People who live in dales (valleys), used collectively to refer to the inhabitants of a valley region, particularly in northern England.
From dale plus folk, meaning the people of the dales. Both elements are Old English: dale from dæl, and folk from folc. A traditional compound describing regional identity.
Words like 'dalesfolk' are disappearing as communities become less tied to geography—they're linguistic fossils of when most people lived their entire lives in one valley and needed a word for 'us locals'!
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