Welcome to the Street Prophets Coffee Hour cleverly hidden at the intersection of religion and politics. This is an open thread where we can share our thoughts and comments about the day. A dialect is simply a way of speaking at a particular location. All languages are bundles of dialects which vary by pronunciation, grammar, and vocabulary.
Just 165 years ago, most Irish people spoke Irish Gaelic as their primary language. Following the potato famine, however, and the massive emigration, speaking Gaelic was seen as a sign of backwardness. English was seen as an important skill which was need for emigration. In school, the children would wear a tally stick around their necks and a notch would be cut each time a teacher caught the child speaking Gaelic. At the end of the day, the child would get a whack for each notch on the stick.
Irish Gaelic doesn’t have a “th” sound and thus in English this sound may be missing. In some accents, the English “d” sound may be substituted for “th.” Thus, the English “thirty” may be pronounced as “turdy.” English as We Speak It in Ireland written in 1910 by P.W. Joyce reports:
“As for the English th, it may be said that the general run of the Irish people never sound it at all; for it is a very difficult sound to anyone excepting a born Englishman, and also excepting a small proportion of those born and reared on the east coast of Ireland.”
With regard to “s”, in some instances, particularly before certain consonants, it may be pronounced as “sh”. Thus “fist” may become “fisht,” “whistling” may become “whishling.”
In Gaelic, there is no single word for “yes” or for “no.” Thus in English, responses to a question may not be a simple “yes” or “no”, but rather something like “it is” or “’tis”.
Common Gaelic Words
Some Gaelic expressions that are commonly used, even in English-speaking situations (such as pubs) are listed below:
Fáilte: welcome
Conas tat u?: How are you?
Go raibh maith agat: Thank-you
Slán: bye
Craic: fun atmosphere, good conversation
Sláinte: cheers, to your health
Ceilidh: Irish dance gathering
Political Words
Listed below are some common Irish political terms:
Taoiseach: Prime minister of the Irish Republic
Seanad: Irish Senate
Dáil: Irish House of Representatives
Is féidir linn: Yes we can.
Irish vocabulary
Listed below are a few Irish words which may be somewhat different from American vocabulary. Part of this vocabulary is similar to that found in England, Scotland, and Wales.
Anticlockwise: counterclockwise
Banger: sausage
Banjaxed: messed up
Beer mat: coaster
Bespoke: custom
Biro: ballpoint pen
Black Mariah: police van
Blather: rambling, empty talk
Blow off: fart
Bog: toilet
Bolshy: argumentative
Bonnet: car hood
Boot: car trunk
Bridle way: path for walkers, bikers, horse riders
Busker: street musician
Casualty: emergency room
Champ: mashed potatoes
Chippy: fish-and-chips shop
Chips: French fries
Chock-a-black: jam-packed
Chuffed: pleased
Clearway: road where you can’t stop
Crisps: potato chips
Cuppa: cup of tea
Deadly: really good
Digestives: round graham crackers
Diversion: detour
Done and busted: completed
Donkey’s years: until the cows come home, forever
Eejit: moron
Fluthered: drunk
Gangway: aisle
Gobsmacked: astounded
Hooley: party or informal shindig
Ironmonger: hardware store
Knackered: exhausted
Left luggage: baggage check
Let: rent
Lorry: truck
Minerals: soft drinks
Mobile: cell phone
Mod cons: modern conveniences
Ramps: speed bumps
Skip: dumpster
Smalls: underwear
Spanner: wrench
Sultanas: golden raisins
Trad: traditional music
Verge: grassy edge of road
Vitualler: butcher
Way out: exit
Whacked: exhausted
Woolies: warm clothes
Zebra crossing: crosswalk
This list is meant to be illustrative only, not exhaustive.
Swearing
American English is well-known for its highly developed profanity. With regard to Irish, P.W. Joyce writes:
“The general run of our people do not swear much; and those that do commonly limit themselves to the name of the devil either straight out or in some of its various disguised forms, or to some harmless imitation of a curse.”
Final Thought
In English as We Speak It in Ireland P.W. Joyce reports:
“So far as our dialectical expressions are vulgar or unintelligible, those who are educated among us ought of course to avoid them. But outside this a large proportion of our peculiar words and phrases are vivid and picturesque, and when used with discretion and at the right time, give a sparkle to our conversation; so that I see no reason why we should wipe them out completely from our speech as to hide our nationality.”
Open Thread
This is an open thread—all topics are welcome.