Non-natives wanting to learn English beware, because you’re up against an enemy in plain sight! There’s nothing more delicious than a fresh loaf of bread. And if you love bread (who doesn’t?), Real Bread Week (15th – 24th February) is your time to shine, whether you’re baking, eating, or both. But what about learning the multiple different descriptors for the humble slice in the English language?
That’s where things get confusing and efforts to learn English are in danger of being overwhelmed by the language of loaves!
But You’re Trying to Learn English, Not Enter the Great British Bread Debate!
The English language has evolved over the centuries – and so have the names for our beloved bread. What you call it depends on where you live, and it’s a hotly debated topic across the UK.
Here’s a breakdown of just some of the regional variations:
- Bap – Big in Staffordshire, Cheshire, Shropshire, and parts of the West Country.
- Barm – Say this in Manchester, Lancashire, or Merseyside, and you’re sound.
- Batch – This is your go-to if you’re in Warwickshire.
- Bun – Popular in the North East, North Yorkshire, and parts of Merseyside.
- Cob – A Midlands favourite, also found in Staffordshire and Worcestershire.
- Muffin – Not the sweet kind. This is a Greater Manchester term for a bread roll.
- Roll – The safe bet if you’re in the South of England.
- Teacake – A Yorkshire special, though it might contain currants!
- Stottie, Softie, Bara, Scuffler, Oven Bottom, Breadcake… – Yes, there are even more!
Bread Descriptors on the Rise (Pun Intended!)
What hope do English learners have if native English speakers can’t even agree on what to call bread?
But it doesn’t stop here! In Veronique Greenwood’s BBC Future article Barm vs cob: Why Britain has so many names for a bread roll, she raises the question: “Will new words for bread enter English, and will they be regional variants?”
Jonnie Robinson, lead curator of spoken English at the British Library “points to “bagel” as a word for a bread product that arrived in English not long ago” and “Panini”, a hot-pressed sandwich, arrived from Italy in the 1950s” as recent potential suspects.
Master the Next Big Bread Term with Failproof English Lessons
At la Academia, we’ve got pubic courses and 1:1 learning options to help you learn English quickly, efficiently, and with lots of fun thrown in. And Real Bread Week is a brilliant time to get practicing with delicious bite-sized lessons. You’ll be legend in your own lunchtime before you know it!
Visit the website for more information and let’s get learning English.