit. I thought it was you that had mentioned Durham / Geordie accents, but it was actually Herlock. D'oh!

[Herlock Sholmes]

You see to my untrained ear, Osborne, Skinner and Henry all sound pretty much the same. (Sorry!!)

I would be unable to differentiate.

It's just lack of familiarity, I guess.

Similarly English people often can't tell the difference between Glasgow / Edinburgh / Inverness / Aberdeen but I'm pretty tuned into that having lived up here for so long.

I had a friend from Durham who was forever being called a Geordie and he always said that the two accents were nothing like each other, but they were to everyone not from that area. Unless you’re from a particular area many accents can sound the same or very similar. My Nan was from Rosyth but I just heard her accent as Scottish so there’s no way I could distinguish those accents that you mentioned.

[Fleetwood Mac]

You see to my untrained ear, Osborne, Skinner and Henry all sound pretty much the same. (Sorry!!)

I would be unable to differentiate.

It's just lack of familiarity, I guess.

Similarly English people often can't tell the difference between Glasgow / Edinburgh / Inverness / Aberdeen but I'm pretty tuned into that having lived up here for so long.

There is a noticeable difference between the Black Country and Birmingham accent, providing you've spent a bit of time down there.

The Black Country accent is more melodic, a bit of a sing-song accent, whereas the Birmingham accent is more flat. But then again, I'm talking more Wolverhampton and I'd imagine there's a difference the closer you get to Birmingham, e.g. Sandwell.

As for Scotland, the accent you can't understand will be Glaswegian. Anyone listening to Kenny Dalglish being interviewed in the 1980s would have been thinking: "what?".

[Ms Diddles]

Birmingham - think Ozzy Osbourne, Black Country - think Frank Skinner or Lenny Henry.

If you want to test if someone’s a Brummie ask them to say the word ‘year.’ They’ll pronounce it ‘yur.’

You see to my untrained ear, Osborne, Skinner and Henry all sound pretty much the same. (Sorry!!)

I would be unable to differentiate.

It's just lack of familiarity, I guess.

Similarly English people often can't tell the difference between Glasgow / Edinburgh / Inverness / Aberdeen but I'm pretty tuned into that having lived up here for so long.

[Herlock Sholmes]

Thanks Tristan!

That's interesting.

I very much doubt that I would be able to tell the difference between a brummie and a black country accent, so everyone from that region is now a Yam Yam to me (although not in an insulting way obvs)!

Will research this Bathams bitter.

If it's the world's finest ale, it's something that I need to know about. Now!

Birmingham - think Ozzy Osbourne, Black Country - think Frank Skinner or Lenny Henry.

If you want to test if someone’s a Brummie ask them to say the word ‘year.’ They’ll pronounce it ‘yur.’

[Ms Diddles]

Hi Mrs D,

Its a term people from Birmingham use to describe people from the Black Country (The old industrial area around the city). Basically due to the Black Country Accent the phase 'Are you' sounds like 'Yam' so when someone asks 'are you alright/ok?' it sounds like 'Yam alright'. Its a bit of a derogatory term, so its probably best not to call someone from the area itself a yam yam (and please Herlock Sholmes I was not by any means calling you one!) but lots of people from the area do call themselves a yam yam (myself included) in that kind of self depreciating way. Funny when I am in Birmingham my innate Brummie accent comes out and when I am in the Black Country somewhere from deep within my genes (or possibly having spent days at my Grannies house as a little one) I speak with a twang of a Black Country accent. I love it! And love being back in the Black Country, though with my Grannie long gone now and my wife and I in France, the opportunities are few and fair between now. Its a wonderful place full of wonderful people and rather the importantly the home to the worlds finest and I mean finest ales, Bathams Bitter.

Gosh I miss that stuff!

Thanks Tristan!

That's interesting.

I very much doubt that I would be able to tell the difference between a brummie and a black country accent, so everyone from that region is now a Yam Yam to me (although not in an insulting way obvs)!

Will research this Bathams bitter.

If it's the world's finest ale, it's something that I need to know about. Now!

[Losmandris]

Hi Mrs D,

Its a term people from Birmingham use to describe people from the Black Country (The old industrial area around the city). Basically due to the Black Country Accent the phase 'Are you' sounds like 'Yam' so when someone asks 'are you alright/ok?' it sounds like 'Yam alright'. Its a bit of a derogatory term, so its probably best not to call someone from the area itself a yam yam (and please Herlock Sholmes I was not by any means calling you one!) but lots of people from the area do call themselves a yam yam (myself included) in that kind of self depreciating way. Funny when I am in Birmingham my innate Brummie accent comes out and when I am in the Black Country somewhere from deep within my genes (or possibly having spent days at my Grannies house as a little one) I speak with a twang of a Black Country accent. I love it! And love being back in the Black Country, though with my Grannie long gone now and my wife and I in France, the opportunities are few and fair between now. Its a wonderful place full of wonderful people and rather the importantly the home to the worlds finest and I mean finest ales, Bathams Bitter.

Gosh I miss that stuff!

Sorry! Just caught up after posting my response!

[Losmandris]

What on earth is a Yam Yam, Herlock / Tristan?

I've never heard that before.

Hi Mrs D,

Its a term people from Birmingham use to describe people from the Black Country (The old industrial area around the city). Basically due to the Black Country Accent the phase 'Are you' sounds like 'Yam' so when someone asks 'are you alright/ok?' it sounds like 'Yam alright'. Its a bit of a derogatory term, so its probably best not to call someone from the area itself a yam yam (and please Herlock Sholmes I was not by any means calling you one!) but lots of people from the area do call themselves a yam yam (myself included) in that kind of self depreciating way. Funny when I am in Birmingham my innate Brummie accent comes out and when I am in the Black Country somewhere from deep within my genes (or possibly having spent days at my Grannies house as a little one) I speak with a twang of a Black Country accent. I love it! And love being back in the Black Country, though with my Grannie long gone now and my wife and I in France, the opportunities are few and fair between now. Its a wonderful place full of wonderful people and rather the importantly the home to the worlds finest and I mean finest ales, Bathams Bitter.

Gosh I miss that stuff!

[Ms Diddles]

Its a play on the Black Country accent Ms D. “You are,” becomes “yo am,” which becomes “y’am,” My dad had a broad Black Country accent and my grandad’s was even broader. I once took a girlfriend to meet my Nan and grandad when I was 17/18. She was from Slough. She could understand my Nan (she was Scottish) but she could barely understand my Grandad. So if my Grandad had said “you’re going to the shop,” it would have come out as “yam gooin’ to the shap.” That’s why we sometimes get called yam yams by Brummies.

Ahhhh! Good answer, Herlock!

I'd never heard that before.

Thanks!

[Al Bundy's Eyes]

Its a play on the Black Country accent Ms D. “You are,” becomes “yo am,” which becomes “y’am,” My dad had a broad Black Country accent and my grandad’s was even broader. I once took a girlfriend to meet my Nan and grandad when I was 17/18. She was from Slough. She could understand my Nan (she was Scottish) but she could barely understand my Grandad. So if my Grandad had said “you’re going to the shop,” it would have come out as “yam gooin’ to the shap.” That’s why we sometimes get called yam yams by Brummies.

Y'awright yam yow?

I particularly like the West Bromwich peculiarity of using "yim" for "your/you". Bit more generational now as the language changes though.

[Fleetwood Mac]

Thanks FM.

No bother, Herlock!

[Herlock Sholmes]

Thanks FM.

[Fleetwood Mac]

[*]Location (country will do but if you want, you could add your country of birth too if you want to)

County Durham.

[*]How did you first discover the case?[*]What was the first book(s) that you read on the case?

Can't remember but long before the Michael Caine film.

[*]If you had to pick a number what would be your choice as the likeliest number of victims?

'Couldn't pick, would only say more than 5.

[*]Of the named suspects which, if any, do you think are the likeliest?

'Couldn't. There are a few candidates who may be an option, but none of them would remotely stand up in a court of law.

My hunch is that the murderer may have been mentioned in inquest testimonies and the like but isn't generally considered to be a suspect.

[*]This has been asked on another thread but….if you could be given the answer to one particular aspect of the case (not who did it) what would you choose?

The inconsistencies in witness statements at Miller's Court, the singing and so on.

[*]If you had the opportunity to question one of the witnesses in the case who would you choose?

Julia Venturney

[*]Is there any important aspect of the case that you’ve changed your mind about of the years?

From Lawende probably did see Catherine to Lawende probably didn't see Catherine.

[*]Do you have any pet hates about the case or how we look at it?

No.

[*]How likely/unlikely do you think it is that the case will ever be solved?

'More chance of God knocking at my door for a cup of tea.

[*]Is there anyone in the case that you feel might be worth closer investigation as a possible suspect?

Leon Goldstein.

[Herlock Sholmes]

Good evening Herlock, well, here goes:

1. Born in England but living in Germany.
2. My mum has always had a keen interest in the case, and it brushed off onto me.
3. I can't remember the first book, but in line with Q2 answer, I stayed up and watched a documentary in 1988. At the age of 9 it made me have a nightmare, but it was the first nightmare I wasn't scared from, only fascinated.
4. I would like to think the C5, but to be honest I haven't delved into the likely victims after MJK.
5. I don't know, I like to read people's ideas on here; I do honestly believe somebody has named JtR.
6. What was the reason for the level of mutilations, especially MJK.
7. Tough one, Lechmere I guess as he most of missed JtR buy minutes.
8. To be honest, it's always changing with what I read on here.
9. Not really.
10. I believe he has been named, but not all the t's have been crossed for the complete answer.
11. Jack the Ripper: The facts by Mr Begg.
12. I'm not sure...Lechmere, maybe.

Regards,

Jim

Hi Jim, thanks for the answers.

[Herlock Sholmes]

What on earth is a Yam Yam, Herlock / Tristan?

I've never heard that before.

Its a play on the Black Country accent Ms D. “You are,” becomes “yo am,” which becomes “y’am,” My dad had a broad Black Country accent and my grandad’s was even broader. I once took a girlfriend to meet my Nan and grandad when I was 17/18. She was from Slough. She could understand my Nan (she was Scottish) but she could barely understand my Grandad. So if my Grandad had said “you’re going to the shop,” it would have come out as “yam gooin’ to the shap.” That’s why we sometimes get called yam yams by Brummies.