Pit Talk East Midlands

The British Academy funded ‘Pit Talk East Midlands’ project, headed by Natalie Braber at Nottingham Trent University, is looking to find coal miners from Nottinghamshire, Derbyshire and Leicestershire to interview about the distinctive language used in their workplaces. We are a team of three and arranged our first interview, held at Mansfield Museum, in early June 2015.

Most of our interviews are organised so that we can speak to participants in pairs. We ask very general questions at first about which pits the interviewee has worked at, if their family worked in mining, etc., before asking about what an average day was like for them at the pit. We ask about the language they used at work, for example, would they use the term ‘baiting’, ‘dinting’, or something else (to describe removing dirt from the pit floor to give extra height)? And, do they know the term “noper”? How about “boiling piece”? We also ask about words not necessarily linked to the mines, and anything else the participants wish to discuss (such as ghost stories connected to the mines in which they worked!).

We’d like to talk with anyone happy to share their experiences of working at coal mines in the East Midlands, whether above or below ground. We will have a stall at the ‘Mining Gala’ at Titchfield Park on August 12th and would love to chat with anyone who wishes to know more about what we do.

Alternatively, if you have any questions, or wish to contribute, please contact us by email at pittalkeastmidlands@gmail.com or telephone 0115 848 3011 to speak with Natalie Braber.

No Comments

Start the ball rolling by posting a comment on this page!

Add a comment about this page

Your email address will not be published.