‘We didn’t realise our language was part of our heritage’: oral histories with east Midlands coal miners

This article draws on oral history interviews carried out with miners from around the east Midlands. In a project which examined local and regional variation of mining terminology, miners discussed the differences in the language they used, both within the region and when miners moved into the area from around the UK, particularly north-east England. We found that the interviewees had an extensive knowledge of the differences as well as the links between local dialect and mining language, but that they did not realise how much their language use actually mattered. This article argues that language should be considered an essential part of our cultural heritage.