Britons haven't the oggiest about Cornish dialect

DO YOU know your emmets from your oggys? Or how about your drekklys from your cheels?

A new survey has found that British people are more likely to understand the words of our European neighbours than they are of the Cornish.

The research, carried out by Travelodge, revealed that only one in five Britons could correctly identify "oggy" as a pasty – with most believing it to be a football chant – while a further 59 per cent of people failed to recognise the Cornish word for a tourist, "emmet". They were more likely to know that "hasta la vista" is Spanish for see you later and "piazza" is Italian for a town square.

Other Cornish words that left people scratching their heads were "cheel", meaning baby; "entin' down", pouring with rain; "yer tis", here it is; "alrite me ansum", how are you my friend?

Cornish Grand Bard Vanessa Beeman believes it is vital that this "colourful" dialect is retained.

She said: "It is in danger of dying unless we all become aware of it because a lot of people go by the language they hear on television."

Mrs Beeman said the Cornish dialect is an important part of life in the county and is celebrated with a number of language competitions as part of the Gorseth.

"Language and dialect are both part of the culture and identity of the county," she said. "Using dialect words is so much more colourful than using standards ones."

The survey of 3,000 people also revealed that the Cornish are just as baffled by other regional dialects. More than half of those asked thought a Scottish "bampot" – a fool – was a saucepan or a pretty lady.

Professor Paul Kerswill, linguistics expert from Lancaster University said: "This research shows that the UK's dialects are teetering on the brink of extinction. Britons should be encouraged to experience the rich diversity of accents and language in their own country to help keep the idiosyncrasies of our language alive."