Having just returned form Meadowhall in the name of research, I have been eavesdropping on converstations in an effort to pick out all the non-Sheffielders.

In the first hour I counted 18.7 people with home counties accents, 2.7 with Leicester accents, 13.0 with Nottingham accents and one lad bearing a strong Bridlington accent just outside Burger King.

I also saw one man wearing a Wigan rugby shirt and one with 'I love Bristols' emblazoned on his T-shirt in Poundland. I wanted to tell him that he needent pluralise his home city but thought better of it.

Next time you go, could you please spend a couple of hours doing the same and give me your results? Some of you may have even been today and therefore will still be able to recall the snippets of conversations that you heard and the people you saw.

I thank you all for help in this fascinating study.

Just for clarification - what is the definition of a Sheffielder ?

Does the research subject have to have been born in Sheffield or can immigrants to this fine city such as myself be classed as a Sheffielder after a certain period e.g. 5 years ? :confused:

Sam,,,glad to see you are still exploring the world of science,the nobel peace prize in within your reach.

Originally posted by rtapper
Just for clarification - what is the definition of a Sheffielder ?

Does the research subject have to have been born in Sheffield or can immigrants to this fine city such as myself be classed as a Sheffielder after a certain period e.g. 5 years ? :confused:

God on a quad! I never thought of that one! That has sha**ed my experiment for the moment. Never mind. Plan 'B'.

Right. Five years is OK, but only if you know what Henderson's Relish is and that the person who gives out the putter and ball out in a shed and chases you off when you ride your bikes over golf greens is a known as a 'parkie'.

Originally posted by Sam Miguel
God on a quad! I never thought of that one! That has sha**ed my experiment for the moment. Never mind. Plan 'B'.

Right. Five years is OK, but only if you know what Henderson's Relish is and that the person who gives out the putter and ball out in a shed and chases you off when you ride your bikes over golf greens is a known as a 'parkie'.

Cool, I can prove date of entry using my passport [they stamped it and gave me all the shots before I went 'up Norf' ], I've eaten meat+potato pie with relish and I now know about parkie's. Now I'm officially a Sheffielder !

You need to issue certificates/ID badges to honorary sheffielders since accent alone isnt a good indicator - i sound like an 'Hampshire Hog' still even after all this time :P

Maybe Identity Cards wouldnt be such a bad thing !

It sounds like you've come on a treat since your defection from the southernmost zones of this green and pleasant isle.

Well done I say. Well done.

Surely the whole point of having a massive shopping mall next to the motorway is that people will travel from further than Sheffield to get there?