Monday, November 24, 2025

Yorkshire Dialect in Wuthering Heights

Wuthering Heights is the only novel by the English author Emily Bronte. The Yorkshire dialect is reflected in the novel, particularly in the words of the servant Joseph. Even the title has a word from the Yorkshire dialect. The word wuthering means windy.

One of the words from the dialect in the novel is maister. It means master. Others include 't (the), nowt (nothing), nobbut (only), ye (you), laiking (playing), frough (from), spake (spoke) and appen (maybe). For readers who are not familiar with the Yorkshire dialect, the novel can be challenging.

The use of Yorkshire dialect in the novel Wuthering Heights is deliberate. It reflects social class and is extensive in the English of the servants. The use of the dialect also reflects the rural, isolated setting of the novel and lends the novel authenticity.

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