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Scottish Mum

Blogger Aberdeen, Blogger Scotland, Health and Lifestyle Blogger Aberdeen, Lesley Smith Blogger, Aberdeen

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Traditional Scottish

Speaking Doric or is it just Slang?

Doric is the slang language spoken in Aberdeen by the natives who grew up here.  I call it slang as that’s what it was called the whole time I grew up.  It certainly wasn’t mentioned as speaking Doric.  Nobody bothered to tell me that it has a fancy name and is called the “Doric” back then.  All I remember are teachers and parents doing their best to stop us “spikkin” slang.

The t’s tend not to often not be sounded in the middle of a word and mostly have a harsh glottal stop on them.  (Buh er) instead of butter.  (Waah er) for Water.

It was a bit of a revelation to me to have the modern view that “intellectuals” think we need to preserve this way of speaking when I spent the first thirty years of my life being ashamed of saying the most slight Doricy pronunciation.

Even now, I give my children into trouble for using slang *cough Doric.*  In the last few years, I’ve learned that I had to embrace the worst of the local language that existed in the homeland and try to give it a chance as a heritage from my home, no matter how it still makes the hair stand up on the back of my neck.

I’ve written Doric poems and sold a few of them too, so people must like them.

I’ve put the picture of the foghorn at the Bay of Nigg in Torry as I spotted it and it has fond memories for me of my youth, cycling, adventure and good friends.  I’ve heard it’s being sold, that’s a shame.

It does make this a slightly controversial post for me.  I like writing the poems and I like that people ask me for them, but I still find myself blushing with shame if I launch into a Doric sentence out and about.  That ingrained indoctrination as a child has stayed with my brain.

Here are a few classics.  Would you know them all?

“Fit like?” – how are you?
“Far ye gaun?” – where are you going?
“Foo auld r ye.”  – how old are you
“Loons an quines.” – boys and girls
” Haud yer wissht!” – shut up
“It’s a sair fecht for a half loaf.” – hard to make the money cover everything.
“Like a skint rubbit.”  – someone far too skinny.
“Ony mair o yer lip an ah’ll skelp yer backside.” – any more cheek and you’ll get a smacked rear end.
“Ye mak a better door than a windae.”  –  I can’t see past you.
“Ken fit a mean.”  – do you know what I mean?
“Gie it a birl.” –  give it a try, or a whirl.
“A bosie.” – a cuddle.
“Claik or crack.” – gossip
“Clype.”  – tell-tale, usually kids telling on other kids.  Kids can have reputations damaged with each other by being accused of one small word.

 

 

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7 Comments

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Comments

  1. Looking for Blue Sky says

    October 28, 2012 at 9:46 am

    Oh I do love these 🙂 Apparently I now use a lot of Irish idioms after living here for 22 years, but I don’t even notice now, and the only idioms I try and stop in this house are the American ones picked up off TV…

    Reply
  2. @pammytweets says

    October 24, 2012 at 11:28 pm

    I say embrace it I love a bit if dialect !

    Reply
  3. @stuart621 says

    October 24, 2012 at 11:26 pm

    I have never understood where “giving” somebody into trouble comes from.

    Reply
  4. gemgemmum says

    October 24, 2012 at 7:38 pm

    Brilliant! Got all but 2 …

    Haud yer wissht – can’t wait to say that to Gemma!

    Love your translations, so “proper” – any more cheek and you’ll get a smacked rear end. Had that said to me many a time as a child.

    Sam

    Reply
    • Scottish Mum says

      October 24, 2012 at 11:01 pm

      Some are easy but some are not so simple. I think I’ll have to add some more sometime soon.

      Reply
  5. Susan Mann (@susankmann) says

    October 24, 2012 at 5:59 pm

    lol love it x

    Reply
    • Scottish Mum says

      October 24, 2012 at 11:01 pm

      Thank you.

      Reply

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A wee note, and I am so sorry I have to add this to my website.

I sincerely thank the huge amount of readers that show up weekly to read my wee blog, and this note doesn’t apply to the majority of you.

I’m not perfect, and this website is free to browse, read, and use my recipes.  It’s a personal website, not a big business.  Sometimes I make mistakes.  If you find one, I’d like you to let me know so I can fix it, but please don’t call me names.

Also, please don’t use my photographs anywhere else, as I have taken most of them myself.  With some photographs, I’ve paid to be able to use them or been given the right to use them by their owners.

If you wish to use my photographs, please ask.

 

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