Local dialect

Medea · #1 23rd June 2006, 12:42

Muteme's post on googling reminded me of dialect oddities.

Chimpy (my other half) is from Yorkshire, I'm from Suffolk and between us we have had a few conversations where the other has gone "what?" only to find that the word/s being used aren't universally known.

For example, the word "wapsy" is one I've grown up with, but I only discovered recently that it's not universally known.

Anyway, post some dialect words you use that might puzzle others.

ren

ShyDoll · #2 23rd June 2006, 12:46

Ooh you're from suffolk? I live near there..Well..On the border of suffolk lol.

I used to have these conversations with my ex boyfriend. He's from Glasgow and would use some words just like in a sentence without thinking and I'd go 'what?!'..One word he used to use a lot was 'weesht' which meant 'shuttup'..

Medea · #3 23rd June 2006, 12:49

My parents are from Suffolk and I lived their 18 years, though officially I was born in Kent.

I lived in Norwich for 3 years too.

Having parents from Suffolk (and grandparents) means I've picked up all their odds sayings and expressions.

ren

ShyDoll · #4 23rd June 2006, 12:54

Quote:

Originally Posted by AnonymousLaura

My parents are from Suffolk and I lived their 18 years, though officially I was born in Kent.

I lived in Norwich for 3 years too.

Having parents from Suffolk (and grandparents) means I've picked up all their odds sayings and expressions.

ren

Cool..Well..I don't think I've picked up many words..I used to have a very strong Norfolk accent (I have birthday videos with me speaking on them so I can look back and see what I used to be like) but now I have this weird Australian-American thing going on..No idea why..Guess I watch a lot of American programs or something.
I know my nana still has a bit of a norfolk accent. And my great aunty too. Takes my great aunty about half a hour to say my name hehe (''saaaaaareee-ahhhh...'')..

Medea · #5 23rd June 2006, 13:00

My mum's family have a stronger accent than my dads. Chimpy met my mum's brother and had trouble understanding him. My granddad (now dead) had a very thick suffolk accent, even I had trouble understanding him. I miss hearing him going "arrrrr, thas roight boy" when he strongly agreed with something.

ren

ShyDoll · #6 23rd June 2006, 13:03

Aww... Yeah my grandad died too about 10 years ago =( He had a strong Nottingham accent, though. Quite funny hearing him talk. I wish I'd gotten more videos of him..Like..On birthday videos I wish he'd spoken more.
Anyways I'll stop babbling in your thread now hehe.

Karail · #7 23rd June 2006, 13:05

I work in for a company which has its roots in South Africa so we have lots of guys from over there working in our office. One of the strange words they use is "china" instead of "mate" (e.g. Alright China).

This confused the hell out of me when i first joined the company but i eventually got used to it. Recently we have had a guy from China join the company and i cringe every time they say it too him, i dont think the realise it could be taken the wrong way lol.

Medea · #8 23rd June 2006, 13:57

I think that's a cockney slang one. China plate= mate. I've heard it a bit round here.

ren

Diluted · #9 23rd June 2006, 16:00

I live in suffolk to. I couldn't understand a bloody word my ex neighbour said. 'In at reeeeeeeeeet boy!'

ShyDoll · #10 23rd June 2006, 16:18

Quote:

Originally Posted by silvernlilac

Has anyone ever heard of a jitty (sp). Its a path thats goes behind your house. Well thats what they call them round here

When people make tea they saw 'im gonna make a brew' but that might be well known, im not sure

I havent heard of 'jitty'. But I've heard of people calling tea 'brew'. I went out with someone from Leeds once and his Yorkshire accent kicked in a bit..Especially when he said ''anyone want a brew? I'm going in t'kitchen''.

Just out of interest: what does everyone call the last meal of the day? Tea? Dinner? Supper? Something else?

Occultus · #11 23rd June 2006, 16:28

First time I met someone from the Black Countray, I was greeted with "Yow awlright, cock?!". Suffice to say I didn't know whether he was taking the piss or not.

Medea · #12 23rd June 2006, 16:49

One thing that gets on my... errr... nerves... is the way Yorkshire people say "were" instead of "was" like "were it?" "where were it?" "were it last week?". At first I thought it was cute and funny, but spending 4 days with everyone doing it drove me a bit mad.

ren (sorry Chimpy)

Karail · #13 23rd June 2006, 17:19

At some point in time i started saying "me" instead of "my" (probably cause alot of my family are scoucers) which annoys alot of the people i know.

Medea · #14 23rd June 2006, 17:47

I have been known to say "aey" when I get surprised. I used to go "oow, auh" which is very much because of my Suffolk roots.

Diluted · #15 23rd June 2006, 18:23

Quote:

Originally Posted by AnonymousLaura

"oow, auh"

Oh, no.

gSteve · #16 23rd June 2006, 19:21

Quote:

Originally Posted by magika

GERT LUSH
they say that alot down here (bristol) when i 1st heard i thought EH?! lol i think it means great or tasty or something

my bf is from bristol ,for instance id say 'i saw a great shop in town today' and he'd say 'wheres that to ?'
wheres that TO? i thought lol just think it sounds funny.

lol those are things that people say where i am (near Bath)

MaryEllen · #17 23rd June 2006, 20:14

When I was living near Edinburgh for a time all the older men I met would call me "hen". I wasn't sure what it meant, but assuming that it's something nice, I thought it was rather endearing.

Medea · #18 24th June 2006, 12:38

Chimpy has told me that they call people "cock" in Yorkshire too. Not sure about duck.

My strangest moment with his family was being in a room with about 8 of them and he and I were leaving.

them "tara" "tara" "tara" "tara" "tara" "tara"

chimpy: "tara"

me: "bye"

talk about feeling a soft southerner

peat · #19 24th June 2006, 12:54

oh blimey. we have pile of here cus we are strange..

off the top of my head.

we say

alright yessir (pronounced yisir) which is basically hello
we also have
alright shag (pronounced shaaaaaaaaaaaaag) which is the same

we say ginnies for stinging nettles. so for example I would say something like "OWWWW the f**king ginnies got me"

oh we say Long tail instead of R.A.T cus its extreme bad luck to say R.A.T. If someone says it you have to Whistle then spit.

hmmm ive just read that stuff back..... OMG us Manxies are wierd..

Amber Fyre · #20 24th June 2006, 12:55

I can never understand anyone. People round my area (London) always use slang terms and 'cool new terms that all the kids are using these days'. I can never understand a bloody word they ever say. Like I saw a couple of friends the other week and they kept referring to everything as 'sick' and I was trying to work out whether this was a good or a bad thing. I think it means 'cool' but I'm not sure!

So... if I can't understand people in my own region, nevermind other areas!

Medea · #21 24th June 2006, 13:08

Quote:

Originally Posted by amberfirez

I can never understand anyone. People round my area (London) always use slang terms and 'cool new terms that all the kids are using these days'. I can never understand a bloody word they ever say. Like I saw a couple of friends the other week and they kept referring to everything as 'sick' and I was trying to work out whether this was a good or a bad thing. I think it means 'cool' but I'm not sure!

So... if I can't understand people in my own region, nevermind other areas!

I'm so lucky not to mix with "da kidz" because I'd be totally lost. I have enough problems understanding my own mother. She told me the other day that I was "living over the broom" and had to then explain what this meant to me.

ren

mattty · #22 25th June 2006, 11:49

Feeling badly (ill) as in 'he's gone home badly'. that one used to confuse me!

Admiral Fool · #23 25th June 2006, 13:36

Cockney wideboys call their women 'treacle'. I like this so much ive started greeting one of my mates in a faux dick van dyke accent 'awight treacle!!', although he is a bloke.

Andist · #24 25th June 2006, 14:24

Quote:

Originally Posted by MaryEllen

When I was living near Edinburgh for a time all the older men I met would call me "hen". I wasn't sure what it meant, but assuming that it's something nice, I thought it was rather endearing.

Hen is meant in a nice way on the east of Scotland.
What cracks me up is that a lot of folk up there finish every sentence with the word "ken" (if you know what I mean) "ken" also means "know", some sentences spoken to women end with "ken Hen ken". I sometimes used to get my hens mixed up with my kens and god help a woman from Dundee called Ken.

MaryEllen · #25 25th June 2006, 20:38

Quote:

Originally Posted by Andist

Hen is meant in a nice way on the east of Scotland.
What cracks me up is that a lot of folk up there finish every sentence with the word "ken" (if you know what I mean) "ken" also means "know", some sentences spoken to women end with "ken Hen ken". I sometimes used to get my hens mixed up with my kens and god help a woman from Dundee called Ken.

hehe! yes I remember "ken". I had forgotten that one till you mentioned it.

Peasie · #26 25th June 2006, 21:07

Quote:

Originally Posted by Andist

Hen is meant in a nice way on the east of Scotland.
What cracks me up is that a lot of folk up there finish every sentence with the word "ken" (if you know what I mean) "ken" also means "know", some sentences spoken to women end with "ken Hen ken". I sometimes used to get my hens mixed up with my kens and god help a woman from Dundee called Ken.

Glaswegians (known as "weegies" in Edinburgh) have a habit of ending sentences with "by the way".

Andist · #27 25th June 2006, 21:23

I've heard "weegies" but I didn't know where it was from.
Maybe you can help with this one Peasie:

"Wir ye fae", meaning where are you from. How's it spelt or have I got it right?

firewoman · #28 25th June 2006, 21:30

Quote:

Originally Posted by Andist

I've heard "weegies" but I didn't know where it was from.
Maybe you can help with this one Peasie:

"Wir ye fae", meaning where are you from. How's it spelt or have I got it right?

Yes, that's about right Andist, although I would say "Wur" rather than "Wir".

It reminds me of when my Dad's weegie pal was on holiday in Spain and trying to chat up a German woman. He said to her "whereisityecomefaehen" which means "where do you hail from young lady". She of course did not understand him, and asked him to repeat it, so he just says it more slowly, like "Where . .is . .it. . ye . .comfae . .. hen" as if that would help her understand rather than him translating it into some sort of intelligible English, lol!

Probably just as well for her the converstation stopped there, a lucky escape one feels.

Peasie · #29 25th June 2006, 21:32

Quote:

Originally Posted by Andist

I've heard "weegies" but I didn't know where it was from.
Maybe you can help with this one Peasie:

"Wir ye fae", meaning where are you from. How's it spelt or have I got it right?

That's how I would have spelled it - but these things are not the sort of thing that would ever appear written down anyway. There not going to appear in a dictionary.

http://www.glesga.ndo.co.uk/glesgaglossary.htm
This is quite funny.

firewoman · #30 25th June 2006, 21:33

Quote:

Originally Posted by AnonymousLaura

I think that's a cockney slang one. China plate= mate. I've heard it a bit round here.

ren

Aww, thanks ren, you've just solved a life long mystery of mine. People in Glasgow are called China too and I ALWAYS wondered why. Now I know, yay!