Ha’way man, get it right - eyebrows raised in Sunderland as BT opts for the ‘wrong’ spelling 'howay' on phone book cover

Eyebrows have been raised over the latest phone book for Sunderland – in particular its spelling of a famous North East expression.
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While much slimmer than its predecessors and not as widely used as in the past, BT still produces physical phone books for customers.

The latest Durham and Wearside edition has been arriving in homes and offices across the area in recent weeks.

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But some Mackems have been niggled by its use of the Tyneside spelling in ‘Howay man! It’s your local Phone Book!’ rather than ‘Ha’way’.

"Howay" has been marked wrong while "Ha'way" gets a big official tick; albeit from us."Howay" has been marked wrong while "Ha'way" gets a big official tick; albeit from us.
"Howay" has been marked wrong while "Ha'way" gets a big official tick; albeit from us.

The word in question means “come on!” or can be used as an exhortation to encourage participants in sporting contests.

The expression ‘Howay (sic) the lads’ is written inside the players’ tunnel at St James’ Park in Newcastle

Meanwhile ‘Ha’way the lads’ is emblazoned in the seats of the North Stand in the Sunderland Stadium of Light.

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Phil Curtis, secretary of the Sunderland Antiquarian Society and a former head teacher, joked: “Wearside, being somewhat more refined and cultured than Tyneside, will obviously opt for the correct pronunciation and spelling.

The offending BT Phone Book for Durham and Wearside.The offending BT Phone Book for Durham and Wearside.
The offending BT Phone Book for Durham and Wearside.

"If only BT had realised this.”

A BT spokesperson told the Echo: “The BT Phonebook is all about local connections, so we wanted to use it to celebrate the range of regional variations in language and dialects across the UK.

“The British Library has helped us to highlight some local greetings or phrases on the front covers of local Phone Books.

“The books cover large geographical areas so it's impossible to capture every variation, but we hope we've helped celebrate and draw attention to the range of different dialects across the country.”

The phrase as it should be spelt, in the Stadium of Light.The phrase as it should be spelt, in the Stadium of Light.
The phrase as it should be spelt, in the Stadium of Light.
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It is not the first time that the spelling of the phrase has raised intrigue or caused controversy.

When US President Jimmy Carter visited the North East in 1977, during which he called in at Doxford Park and Washington, he famously said “Ha’way the lads!” on television, although arguments persist as to how he actually pronounced it.

In 1973 ITV football commentator Brian Moore got it completely wrong when Sunderland captain Bobby Kerr was presented with the FA Cup after a famous vistory over Leeds United at Wembley Stadium.

As Kerr lifted the trophy Moore shouted “Hawa the lads!” to the watching millions, which was more akin to the dialect of Scotland.

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