Philip Holland
'It's flinkerin' wi snow up in the Peak'.... this is ancient Derbyshire speak explaining that it's beginning to snow in the Peak District!
It's just a flavour of the dying embers of the Derbyshire dialect that have been rescued by former dairy farmer and University of Derby Creative Writing student Philip Holland as part of his degree research.
This quaint old saying and other gems, have been captured in Philip's absorbing new book Words of the White Peak - the disappearing dialect of Derbyshire.
Philip, 58, was on a mission to rescue the words, phrases and pronunciations of the Peak District. Words of the White Peak was based on Philip's independent study and for his research. He interviewed more than 150 people ranging from nine to 88 years of age. He said: "It's interesting that regional ways of speaking are very popular at the moment. You only have to listen to the BBC to realise that accents are in vogue. However, local dialects are more or less gone.
"I'm Derbyshire born and bred and I want to ensure some of the language that I grew up with is preserved for future generations. I know I can't prolong forever the way my father and grandfathers and those before spoke, but there's a legacy I desperately want to protect and creating this historical and cultural record goes some way toward doing that."
