X-Mansion and Geordie: Difference between pages

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'''Geordie''' refers to a person originating from [[Tyneside]] ([[England]]) and the adjacent former coal mining areas of northern [[County Durham]] or the [[dialect]] spoken by such people. There are a number of rival theories to explain how the term came about, though all accept that it derives from a familiar diminutive form of the name "George".

In the fictional [[Marvel Comics]] [[Marvel Universe|universe]], the '''X-Mansion''', the common name for the '''Xavier Mansion''', is the base of operations and training site of the [[X-Men]] and the ___location of a [[school]] for [[mutant (Marvel Comics)|mutant]] [[teenager]]s, the '''Xavier Institute for Higher Learning''', formerly '''Xavier's School for Gifted Youngsters'''. It is also the worldwide headquarters of the [[X-Corporation]]. Its address is 1407 Graymalkin Lane in the town of [[Salem Center, New York|Salem Center]] in [[Westchester County, New York|Westchester County]], [[New York]].

In recent times Geordie has also been used to refer to a supporter of [[Newcastle United F.C.|Newcastle United]] [[football (soccer)|football]] club no matter their origin, including people from outside the traditional area.

==History==

== Derivation of the term ==

The X-Mansion is the [[inheritance|inherited]] property of Charles Xavier ([[Professor X]]) and has been in the Xavier family for ten [[generation]]s.

One explanation is that it was established during the [[Jacobitism|Jacobite Rebellion]] of 1745. The Jacobites declared that the natives of [[Newcastle upon Tyne|Newcastle]] were staunch supporters of the Hanoverian Kings, in particular of [[George II of Great Britain|George II]] during the [[1745]] rebellion. This contrasted with rural [[Northumbria]], which largely supported the Jacobite cause. If true, the term may have derived from a popular anti-Hanoverian song, which calls the first Hanoverian king "Geordie Whelps", meaning "George the [[House of Guelph|Guelph]]".

As Xavier's School for Gifted Youngsters, the X-Mansion was the training site of the first two generations of [[teenage]] X-Men:

* the original X-Men: [[Cyclops (comics)|Cyclops]], [[Jean Grey|Marvel Girl]], [[Beast (comics)|Beast]], [[Iceman (comics)]], and [[Archangel (comics)|Angel]]

An alternative explanation for the name is that local miners used "Geordie" safety lamps designed by [[George Stephenson]], rather than the "Davy Lamps" designed by [[Humphry Davy]] which were used in other mining communities.

* the original [[New Mutants]]: [[Cannonball (comics)|Cannonball]], [[Wolfsbane (comics)]], [[Danielle Moonstar]], [[Karma (comics)|Karma]], and [[Sunspot (comics)|Sunspot]]

The term Geordie is often incorrectly used to cover all the peoples of the [[North East England|North East of England]], though this usage is generally confined to people from other parts of the [[United Kingdom]], and is considered an insult by North-Easterners who do not come from Tyneside, due to intense local rivalries. To North-Easterners the term exclusively refers to persons from Tyneside; since about [[1991]] people from [[Sunderland|Wearside]] have been termed [[Mackem|Mackems]]; people from [[Hartlepool]] are known as [[monkey hanger]]s, whilst natives of the [[Teesside]] conurbation are generally referred to as [[Smoggies]]. People from the countryside in between these urban areas are generally referred to as 'farm yackers' or 'pit yackers' (particularly in Northumberland around the Ashington area).

In ''X-Men'' v2 #38 (November [[1994]]), the X-Mansion was renamed from Xavier's School for Gifted Youngsters to the Xavier Institute for Higher Learning, as most of the X-Men were adults rather than teenagers by this time. Xavier's School for Gifted Youngsters was relocated to the '''Massachusetts Academy''' in [[Boston]], [[Massachusetts]], which served as the training site of the third generation of teenage X-Men, [[Generation X (comics)|Generation X]], beginning in ''Generation X'' #1 (November 1994).

== The Geordie dialect ==

Some years later, the Massachusetts Academy closed permanently in ''Generation X'' #75 (June [[2001]]). The school for young mutants was moved back to the X-Mansion, but the name Xavier's School for Gifted Youngsters was no longer used at all. Currently being taught at the Xavier Institute for Higher Learning at the X-Mansion are the fourth generation of mutant teenagers, as detailed in [[Grant Morrison]]'s ''New X-Men'' and in ''[[New Mutants]]'' v2 (relaunched as ''New X-Men: Academy X'' in July [[2004]]).

'''Geordie''' derives much less influence from French and Latin than does Standard English, being substantially [[Angle tribe|Angle]] and [[Viking]] in origin. The accent and pronunciation, as in [[Scots language|Lowland Scots]], reflect old Anglo-Saxon pronunciations, accents and usages.

Though protected by high-tech defenses, the X-Mansion has often been breached by the [[supervillain]]s and evil mutants faced by the X-Men. Indeed, the X-Mansion has been destroyed and rebuilt several times. In [[Operation: Zero Tolerance]], [[Bastion (comics)|Bastion]], after forcing [[Jubilee]] to reveal the mansion's defenses, stripped down the mansion, having nearly everything inside the mansion removed. After Bastion was defeated, the X-Men moved back into the mansion and restocked it, as detailed in ''X-Men'' v2 #70 (November [[1997]]). Most recently, the X-Mansion survived an assault by the [[Shi'ar]] [[Shi'ar Imperial Guard|Imperial Guard]] in ''New X-Men'' #122-126 (March-July 2002) as well as a riot by students led by [[Kid Omega]] in ''New X-Men'' #134-138 (January-May 2003). In the [[Planet X (comics)|Planet X]] storyline of ''New X-Men'' #146-150, however, the X-Mansion was destroyed; the rebuilding process could be seen in ''New X-Men'' #155-156 (June 2004).

Personal pronouns differ markedly from Standard English: Geordies use "youse" for plural "you", "me" for "my", "us" for "me", "wor" for "our". The word "wor" is sometimes placed before the given name of the person being the subject of conversation to denote that they are a family member, for example "wor Allan" or "wor da" (father). It is also quite common for Geordies to use the word "man" for both men and women, as in "howay man" (c'mon you).

==Layout==

Vowel sounds are also quite unusual. "er" on the end of words becomes "a" ("father" is pronounced "fatha", both "a" sounds as in "hat"). Many "a" sounds become more like "e": "hev" for "have" and "thet" for "that". Double vowels are often pronounced separately as dipthongs: "boat" becomes "boh-ut". Some words acquire extra vowels ("growel" for "growl", "cannet" for "can't"). This property of the dialect has lead Geordie to be known for ''putting as many vowels as possible into a word''. The "or" sound in words like "talk" becomes "aa", while "er" sounds in words like "work" becomes "or". The "ow" in words like "down" or, most famously, "town" becomes "oo", hence "the Toon" meaning [[Newcastle upon Tyne|Newcastle]]. In Wearside, the "oo" in words like "cook", "book" or "look" becomes "uu", although this accent has come to be known as [[Mackem]], not Geordie.

[[Blueprints]] for the newly-rebuilt mansion were given in ''Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe: X-Men 2004''.

Geordie also has a large amount of vocabulary not seen in other English dialects. Words still in common use today include "canny" for "pleasant" (it should be noted that the Scottish use of canny is often somewhat less flattering), "hyem" for "home", "divn't" for "don't", "bairn" and "grandbairn" for "child" and "grandchild", "hacky" for "dirty", and "gan" for "go". "Howay" is broadly comparable to the invocation "Come on!". Examples of common use include "Howay man!", meaning something like "come on" or "hurry up", "Howay the lads!" as an encouragement for a football team, or "Ho''way''!?" expressing incredulity or disbelief. The word "hyem" for "home" is inherited from the [[Old Norse language]]. The word "tab" for "cigarette" is thought to derive from Ogden's Tabs, a once-popular brand of cigarettes.

The X-Mansion is in the shape of an [[X]]. In the middle of the main courtyard is the [[Phoenix (comics)|Phoenix]] Memorial Statue, dedicated to the memory of [[Jean Grey]]. Notable rooms include the [[Danger Room]] and a room containing [[Cerebro]]. The Headmasters Office of [[Cyclops (comics)|Cyclops]] and [[Emma Frost]] is on the top floor. The [[basketball court]] is a popular hang-out; it was the site of a well-known [[basketball]] game in ''X-Men'' v2 #4 (January [[1992]]) in which the X-Men used their mutant powers. Directly below the basketball court is the hanger, which houses many transportation vehicles, as well as [[aircraft]] such as the X-Men [[Blackbird (comics)|Blackbird]].

Geordie commonly uses the word 'Aye' meaning 'Yes', which is also found in most Scottish dialects. As a contrast, a geordie might say the word 'Na' for 'No' however this occurs less frequently.

==See also==

Much of the vocabulary is a preserved form of [[Old English language|Old English]], the north having not been so affected by the [[Norman conquest]]. Pronouncing Old English with a geordie-like accent, rather than the more commonly recommended German, results in a form more comprehendible to those with knowledge of the meaning of Geordie vocabulary. When a Geordie uses the word "larn" for teach, it is not a misuse of the English word "learn"; the word is derived from the [[Anglo Saxon]] word "laeran", meaning to teach.

* [[Avengers Mansion]]

Geordie is also sometimes used to describe the distinctive dialect of the people of [[Northumbria]]. However strictly speaking, South East Northumberland (the [[mining]] area bordering Tyneside) has its own similar, but distinctive dialect known as [[Pitmatic]].

[[Category:Fictional academic institutions]]

[[Category:Marvel Comics locations]]

In recent times, the Geordie accent has featured prominently in the national media, arguably more so than ever before. TV Presenters such as [[Ant and Dec]], and [[Marcus Bentley]], are happy to use their natural accents on air. The commentator on the UK edition of [[Big Brother (UK TV series)|Big Brother]] is often perceived by southerners to have a Geordie accent (North-East accents do sound very alike to the untuned ear), however, he grew up in [[Stockton on Tees]]). Brendan Foster and Sid Waddell have both worked as television sports commentators. However, in general, the Geordie accent still tends to be employed for comedy effect as opposed to serious usage.

The accent was also popularised by the [[comic]] [[magazine]] [[Viz (comic)|Viz]], where the accent itself is often conveyed phonetically by unusual spellings within the comic strips. Viz magazine itself was founded on Tyneside by a couple of Geordie lads, [[Chris Donald]] and his brother [[Simon Donald|Simon]].

It is said that the Roma influenced much of the Geordies' words eg. "charva" is an old word meaning child in Roma and used by Geordies to describe troublesome people. The word "gadgie" for man is derived from the similar-sounding Roma word for a non-Roma. There is a high percentage of Roma origins in the North East and Newcastle hosts a large Gypsy travelling-fair, the "Hoppins", which has been held annually on the Town Moor every year for over a century.

==Famous Geordies==

*[[Paul Gascoigne|Paul Gascoigne (Gazza)]], footballer

*[[Ant and Dec]], television presenters

*[[Peter Beardsley]], footballer

*[[Michael Bridges]], footballer

*[[Catherine Cookson]], author

*[[Steve Cram]], athlete

*[[Bryan Ferry]], [[Roxy Music]], musician

*[[Robson Green]], actor

* Tim Healey, actor

*[[Brian Johnson]], [[AC/DC]] singer

*[[Mark Knopfler]] of [[Dire Straits]]

*[[Jayne Middlemiss]], television presenter

*[[Jimmy Nail]], actor and singer

* Sir [[Bobby Robson]], former footballer, club and England national team manager

*[[Ridley Scott]] and [[Tony Scott]], film directors

*[[Sting (musician)|Sting]], actor and musician

*[[Alan Shearer]], footballer

*[[Paul Smith]], [[Maximo Park]] singer

*[[Andy Taylor]], [[Duran Duran]], musician

*[[Peter Taylor, Baron Taylor of Gosforth]], late [[Lord Chief Justice of England and Wales]]

*[[Neil Tennant]], [[Pet Shop Boys]], musician

*[[Chris Waddle]], footballer

* Kevin Whateley, actor

*[[Harry Woolf, Baron Woolf]], former [[Lord Chief Justice of England and Wales]]

*[[Ross Noble]], comedian extraordinaire

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[[Category:British English]]

[[nn:Geordie]]