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'''Brummie''' (sometimes '''Brummy''') is a colloquial term for the inhabitants, [[accent (linguistics)|accent]] and [[dialect]] of [[Birmingham]], [[England]], as well as being a general adjective used to denote a connection with the city, locally called ''[[Brum]]''. The terms are all derived from ''[[Brummagem]]'' or Bromwichham, historical variants or alternatives to '[[Birmingham]]'.
{{Infobox musical artist
| Name = Louis Armstrong
| Img = Louis Armstrong NYWTS.jpg
| Img_capt = Louis Armstrong's stage personality matched his flashy trumpet. Armstrong is also known for his raspy singing voice.
| Img_size =
|Landscape = Yes
| Background = solo_singer
| Birth_name = Louis Daniel Armstrong
| Alias = Satchmo, Pops, Sachimo
| Born = {{birth date|1901|8|4|mf=y}}<br><small>[[New Orleans, Louisiana|New Orleans]], [[Louisiana]], U.S.</small>
| Died = {{death date and age|mf=yes|1971|7|6|1901|8|4}}<br><small>[[Corona, Queens|Corona]], [[Queens]], New York City, [[New York|NY]], U.S.</small>
| Instrument = [[Trumpet]]
| Genre = [[Jazz]], [[Dixieland]], [[Swing music|Swing]], [[Traditional pop]]
| Occupation = [[Trumpet]]er, [[Singer|Vocalist]], American cultural icon
| Years_active = c.1919–1971
| Label =
| Associated_acts = [[Joe "King" Oliver]]
| URL =
| Notable_instruments =
}}
'''Louis'''<ref>He preferred his given name pronounced as '''Louie'''. "It's like bob - he spelled his name Louis, but he liked it to be said as Louie", recalls [[Louie Bellson]] [http://www.jazzprofessional.com/interviews/Louie%20Bellson_12.htm]. Armstrong was registered as "Lewie" for the [[United States Census, 1920|1920 U.S. Census]]. On various live records he's called as "Louie" on stage, such as on the 1952 "Can Anyone Explain?" from the live album ''In Scandinavia vol.1''. It should also be noted that "Lewie" is the French pronunciation of "Louis" and is commonly used in Louisiana. After his death, the mainstream pronunciation slowly drifted to "Louis". However, when referring to himself in "Hello Dolly!", he pronounces his name as "Lewis" ("Hello, Dolly. This is Lewis, Dolly"), pronouncing the 's'.</ref> '''Armstrong''' (August 4, 1901<ref>Armstrong said he was not sure exactly when he was born, but celebrated his birthday on July 4. He usually gave the year as 1900 when speaking in public (although he used 1901 on his Social Security and other papers filed with the government). Using [[Roman Catholic Church]] documents from when his grandmother took him to be baptized, New Orleans music researcher [[Tad Jones]] established Armstrong’s actual date of birth as August 4, 1901. With various other collaborative evidence, this date is now accepted by Armstrong scholars. See also ''[[age fabrication]]''.</ref> &ndash; July 6, 1971), nicknamed '''Satchmo'''<ref>For "satchel-mouth".</ref> or '''Sachimo'''<ref>lyrically in [[Sir Duke| Stevie Wonder's song Sir Duke]]</ref> and '''Pops''', was an American [[jazz]] [[trumpeter]] and singer.


==Accent==
Coming to prominence in the 1920s as an innovative [[cornet]] and [[trumpet]] [[virtuoso]], Armstrong was a foundational influence on [[jazz]], shifting the music's focus from collective improvisation to solo performers. With his distinctive gravelly voice, Armstrong was an influential singer, demonstrating great dexterity as an improviser, bending the lyrics and melody of a song for expressive purposes. He was also greatly skilled at [[scat singing]], or wordless vocalizing.
Brummie is an example of a [[regional accents of English|regional accent]] of [[English language|English]].


Examples of celebrity speakers include comedian [[Jasper Carrott]], historian and broadcaster [[Carl Chinn]], [[BBC]] financial presenter [[Adrian Chiles]], the [[The Goodies|Goodies]] actor and TV presenter [[Bill Oddie]], rock musician [[Ozzy Osbourne]], broadcaster [[Les Ross]], politician [[Clare Short]], and [[Special Air Service|SAS]] soldier and author [[John "Brummie" Stokes]].
Renowned for his charismatic stage presence, Armstrong's influence extended well beyond jazz, and by the end of his career in the '60s, he was widely regarded as a profound influence on [[popular music]] in general: critic Steve Leggett describes Armstrong as "perhaps the most important American musician of the 20th century."<ref>[http://allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&sql=10:jvfqxq9aldke allmusic ((( The Essential Louis Armstrong {Columbia\Legacy} > Overview ))).]</ref>


It is not the only accent of the [[West Midlands (county)|West Midlands]], although the term, Brummie, is often, erroneously, used in referring to all accents of the region. It is markedly distinct,from the traditional accent of the adjacent [[Black Country]], although modern-day population mobility has tended to blur the distinction. For instance, [[Dudley]]-born comedian [[Lenny Henry]], Daniel Taylor, and [[Smethwick]]-born actress [[Julie Walters]] are sometimes mistaken for Brummie-speakers by people outside the West Midlands county.
bob
===Early life===
Armstrong often stated in public interviews that he was born on July 4, 1900 (Independence Day in the USA), a date that has been noted in many biographies. Although he died in 1971, it wasn't until the mid-1980s that his true birth date of August 4, 1901 was discovered through the examination of [[baptism|baptismal records]].<ref>[http://louisarmstronghouse.org/smartfaq/smartfaq.cgi?answer=1137535835 When is Louis Armstrong's birthday?] The Official Site of the Louis Armstrong House & Archives.</ref> hi my name is bob


[[Birmingham]] and [[Coventry]] accents are also quite distinct in their differences, despite the close proximity of the cities. To the untrained ear, however, all of these accents may sound very similar, just as British English speakers can find it hard to distinguish between [[Canada|Canadian]] and [[United States|American]] accents, or Australian and New Zealand accents.
Armstrong was born into a very poor family in [[New Orleans, Louisiana|New Orleans]], [[Louisiana]], the grandson of slaves. He spent his youth in poverty in a rough neighborhood of [[Uptown New Orleans]], known as “Back of Town”, as his father, William Armstrong (1881&ndash;1922), abandoned the family when Louis was an infant, and took up with another woman. His mother, Mayann Armstrong (1886&ndash;1942), then left Louis and his younger sister Beatrice Armstrong Collins (1903&ndash;1987) in the care of his grandmother, Josephine Armstrong and at times, his Uncle Isaac. At five, he moved back to live with his mother and her relatives, and saw his father only in parades. He attended the Fisk School for Boys where he likely had his first exposure to [[zydeco|Creole music]]. He brought in a little money as a paperboy and also by finding discarded food and selling it to restaurants but it wasn’t enough to keep his mother from prostitution. He hung out in dance halls, particularly the “Funky Butt,” which was the closest to his home, where he observed everything from licentious dancing to the quadrille. He hauled coal to [[Storyville]], the famed red-light district, and listened to the bands playing in the brothels and dance halls, especially Pete Lala’s where [[Joe "King" Oliver]] performed and other famous musicians would drop in to jam.


As with all English regional accents, the Brummie accent also grades into [[Received Pronunciation|RP English]]. The accent of presenter [[Cat Deeley]] is listed by her voiceover agency, Curtis Brown, as "RP/Birmingham".
Armstrong grew up at the bottom of the social ladder, in a highly segregated city, but one which lived in a constant fervor of music, which was generally called “[[ragtime]]”, and not yet “[[jazz]]”. Despite the hard early days, Armstrong seldom looked back at his youth as the worst of times but instead drew inspiration from it, “Every time I close my eyes blowing that trumpet of mine—I look right in the heart of good old New Orleans...It has given me something to live for.”<ref>{{cite book |first=Laurence |last=Bergreen |title= ''Louis Armstrong: An Extravagant Life'' |publisher=Broadway Books |location=New York |ISBN=0-553-06768-0 |year=1997 |pages=p.6}}</ref>


===Pronunciation===
After dropping out of the Fisk School at eleven, Armstrong joined a quartet of boys in similar straits as he, and they sang in the streets for money. He also started to get into trouble. Cornet player [[Bunk Johnson]] said he taught Armstrong (then 11) to play by ear at Dago Tony's [[Honky tonk|Tonk]] in New Orleans,<ref> ''Current Biography 1944'', pp15-17 </ref> although in his later years Armstrong gave the credit to Oliver. His first cornet was bought with money loaned to him by the Karnofskys, a Russian-[[Jewish]] [[immigrant]] family who had a junk hauling business and gave him odd jobs. To express gratitude towards the Karnofskys, who took him in as almost a family member, and fed and nurtured him, Armstrong wore a Star of David pendant for the rest of his life.<ref>{{cite news
{{IPA notice}}
| last = Karnow
| first = Stanley
| title = "My Debt to Cousin Louis's Cornet"
| work = ''The New York Times''
| pages =
| language =
| publisher =
| date = 2001-02-21
| url = http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?sec=health&res=9C02E1D91639F932A15751C0A9679C8B63
| accessdate = 2007-01-10}}</ref>
[[Image:LouisArmstrong PeterDavis1.jpg|thumb|right|Armstrong with his first trumpet instructor, Peter Davis in 1965.]]
Armstrong seriously developed his [[cornet]] playing in the band of the New Orleans Home for Colored Waifs, where he had been sent multiple times for general delinquency, most notably for a long term after firing his stepfather's [[pistol]] into the air at a [[New Year's Eve]] celebration, as police records confirm. Professor Peter Davis (who frequently appeared at the Home at the request of its administrator, Captain Joseph Jones)<ref> ''Current Biography 1944'' p16 </ref> instilled discipline in and provided musical training to the otherwise self-taught Armstrong. Eventually, Davis made Armstrong the band leader. The Home band played around New Orleans and the thirteen year old began to draw attention to his cornet playing, starting him on a musical career.<ref>Bergreen, 1997, p. 78.</ref>At fourteen he was released from the Home, and living again with his father and new stepmother, and then back to his mother and also back to the streets and its temptations. Armstrong got his first dance hall job at Henry Ponce’s where [[Black Benny]] became his protector and guide. He hauled coal by day and played his cornet at night.
He also played in the city's frequent [[brass band]] parades and listened to older musicians every chance he got, learning from [[Bunk Johnson]], [[Buddy Petit]], [[Kid Ory]], and above all, [[Joe "King" Oliver]], who acted as a [[mentor]] and [[father figure]] to the young [[musician]]. Later, he played in the brass bands and [[riverboat]]s of New Orleans, and first started traveling with the well-regarded band of [[Fate Marable]] which toured on a [[steamboat]] up and down the [[Mississippi River]]. He described his time with Marable as "going to the [[University]]," since it gave him a much wider experience working with written [[arrangement]]s.


Despite there being marked differences between Brummie and Black Country dialects, there appears to be confusion by people outside the West Midlands county when it comes to distinguishing between the two. Impressions of a Brummie will often contain vowel pronunciations that belong to the [[Black Country]]. A common example is when a Brummie impersonator will pronounce 'money' as 'mun-ay',which is a [[Black Country]] pronunciation; Brummies actually pronounce 'money' in the same way conventional English speakers do.
In 1919, Joe Oliver decided to go north and he resigned his position in [[Kid Ory]]'s band, then regarded as the best hot jazz group in New Orleans. Armstrong replaced his mentor and played second cornet. Soon he was promoted to first cornet and he also became second trumpet for the Tuxedo Brass Band, a society band.<ref>Bergreen, 1997, p. 142.</ref>
This is not to say that the impersonator is doing a [[Black Country]] accent instead of a Brummie one when this occurs; it is entirely possible that they are just doing an inaccurate Brummie stereotype which makes the mistake of adding Black Country dialect.


Below are some common features of the Brummie accent (a given speaker may not necessarily use all, or use a feature consistently). The letters enclosed in square brackets{{ndash}} {{IPA|[]}}{{ndash}} use the [[Help:IPA|International Phonetic Alphabet]]. The corresponding example texts enclosed in double quotes (") are spelt so that a reader using [[Received Pronunciation]] (RP) can approximate the sounds.
===Early career===
[[Image:VocalionMuggles.jpg|thumb|right|120px|[[Muggles (recording)|Muggles]]]]
[[Image:Louis Armstrong Skokiaan.jpg|thumb|right|120px|Skokiaan]]
[[Image:Mack The Knife Coronet.jpg|thumb|right|120px|Mack The Knife]]
[[Image:Heebie Jeebies.jpg|thumb|right|120px|“Heebie Jeebies” by [[Louis Armstrong and his Hot Five]]]]
On March 19, 1918, Louis married Daisy Parker from [[Gretna, Louisiana]]. They adopted a 3-year-old boy, Clarence Armstrong, whose mother, Louis's cousin Flora, died soon after giving birth. Clarence Armstrong was mentally disabled (result of a head injury at an early age) and Louis would spend the rest of his life taking care of him.<ref>[http://www.villagevoice.com/music/0316,giddins,43368,22.html "Satchuated"] Gary Giddins, Village Voice April 16 - 22, 2003, retrieved 10/17/2007</ref> Louis's marriage to Parker failed quickly and they separated. She died shortly after the divorce.


* The vowel of ''mouth'' (RP {{IPA|[aʊ]}}) can be {{IPA|[ɛʊ]}}.
Through his riverboat experiences, Armstrong’s musicianship began to mature. At twenty, he could now read music and he started to be featured in extended trumpet solos, one of the first jazzmen to do this, injecting his own personality and style into his solo turns. He had learned how to create a unique sound, and also started using singing and patter in his performances.<ref>Bergreen, 1997, p. 170.</ref> In 1922, Armstrong joined the exodus to Chicago, where he had been invited by his mentor, Joe "King" Oliver, to join his Creole [[Jazz Band]], and where he could make a sufficient income so that he no longer need to supplement his music with day labor jobs. It was a boom time in Chicago and though race relations were poor, the “Windy City” was teeming with jobs for blacks, who were making good wages in factories and had plenty to spend on entertainment.
* The vowel of ''goat'' (RP {{IPA|[əʊ]}}) can be close to {{IPA|[ɑʊ]}} (so to an RP speaker, ''goat'' may sound like "go-t").
* Final unstressed {{IPA|/i/}}, as in ''happy'', may be realised as {{IPA|[əi]}}, though this varies considerably between speakers.
* The letters ''ng'' often represent {{IPA|/ŋɡ/}} where RP has just {{IPA|/ŋ/}} (e.g. ''singer'' as {{IPA|[siŋɡə]}}). See [[Phonological history of English consonants#Ng coalescence|''Ng coalescence'']].
* Both the vowels of ''strut'' and ''foot'' as {{IPA|[ʊ]}}, as in northern England. See [[Phonological history of the high back vowels#Foot-strut split|foot-strut split]].
* Short 'a', {{IPA|[a]}} as opposed to {{IPA|[ɑː]}} in RP, in words like ''bath'', ''cast'' and ''chance'' (but ''aunt'' and ''laugh'' both have {{IPA|[ɑː]}}). See [[Phonological history of English short A#Trap-bath split|trap-bath split]].
* Final unstressed {{IPA|/ə/}} may be realised as {{IPA|[a]}}.
* In a few cases, voicing of final {{IPA|/s/}} (e.g. ''bus'' as {{IPA|[bʊz]}}).
* Some rolling of prevocalic {{IPA|/r/}} (some speakers; e.g. in "crime").


Recordings of Brummie speakers with phonetic features described in [[SAMPA]] format can be found at the ''Collect Britain'' dialects site referenced below.
Oliver's band was the best and most influential hot jazz band in Chicago in the early 1920s, at a time when Chicago was the center of the jazz universe. Armstrong lived like a king in Chicago, in his own apartment with his own private bath (his first). Excited as he was to be in Chicago, he began his career-long pastime of writing nostalgic letters to friends in New Orleans. As Armstrong’s reputation grew, he was challenged to “cutting contests” by hornmen trying to displace the new phenom, who could blow two hundred high C’s in a row.<ref>Bergreen, 1997, p. 199.</ref> Armstrong made his first recordings on the [[Gennett Records|Gennett]] and [[Okeh Records|Okeh]] labels (jazz records were starting to boom across the country), including taking some solos and breaks, while playing second cornet in Oliver's band in 1923. At this time, he met [[Hoagy Carmichael]] (with whom he would collaborate later) who was introduced by pal [[Bix Beiderbecke]], who now had his own Chicago band.


Rhymes and vocabulary in the works of [[William Shakespeare]] suggest that he used a local dialect (Birmingham and his birthplace, [[Stratford-upon-Avon]], are both in the English West Midland dialect area.)
Armstrong enjoyed working with Oliver, but Louis' second wife, [[pianist]] [[Lil Hardin Armstrong]], urged him to seek more prominent billing and develop his newer style away from the influence of Oliver. She had her husband play classical music in church concerts to broaden his skill and improve his solo play, and she prodded him into wearing more stylish attire to make him look sharp and to better offset his growing girth. Lil’s influence eventually undermined Armstrong’s relationship with his mentor, especially concerning his salary and additional moneys that Oliver held back from Armstrong and other band members. Armstrong and Oliver parted amicably in 1924 and Armstrong received an invitation to go to New York City to play with the [[Fletcher Henderson]] Orchestra, the top African&ndash;American band of the day. Armstrong switched to the trumpet to blend in better with the other musicians in his section. His influence upon Henderson's [[tenor saxophone|tenor sax]] [[soloist]], [[Coleman Hawkins]], can be judged by listening to the records made by the band during this period.


===Stereotypes===
Armstrong quickly adapted to the more tightly controlled style of Henderson, playing trumpet and even experimenting with the trombone, and the other members quickly took up Armstrong’s emotional, expressive pulse. Soon his act included singing and telling tales of New Orleans characters, especially preachers.<ref>Bergreen, 1997, p. 247.</ref>The Henderson Orchestra was playing in the best venues for white-only patrons, including the famed [[Roseland Ballroom]], featuring the classy arrangements of [[Don Redman]]. [[Duke Ellington]]’s orchestra would go to Roseland to catch Armstrong’s performances and young hornmen around town tried in vain to outplay him, splitting their lips in their attempts.
A study was conducted in 2008 where people were asked to grade the [[intelligence]] of a person based on their accent and the Brummie accent was ranked as the least intelligent accent. It even scored lower than being silent, an example of the [[stereotype]] attached to the Brummie accent.<ref>[http://women.timesonline.co.uk/tol/life_and_style/women/the_way_we_live/article3671116.ece women.timesonline.co.uk/tol/life_and_style/women/the_way_we_live/article3671116.ece]</ref>


According to ''Birmingham English: A Sociolinguistic Study'' ([[Steve Thorne]], 2003), among UK listeners "Birmingham English in previous academic studies and opinion polls consistently fares as the most disfavoured variety of British English, yet with no satisfying account of the dislike".
During this time, Armstrong also made many recordings on the side, arranged by an old friend from New Orleans, pianist [[Clarence Williams (musician)|Clarence Williams]]; these included small jazz band sides with the Williams Blue Five (some of the best pairing Armstrong with one of Armstrong's few rivals in fiery technique and ideas, [[Sidney Bechet]]) and a series of accompaniments with [[Blues]] singers, including [[Bessie Smith]], [[Ma Rainey]], and [[Alberta Hunter]].


Since, as he shows, overseas visitors in contrast find it "lilting and melodious", he argues that such dislike is driven by various linguistic myths and social factors peculiar to the UK ("social [[snobbery]], negative media [[stereotyping]], the poor public image of the City of Birmingham, and the north/south geographical and linguistic divide").
Armstrong returned to Chicago in 1925 due mostly to the urging of his wife, who wanted to pump up Armstrong’s career and income. He was content in New York but later would concede that she was right and that the Henderson Orchestra was limiting his artistic growth. In publicity, much to his chagrin, she billed him as “the World’s Greatest Trumpet Player”. At first he was actually a member of the Lil Hardin Armstrong Band and working for his wife.<ref>Bergreen, 1997, p. 260.</ref>He began recording under his own name for Okeh with his famous [[Louis Armstrong and his Hot Five|Hot Five]] and [[Louis Armstrong and his Hot Seven|Hot Seven]] groups, producing hits such as "[[Potato Head Blues]]", "[[Muggles (recording)|Muggles]]" (a reference to [[cannabis (drug)|marijuana]], for which Armstrong had a lifelong fondness), and "[[West End Blues]]", the music of which set the standard and the agenda for jazz for many years to come.


For instance, despite the city's cultural and innovative history, its industrial background (as depicted by the arm-and-hammer in [[Coat of arms of Birmingham|Birmingham's coat of arms]]) has led to a muscular and unintelligent stereotype: a "Brummagem screwdriver" or "Brummie screwdriver" is UK slang for a hammer.
The group included [[Kid Ory]] (trombone), [[Johnny Dodds]] (clarinet), [[Johnny St. Cyr]] (banjo), wife Lil on piano, and usually no drummer. Armstrong’s bandleading style was easygoing, as St. Cyr noted, "One felt so relaxed working with him and he was very broad-minded...always did his best to feature each individual".<ref>Bergreen, 1997, p. 274.</ref> His recordings with pianist [[Earl Hines|Earl "Fatha" Hines]] (most famously their 1928 ''Weatherbird'' duet) and Armstrong's trumpet introduction to "West End Blues" remain some of the most famous and influential improvisations in jazz history. Armstrong was now free to develop his personal style as he wished, which included a heavy dose of effervescent jive, such as "whip that thing, Miss Lil" and "Mr. Johnny Dodds, Aw, do that clarinet, boy!"<ref>Bergreen, 1997, p. 264.</ref>


[[Steve Thorne]] also cites the mass media and entertainment industry where actors, usually non-Birmingham, have used inaccurate accents and/or portrayed negative roles. Examples include Benny from the soap ''[[Crossroads (TV series)|Crossroads]]'', a feckless character played by [[Paul Henry (actor)|Paul Henry]] with a hybrid Birmingham-[[Worcester]] accent many viewers assumed to be Birmingham because of the setting, and characters played by [[Battersea]]-born actor [[Timothy Spall]]: for instance,Barry Taylor in ''[[Auf Wiedersehen Pet]]'' (The character Taylor was actually supposed to be from [[Tipton]]) and Andy, the sarcastic [[virtual reality]] attendant in the ''[[Red Dwarf]]'' episode "[[Back to Reality (Red Dwarf episode)|Back to Reality]]". The actor [[Mark Williams (actor)|Mark Williams]] also specialises in amiable but stupid Birmingham characters. One of [[Harry Enfield]]'s comedy characters, portrayed an exaggerated Brummie ,whose catchline was "we are considerably richer than yow". [[Lennie Godber]] is a criminal from Birmingham in the Television series, [[Porridge (TV series)|Porridge]].
Armstrong also played with [[Erskine Tate]]’s Little Symphony, actually a quintet, which played mostly at the Vendome Theatre. They furnished music for silent movies and live shows, including jazz versions of classical music, such as “Madame Butterfly”, which gave Armstrong experience with longer forms of music and with hosting before a large audience. He began to scat sing (improvised vocal jazz using non-sensical words) and was among the first to record it, on ''Heebie Jeebies'' in 1926. So popular was the recording the group became the most famous jazz band in America even though they as yet had not performed live to any great degree. Young musicians across the country, black and white, were turned on by Armstrong’s new type of jazz.<ref>Bergreen, 1997, p. 267.</ref>


Advertisements are another medium where many perceive stereotypes. Journalist Lydia Stockdale, writing in the [[Birmingham Post]] ("Pig ignorant about the Brummie accent", December 2, 2004), commented on advertisers' association of Birmingham accents with pigs: the pig in the ad for Colman's Potato Bakes, [[Nick Park]]'s [[Hells Angel]] Pigs for [[Centrica|British Gas]] and [[ITV]]'s "Dave the window-cleaner pig" all had Brummie accents. More recently, a [[Halifax (bank)|Halifax]] bank advertisement featuring [[Howard Brown]], a Birmingham- born and based employee, was replaced by an animated version with an exaggerated comical accent overdubbed by a [[Cockney]] actor.
After separating from Lil, Armstrong started to play at the Sunset Café for [[Al Capone]] associate Joe Glaser in the Carroll Dickerson Orchestra, with Earl Hines on piano, which was soon renamed ''Louis Armstrong and his Stompers'', though Hines was the music director and Glaser managed the orchestra. Hines and Armstrong became fast friends as well as successful collaborators.
The [[BBC]] has alleged that intonation and rhythm is unvaried and that most sentences end with downward intonation. This can give a false impression of despondency and lack of imagination. Apart from intonation “Brummie” resembles other Midlands dialects. [http://www.bbc.co.uk/dna/h2g2/A496352] Steve Thorne disagrees. Thorn insists that no accent is a monotone. If an accent lowers logically it varies. Thorn claims further that typical Birmingham speech frequently rises in tone.


Thorn recorded samples of similar people speaking with different English accents. One was Brummie. About a hundred native speakers and another hundred non-native English speakers rated the recordings. British listeners who did not distinguist between Brummie and [[Black Country]] accents rated Brummie higher than Black Country. Foreign speakers rated Brummie highly. [http://www.askoxford.com/worldofwords/wordfrom/brummie/]
Armstrong returned to New York, in 1929, where he played in the pit orchestra of the successful musical ''Hot Chocolate'', an all-black revue written by [[Andy Razaf]] and pianist/composer [[Fats Waller]]. He also made a cameo appearance as a vocalist, regularly stealing the show with his rendition of "[[Ain't Misbehavin']]", his version of the song becoming his biggest selling record to date.<ref>[http://www.redhotjazz.com/lao.html Louis Armstrong & his Orchestra]</ref>
{{quote|Brummie is not ugly. Far from it, foreign people unaware that it is the working-class accent of a formerly heavily-industrialised area, and who are not bombarded with stereotypical images of Birmingham speakers on a daily basis by the media, find it a very attractive accent indeed. |[[ Steve Thorne]]|[http://www.askoxford.com/worldofwords/wordfrom/brummie/Ask Oxford Brum]}}


==Dialect==
He started to work at [[Connie's Inn]] in Harlem, the second nightspot in fame to the [[Cotton Club]], and a front for gangster [[Dutch Schultz]]. Armstrong also had considerable success with vocal recordings, including versions of famous songs composed by his old friend [[Hoagy Carmichael]]. His 1930s recordings took full advantage of the new RCA [[ribbon microphone]], introduced in 1931, which imparted a characteristic warmth to vocals and immediately became an intrinsic part of the '[[crooning]]' sound of artists like [[Bing Crosby]]. Armstrong's famous interpretation of Hoagy Carmichael's "[[Stardust (song)|Stardust]]" became one of the most successful versions of this song ever recorded, showcasing Armstrong's unique vocal sound and style, and his innovative approach to singing songs that had already become standards.
According to the [[PhD]] thesis of [[Steve Thorne]] at the [[University of Birmingham]] Department of English, Birmingham English is "a dialectal hybrid of northern, southern, [[Midlands]], [[Warwickshire]], [[Staffordshire]] and [[Worcestershire]] speech", also with elements from the languages and dialects of its [[British Asian|Asian]] and [[British Afro-Caribbean community|Afro-Caribbean]] communities.


Traditional expressions include:
Armstrong's radical re-working of [[Sidney Arodin]] and Carmichael's "[[Lazy River]]" (recorded in 1931) encapsulated many features of his groundbreaking approach to melody and phrasing. The song begins with a brief trumpet solo, then the main melody is stated by sobbing horns, which are memorably punctuated by Armstrong's growling interjections at the end of each bar: "Yeah! ..."Uh-huh" ..."Sure" ... "Way down, way down". In the first verse, he ignores the notated melody entirely, and sings as if playing a trumpet solo, pitching most of the first line on a single note and using strongly syncopated phrasing. In the second stanza he breaks into an almost fully improvised melody, which then evolves into a classic passage of Armstrong "[[scat singing]]."


* "A bit black over Bill's mothers" ... Likely to rain soon (now widespread). [Commonly attributed to Black Country dialect: "Bill's mothers" features in a variety of forms - such as the reference to any obscure location being "the back of Bill's mothers".]
As with his trumpet playing, Armstrong's vocal innovations served as a foundation stone for the art of jazz vocal interpretation. The uniquely gritty coloration of his voice became a musical [[archetype]] that was much imitated and endlessly impersonated. His scat singing style was enriched by his matchless experience as a trumpet soloist. His resonant, velvety lower-register tone and bubbling cadences on sides such as "Lazy River" exerted a huge influence on younger white singers such as [[Bing Crosby]].


* "Babby" ... Variation of baby.
The Depression of the early Thirties was especially hard on the Jazz scene. The Cotton Club closed in 1936 after a long downward spiral and many musicians stopped playing altogether as club dates evaporated. Bix Beiderbecke died and Fletcher Henderson’s band broke up. King Olivier made a few records but otherwise struggled. Sidney Bechet became a tailor and Kid Ory returned to New Orleans and raised chickens.<ref>Bergreen, 1997, p. 320.</ref> Armstrong moved to [[Los Angeles, California|Los Angeles]] in 1930 seeking new opportunities. He played at the New Cotton Club in LA with [[Lionel Hampton]] on drums, and the band drew the Hollywood crowd which could still afford a lavish night life, and radio broadcasts from the club connected with younger audiences at home. [[Bing Crosby]] and many other celebrities were regulars at the club. In 1931, Armstrong appeared in his first movie, ''Ex-Flame''. Armstrong was convicted of marijuana possession but received a suspended sentence. He returned to Chicago in late 1931, and played in bands more in the [[Guy Lombardo]] vein and he recorded more standards. When the mob insisted that he get out of town, Armstrong visited New Orleans and got a hero’s welcome, and saw old friends. He sponsored a local baseball team known as “Armstrong’s Secret Nine” and got a cigar named after himself.<ref>Bergreen, 1997, p. 344.</ref> But soon he was on the road again and after a tour across the country shadowed by the mob, Armstrong decided to go to Europe to escape.


* "Go and play up your own end" ... Said to children from a different street making a nuisance. It has been used as the title of the autobiographical book and musical play about the Birmingham childhood of radio presenter and entertainer Malcolm Stent.
After returning to the States, he undertook several exhausting tours. His agent Johnny Collins’ erratic behavior and his own spending ways left Armstrong short of cash. Breach of contract violations plagued him. Finally, he hired Joe Glaser as his new manager, a tough mob-connected wheeler-dealer, who began to straighten out his legal mess, his mob troubles, and his debts. Armstrong also began to experience problems with his fingers and lips, which were aggravated by his unorthodox playing style. As a result he branched out, developing his vocal style and making his first theatrical appearances. He appeared in movies again. In 1937, Armstrong substituted for [[Rudy Vallee]] on the CBS radio network and became the first black to host a sponsored, national broadcast.<ref>Bergreen, 1997, p. 385.</ref> He finally divorced Lil in 1938 and married longtime girlfriend Alpha.


* "Gunter" ... to fix, work on or repair, mainly used a verb (example usage "I'm gonna gunter the car" equates to "I'm going to repair the car"), other forms include 'guntered' (example usage "the cars guntered" equates to "the car is fixed", alternate usage "I guntered the tele, but it still doesn't work" equates to "I worked on the television, but it is still broken").
After spending many years on the road, he settled permanently in [[Queens, New York|Queens]], New York in 1943 in contentment with his fourth wife, Lucille. Although subject to the vicissitudes of [[Tin Pan Alley]] and the [[gangster]]-ridden music business, as well as anti-black prejudice, he continued to develop his playing. He recorded Hoagy Carmichael's [[Rockin' Chair (song)|Rockin' Chair]] for [[Okeh Records]].


* "Keep away from the 'oss road" / "mind the 'orse road"/ "Kip aert th'oss road" ... An admonition to travel safely, originally a warning to children in the days of horse-drawn traffic.["Th'oss road" may also have referred to the towpath alongside the canals found throughout the region - which presented the additional hazard to the unwary of falling into the canal. These expressions too, are commonly attributed to Black Country dialect rather than that from Birmingham.]
During the subsequent thirty years, Armstrong played more than three hundred gigs a year. Bookings for big bands tapered off during the 1940s due to changes in public tastes: ballrooms closed, and there was competition from [[television]] and from other types of music becoming more popular than big band music. It became impossible under such circumstances to support and finance a 16-piece touring band.


* "Rock" ... a children's hard sweet (as in "give us a rock").
===The All Stars===
Following a highly successful small-group jazz concert at New York Town Hall on May 17, 1947, featuring Armstrong with trombonist/singer [[Jack Teagarden]], Armstrong's manager [[Joe Glaser]] dissolved the Armstrong big band on August 13, 1947 and established a six-piece small group featuring Armstrong with (initially) Teagarden, [[Earl Hines]] and other top swing and dixieland musicians, most of them ex-big band leaders. The new group was announced at the opening of [[Billy Berg's Supper Club]].


* "Snap" ... food, a meal, allegedly derived from the act of eating itself (example usage "I'm off to get my snap" equates to "I'm leaving to get my dinner").Snap ay food, it's the tin it comes in, a "Snap tin". the miners took their food down the pit in their "Snap tin"
This group was called the [[Louis Armstrong and his All Stars|All Stars]], and included at various times [[Earl Hines|Earl "Fatha" Hines]], [[Barney Bigard]], [[Edmond Hall]], [[Jack Teagarden]], [[Trummy Young]], [[Arvell Shaw]], [[Billy Kyle]], [[Marty Napoleon]], [[Sid Catlett|Big Sid Catlett]], [[Cozy Cole]], [[Barrett Deems]] and the [[Filipino-American]] [[percussionist]], [[Danny Barcelona]]. During this period, Armstrong made many recordings and appeared in over thirty films. He appeared on the cover of ''[[Time Magazine]]'' on February 21, 1949.


In 1964, he recorded his biggest-selling record, "[[Hello, Dolly! (song)|Hello, Dolly!]]". The song went to #1 on the pop chart, making Armstrong (age 63) the oldest person to ever accomplish that feat. In the process, Armstrong dislodged [[The Beatles]] from the #1 position they had occupied for 14 consecutive weeks with three different songs.<ref name=Hale>[http://www.jazzhouse.org/gone/lastpost2.php3?edit=1176392524 Hale, James (editor of Jazzhouse.org), ''Danny Barcelona (1929-2007)'', Drums, Armstrong All-Star, The Last Post, 2007], retrieved on: July 4, 2007</ref>


* "Trap" ... to leave suddenly, or flee.
Armstrong kept up his busy tour schedule until a few years before his death in 1971. In his later years he would sometimes play some of his numerous [[gig]]s by rote, but other times would enliven the most mundane gig with his vigorous playing, often to the astonishment of his band. He also toured Africa, Europe, and Asia under sponsorship of the [[United States Department of State|US State Department]] with great success, earning the [[nickname]] "Ambassador Satch." While failing health restricted his schedule in his last years, within those limitations he continued playing until the day he died.
[[Image:Armstrong-Alassio.jpg|thumb|left|Autograph of Armstrong on the muretto of [[Alassio]]]]


* "Up the cut" ... Up the canal (not uniquely Birmingham).
=== Personality===
The nickname ''Satchmo'' or ''Satch'' is short for ''[[Satchel (bag)|Satchel]]mouth'' (describing his [[embouchure]]). In 1932, then ''[[Melody Maker]]'' magazine editor Percy Brooks greeted Armstrong in London with "Hello, Satchmo!" shortening Satchelmouth (some say unintentionally), and it stuck.


* "Yampy" (often "dead yampy") Mad, daft, barmy (also used is the word "Saft", as in "Yow big saft babbie") - Although, many Black Country Folk believe yampy is a black country word originating from the Dudley/Tipton area and has been stolen and claimed as their own by both Birmingham and Coventry.
Early on he was also known as ''Dippermouth''. This is a reference to the propensity he had for refreshing himself with the dipper (ladle) from a bucket of sugar water which was always present on stage with Joe Oliver's band in Chicago in the early nineteen-twenties.
The damage to his [[embouchure]] from his high pressure approach to playing is acutely visible in many pictures of Louis from the mid-twenties. It also led to his emphasizing his singing career because at certain periods, he was unable to play. However, after having set his trumpet aside for a while, he amended his playing style and continued his trumpet career. Friends and fellow musicians usually called him ''Pops'', which is also how Armstrong usually addressed his friends and fellow musicians (except for [[Pops Foster]], whom Armstrong always called "George").


==See also==
[[Image:Louis Armstrong Autograph.jpg|frame|Satchmo's autograph from the 1960s]]


Other [[Midlands English]] dialects
He was also criticized for accepting the title of "King of [[Zulu Social Aid & Pleasure Club|The Zulus]]" -- in the [[New Orleans]] African-American community, an honored role as head of leading black Carnival [[Krewe]], but bewildering or offensive to outsiders with their traditional costume of grass-skirts and [[blackface]] makeup satirizing southern white attitudes -- for [[New Orleans Mardi Gras|Mardi Gras]] 1949.
*[[Black Country]]
*[[Potteries dialect]] (North Staffordshire)
==References==


*[http://www.bbc.co.uk/dna/h2g2/A496352 How to Speak Brummie]
Whatever the case, where some saw a gregarious and outgoing personality, others saw someone trying too hard to appeal to white audiences and essentially becoming a [[minstrel show|minstrel]] caricature. Some musicians criticized Armstrong for playing in front of segregated audiences, and for not taking a strong enough stand in the [[American Civil Rights Movement (1955-1968)|civil rights movement]] suggesting that he was an [[Uncle Tom]]. [[Billie Holiday]] countered, however, "Of course Pops toms, but he toms from the heart."
*[http://www.askoxford.com/worldofwords/wordfrom/brummie/ Ask Oxford Brum]


<references/>
Armstrong, in fact, was a major financial supporter of Dr. [[Martin Luther King Jr.]] and other civil rights activists, but mostly preferred to work quietly behind the scenes, not mixing his politics with his work as an entertainer. The few exceptions made it more effective when he did speak out. Armstrong's criticism of [[President of the United States|President]] [[Dwight D. Eisenhower|Eisenhower]], calling him "two-faced" and "gutless" because of his inaction during the [[Little Rock Nine|conflict]] over school [[desegregation]] in [[Little Rock, Arkansas|Little Rock]], [[Arkansas]] in 1957 made national news. As a protest, Armstrong canceled a planned tour of the [[Soviet Union]] on behalf of the [[State Department]] saying "The way they're treating my people in the South, the government can go to hell" and that he could not represent his government abroad when it was in conflict with its own people.<ref name="Louis Armstrong, Barring Soviet Tour, Denounces Eisenhower and Gov. Faubus">
{{cite news | url = http://www.nytimes.com/books/97/08/03/reviews/armstrong-eisenhower.html | title = Louis Armstrong, Barring Soviet Tour, Denounces Eisenhower and Gov. Faubus| publisher = ''[[New York Times]]''|date = September 19, 1957 | accessdate = 2007-08-30 }} See also, from September 23, 2007, *[http://www.nytimes.com/2007/09/23/opinion/23margolick.html David Margolick, The Day Louis Armstrong Made Noise]</ref> The [[FBI]] kept a file on Armstrong, for his outspokenness about integration.<ref>Bergreen, 1997, p. 472.</ref>

He was an extremely generous man, who was said to have given away as much money as he kept for himself. Armstrong was also greatly concerned with his health and bodily functions. He made frequent use of [[laxatives]] as a means of controlling his weight, a practice he advocated both to personal acquaintances and in the diet plans he published under the title ''Lose Weight the Satchmo Way''. Armstrong's laxative of preference in his younger days was [[Pluto Water]], but he then became an enthusiastic convert when he discovered the herbal remedy [[Swiss Kriss]]. He would extol its virtues to anyone who would listen and pass out packets to everyone he encountered, including members of the [[British Royal Family]]. (Armstrong also appeared in humorous, albeit risqué, advertisements for Swiss Kriss; the ads bore a picture of him sitting on a toilet &mdash; as viewed through a keyhole &mdash; with the slogan "''Satch says, 'Leave it all behind ya!'''")<ref name="LeaveItAllBehindYa">
{{cite news | first = Peter | last = Gilstrap | url = http://www.phoenixnewtimes.com/1996-02-29/news/leave-it-all-behind-ya/ | title = Leave It All Behind Ya | publisher = Phoenix New Times |date = February 29, 1996 |accessdate = 2007-08-11 }}</ref>

The concern with his health and weight was balanced by his love of food, reflected in such songs as "Cheesecake", "Cornet Chop Suey", and, especially, "Struttin’ with Some Barbecue".<ref>Satchmo.net. 'Red Beans and Ricely yours, Louis Armstrong.'</ref> He kept a strong connection throughout his life to the [[Louisiana Creole cuisine|cooking of New Orleans]], always signing his letters, "Red beans and ricely yours,".<ref>Elie p.327</ref>

Although Armstrong is not known to have fathered any children, he loved children and would go out of his way to entertain the neighborhood kids in Corona, and to encourage young musicians.

Armstrong’s gregariousness extended to writing. On the road, he wrote constantly. Many of the favorite themes of his life he shared with correspondents around the world. He avidly typed or wrote on whatever stationery was at hand, instant takes on music, sex, food, childhood memories, his heavy “medicinal” marijuana use, and even his bowel movements, which were gleefully described.<ref>Bergreen, 1997, p.4.</ref> He had a fondness for lewd jokes and dirty limericks as well.

Armstrong was an avid audiophile. He had a large collection of recordings, including reel-to-reel tapes which he took on the road with him in a trunk during his later career. He enjoyed listening to his own recordings, and comparing his performances musically. In the den of his home, he had the latest audio equipment and would sometimes rehearse and record along with his older recordings or the radio.<ref>Michael Cogswell, ''Louis Armstrong: The Offstage Story of Satchmo'' (Collector's Press, [[Portland, Oregon]], 2003) ISBN 1-88805481-6 pp.66-68</ref>

===Death===
Armstrong died of a [[myocardial infarction|heart attack]] on July 6, 1971, at age 69, 11 months<ref>Meckna, Michael; Satchmo, The Louis Armstrong Encyclopedia, Greenwood Press, Connecticut & London, 2004</ref> after playing a famous show at the [[Waldorf-Astoria]]'s [[Empire Room]]. Shortly before his death he stated, "I think I had a beautiful life. I didn't wish for anything that I couldn't get and I got pretty near everything I wanted because I worked for it."<ref>Bergreen, 1997, p. 491.</ref> He was residing in [[Corona, Queens|Corona]], [[Queens]], New York City, at the time of his passing. He was interred in [[Flushing Cemetery]], [[Flushing, Queens|Flushing]], in [[Queens]], New York City.

His honorary pallbearers included [[Nelson Rockefeller|Governor Rockefeller]], [[John Lindsay|Mayor Lindsay]], [[Bing Crosby]], [[Ella Fitzgerald]], [[Guy Lombardo]], [[Duke Ellington]], [[Dizzy Gillespie]], [[Pearl Bailey]], [[Count Basie]], [[Harry James]], [[Frank Sinatra]], [[Ed Sullivan]], [[Earl Wilson]], [[Alan King]], [[Johnny Carson]], [[David Frost]], [[Merv Griffin]], [[Dick Cavett]] and [[Bobby Hackett]]. Peggy Lee, one of Armstrong's favorite vocalists, sang [[The Lord's Prayer]] at the services.

==Music==
Armstrong gained fame as a horn player, then later became better known as a bandleader, vocalist, musical ambassador, and founding figure in much modern American music.

===Horn playing and early jazz===
In his early years, Armstrong was best known for his virtuosity with the cornet and trumpet. The greatest trumpet playing of his early years can be heard on his [[Hot Five]] and [[Hot Seven]] records. The improvisations which he made on these records of New Orleans jazz standards and popular songs of the day continue to stack up brilliantly alongside those of any other later jazz performer. The older generation of New Orleans jazz musicians often referred to their improvisations as "variating the melody"; Armstrong's improvisations were daring and sophisticated for the time while often subtle and melodic.

He often essentially re-composed pop-tunes he played, making them more interesting. Armstrong's playing is filled with joyous, inspired original melodies, creative leaps, and subtle relaxed or driving rhythms. The genius of these creative passages is matched by Armstrong's playing technique, honed by constant practice, which extended the range, tone and capabilities of the trumpet. In these records, Armstrong almost single-handedly created the role of the jazz soloist, taking what was essentially a collective folk music and turning it into an art form with tremendous possibilities for individual expression.

Armstrong's work in the 1920s shows him playing at the outer limits of his abilities. The Hot Five records, especially, often have minor flubs and missed notes, which do little to detract from listening enjoyment since the energy of the spontaneous performance comes through. By the mid 1930s, Armstrong achieved a smooth assurance, knowing exactly what he could do and carrying out his ideas with perfectionism.

===Vocal popularity===
As his music progressed and popularity grew, his singing also became important. Armstrong was not the first to record [[scat singing]], but he was masterful at it and helped popularize it. He had a hit with his playing and scat singing on "[[Heebie Jeebies]]" when, according to some legends, the sheet music fell on the floor and he simply started singing nonsense syllables. Armstrong stated in his memoirs that this actually occurred. He also sang out "I done forgot the words" in the middle of recording "I'm A Ding Dong Daddy From Dumas".

Such records were hits and scat singing became a major part of his performances. Long before this, however, Armstrong was playing around with his vocals, shortening and lengthening phrases, interjecting improvisations, using his voice as creatively as his trumpet.

===Colleagues and followers===
During his long career he played and sang with the most important instrumentalists and vocalists; among the many, singing [[brakeman]] [[Jimmie Rodgers (country singer)|Jimmie Rodgers]], [[Bing Crosby]], [[Duke Ellington]], [[Fletcher Henderson]], [[Bessie Smith]], and notably with [[Ella Fitzgerald]].

His influence upon Bing Crosby is particularly important with regard to the subsequent development of popular music: Crosby admired and copied Armstrong, as is evident on many of his early recordings, notably "Just One More Chance" (1931). The ''New Grove Dictionary Of Jazz'' describes Crosby's debt to Armstrong in precise detail, although it does not acknowledge Armstrong by name: "Crosby...was important in introducing into the mainstream of popular singing an Afro-American concept of song as a lyrical extension of speech...His techniques - easing the weight of the breath on the vocal cords, passing into a head voice at a low register, using forward production to aid distinct enunciation, singing on consonants (a practice of black singers), and making discreet use of appoggiaturas, mordents, and slurs to emphasize the text - were emulated by nearly all later popular singers".

Armstrong recorded three albums with Ella Fitzgerald: ''[[Ella and Louis]]'', ''[[Ella and Louis Again]]'', and ''[[Porgy and Bess (Armstrong & Fitzgerald album)|Porgy and Bess]]'' for [[Verve Records]], with the sessions featuring the backing musicianship of the [[Oscar Peterson]] Trio and drummer [[Buddy Rich]]. His recordings ''Satch Plays Fats'', all [[Fats Waller]] tunes, and ''[[Louis Armstrong Plays W.C. Handy]]'' in the 1950s were perhaps among the last of his great creative recordings, but even oddities like ''Disney Songs the Satchmo Way'' are seen to have their musical moments. And, his participation in [[Dave Brubeck]]'s high-concept jazz musical ''[[The Real Ambassadors]]'' was critically acclaimed. For the most part, however, his later output was criticized as being overly simplistic or repetitive.

===Hits and later career===
Armstrong had many hit records including "[[Stardust (song)|Stardust]]", "[[What a Wonderful World]]", "[[When The Saints Go Marching In]]", "[[Dream a Little Dream of Me]]", "[[Ain't Misbehavin' (song)|Ain't Misbehavin']]", and "Stompin' at the Savoy". "[[We Have All the Time in the World]]" featured on the soundtrack of the [[James Bond]] film ''[[On Her Majesty's Secret Service (film)|On Her Majesty's Secret Service]]'', and enjoyed renewed popularity in the UK in 1994 when it featured on a [[Guinness]] advert. It reached number 3 in the charts on being re-released.

In 1964, Armstrong knocked [[the Beatles]] off the top of the [[Billboard Top 100]] chart with "[[Hello, Dolly (song)|Hello, Dolly]]", which gave the 63-year-old performer a U.S. record as the oldest artist to have a #1 song. In 1968, Armstrong scored one last popular hit in the United Kingdom with the highly sentimental pop song "[[What a Wonderful World]]", which topped the British charts for a month; however, the single did not chart at all in America. The song gained greater currency in the popular consciousness when it was used in the 1987 movie ''[[Good Morning, Vietnam]]'', its subsequent rerelease topping many charts around the world. Armstrong even appeared on the October 28, 1970 ''[[Johnny Cash]] Show'', where he sang [[Nat "King" Cole]]'s hit "[[Rambling Rose (1962 song)|Rambling Rose]]" and joined Cash to re-create his performance backing [[Jimmie Rodgers (country singer)|Jimmie Rodgers]] on "[[Blue Yodel # 9]].""

===Stylistic range===
[[Image:Louis Armstrong by Niki de Saint Phalle.jpg|thumb|right|180px|[[Niki de Saint Phalle]]'s rendition of Armstrong, Chicago.]]
Armstrong enjoyed many types of music, from blues to the arrangements of [[Guy Lombardo]], to Latin American folksongs, to classical symphonies and [[opera]]. Armstrong incorporated influences from all these sources into his performances, sometimes to the bewilderment of fans who wanted Armstrong to stay in convenient narrow categories. Armstrong was inducted into [[Rock and Roll Hall of Fame]] as an ''early influence''. Some of his solos from the 1950s, such as the [[rock and roll|hard rocking]] version of "[[St. Louis Blues (song)|St. Louis Blues]]" from the ''WC Handy'' album, show that the influence went in both directions.

==Literature, Radio, films and TV==
Armstrong appeared in more than a dozen Hollywood [[film]]s, usually playing a band leader or musician. His most familiar role was as the bandleader ''cum'' narrator in the 1956 [[Musical film|musical]], ''[[High Society]]'', in which he sang the title song and performed a duet with [[Bing Crosby]] on "[[Now You Has Jazz]]". In 1947, he played himself in the movie ''[[New Orleans (1947 film)|New Orleans]]'' opposite [[Billie Holiday]], which chronicled the demise of the [[Storyville]] district and the ensuing exodus of musicians from New Orleans to Chicago[http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0039655/]. He was the first African American to host a nationally broadcast [[radio]] show in the 1930s. In 1969, Armstrong had a cameo role in the film version of ''[[Hello, Dolly!]]'' as the bandleader, Louis, to which he sang the title song with actress [[Barbra Streisand]]. His solo recording of ''[[Hello, Dolly!]]'' is one of his most recognizable performances.

He was heard on such radio programs as ''The Story of Swing'' (1937) and ''This Is Jazz'' (1947), and he also made countless [[television]] appearances, especially in the 1950s and 1960s, including appearances on ''[[The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson]]''.

Louis Armstrong has a record star on the [[Hollywood Walk of Fame]] on 7601 Hollywood Boulevard.

Many of Armstrong's recordings remain popular. Almost four decades since his passing, a larger number of his recordings from all periods of his career are more widely available than at any time during his lifetime. His songs are broadcast and listened to every day throughout the world, and are honored in various [[Film|movie]]s, [[Television program|TV series]], [[advertising|commercials]], and even [[anime]] and [[computer game]]s. "A Kiss to Build a Dream On" was included in the computer game ''[[Fallout 2]]'', accompanying the intro cinematic. It was also used in the 1993 film ''[[Sleepless in Seattle]]''. His 1923 recordings, with Joe Oliver and his Creole Jazz Band, continue to be listened to as documents of ensemble style [[New Orleans jazz]], but more particularly as ripper jazz records in their own right. All too often, however, Armstrong recorded with stiff, standard orchestras leaving only his sublime trumpet playing as of interest. "Melancholy Blues," performed by Armstrong and his Hot Seven was included on the [[Voyager Golden Record]] sent into outer space to represent one of the greatest achievements of humanity. Most familiar to modern listeners is his ubiquitous rendition of "[[What a Wonderful World]]." In 2008, Armstrong's recording of [[Edith Piaf]]'s famous "[[La Vie En Rose]]" was used in a scene of the popular Disney/Pixar film [[WALL-E]].

[[Argentina|Argentine]] writer [[Julio Cortázar]], a self-described Armstrong admirer, asserted that a 1952 Louis Armstrong concert at the [[Théâtre des Champs-Élysées]] in Paris played a significant role in inspiring him to create the fictional creatures called [[Cronopio]]s that are the subject of a number of Cortázar's short stories. Cortázar once called Louis Armstrong himself "Grandísimo Cronopio" (Most Enormous Cronopio).

Armstrong also appears as a minor character in [[Harry Turtledove]]'s [[Timeline-191]] series. When he and his band escape from a [[Nazi]]-like Confederacy, they enhance the insipid mainstream music of the North.

There is a pivotal scene in 1980's [[Stardust Memories]] in which [[Woody Allen]] is overwhelmed by a recording of Armstrong's [[Stardust]] and experiences a nostalgic epiphany[http://rogerebert.suntimes.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/19800101/REVIEWS/1010330/1023]. The combination of the music and the perfect moment is the catalyst for much of the film's action, prompting the protagonist to fall in love with an ill-advised woman [http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0081554/].

Louis Armstrong is also referred to in ''[[The Trumpet of the Swan]]'' along with [[Ella Fitzgerald]] and [[Billie Holiday]]. Three siblings in the film are named Louis, Billie, and Ella. The main character, Louis, plays a trumpet, an obvious nod to Armstrong.

In the original EB White book, he is referred to by name by a child who hears Louis playing and comments "He sounds just like Louis Armstrong, the famous trumpet player".

==Awards and honors==
===Grammy Awards===
Armstrong was posthumously awarded the [[Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award]] in 1972, by the Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences. This Special Merit Award is presented by vote of the Recording Academy's National Trustees to performers who, during their lifetimes, have made creative contributions of outstanding artist significance to the field of recording.<ref>[http://www.grammy.com/Recording_Academy/Awards/Lifetime_Awards/ Lifetime Achievement Award]</ref>

{| class=wikitable
|-
| colspan=5 align=center | '''Grammy Award'''
|-
! Year
! Category
! Title
! Genre
! Label
! Result
|- align=center
| 1964
| Male Vocal Performance
| "[[Hello, Dolly! (song)|Hello, Dolly!]]"
| Pop
| Kapp
| Winner
|- align=center
|- align=center
|}

===Grammy Hall of Fame===
Recordings of Armstrong were inducted into the [[Grammy Hall of Fame Award|Grammy Hall of Fame]], which is a special Grammy award established in 1973 to honor recordings that are at least twenty-five years old, and that have "qualitative or historical significance."<ref>[http://www.grammy.com/Recording_Academy/Awards/Hall_Of_Fame/ Grammy Hall of Fame Database]</ref><ref>[http://www.grammy.com/PressReleases/443_466_Hall%20of%20Fame%20release%20FINAL.pdf 2008 Grammy Hall of Fame List]</ref>

{| class=wikitable
|-
| colspan=5 align=center | '''Grammy Hall of Fame'''
|-
! Year Recorded
! Title
! Genre
! Label
! Year Inducted
! Notes
|- align=center
| 1929
| [[St. Louis Blues (song)|St. Louis Blues]]
| Jazz (Single)
| Okeh
| 2008
|- align=center
| 1928
| Weather Bird
| Jazz (Single)
| Okeh
| 2008
| with [[Earl Hines]]
|- align=center
| 1930
| Blue Yodel #9<br>(Standing on the Corner)
| Country (Single)
| Victor
| 2007
| Jimmie Rodgers (Featuring Louis Armstrong)
|- align=center
| 1932
| [[All of Me (song)|All of Me]]
| Jazz (Single)
| Columbia
| 2005
|- align=center
| 1958
| ''Porgy and Bess''
| Jazz (Album)
| Verve
| 2001
| with [[Ella Fitzgerald]]
|- align=center
| 1964
| [[Hello, Dolly! (song)|Hello Dolly!]]
| Pop (Single)
| Kapp
| 2001
|- align=center
| 1926
| [[Heebie Jeebies]]
| Jazz (Single)
| Okeh
| 1999
|- align=center
| 1968
| [[What a Wonderful World]]
| Jazz (Single)
| ABC
| 1999
|- align=center
| 1955
| [[Mack the Knife]]
| Jazz (Single)
| Columbia
| 1997
|- align=center
| 1925
| [[St. Louis Blues (song)|St. Louis Blues]]
| Jazz (Single)
| Columbia
| 1993
| [[Bessie Smith]] with Louis Armstrong, cornet
|- align=center
| 1928
| [[West End Blues]]
| Jazz (Single)
| Okeh
| 1974
|- align=center
|}

===Rock and Roll Hall of Fame===

The [[Rock and Roll Hall of Fame]] listed a song by Armstrong on the list of 500 songs that shaped Rock and Roll.<ref>[http://www.rockhall.com/exhibithighlights/500-songs/ 500 Songs That Shaped Rock and Roll]</ref>

{| class=wikitable
|-
| colspan=5 align=center |
|-
! Year Recorded
! Title
! Label
! Group
|- align=center
| 1928
| [[West End Blues]]
| [[Okeh Records|Okeh]]
| [[Louis Armstrong and his Hot Five]]
|- align=center
|}

===Inductions and honors===
[[Image:Louis armstrong 1995.jpg|right|thumb|US Postage Stamp 1995]]
In 1995, the [[List of people on stamps of the United States|U.S. Post Office]] issues a Louis Armstrong 32 cents commemorative postage stamp.

{| class=wikitable
|-
| colspan=4 align=center |
|-
! Year Inducted
! Title
! Results
! Notes
|- align=center
| 2007
| [[The Louisiana Music Hall Of Fame]]
|
|- align=center
| 2007
| [[Gennett Records]] Walk of Fame, [[Richmond, Indiana]]
|
|- align=center
| 2007
| [[Long Island Music Hall of Fame]]
|
|- align=center
| 2004
| Nesuhi Ertegün Jazz Hall of Fame<br>at [[Jazz at Lincoln Center]]
|
|
|- align=center
| 1990
| [[List of Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductees|Rock and Roll Hall of Fame]]
|
| Early influence
|- align=center
| 1978
| [[Big Band and Jazz Hall of Fame]]
|
|
|- align=center
| 1958
| [[Down Beat|Down Beat Jazz Hall of Fame]]
|
|- align=center
|
| [[List of stars on the Hollywood Walk of Fame|Hollywood Walk of Fame]]
| Star
| at 7601 Hollywood Blvd.
|- align=center
|}

===Legacy===
On December 31, 1999, US President [[Bill Clinton]] announced that Armstrong's trumpet was among several items of national memorabilia that were to be interred in a Millennial time capsule to be opened 100 years later.<ref>[http://archives.cnn.com/1999/ALLPOLITICS/stories/12/31/clinton.kickoff.02/ Clinton toasts 2000 at White House VIP dinner - December 31, 1999<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref>

Today, the house where Louis Armstrong lived at the time of his death (and which was declared a [[National Historic Landmark]] in 1977) is a [[museum]]. The Louis Armstrong House & Archives, at 34-56 107th Street (between 34th and 35th Avenues) in Corona, Queens, presents concerts and educational programs, operates as a historic house museum and makes materials in its archives of writings, books, recordings and memorabilia available to the public for research. The museum is operated by the [[Queens College, New York|City University of New York's Queens College]], following the dictates of Armstrong’s [[Will (law)|will]].
{{seealso|Louis Armstrong House & Archives}}
The museum was opened to the public on October 15, 2003. In 2005, it was among 406 New York City arts and social service institutions to receive part of a $20 million grant from the [[Carnegie Corporation]], which was made possible through a donation by New York City mayor [[Michael Bloomberg]].<ref>[http://www.nytimes.com/2005/07/06/nyregion/06donate.html?ex=1278302400&en=93a1beabd4ede5b8&ei=5090&partner=rssuserland&emc=rss City Groups Get Bloomberg Gift of $20 Million - New York Times<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref><ref>[http://carnegie.org/sub/news/anon2005.html Carnegie Corporation - News<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref>

The influence of Armstrong on the development of jazz is virtually immeasurable. Yet, his irrepressible personality both as a performer, and as a public figure later in his career, was so strong that to some it sometimes overshadowed his contributions as a musician and singer.

As a virtuoso trumpet player, Armstrong had a unique tone and an extraordinary talent for melodic [[improvisation]]. Through his playing, the [[trumpet]] emerged as a solo instrument in jazz and is used widely today. He was a masterful accompanist and ensemble player in addition to his extraordinary skills as a soloist. With his innovations, he raised the bar musically for all who came after him.

Some critics contend that Armstrong essentially invented jazz singing. Though widely recognized as a pioneer of [[scat singing]], [[Ethel Waters]] precedes his scatting on record in the 1930s according to [[Gary Giddens]] and others.<ref>See ''Ken Burns' Jazz'' CD Set liner notes</ref> [[Billie Holiday]] and [[Frank Sinatra]] are just two singers who were greatly indebted to him. Holiday said that she always wanted [[Bessie Smith]]'s 'big' sound and Armstrong's feeling in her singing.

On August 4, 2001, the centennial of Armstrong's birth, New Orleans' airport was renamed [[Louis Armstrong International Airport]] in his honor.

In 2002, the [[Louis Armstrong and his Hot Five|Louis Armstrong's Hot Five and Hot Seven]] recordings (1925-1928) are preserved in the United States National Recording Registry, a registry of [[recording]]s selected yearly by the [[National Recording Preservation Board]] for preservation in the [[National Recording Registry]] of the [[Library of Congress]].<ref>[http://www.loc.gov/rr/record/nrpb/nrpb-2002reg.html Library of Congress archive]</ref>

The [[US Open (tennis)|US Open]] tennis tournament's former main stadium was named [[Louis Armstrong Stadium]] in honor of Armstrong who had lived a few blocks from the site.<ref>[http://www.usta.com/nationaltenniscenternews/fullstory.sps?iNewsid=14185 Ashe & Armstrong Stadiums<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref>

==Discography==
* [[:Category:Louis Armstrong albums|Louis Armstrong albums]]
* [[:Category:Louis Armstrong songs|Louis Armstrong songs]]

==Notes==
{{reflist|2}}

==References==
* Armstrong, Louis. ''Satchmo: My Life in New Orleans''. ISBN 0-306-80276-7
* Armstrong, Louis and Thomas Brothers. ''Armstrong, in His Own Words: Selected Writings''. ISBN 0-19-514046-X
* Bergreen, Laurence. "Louis Armstrong: An Extravagant Life". ISBN 0-553-06768-0
* Brothers, Thomas "Louis Armstrong's New Orleans" ISBN 0-393-06109
* Jones Max and [[John Chilton]]. Louis Armstrong Story. ISBN 0-306-803240
* Cogswell, Michael. ''Armstrong: The Offstage Story''. ISBN 1-888054-81-6
* Meckna, Michael. ''Satchmo: The Louis Armstrong Encyclopedia''. ISBN 0-313-30137-9
* Elie, Lolis Eric. ''A Letter from New Orleans.'' Originally printed in ''Gourmet''. Reprinted in ''Best Food Writing 2006,'' Edited by Holly Hughes, ISBN 1-56924-287-9


==External links==
==External links==
* [http://www.talklikeabrummieday.co.uk/ Talk Like A Brummie Day] On 20th July.
{{commonscat}}
* [http://www.talklikeabrummie.co.uk Talk Like A Brummie] - A wiki-based Birmingham dialect dictionary.
{{wikiquote}}
* [http://www.ebrummie.co.uk/ ebrummie.co.uk] Dr Steve Thorne's website devoted to the study of Brummie, including a dictionary, MP3 speech samples, discussion of his research on stereotypes, etc. No Longer Online.
* [http://www.louis-armstrong.net louis-armstrong.net - SONY BMG MUSIC ENTERTAINMENT]
* [http://classweb.gmu.edu/accent/english57.html Birmingham English sample] using a test paragraph including most English sounds: George Mason University [http://classweb.gmu.edu/accent/ Speech Accent Archive]. Compare a [http://classweb.gmu.edu/accent/english40.html Dudley] ([[Black Country]]) sample.
* [http://www.frenchcreoles.com/MusicEvents/louis%20armstrong/louis%20armstrong.htm Louis Armstrong at www.frenchcreoles.com]
* [http://www.bl.uk/soundsfamiliar Sounds Familiar?]{{ndash}} Listen to examples of regional accents and dialects from across the UK on the British Library's 'Sounds Familiar' website
* [http://www.gadflyonline.com/archive/MarchApril00/archive-louisarmstrong.html Louis Armstrong by Nat Hentoff]
* [http://www.collectbritain.co.uk/collections/dialects/ English Accents and Dialects], British Library [http://www.collectbritain.co.uk/ Collect Britain] website features samples of Birmingham speech (wma format, with annotations on phonology, lexis and grammar): [http://www.collectbritain.co.uk/personalisation/object.cfm?uid=021MMC900S18603U00004C01 Sue Long], [http://www.collectbritain.co.uk/personalisation/object.cfm?uid=021MMC900S18580U00016C01 Aubrey Walton], [http://www.collectbritain.co.uk/personalisation/object.cfm?uid=021MMC900S18518U00004C01 Harry Phillips] and [http://www.collectbritain.co.uk/personalisation/object.cfm?uid=021MMC900S18508U00002C01 Billy Lucas].
* [http://www.nytimes.com/learning/general/onthisday/bday/0804.html Obituary, NY Times]
* [http://www.virtualbrum.co.uk/brummies.htm Why Brummies Why not Birmies?] Etymological article by [[Carl Chinn|Dr Carl Chinn]]
* [http://www.satchmo.com/louisarmstrong/quotes.html Quotes and tributes]
* [http://www.birminghamnet.co.uk/people/slang.html Brummie and Black Country sayings]
* [http://www.michaelminn.net/armstrong Discography]
* [http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/west_midlands/3187433.stm BBC guide to Brummie]
* [http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0001918/ Filmography] @ [http://www.imdb.com imdb.com]
* [http://www.newscentre.bham.ac.uk/release.htm?releaseId=627&page=7&year=2003&showUndelivered=N Brummie is Beautiful!] University of Birmingham press release about Dr Steve Thorne's PhD thesis, ''Birmingham English: A Sociolinguistic Study''.
* [http://www.seeingblack.com/x040901/armstrong.shtml ''Seeing Black'' jazz critic] on the Uncle Tom question
* [http://www.crossroadsnetwork.co.uk/society/paulhenry.htm Paul Henry on Benny's accent] Noele Gordon and Crossroads Appreciation Society interview
* [http://www.satchmo.net/ Satchmo.net, the official website of the Louis Armstrong House & Archives]
* [http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk_news/story/0,,878221,00.html Face of the Halifax given a makeover ... and a cockney's voiceover] ''Guardian'' January 20, 2003
* [http://www.themeister.co.uk/dixie/dixieland_jazz.htm "Louis Armstrong Transcription Project - john p birchall"]
* [http://www.collectbritain.co.uk/collections/dialects/ English Accents and Dialects], [[Warwickshire]] speakers - [http://www.collectbritain.co.uk/personalisation/object.cfm?uid=021SED00C908S58U00007C01 William Sewell] of Hockley Heath, [http://www.collectbritain.co.uk/personalisation/object.cfm?uid=021SED00C908S14U00002C01 Mr Calcutt] of Aston Cantlow, [http://www.collectbritain.co.uk/personalisation/object.cfm?uid=021SED00C908S14U00003C01 Mr Duckett] of Lighthorne, and [http://www.collectbritain.co.uk/personalisation/object.cfm?uid=021SED00C908S14U00004C01 Harry Cook] of Shipston-on-Stour - show progressive accent change moving south-east from Birmingham across isogloss.
*[http://www.ephemerapress.com/queens.html Pictorial Map of Jazz History in Queens]
* [http://www.whoohoo.co.uk/brummie-translator.asp Whoohoo Brummie translator]
*[http://pbskids.org/jazz/nowthen/louis.html Louis Armstrong] at pbskids.org
*[http://www.nytimes.com/2007/09/23/opinion/23margolick.html David Margolick, The Day Louis Armstrong Made Noise]
*[http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GRid=36 Louis Armstrong Memorial] at [[Find A Grave]]

{{Great American Songbook}}

{{Persondata
|NAME=Armstrong, Louis Daniel
|ALTERNATIVE NAMES=Satchmo
|SHORT DESCRIPTION=American [[Jazz]] [[trumpet]]er and singer
|DATE OF BIRTH={{birth date|mf=yes|1900|7|4}}
|PLACE OF BIRTH=[[New Orleans]], [[Louisiana]], U.S.
|DATE OF DEATH={{death date|mf=yes|1971|7|6}}
|PLACE OF DEATH=New York City, New York, U.S.
}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Armstrong, Louis}}
[[Category:Swing trumpeters]]
[[Category:Swing bandleaders]]
[[Category:Swing singers]]
[[Category:New Orleans jazz musicians]]
[[Category:People from New Orleans, Louisiana]]
[[Category:Dixieland trumpeters]]
[[Category:Dixieland bandleaders]]
[[Category:Dixieland singers]]
[[Category:American jazz singers]]
[[Category:American jazz trumpeters]]
[[Category:American jazz cornetists]]
[[Category:Jazz bandleaders]]
[[Category:American buskers]]
[[Category:Gennett recording artists]]
[[Category:Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductees]]
[[Category:Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award winners]]
[[Category:African American brass musicians]]
[[Category:African American singers]]
[[Category:American male singers]]
[[Category:Deaths by myocardial infarction]]
[[Category:Burials at Flushing Cemetery]]
[[Category:1901 births]]
[[Category:1971 deaths]]


{{English dialects by continent}}
{{Link FA|he}}
[[Category:Birmingham, England]]
[[ar:لويس أرمسترونج]]
[[Category:English language in England]]
[[az:Lui Armstronq]]
[[Category:Languages of the United Kingdom]]
[[bs:Louis Armstrong]]
[[Category:People from Birmingham, England| ]]
[[bg:Луис Армстронг]]
[[Category:Regional nicknames]]
[[ca:Louis Armstrong]]
[[cs:Louis Armstrong]]
[[cy:Louis Armstrong]]
[[da:Louis Armstrong]]
[[de:Louis Armstrong]]
[[et:Louis Armstrong]]
[[el:Λούις Άρμστρονγκ]]
[[es:Louis Armstrong]]
[[eo:Louis Armstrong]]
[[eu:Louis Armstrong]]
[[fa:لویی آرمسترانگ]]
[[fr:Louis Armstrong]]
[[gl:Louis Armstrong]]
[[hr:Louis Armstrong]]
[[io:Louis Armstrong]]
[[id:Louis Armstrong]]
[[it:Louis Armstrong]]
[[he:לואי ארמסטרונג]]
[[ka:ლუი არმსტრონგი]]
[[sw:Louis Armstrong]]
[[lv:Lūiss Ārmstrongs]]
[[lb:Louis Armstrong]]
[[lt:Louis Armstrong]]
[[hu:Louis Armstrong]]
[[nl:Louis Armstrong]]
[[ja:ルイ・アームストロング]]
[[no:Louis Armstrong]]
[[nn:Louis Armstrong]]
[[oc:Louis Armstrong]]
[[nds:Louis Armstrong]]
[[pl:Louis Armstrong]]
[[pt:Louis Armstrong]]
[[ro:Louis Armstrong]]
[[ru:Армстронг, Луи]]
[[sq:Louis Armstrong]]
[[scn:Louis Armstrong]]
[[simple:Louis Armstrong]]
[[sk:Louis Armstrong]]
[[sl:Louis Armstrong]]
[[sr:Луј Армстронг]]
[[fi:Louis Armstrong]]
[[sv:Louis Armstrong]]
[[tr:Louis Armstrong]]
[[uk:Армстронґ Луї]]
[[zh:路易斯·阿姆斯特朗]]

Revision as of 23:14, 13 October 2008

Brummie (sometimes Brummy) is a colloquial term for the inhabitants, accent and dialect of Birmingham, England, as well as being a general adjective used to denote a connection with the city, locally called Brum. The terms are all derived from Brummagem or Bromwichham, historical variants or alternatives to 'Birmingham'.

Accent

Brummie is an example of a regional accent of English.

Examples of celebrity speakers include comedian Jasper Carrott, historian and broadcaster Carl Chinn, BBC financial presenter Adrian Chiles, the Goodies actor and TV presenter Bill Oddie, rock musician Ozzy Osbourne, broadcaster Les Ross, politician Clare Short, and SAS soldier and author John "Brummie" Stokes.

It is not the only accent of the West Midlands, although the term, Brummie, is often, erroneously, used in referring to all accents of the region. It is markedly distinct,from the traditional accent of the adjacent Black Country, although modern-day population mobility has tended to blur the distinction. For instance, Dudley-born comedian Lenny Henry, Daniel Taylor, and Smethwick-born actress Julie Walters are sometimes mistaken for Brummie-speakers by people outside the West Midlands county.

Birmingham and Coventry accents are also quite distinct in their differences, despite the close proximity of the cities. To the untrained ear, however, all of these accents may sound very similar, just as British English speakers can find it hard to distinguish between Canadian and American accents, or Australian and New Zealand accents.

As with all English regional accents, the Brummie accent also grades into RP English. The accent of presenter Cat Deeley is listed by her voiceover agency, Curtis Brown, as "RP/Birmingham".

Pronunciation

This article contains phonetic transcriptions in the International Phonetic Alphabet (IPA). For an introductory guide on IPA symbols, see Help:IPA. For the distinction between [ ], / / and ⟨ ⟩, see IPA § Brackets and transcription delimiters.

Despite there being marked differences between Brummie and Black Country dialects, there appears to be confusion by people outside the West Midlands county when it comes to distinguishing between the two. Impressions of a Brummie will often contain vowel pronunciations that belong to the Black Country. A common example is when a Brummie impersonator will pronounce 'money' as 'mun-ay',which is a Black Country pronunciation; Brummies actually pronounce 'money' in the same way conventional English speakers do. This is not to say that the impersonator is doing a Black Country accent instead of a Brummie one when this occurs; it is entirely possible that they are just doing an inaccurate Brummie stereotype which makes the mistake of adding Black Country dialect.

Below are some common features of the Brummie accent (a given speaker may not necessarily use all, or use a feature consistently). The letters enclosed in square brackets– []– use the International Phonetic Alphabet. The corresponding example texts enclosed in double quotes (") are spelt so that a reader using Received Pronunciation (RP) can approximate the sounds.

  • The vowel of mouth (RP [aʊ]) can be [ɛʊ].
  • The vowel of goat (RP [əʊ]) can be close to [ɑʊ] (so to an RP speaker, goat may sound like "go-t").
  • Final unstressed /i/, as in happy, may be realised as [əi], though this varies considerably between speakers.
  • The letters ng often represent /ŋɡ/ where RP has just /ŋ/ (e.g. singer as [siŋɡə]). See Ng coalescence.
  • Both the vowels of strut and foot as [ʊ], as in northern England. See foot-strut split.
  • Short 'a', [a] as opposed to [ɑː] in RP, in words like bath, cast and chance (but aunt and laugh both have [ɑː]). See trap-bath split.
  • Final unstressed /ə/ may be realised as [a].
  • In a few cases, voicing of final /s/ (e.g. bus as [bʊz]).
  • Some rolling of prevocalic /r/ (some speakers; e.g. in "crime").

Recordings of Brummie speakers with phonetic features described in SAMPA format can be found at the Collect Britain dialects site referenced below.

Rhymes and vocabulary in the works of William Shakespeare suggest that he used a local dialect (Birmingham and his birthplace, Stratford-upon-Avon, are both in the English West Midland dialect area.)

Stereotypes

A study was conducted in 2008 where people were asked to grade the intelligence of a person based on their accent and the Brummie accent was ranked as the least intelligent accent. It even scored lower than being silent, an example of the stereotype attached to the Brummie accent.[1]

According to Birmingham English: A Sociolinguistic Study (Steve Thorne, 2003), among UK listeners "Birmingham English in previous academic studies and opinion polls consistently fares as the most disfavoured variety of British English, yet with no satisfying account of the dislike".

Since, as he shows, overseas visitors in contrast find it "lilting and melodious", he argues that such dislike is driven by various linguistic myths and social factors peculiar to the UK ("social snobbery, negative media stereotyping, the poor public image of the City of Birmingham, and the north/south geographical and linguistic divide").

For instance, despite the city's cultural and innovative history, its industrial background (as depicted by the arm-and-hammer in Birmingham's coat of arms) has led to a muscular and unintelligent stereotype: a "Brummagem screwdriver" or "Brummie screwdriver" is UK slang for a hammer.

Steve Thorne also cites the mass media and entertainment industry where actors, usually non-Birmingham, have used inaccurate accents and/or portrayed negative roles. Examples include Benny from the soap Crossroads, a feckless character played by Paul Henry with a hybrid Birmingham-Worcester accent many viewers assumed to be Birmingham because of the setting, and characters played by Battersea-born actor Timothy Spall: for instance,Barry Taylor in Auf Wiedersehen Pet (The character Taylor was actually supposed to be from Tipton) and Andy, the sarcastic virtual reality attendant in the Red Dwarf episode "Back to Reality". The actor Mark Williams also specialises in amiable but stupid Birmingham characters. One of Harry Enfield's comedy characters, portrayed an exaggerated Brummie ,whose catchline was "we are considerably richer than yow". Lennie Godber is a criminal from Birmingham in the Television series, Porridge.

Advertisements are another medium where many perceive stereotypes. Journalist Lydia Stockdale, writing in the Birmingham Post ("Pig ignorant about the Brummie accent", December 2, 2004), commented on advertisers' association of Birmingham accents with pigs: the pig in the ad for Colman's Potato Bakes, Nick Park's Hells Angel Pigs for British Gas and ITV's "Dave the window-cleaner pig" all had Brummie accents. More recently, a Halifax bank advertisement featuring Howard Brown, a Birmingham- born and based employee, was replaced by an animated version with an exaggerated comical accent overdubbed by a Cockney actor. The BBC has alleged that intonation and rhythm is unvaried and that most sentences end with downward intonation. This can give a false impression of despondency and lack of imagination. Apart from intonation “Brummie” resembles other Midlands dialects. [1] Steve Thorne disagrees. Thorn insists that no accent is a monotone. If an accent lowers logically it varies. Thorn claims further that typical Birmingham speech frequently rises in tone.

Thorn recorded samples of similar people speaking with different English accents. One was Brummie. About a hundred native speakers and another hundred non-native English speakers rated the recordings. British listeners who did not distinguist between Brummie and Black Country accents rated Brummie higher than Black Country. Foreign speakers rated Brummie highly. [2]

Brummie is not ugly. Far from it, foreign people unaware that it is the working-class accent of a formerly heavily-industrialised area, and who are not bombarded with stereotypical images of Birmingham speakers on a daily basis by the media, find it a very attractive accent indeed.

— Steve Thorne, Oxford Brum

Dialect

According to the PhD thesis of Steve Thorne at the University of Birmingham Department of English, Birmingham English is "a dialectal hybrid of northern, southern, Midlands, Warwickshire, Staffordshire and Worcestershire speech", also with elements from the languages and dialects of its Asian and Afro-Caribbean communities.

Traditional expressions include:

  • "A bit black over Bill's mothers" ... Likely to rain soon (now widespread). [Commonly attributed to Black Country dialect: "Bill's mothers" features in a variety of forms - such as the reference to any obscure location being "the back of Bill's mothers".]
  • "Babby" ... Variation of baby.
  • "Go and play up your own end" ... Said to children from a different street making a nuisance. It has been used as the title of the autobiographical book and musical play about the Birmingham childhood of radio presenter and entertainer Malcolm Stent.
  • "Gunter" ... to fix, work on or repair, mainly used a verb (example usage "I'm gonna gunter the car" equates to "I'm going to repair the car"), other forms include 'guntered' (example usage "the cars guntered" equates to "the car is fixed", alternate usage "I guntered the tele, but it still doesn't work" equates to "I worked on the television, but it is still broken").
  • "Keep away from the 'oss road" / "mind the 'orse road"/ "Kip aert th'oss road" ... An admonition to travel safely, originally a warning to children in the days of horse-drawn traffic.["Th'oss road" may also have referred to the towpath alongside the canals found throughout the region - which presented the additional hazard to the unwary of falling into the canal. These expressions too, are commonly attributed to Black Country dialect rather than that from Birmingham.]
  • "Rock" ... a children's hard sweet (as in "give us a rock").
  • "Snap" ... food, a meal, allegedly derived from the act of eating itself (example usage "I'm off to get my snap" equates to "I'm leaving to get my dinner").Snap ay food, it's the tin it comes in, a "Snap tin". the miners took their food down the pit in their "Snap tin"


  • "Trap" ... to leave suddenly, or flee.
  • "Up the cut" ... Up the canal (not uniquely Birmingham).
  • "Yampy" (often "dead yampy") Mad, daft, barmy (also used is the word "Saft", as in "Yow big saft babbie") - Although, many Black Country Folk believe yampy is a black country word originating from the Dudley/Tipton area and has been stolen and claimed as their own by both Birmingham and Coventry.

See also

Other Midlands English dialects

References

  1. ^ women.timesonline.co.uk/tol/life_and_style/women/the_way_we_live/article3671116.ece

External links

Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Louis_Armstrong&oldid=245103745"