North South Divide

[oumahexi]

Time to lighten things up a bit?

Hadriand didn’t just build a wall to set down the foundations for a pizzeria, there was a deeper reason for him separating the Scots from the English, they just didn’t speak the same language. By the time he had marched his army from Italy, learning to communicate with the locals he’d given up trying to learn to speak the language of the final country he reached, but didn’t bother to conquer with his fine foods, roads and plumbing.

This is still apparent today, as the Scots cuisine, as you are aware, consists of fried anything from pizza to mars bars, who cares as long as it comes with chips? Proper motorways still end at the border and, as for plumbing, you can’t walk five yards in the streets of our cities without stepping into something foul.

The language barrier remains. Oh, we, the more refined of the Scots, from Edinburgh of course, have bothered to learn to speak English, but continue to speak our own dialect at home:

Ain – own
Anaw = too
Auld = old
Bairn = child
Barry = good
Bide = stay
Burd = girlfriend
Buckies = Buckfast, the national drink of Scotland
Clathes = clothes
Coo = cow
Crabbit = complainer
Dreich = dismal
Dug = dog
Eijit = idiot
Fit = what (mostly used in Aberdeen)
Frae = from
Flooer = flower
Gid = good
Haggis = small rodent like creature that lives only on the isle of Mull
Half loaf = loaf of bread
Hame = Home
Hen = endearing title for a young woman
Ingins = onions
Is that right? = Would you like to reconsider before I hit you?
Jings = crivens
Jist = mere, meagre
Loon = Male (Aberdeen but should pertain to all regions)
Laddie = young man / boy
Laddie = derogatory address to a man
Lassie = young woman / girl
Noggin = heid
Noo = Now
Mair = More
Mairied = Married
Magic = barry
Midden = mess
Mince = the national dish of Scotland
Muckle = huge
Och = Oh
Pal = please don’t hit me
Pal = I’m going to hit you
Quinie = Female (Aberdeen)
Right = you’re a liar (please use as “aye right”)
Scran = dinner
Soaks = socks
Stoatter = headache
Supper = battered and deep fried anything with chips
Tae = toe
Tae = anaw
Tatties = Potatoes
Toon = Town
Wae = who
Wane = bairn
Winchin’ = courting
Wee = little
Yir = your/ you’re
Yin = one


I will add the remainder of the alphabet later.

You will, however, notice, that the Scots have managed to retain the use of vowels in their language (Sorry our Welsh cousins, if you want some just give me a call and I’ll send some down)

 

[Rich]

One just hopes to be smiling in the correct places when entering into conversation with a Glaswegian

 

[oumahexi]

One just hopes to be smiling in the correct places when entering into conversation with a Glaswegian

And wearing the right colours

Advice to English visitors: Never wear green in Hampden (orange and blue is best) and never wear orange and green near Ibrox, (green is best)

 

[David Eagar]

How typically British, long after losing the Empire, still convinced North / South of the wall matters to anybody!

Everybody knows that South of the equator is the real hub of the universe.

ps my current place of residence has no influence on this reply (much!)

 

[oumahexi]

No, no, no!, well, yes, I guess you have a point, if I'm doing something wrong I can be classed as British

Australia? Isn't that a province of New South Wales??

 

[scott-atkinson]

He's just miffed that he's descended from a Burglar... LOL

 

[ColinEssex]

I think things could be better if the Northerners and Scottish learned to speak English properly by losing their accents. I went to Stirling for a week on a course, I had little or no communication with the locals as I couldn't understand a word they were on about. I've had more success understanding Greek.
Most Southerners have no idea what a Newcastle person is on about. The word "the" seems to disappear somewhere around the Watford Gap and is replaced with "t" (e.g. - just going t shops)

Some Scottish people can have a reasonably soft accent which is easy on the ear, unfortunately most I come across seem to have a very agressive harsh accent.

Liverpool accent is very monotonic - like Ringo Starr for example, they always sound so miserable. (not surprising really when you see the poverty and squallor there on the news)

Having said all that, why would anyone bother to go "oop North"? There seems little of interest there (who wants to see a rusty Angel on a hillside?) and Scotland is so wet and cold.

Col

 

[oumahexi]

Col, I don't know, you must have had too much Buckies while you were up in Stirling. I've never met a Scot yet who has any kind of accent

We would never say we wer just going t shops, it would be "jist goan tae the shoaps" See, we retain your precious "the".

LOL, aggressive accents in Scotland, as if ...

I never "went" up North, it was just the fickle finger of fate that landed me here, but I'm so glad it did, it's so miserable to live in a place where you can't get a decent holiday because nowhere else is sunnier than where you are

 

[Rabbie]

Oumi

In your excellent guide to Scottish words you omitted one or two of my favourite

Droochit - Soaked to the skin - alas not uncommon given the plentiful scottish rain.
Scunnered - really p*ssed off with something
Braw - Good, nice

You also forgot to mention the best thing about Scotland - its people (including those in exile)

 

[oumahexi]

You're quite right Rabbie, I spend too much time speaking a foreign language I've forgotten too much about my own Thank you for the reminder.

Oh yes, the people, what can I say?
Good sense of humour (you'd need it given that the Government will screw you at every turn);
Welcoming - there's always a dram on the table to help you sleep while we rob you ;
cheerful - we'll smile while pushing the knife in your back
beautiful skin - kept constantly moist;
youthful looks - retained through a complex pickling system

Oh and did I mention good sense of humour

 

[Kryst51]

(you'd need it given that the Government will screw you at every turn);

I don't think only the Scottish can claim that, it seems pretty common worldwide.

Ouma, have you ever read the Outlander series? It makes me fall in love with Scotland even though I've never been there, and it makes me wish I knew more about my scottish ancestors...

 

[oumahexi]

I don't think only the Scottish can claim that, it seems pretty common worldwide.

Oh no! I think I worded that wrong. Yes, it is the Scots that are screwing us, but not the Scottish Government, they're the greatest! Unfortunately the British Government is full of Scottish traitors just now

Ouma, have you ever read the Outlander series? It makes me fall in love with Scotland even though I've never been there, and it makes me wish I knew more about my scottish ancestors...

I haven't, I may have a look for the series. If you like Scottish history, Nigel Tranter did an excellent series of books about Wallace (without Gromit) and Bruce.

Can't say I've ever been interested in my ancestory, less so now that my father has found that his great grandfather was English. My husbands family can be traced back to the courts of King Malachy when they were advisors to the crown, and all I get is some scabby Englishman

 

[Kryst51]

My husbands family can be traced back to the courts of King Malachy when they were advisors to the crown, and all I get is some scabby Englishman

How do you live with the shame? Does your husband tease you about that a lot?

I am sure, when I eventually get around to tracing mine, There will be a lot of scabby, common Englishmen (Last name of Thompson). For instance, on my mom's Father's side we traced back to a William Brinton who came over from Staffordshire, England in the 1600's. but my Grandmother is cajun, so There would be French there somewhere. A typical American, I would also have Irish, Hungarian, some Jewish (and czech or slovakian, don't know which) and some American Indian as well... And of course Scottish....

If you like Scottish history, Nigel Tranter did an excellent series of books about Wallace (without Gromit) and Bruce.

I will have to check it out, I am looking for a new series to read. The outlander series is written by Diana Gabaldan, it is definitely fiction, but boy do I love it!

 

[Kryst51]

youthful looks - retained through a complex pickling system

Can you explain this more, I may want to implement it into my beauty schematic.

Scunnered - really p*ssed off with something

I am going to try to use this in a sentence today. Nothing like improving ones vocabulary.

 

[oumahexi]

How do you live with the shame? Does your husband tease you about that a lot?

Alas, brave as his family are, I'm not sure he's that brave lol. Actually, yes, he and his dad gave me the ribbing of my life when I found out I had English ancestors, especially as I was the one to get them into the SNP (shh, don't tell Alec Salmond, I'll get deported lol).

I am sure, when I eventually get around to tracing mine, There will be a lot of scabby, common Englishmen (Last name of Thompson). For instance, on my mom's Father's side we traced back to a William Brinton who came over from Staffordshire, England in the 1600's. but my Grandmother is cajun, so There would be French there somewhere. A typical American, I would also have Irish, Hungarian, some Jewish (and czech or slovakian, don't know which) and some American Indian as well... And of course Scottish....

I guess a little Scottish blood is better than none , my mother at least has the decency to come from the highlands with no trace of English, although there is a lineage to Captain Porteous.

 

[oumahexi]

Can you explain this more, I may want to implement it into my beauty schematic.

complex pickling system, drink at least one bottle of Buckies a day, you'll be totally pickled

I am going to try to use this in a sentence today. Nothing like improving ones vocabulary.

Good for you. I'm going to try out some American vocabulary. Now, what shall I start with? How about "can we supersize that?"

 

[Kryst51]

my mother at least has the decency to come from the highlands with no trace of English, although there is a lineage to Captain Porteous.

Wow, what an ancestor, sounds quite scandalous. I feel sorry for his widow who was left to pay the fine. My overactive imagination thinks it would be cool, if the fine was never paid, and you found out that it was still owed and had to pay it. I guess not cool, but what an interesting turn of events it would be. Even though you have an English ancestor, your mother, I'm sure, raised you in the proper Scottish way, so you can just ignore that old scabby English ancestor. LOL.

 

[oumahexi]

Why thank you honey, now I don' t need to go looking for any enemies, as I obviously have friends like you lol. I wouldn't want to speculate how much £2000 would be now! Fortunately, you mis-read the article, it was the City of Edinburgh who was fined and the money was paid to my great (to the power of whatever) grandmother what a relief!

 

[Kryst51]

Good for you. I'm going to try out some American vocabulary. Now, what shall I start with? How about "can we supersize that?"

Ok. Repeat this 5 times, then practice using it in a conversation, never say this in the North, it only applies South of the Mason-Dixon line. oh, one more thing, make sure you have sweet tea to actually give to the people you say this too. Sweet tea is nothing to joke about.

"Why don't ya'll come on over here and set a while and have a nice glass of sweet tea." - and ya'll is grammatically correct, it is the contraction for the phrase "you all."

Why thank you honey, now I don' t need to go looking for any enemies, as I obviously have friends like you lol. I wouldn't want to speculate how much £2000 would be now! Fortunately, you mis-read the article, it was the City of Edinburgh who was fined and the money was paid to my great (to the power of whatever) grandmother what a relief!

hmmm. I'll reread, I thought it said they were fined then passed it on to his widow....

btw, I wish you no malice with my pretend end to the story, just a little laughter on my part if you were to discover it, what my friends call "pity laughter"

 

[Kryst51]

hmmm. I'll reread, I thought it said they were fined then passed it on to his widow....

OK, I reread it. Hmmm, yeah, completely misread..... My humble apologies