Chapter Discussions: Chapter 3, the Advance Guard

[Geoff Bannister]

No: HPFGUIDX 83250

--- In HPforGrownups at yahoogroups.com, "junediamanti" 
<june.diamanti at b...> wrote:
> --- In HPforGrownups at yahoogroups.com, "Ali" <Ali at z...> wrote:
> > First posted as message 76055:-
> > 
> >  Harry learns that Tonks is a Metomorphmagus and an auror who 
seems 
> > to greet everyone with the East London term "Wotcher" although we 
> > are given no other indication that she has a London accent, so 
this 
> > phrase could just be an affectation or habit. 

<snip>

 [Authorial note: since writing, Stephen Fry has 
> released 
> > his audio version in which Tonks has a Lancastrian accent despite 
> > saying "Wotcher" - the use of wotcher is still unknown to the 
> author 
> > outside of London].
> 

June:
> Picky Brit comment:  It's a LANCASHIRE accent meaning coming from 
the 
> now non-existent county of Lancashire in north west England (it 
> housed Manchester and cites like that).  

<snip>

Geoff:
Further picky Brit comment. Tonks' "Wotcher" could be anywhere in 
London. The "East London" accent referred to probably means Cockney 
but "Sarf Lunnon" which uses a lot of Cockney phrases covers a much 
wider area. I lived for 45 years in SW London and still use "wotcher" 
myself, though as you will see in a mo, I am not a Londoner.

Excuse me but Lancashire still exists. They may have shunted 
Manchester and Liverpool into Greater Manchester and Merseyside 
respectively but my home town of Burnley is still very firmly in 
Lancashire.