Why are people from Birmingham nicknamed yams ?

Question

Why are people from Birmingham nicknamed yams ?

Answer 1

have you heard the accent, not exactly the queens English.

Answer 2

No No No No NO!!!!!

People from Birmingham are called Brummies short from Brummagem.  

People from the Black Country (Dudley, Tipton etc) and Wolverhampton are called Yam Yams, not exactly where that term origniates from but think it could have something to do with the way that they speak (in a thick twangy accent).

Hope this has helped!

Answer 3

It's people from the black country and they are called Yam Yams. It's to do with the local dialect where the word 'yam' can be used to replace any personal pronoun.

eg "yam going to the shop"

Answer 4

Actually, you've got it wrong there, its not people from Birmingham who are known, affectionately as Yam Yams, its actually people from The Black Country

Answer 5

Its cus the way you speak, many years ago it was a heavy steel works and drop forges, which is very loud, so to talk to your work mates was very hard, so they shorten words to get the point over very quickly.  

Answer 6

are you from birmingham?.....i get called a yamyam when ever i go on holiday and im not from birmingham ......im from the black country(dudley)people think that if you have a black country acsent your a brummy........nope.....brummys talk very nice compared to us....brummys say...yes,no,dont.......we say ye or arr.nar and dow so realy were the yamyams and not poeple from birmingham.this must realy bug you!!!!

Answer 7

Yam occupies a special place in the heart of the Igbo man the stocky, brown tuber being the staple food of theirs and other West African peoples for thousands of years. (bbc.co.uk) - refers a lot to black Brummies - apparently :(