Local dialect you never knew was local.

[matthyaouw]

Has anyone heard the word "Tret/treat"? (Not sure how it's supposed to be spelled.)
It's used interchangably with treated, and pronounced to rhyme with 'bet'. Its a word I've always been familiar with, but was recently told that once you get more than a few miles outside of Hull no one knows what you're talking about. Its funny how you can grop up with something not realising just how localised it might be.
Also, no one outside of Hull knows what a breadcake is (a bread roll), or a tenfoot, for that matter (an alley about 10 feet wide behind a terrace of houses, built for car access).

Anyone else strayed far from home and suddenly realized no one knows what half of your vocabulary means?

 

[Evo]

Has anyone heard the word "Tret/treat"? (Not sure how it's supposed to be spelled.)
It's used interchangably with treated, and pronounced to rhyme with 'bet'. Its a word I've always been familiar with, but was recently told that once you get more than a few miles outside of Hull no one knows what you're talking about. Its funny how you can grop up with something not realising just how localised it might be.
Also, no one outside of Hull knows what a breadcake is (a bread roll), or a tenfoot, for that matter (an alley about 10 feet wide behind a terrace of houses, built for car access).

Anyone else strayed far from home and suddenly realized no one knows what half of your vocabulary means?

Unfortunately growing up in a large city in the US, there was no local vocabulary, although my mom was great at making up words, a tradition I have carried on, much to the distress of my girls when they found out that some of the words in their vocabulary didn't exist in the real world.

 

[D H]

IMHO, large eastern US cities are full of local dialect. For example, I find people with a thick Boston accent to be quite hard to understand. Both the word pronunciation and word choice are quite different from typical American English.

Another example: When New Yorkers leave their city, they need to learn that f*** is not a good word to inject into every other sentence.

 

[Ivan Seeking]

We had surfer and gang lingo in Los Angeles.

In the Midwest there is a funny word used to describe the action of thawing frozen food - to de-thaw - that really would imply just the opposite of "thaw". It seems that this may be a remnant of the German "be", as in "bethaw", rather than to "dethaw". Our Dutch mentor Monique once observed that as a function of a German dialect, this might make sense. The Midwest US has many people of German descent.

So much of this sort of thing could be and probably is cultural/ethnic.

There is an area in South Dakota where people used to drink their coffee with a cube of sugar held between their teeth. This was a Finnish custom, and of course the area was all Finn.

 

[Math Is Hard]

Yankees hardly ever understand what I mean when I say I'm fixin' do to something.

 

[Cyrus]

Visitors say mary-land.

We just say marrylan. No d sound.

 

[Moonbear]

Visitors say mary-land.

We just say marrylan. No d sound.

I say more like mer-i-land.

When saying "drawer," I pronounce it "draw." It's a NJ thing. It's one of the few words that are distinctly different from the way anyone else around here pronounces it...and I know because the folks in the lab are merciless about laughing over my pronunciation of that word. They say they usually can't recognize any particular accent of mine until I say that word.

Oh, and I noticed a regional WV thing is to pronounce every letter in the word vehicle...they say it vee-hick'-el...accent on the middle syllable too. Most places people pronounce it with a silent H and accent on the first syllable, vee'-i-kul.

 

[Ivan Seeking]

Another midwest diddy: They worsh their clothes.

 

[Kalimaa23]

That's nothing. I'm from one of those densely populated European regions. We have villages here where half of the locals can't understand each other for crying out loud... I'm still convinced that the dialects of West-Flanders aren't Indo-european

Oh, and I noticed a regional WV thing is to pronounce every letter in the word vehicle...they say it vee-hick'-el...accent on the middle syllable too. Most places people pronounce it with a silent H and accent on the first syllable, vee'-i-kul.

Sounds like Dutch-speaking influence to me...that's how we pronounce it.

 

[moose]

Umm, I don't think so :uhh:

 

[brewnog]

Matthyizzaow! Long time no smell.

I have indeed heard "tret" before, mainly in Yorkshire hospitals!

You'll love this link of an NHS document designed for healthcare professionals coming from overseas to help them understand what folk in Doncaster are on about!

http://www.doncasterwestpct.nhs.uk/uploads/reports/GlossaryforInternationalRecruits.pdf


And people look at me weird when I speak of breadcakes, but not as weird as the guys in Hull who call them 'fadges'!

 

[Hurkyl]

I didn't realize "gawker delays" (you know, when traffic slows down because everyone's gawking at the accident on the side of the road) was regional until I moved away from Michigan.

 

[Evo]

Another midwest diddy: They worsh their clothes.

:rofl: I worked with a girl that spoke that way, and she pronounced "data" as "dater".

 

[MadScientist 1000]

Hmm... For some good examples of slang used in the south, watch Blue Collared TV.

for exampe: European

Euro-Pean on my boots.

 

[brewnog]

:rofl: I worked with a girl that spoke that way, and she pronounced "data" as "dater".

Seems perfectly normal to me!

 

[Couperin]

Has anyone heard the word "Tret/treat"? (Not sure how it's supposed to be spelled.)
It's used interchangably with treated, and pronounced to rhyme with 'bet'. Its a word I've always been familiar with, but was recently told that once you get more than a few miles outside of Hull no one knows what you're talking about. Its funny how you can grop up with something not realising just how localised it might be.
Also, no one outside of Hull knows what a breadcake is (a bread roll), or a tenfoot, for that matter (an alley about 10 feet wide behind a terrace of houses, built for car access).

Anyone else strayed far from home and suddenly realized no one knows what half of your vocabulary means?

As a Grimsby lad, I also say 'tret'. I've never thought about whether or not it's the standardised past conjugation of 'to treat', but now you've brought it up, it's quite interesting for a few reasons...

'Unofficial' or colloquial verb conjugations tend to gravitate toward regularity, e.g. 'catched' (colloquial) instead of 'caught' (standardised). So it's pretty weird that in North East England (and likely some other places), the past conjugation for 'to treat' veered toward irregularity. Maybe that's symptomatic of the verb 'to treat' being quite old. But I'm not very knowledgeable on the subject. Still, it's interesting to think about it :).

Do you have the verb 'to deff out' in Hull? It's synonymous with 'to worry', 'to fret' and 'to fear', but suggests that the person in the process of 'deffing out' is exhibiting physical symptoms of anxiety, such as perspiration and paling of the skin. It's associated with drug culture, e.g. somebody who starts to feel either anxious or physically sick during a Marijuana high is said to be 'deffing out'. 'To deff' (without the word 'out') tends to mean to vomit, especially while intoxicated, but can also mean 'to worry'.

It's funny about the word 'out' in the verb 'to deff out'. This is a particularly English peculiarity, which apparently poses some problems to ESOL students. Some examples: "to nip out", "to pop out", e.g. "I'm just popping out to town", meaning "I'm going to the town centre".

Could any Americans tell me if verbs with 'out' in them are used in America? Afaik, 'to pop out' is pretty universal to UK, as I've heard Londoners as well as Northerners use it. But I've never heard an American say it.

 

[matthyaouw]

Matthyizzaow! Long time no smell.

I have indeed heard "tret" before, mainly in Yorkshire hospitals!

You'll love this link of an NHS document designed for healthcare professionals coming from overseas to help them understand what folk in Doncaster are on about!

http://www.doncasterwestpct.nhs.uk/uploads/reports/GlossaryforInternationalRecruits.pdf

I've been without t'internet at home for a few months, so mainly been lurking when i pop on here. Think I've read that list before.its classic :rofl:

And people look at me weird when I speak of breadcakes, but not as weird as the guys in Hull who call them 'fadges'!

Even I've not heard that one...

Do you have the verb 'to deff out' in Hull? It's synonymous with 'to worry', 'to fret' and 'to fear', but suggests that the person in the process of 'deffing out' is exhibiting physical symptoms of anxiety, such as perspiration and paling of the skin. It's associated with drug culture, e.g. somebody who starts to feel either anxious or physically sick during a Marijuana high is said to be 'deffing out'. 'To deff' (without the word 'out') tends to mean to vomit, especially while intoxicated, but can also mean 'to worry'.

I've heard it, but not very often, and I didn't really know what it meant. Come to think of it, it might just be my housemate from Immingham that says it. Maybe its just a south of the river thing. By the way, do you guys have tenfoots over there or is it just Hull?

 

[Anttech]

That's nothing. I'm from one of those densely populated European regions. We have villages here where half of the locals can't understand each other for crying out loud... I'm still convinced that the dialects of West-Flanders aren't Indo-european
Sounds like Dutch-speaking influence to me...that's how we pronounce it.

LOL

Dutch has a lot of influence on anglo-saxon languages. Scots (Low lands Langauge of scotland), sometimes is more like Dutch than English. Its nearest relation (after English) is friesian.

In Glasgow you will hear people saying, "I ken yer mukker, he's a braw lad." "The polis war pure metal wit ma 'cause I was mad wi it, and aye fell on mine bahoochie"



Some people reckon that Scots should be taught in schools, and I aggree, its a pure dead gallis patter, yah ken? And there's aboot 1.5 Million in Alba wee the patter... I am aff, even some sasanaks fae the castle ken it

 

[hypatia]

Years ago, my first trip to northern Michigan. I went to someones home, and they invited me in saying..Have a seat on the Divan.
I just stood there.

 

[Astronuc]

Cows also 'have regional accents'
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/5277090.stm

Cows have regional accents like humans, language specialists have suggested. They decided to examine the issue after dairy farmers noticed their cows had slightly different moos, depending on which herd they came from.

John Wells, Professor of Phonetics at the University of London, said regional twangs had been seen before in birds.

The farmers in Somerset who noticed the phenomenon said it may have been the result of the close bond between them and their animals.

Farmer Lloyd Green, from Glastonbury, said: "I spend a lot of time with my ones and they definitely moo with a Somerset drawl.

"I've spoken to the other farmers in the West Country group and they have noticed a similar development in their own herds.

"It works the same as with dogs - the closer a farmer's bond is with his animals, the easier it is for them to pick up his accent."

Very a-moo-sing.

 

[Couperin]

I've heard it, but not very often, and I didn't really know what it meant. Come to think of it, it might just be my housemate from Immingham that says it. Maybe its just a south of the river thing. By the way, do you guys have tenfoots over there or is it just Hull?

They definitely say 'deff' in Immingham :rofl:

Don't think I've heard 'tenfoot', unless it means the same thing as 'alley way'? Or is it related to the size of joint:tongue:?

 

[Danger]

Couperin, we Canuks definitely use 'out' (or 'down', or 'over', or...) in the same context that you do.

The Ottawa Valley has a dialect all of its own, with UK and Maritime influences. I don't know if any of these terms are used elsewhere.

bire=barn
bairn=boy (or lad)
stook=vertically arranged sheaves of grain on the stalk (like tepees)
snake fence=a rail fence that zig-zags from one post to the next
'A' fence=a rail fence using two inward leaning posts with the rail wedged between the crossed tops
"Oh shut up!"="You're kidding?!" or "No ****?!" or similar

Those are all that I can think of right now, but there are lots more.

And here's one that I've absolutely never heard used by anyone except my mother. I have no idea where it came from.

blatherskite=someone who prattles on with no knowledge of the subject matter

 

[Evo]

I think the unique words used in Ireland are very interesting. An Irish friend of mine that lives in the Netherlands has been giving me lessons.

From a recent letter.

"Fleadh is an interesting word because it's Irish for festival and is pronounced flah. So a fleadh ceoil is a music festival. Now fleadh ceoils were a regular thing throughout Ireland and there was great dancing, singing, music and general carousing to be had at them. In the very repressive, church dominated social system that prevailed after independence fleadhs were among the few occasions when young people of opposite sexes could actually meet in relatively unsupervised situations and behave in a somewhat reckless manner. After 3 consecutive days of such behaviour, young people would arrive home in a state of exhaustion. In Cork slang, this state became known as being fleadh'd and is normally spelt flahd or even flad. So the word fla in Cork came to mean the act of sexual intercourse. To be "flahd out" is to be exhausted. To flah something is to overwork it to the extent that it burns out or is otherwise damaged irreparably. A good looking woman, especially one in whom a man might have interests of a carnal nature became a fla. More recently I note that a good looking man has also become a fla.

In an extra twist to the use of language, when I moved to the netherlands, I discovered that it was normal on your birthday to bring cakes for your colleagues. The normal type of cake is a kind of quark/cream pie known as a Vla, which is pronounced flah! And as well as vla I always bring a tart. So for my birthday my colleagues get to have fla with tarts. Unfortunately, the attempt at humour is lost on them."

 

[selfAdjoint]

The normal type of cake is a kind of quark/cream pie known as a Vla, which is pronounced flah!

Ah! And what color quarks do they use? What flavors are preferred?

 

[Evo]

Ah! And what color quarks do they use? What flavors are preferred?

Quark is a "fromage frais".

 

[Anttech]

I think the unique words used in Ireland are very interesting

They are unique because those words arent English.. They are Irish Gaelic

 

[hypatia]

My Mother says "I swan" I think in a mannor that means I swear?

 

[Evo]

They are unique because those words arent English.. They are Irish Gaelic

Yes, but the Irish are REALLY bad about localized dialects. He's from Cork.

 

[Danger]

Yes, but the Irish are REALLY bad about localized dialects. He's from Cork.

Or he's been sniffing the cork. It's hard to tell with those micks.

 

[matthyaouw]

bire=barn
bairn=boy (or lad)

A byre is a cow shed in Britain. Bairn means a child of either gender. Its mostly scottish but gets used in Northern England too.


Learn to speak Hull: http://www.bbc.co.uk/humber/content/articles/2005/02/14/voices_hullspeak_glossary.shtml

 

[turbo]

Maine has some interesting peculiarities, mostly colloquialisms:

Grey Jay = gobie. In parts of Canada, they're called Whiskey-Jacks derived from a Cree word that sounded like Whiskey-John to English speakers.

"Dooryard" = front lawn and driveway

In coastal and some rural regions, "yes" is often replaced with something often written as "ayuh", but the accent is impossibly subtle, so actors (think Fred Gwynn in "Pet Semetary" and the sheriff in "Murder She Wrote") make Mainers cringe when they try it. The toughest to copy is when it is pronounced as a soft " hyuh" on an incoming breath. I have never seen this attempted in a movie or TV show.

Dynamites are meatball sandwiches served with a hot tomato sauce made with celery sweet peppers and hot peppers. The spicier the better. Generally, the meatballs are elongated and contain hamburg, ground pork, some bread, eggs, spices, and crushed red pepper.

"from away" means that the person being described is from another state.

A "flat" or a "flatlander" also an out-of-stater (lifted from the Snuffy Smith comics). "Damned flats!" is not an uncommon phrase when tourists or transplants are rude or inconsiderate.

For most of the state, if you are planning on traveling to a large town to the south, you are "goin' downriver".

"swamp donkey" = moose

"dump duck" = seagull

In the pulp and paper industry, consultants are called "seagulls" because they fly in, sh*t on you and fly out.

"flying rat" = pigeon

"sh*tpoke" = Great Blue Heron. Don't ask me why.

If someone says "go with?" they're asking if you want to accompany him/her.

"hack" or "hackmatack" = tamarack tree (deciduous conifer)

Limited usage - "hi-hosies" means something like "I called it" in the sense of children hollering "shotgun" to get the front passenger's seat in the car when a trip is suggested.

"blackgrowth" = puckerbrush = very thick stands of immature fir, hemlock, etc. Tough to get through and very difficult to hunt deer in even if you are very experienced.

 

[Anttech]

Yes, but the Irish are REALLY bad about localized dialects. He's from Cork.

Ok I think you are using some localised Dialect there, what do you mean?

They have a lot of dialects? I wouldn't say to an Irishman (Or a Scot for that matter) That Gaelic was a dialect

In Ireland they have dialects of English, Gaelic, and Scots. Ulster is an example of Scots.

I don't know what you would call using 2 languages beside one another..

 

[Anttech]

A byre is a cow shed in Britain. Bairn means a child of either gender. Its mostly scottish but gets used in Northern England too.Learn to speak Hull: http://www.bbc.co.uk/humber/content/articles/2005/02/14/voices_hullspeak_glossary.shtml

Yeap Bairn is Scots.

http://www.scotslanguage.com/Scots/Scots_in_use/

This sense was also known to Burns, who used it in 1787 in a letter to Willie Nicol to describe two women with "as muckle smeddum and rumblegumtion as the half o' some Presbytries that you and I baith ken". Lack of pith or mettle often draws criticism, as in the following example from J. White's Moss Road (1932): "Ye poor smeddumless stock, all ye can do is to scare a bairn". Scots has an excellent hoard of terminology for everything from the smeddumfu' to the fushionless.

I think the word is seen in some robbie burns work.

 

[Evo]

In Ireland they have dialects of English, Gaelic, and Scots.

It's not correct anymore to refer to Irish as Gaelic, it's Irish. I made the mistake of referring to it as Gaelic at first. There are many local Irish dialects in Ireland.

"The language is usually referred to in English as Irish, and less often as Gaelic or Irish Gaelic. Gaelic or Irish Gaelic is often used in the Irish diaspora (also see below). Within many parts of Ireland, the choice of name has inevitably on occasion acquired political significance. Some people believe that referring to the language as "Gaelic" suggests that the language is as distant and unrelated to modern Irish life as the civilization of the ancient Gaels. Calling it Irish, on the other hand, is a more precise indication of its constitutional status as the national language of the Irish people. Irish is the term generally accepted among scholars; it is also the term used in the Republic of Ireland's Constitution.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Irish_language

Irish Dialects

There are a number of distinct dialects of Irish. Roughly speaking, the three major dialect areas coincide with the provinces of Munster (Cúige Mumhan), Connacht (Cúige Chonnacht) and Ulster (Cúige Uladh).

 

[Kurdt]

A while back I posted a link to a geordie translator which is the dialect of the region I come from (mainly Newcastle upon Tyne). Here is the link again.

http://www.geordie.org.uk/translate.htm

Its quite good but mainly gives phonetic translations. If you're familiar with newcastle brown ale you'll notice a quote on the back of the bottle in geordie of "The yen an anny", meaning the one and only. Its quite a horrible dialect and I don't like it really even though I was born here and have listened to it all my life. For those interested though I present it here.