All interesting stuff about ‘shan’. Hundreds of us were taken from the NE and dumped in the East Midlands coalfields. The ‘Geordie estates’ had people from all over, everywhere from Ashington to Boro so there were dozens of accents, words and dialects … … the locals thought we only had one accent but some of us could barely understand each other
I think it is Downhill in Sunderland where they speak with a broad Sunderland accent, yet if you walk a few hundred yards into Boldon they have a definite Tyneside accent.
I noticed the Mag clown from South Shields absolutely lathered the North Tyne accent on when he first called in … … then it changed when he lost his temper. They’ve started talking like foreigners who buy one of those daft ‘Larn yersel Geordie’ books, no one actually speaks like that in real life.
It was used as slang for a while about 30 odd years ago and normall it was used to describe something a bit sly or a bit snide
Am from Boldon mate and it is a weird thing. Downhill/Redhouse have a strong Sunderland twang to their accent but Boldon is far more towards the Geordie accent maybe a bit softer with a little bit of pit yacker thrown in for good measure
I worked with a guy years ago who was from South Shields and he had the worst Geordie accent ever. Every word syllable and phrase was forced and even the lads from Newcastle were taking the piss out of him. He claimed everybody from Shields talked like that until I pointed out that years before I had worked with him at a factory on Bede industrial estate and he did not have that accent at that time(he could not remember me but I remembered him) turns out his accent became stronger when John Hall and Keegan turned up at Newcastle
My Dad was a Geordie from the Chopwell area … … he’d describe anyone like that as ‘a bit Spanish’ No idea where that came from, there weren’t any Spaniards around there, even the fella on a bike selling onions was French!
I don't think shan is widely used anymore, at least by most under 60 these days. It used to be used a lot when I was a kid, "it's canny shan that, like" was sort of common enough said if something was poor or unfair. No idea where it came from, I'd assumed it was Irish from the navies working on the railways, but it's not something I've said for over 30 years. Id almost forgotten about it as a word until reading this thread. My guess is it's a word/term that's dropped out of use outside a small bunch of people and if someone is trying to use it it's to make themselves appear more "Geordie/mackem/whatever" than they actually are. A bit of verbal cosplay.
I'm guessing here but I'd put money on it. As you know words and accents are often used to mock the way people talk, hence 'Mackems, Scousers, Jocks', etc. I reckon someone, at NUFC, has asked a local player, Dan Burn, for a suitable word to mock Sunderland. As he was born in Blyth I doubt he'd have used it but he played for Darlington as a young teenager. I reckon, being broad Geordie, he's picked it up off the Darlington lads and thought it was specifically a Durham/Sunderland word.
Sounds dead plausible. But typical of them to get it wrong, like "boycoutt" on a bedsheet. No one will understand it. And all because they're jealous of a bridge.
Seaham lad here , but live in Grangetown now with my lass that was from Hendon. I still hear it every now and again, Hendon, Grangetown, Ryhope and Silksworth the main users. We used it years ago but like previously stated it's as rare as a honest Mag these days.
Born Seaburn Dene 63, it was a passing fad word used while at school, possibly infants only. I hope our PR guys don't bite back and leave this embarrassment for all to see.
I asked my boss, Glaswegian, if he used or knew the word. Says the only context he'd heard it in was as a child, 50 years back but not since. His mam used to get him to go to the corner shop and bakery at closing time. He'd take a bag and the baker would fill it with the broken biscuits he couldn't sell ... 'shan' it was called. That would tie in with something being shoddy or second rate.
'Skudding' was another school word which I grew up with meaning got a good kicking... went to college at Stansfield Street and my Washington classmates laughed as to them it meant leg-over
