Drawing on a chapter from her non-fiction, Back Up North, Ally Shepherd, explores the rich variety of accents and dialects across Northern England, from Scouse and Geordie to the speech of Cheshire, Lancashire, and – of course – Yorkshire. We will examine how language reflects the region’s identity and history of industry and migration, considering how Northern voices have been celebrated (and discriminated against) and what this means for understanding Northern culture today.

Dr Ally Shepherd is currently a researcher in the School of Education at the University of Leeds, and a lecturer in Applied Linguistics at York St John. She formerly spent a decade teaching overseas before doing a PhD relating to community-based language teaching. She is both formerly and currently a Northerner.

This is a Leeds City of Languages Festival event. Check the full programme at leedscityoflanguages.leeds.ac.uk