Click on names to find out more about the participants.
Relationship of interviewees: Friends
Where: Dudley, West Midlands
Language of interview: English
Voice clip 1
The group discuss the local expression "on the box". If someone is "on the box" it means they're off work and claiming benefits - but they've known outsiders to misinterpret it as meaning anything from "on television" to "dead".
This clip contains language which some may find offensive.
Voice clip 2
The group discuss a Black Country phrase which is used to describe the weather. They talk about how it is easily misunderstood and how difficult it is to actually explain what it means.
Gary O'Dea
Gary explains what's great about the Black Country and why its language is nothing to apologise for.
Brian Dakin
Brian remembers the pressure on him from his father to change the way he spoke when he went to grammar school.
Long description of interview: All four group members were born and bred in the Black Country and have a special interest in the local language and dialect. All have working-class roots and have worked hard and done well for themselves. As well as holding down regular jobs, two of them are poets, one a writer and the other a musician, and they all perform together at local events. They are all passionate about the local area and about the way it is perceived by outsiders, and become very animated when talking about the way the Black Country is portrayed in the media. Greg is the least vocal of the group, while Brian and Gary both have plenty to say.
