THE annual Cumbrian dialect competition is set to be held this weekend at Christ Church, Silloth.

People from across Cumbria gather to recite poems and texts they’ve written in the unique Cumbrian dialect.

Many entries are often humorous, but others reminisce about times gone by and old customs from the region.

Four prizes are given out on the day. One for the best, one for the most humorous, one for the best newcomer, and one for the best under 16.

Organiser and dialect speaker, Tim Barker, said that the event was always ‘special’.

“The Cumbrian dialect is the local accent taken to an extreme which changes a little bit wherever you go - every community in Cumbria more or less is different,” said Tim.

“The dialect uses words that don't really exist anywhere else and lot of these place names - words like ‘beck’ and ‘fell’ - have been retained in place names.

“There certainly are people eager to do it and you can have fun with strange rhymes where the proper English wouldn't fit.

“People enjoy writing about their own experiences, car breakdowns, that kind of thing, and we sit and lap it up.”

Tim said that despite dialect is still being used in more rural areas, he was fearful for the future of the Cumbrian dialect.

“I think in a hundred years it'll have gone,” said Tim.

“The dialect is still used in the country areas with older people. You still have conversations in broad dialect because I sit and understand and join in and it's only when I look back afterwards and think, that was effectively a different language.

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“But right across the country these wonderful dialects we have are all dying out.

“People listen to the radio and watch the TV, and accents are all tending to merge together.

“Younger people these days don't talk very much, they spend all the time conversing on their mobiles which means there's a whole new language there.”

The competition begins at 2pm on Saturday, October 5 at Christ Church, Silloth.