Introduction

This chapter analyses topics such as identity, culture, language and humour. As discussed earlier, the coal mining industry was of crucial importance for the East Midlands economy. The mining areas were also essential for local identity and were important for a sense of community for many miners and their families. This is not to say that labour relations always ran smoothly or that mining offered an easy way of life. Mining communities have traditionally been isolated and working class. Furthermore, working in mines was dangerous. Serious injury and even death were a constant threat. Therefore, miners tended to develop a very powerful camaraderie and group ethos. Within this, they displayed a sense of humour which is specific to this group (Bell 2008: 30; Cave 2001). It formed part of the mining culture and language. Douglass has written that ‘[t]he mine necessitates a different attitude of mind, a different temperament to that on the surface; necessarily it gives rise to a culture and language which are peculiar to that environment’ (Douglass 1973: 1). The sense of humour formed an important element of many of the interviews conducted in this pit talk project. Many of the participating miners also spoke of their close relationships with their colleagues, saying they all had to look out for each other. Often, the interviewees had worked in the industry for many years, had specialised jobs and had to undertake very specific functions as part of their daily work. This also gave rise to a specialised use of language. But it was more than technical jargon. Simpson and Simmons have noted that ‘speaking the same language’ is not just about vocabulary but is also about attitude to life, in particular a sense of humour (Simpson and Simmons 2019: 14). This chapter will look at these issues.

A 1969 survey of terms from the South Midlands has explained that miners had their own language and that the basis of this language seemed to be a mixture of local dialect and technical mining terms, but the survey also stated that it is crucial that ‘[t]he language of the miner has come to express his whole culture’ (Forster 1969: 1). A study on pit talk in County Durham by Douglass (1973: 1) has suggested that: