How to say happy birthday in Yorkshire dialect

Table of Contents

• Overview
• What exactly is a Yorkshire dialect?
• How do Yorkshire folk pronounce happy birthday?
• Is there anything else that needs to be done?
• If I want to send someone a message, what should I say?
• Are there any rules about how words are pronounced?
• Where does this dialect come from?

Overview

If you want to say happy birthday in Yorkshire, simply say: ‘appy birthday’. If you want to be a little more authentic, miss the ‘y’ off the end and say ”appy birthda”

What exactly is a Yorkshire dialect?

The way people speak in Yorkshire varies a lot depending on where they live. It’s not like there is one way that all Yorkshire folk speak. Generally, the further north and west you go, the broader it gets.

There is a clear difference between people from Sheffield (south) and Leeds (a bit north of Sheffield), and I’m well placed to know as I’ve lived in both places for many years. And again, the way people speak in Leeds is different from how they do in York (even further north).

Of course, it doesn’t just depend on where they come from; it also depends on how old they are and what they do for a living. If a person works in an office talking to customers or clients all day, they’ll probably speak more formally than someone who works on their own.

That said though, there are a few things that most of us have in common; we tend to drop the first letter of words beginning with ‘h’, and quite often the last letter too if it’s a ‘y’, although I think that’s true for most British people.

How do Yorkshire folk pronounce happy birthday?

As mentioned above, we tend to drop the first and last letters so usually it comes out as ”appy birthda”, although I have heard some people pronounce the y at the end. The only way to know how someone will say it is to listen to them speaking and see how they pronounce similar words.

I grew up just outside Leeds which makes me an expert at being from Leeds. I suspect that my opinion will be challenged by other experts from different parts of Yorkshire though; that’s just what we’re like.

I recorded myself saying happy birthday in my best Leeds accent which you can see on this YouTube video. Although I can’t honestly say that my accent is typical.

Is there anything else that needs to be done?

Yes there is: you need to sound a little grumpy when you say it, that’s how we are. You could even go as far as rolling your eyes or something similar, just to illustrate your lack of enthusiasm.

If you want some ideas about what sort of attitude you need for this, take a look at our Yorkshire attitude blog post.

If I want to send someone a message, what should I say?

I suppose it depends on whether you want them to think you’re actually from Yorkshire or if you’re just taking the piss out of them. If it’s the former then take some time to listen carefully to some natives; watch some videos and pay attention to how they talk – don’t just focus on what they’re saying but listen for dropped letters and other weirdnesses. If you’re taking the piss then don’t overthink it – just write something silly like “’ave an ace birthda’” or something like that. Or if it’s for someone really special then maybe write something like “’ave an ace birthda’ y’pan-faced spoon”, or something similarly affectionate!

Are there any rules about how words are pronounced?

No not really but there are tendencies; as mentioned earlier dropping first and last letters is common but not consistent. The best thing is just feel your way into it and try stuff out – ask your friends what they think sounds most authentic. I think that most of us feel embarrassed about our own accents so whatever you do there will always be someone who questions your authenticity – don’t let them put you off!

Where does this dialect come from?

This isn’t something I’ve ever thought about before so I did some research – here’s what ChatGPT has to say:

The Yorkshire dialect has its roots in Old English and Old Norse due to historical Viking settlements in Northern England. Over centuries, this blend evolved into unique vocabulary, pronunciation, and grammar. It reflects agricultural heritage with terms related to farming and daily life. Distinctive features include dropping initial 'h' sounds (e.g., "house" becomes "'ouse"), using "thee" and "thou" for informal address, specific local words like "ginnel" (alley), "owt" (anything), "nowt" (nothing), "ginnel" (alleyway), "chuffed" (pleased) etc..