11 messages over 2 pages: 1 2
RMM Diglot Groupie United States Joined 5227 days ago 91 posts - 215 votes Speaks: English*, German Studies: Italian, Spanish, Ancient Greek, French, Swedish, Japanese
| Message 9 of 11 16 June 2011 at 3:43pm | IP Logged |
This whole question of the roots of the American Appalachian dialect and its possible origins primarily (but certainly not solely) in Scots really interests me. Let me write a little in the Appalachian dialect and maybe someone who actually knows Scots (not me I’m afraid) could look for similarities? This dialect has no standard orthography to put it mildly. In that regard, (all the variations that do exist aside) Scots is still a lot more standardized that Appalachian English. I’ll just try to write as closely as possible to the way it’s pronounced. (Hey, if anybody wants to learn Appalachian English, maybe this can help!) Unfortunately, like Scots a lot of people nowadays only speak a watered down version. I’m very glad that something is finally being done to save and legitimate Scots. I only wish that over here we’d quit telling the Ulster/Scottish-Americans ("Scotch-Irish" as we call them) to quit speaking ignorantly and learn proper English. At any rate, here we go (hope you Scots speakers don’t mind me doing this):
Now-uh, Aah uh-reckin tha-uht the firrst thang thayum who kno-uhs the Appuhlatchin diyuhlik shood doo eeus ter uh-figyerr ow-uht how-uh ter wraaht the diyuhlik. Don’tcher thank? Aforin we uns doo thaa-uht, how-uh kin wee uh-hope ter a-reckin whitherr thaa-uht err wah-ee uh tawkin--the Uhmerrkin mou-uhntin wah-ee--is laak the wah-ee thim foh-uks overr yaanderr eein Scotlin (err innywhahrr else) spee-uhk err ee-uhf hee-uht hay-uhnt? Thaahr now-uh, Aah dun say-ud whut nee-uhdz ter bee dun ohn this hahr subjik. Yeh-up, n uh raaht innerestin subjik too. Now-uh, don’t bee uhfee-uhrd; hee-uht hay-uhnt no impossuhbul thang. Hee-uhtz uh hard un, but hee-utz gots ter bee dun dreckly, yah hee-uhr? Y’aahl gee-uht uh-workin ohn hee-uht now-uh, n thin wee kin doo sum compahrin with Scotch (n mayee-bee ahl-soh with the way-uh thim tharr foh-uks ee-uhn the Anglish barderlaand, the Way-uhst cuhntree, Arlaand, n otherr layuns and reejins spee-uhk--n mayee-bee eevin with tha-uht tharr raaht difcult Gayeelic lang-ij).
Wee-uhl, whatcher Scotch spee-uhkers thank? Doo yah fill tha-uht thahr are inny simerlahrtees with Appuhlatchin Anglish? Set uh-whahl n thank hee-ut overr. Y’aahl probly know-uh tha-uht uh who-uhl hee-uhpin uh ancisters uh the mou-uhntin holler foh-uk hahr ee-uhn Uhmerrker wahrr fru-uhm the Lohuh-laands uh Scotlin n fru-uhm Aahl-sterr. Sum uh mah pee-uhpul dun come from thim tharr play-uhcez. Aah hay-uhnt rilly frum Appuhlatcher muhself but mah pahr-ints are, so Aah knowz uh bee-uht erbou-uht thay-um foh-uks thahr. Aah reckin Aahm uh perdy ignrint--uh bee-uht uhv uh idjit yuh mah-eet sayee--whin hee-uht comes ter Scotch but Aah’ud bee uh-mahytee heppy ter uh-lerruhn ee-uht sumdayee. Sumthin lack tha-uht mah-eet could jist bee the sert-err thang Aah weel bee uh-fixin’ ter doo ee-uhn the fyew-cherr. Thankyee fer uh-takin the tahm ow-uht ter ree-uhd thee-uhs hahr mays-ij.
(I hope this is mostly self-explanatory but if not, here’s a "translation" into Standard American English:
Now, I [a-]reckon [think/figure] that the first thing that them [they] who knows [know] the Appachian dialect should do is to a-figure out how to write the dialect. Don’t you think? Before we [ones] do that, how can we a-hope to a-reckon whether that [a] way of talking--the American mountain way--is like the way [them] folks over [yonder] in Scotland (or anywhere else) speak or if it ain’t [isn’t]? There now, I done [have] said what needs to be done on this [here] subject. Yep [Yes], and a right [very] interesting subject too. Now, don’t be afeared [afraid]; it ain’t no [isn’t an] impossible thing. It’s a hard one, but it’s gots [got] to be done directly [soon], you hear [you understand]? Y’all [You (pl)] get a-working on it now, and then we can do some comparing with Scots (and maybe also with the way [them there] folks in the English boarderland, the West Country, Ireland, and other lands and regions speak--and maybe even with [that there] right difficult Gaelic language).
Well, what do you Scots speakers think? Do you feel that there are any similarities with Appalachian English? Sit awhile and think it over. Y’all probably know that a whole heaping [lot] of ancestors of the mountain hollow folk here in America were from the Lowlands of Scotland and from Ulster. Some of my people [family] done [had] come from them there [those] places. I ain’t really from Appalachia myself but my parents are, so I knows [know] a bit about them folks there. I reckon I’m pretty ignorant--a bit of an idiot you might say--when it comes to Scots but I’d be [a] mighty [very] happy to a-learn it someday. Something like that might could [could possibly] just be the sort of thing I will be a-fixing [getting ready] to do in the future. Thank you for a-taking the time out to read this [here] message.)
Edited by RMM on 16 June 2011 at 3:57pm
3 persons have voted this message useful
| Mooby Senior Member Scotland Joined 6105 days ago 707 posts - 1220 votes Speaks: English* Studies: Polish
| Message 10 of 11 16 June 2011 at 8:09pm | IP Logged |
Doric is strictly speaking a Scottish dialect spoken in North East Scotland
from Aberdeen to Banff. It's still common to hear it, here's a few choice Doric words:
Aathing Everything
Anither Another
Aye Yes
Bairn A baby or young child
Bleeter To talk aimlessly
Bosie A cuddle or hug
Brakk Break
Braw Good, great
Deid Dead
Dinna Don't
Dinna Fash Yersel Do not fuss yourself
Dreich Cold, wet and windy
Drookit Drenched, soaking
Fitbaa Football
Fit Like? Hello, how are you?
Hale Whole
Heid Head
Ken Know
Loon Boy
Lug Ear
Puckle A few
Quine Girl (sometimes spelt Quean)
Sair Sore
Scunnered Fed Up
Scutter Delay
Wifie Woman
Mannie Man
I moved up to this area 20 years ago and it was the first thing that struck me.
There's some great expressions like:
"There's mony a mickle that maks a muckle"
['There's many small things that make a big thing']
Edited by Mooby on 16 June 2011 at 11:28pm
1 person has voted this message useful
| iguanamon Pentaglot Senior Member Virgin Islands Speaks: Ladino Joined 5262 days ago 2241 posts - 6731 votes Speaks: English*, Spanish, Portuguese, Haitian Creole, Creole (French)
| Message 11 of 11 17 June 2011 at 4:27am | IP Logged |
Nais to see somebuddy hyere a-tryin tuh scribe out mah native dialect, RMM. Wail, as ye us sayin, yore seckend genration buddy, probly from Ohhighuh er Mishgin. I got tuh tell ye sumpin. Ahm afeared "y'all" ain't zackly rait proper hill folk talk. Now thas jest one uh them fotched-on words flatlanders are allus a-sayin. Done made me slap mah fard. We'uns allus said "youns" stead uh "y'all" in mah holler. "How youns a-doin?" Ah weel say y'aint too awful fur off. Oncet ah got mahself used tuh readin yore scribin. Ye shore got the drawl in there.
"Nae" and "tae" (no and to) are pronounced in my home-part of Southern Appalachia like "nuh" and "tuh" ex: Ahm a-fixin tuh go-tuh-t store. See youns dreckly.
Ye caint fergit bout the double negative- which is correct in Appalachian English- Ah ain't seen me nary a one uh them. Why we evem got triple and quadruple negatives. I oncet strung 10 together in a sentence. Ah us rait awful proud uh that.
Ah reckin ah got tuh go. Ah done posted hyere (here) twaicet (twice). The similarities with Scots and Northern English are many in the Appalachian dialect. Elm is pronounced elem, film- fillem. I used to get told off for saying "reckon" in school. I felt quite at home in Ulster and Scotland. Now ahm a-learnin a whole nother English language down hyere in the Caribbean. Dat for true mehson (VI Creole).
Congratulations to my kinfolk in Scotland and Ulster for not letting your language die as we who are Appalachians- hidden amongst the Americans- are doing. Looking back on my upbringing I was switching between "languages" from an early age in my native English. Maybe that's why I enjoy learning other languages so much. I never really realized it before.
Edited by iguanamon on 17 June 2011 at 4:34am
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