IF you were born and bred in Copeland you are probably bi-lingual. Don’t believe me? Try speaking to someone “not local’’ in dialect for one minute and watch their confusion.

And if you happen to be in a remote part of the world, it is a given you will instantly bond with anyone who asks you “How’s it ga’an, Marra?’’

As children we were always told to “speak properly’’. Lapsing into dialect was frowned upon. However, I remember it was much more fun speaking that way. Yes, it is important to speak English correctly, but there is always a place for the warmth and reassurance of dialect.

Linguistics expert Professor David Crystal’s new book unearths dialect from across the country, including Cumberland.

He has collected the words which “either provides an inside into an older way of life , or simply have an irresistible phonetic appeal’’.

Professor Crystal has indeed found some gems which would have been uttered by our forefathers and mothers. For instance, arsle means move backwards, and you would be “arseling about” while sitting down and fidgeting.

Frab is a great old word which means to struggle, worry or irritate. A baby teething? Frabby.Or irritated at someone? Frabbit.

Other fabulous words are nunty, which describes the stiff, formal way people dress, or peedle, which means to creep slyly about.

I did recognise one word in the book, scrunty, which means stunted in growth or meagre. I seem to remember, back in the day, calling someone “a l’aal scrunt’’.

The joy of many of these old words is they express beautifully the emotions you are feeling which adds to the richness of everyday conversations. Let’s resurrect this fabulous dialect and continue to flummox the “off-comers’’.

David Crystal is giving a talk at The Kirkgate Centre, Cockermouth on Tuesday, September 8 at 7.30pm. Tickets are £4 from the Kirkgate. Phone 01900 826448.

Lost Cumbrian words include...

Clabber (noun): Soft, sticky mud.

Middlemer (adjective): coming between eldest and youngest in age. “Is that t’auldest lad er youngest?” “It’s nowder, it’s middlemer.”

Pload (verb): To wade through mire and water.

Scumfish (verb): to stifle or choke usually in association with heat, smoke or a bad smell.

Whemmle (verb): To invert a vessel in order to cover something.

Buzznacking (verb or noun): Fussing, gossiping.

Nazzard (noun): a silly, insignificant person.

Twanker (noun): A large, bulky person; anything especially large or fine.