Mancunian

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Mancunian (or Mancs) is a dialect, and the name given to the people of Manchester, England, and surrounding areas within Greater Manchester.

[edit] Dialect

The dialect itself differs to other Northern English dialects. This is most noticeable with words ending in 'er' such as 'tenner' which would be pronounced 'tenn-or'. The accent originally may have developed from the old Lancastrian dialects and could have been affected by the vast influx of immigrants introduced to the city during the industrial revolution, when the cities of Salford and Manchester became a port due to the building of the Manchester Ship Canal. Immigrants moved to the city for work opportunities from many parts of Europe, most notably Ireland.

[edit] Geographical coverage

The term 'Manc' has, in recent years,^[when?] become a word to describe people who speak with this particular accent who are from the wider Manchester area, not necessarily the political borders of the City of Manchester. Although Salfordians speak with a Mancunian dialect, many who live in the historical boundaries of Salford, particularly those of the older generations, identify as Salfordian rather than Mancunian.

The accent itself is very distinctive with celebrities speaking a Mancunian dialect including Bez of the Salford band Happy Mondays, and Liam Gallagher of Burnage band Oasis. Another example is that of music mogul Tony Wilson who was affectionately known as 'Mr Manchester' due to his work in promoting the greater cultural status of Manchester, despite being raised in Salford.

Other famous Mancunians who were not born within the City's boundaries include Terry Christian, a TV presenter who was born in Stockport and English boxer Ricky Hatton brought up in Hattersley, Tameside. The accent has featured in Manchester based comedies such as Shameless and the The Royle Family. Manchester's most famous soap opera Coronation Street has, despite being based in the city, less pronounced Mancunian accents than other TV shows set in the area.

[edit] Slang

Some of Manchester's most notable words, phrases and sayings include 'Avin a buzz', meaning to have a good time, 'Our kid' spoken as 'Are kid' meaning a sibling or sometimes to a friend and a phrase that embodied the Madchester era, 'Mad for it'. Also when referring to who is Manc and who is not many of the population of Greater Manchester, most notably the younger generations use postcodes and area codes. So anyone who lives or was born under a Manchester postcode beginning with M and them who have the Manchester area code of 0161 would be classed as 'Manc'.