Fit Like m'loon
Beginning with where I grew up in Aberdeenshire, I am going to slice Scotland into geographical areas to uncover the most significant localized languages and patter used in each.
Doric, an antecedent from the Ancient Greek language, traditionally referred to the word 'rustic' and therefore optimised the harshness used by those who spoke it. However, despite modern affiliations, the doric language did not originate in the North East as it was typically used in the Lowlands before travelling North in the mid twenties- it isn't only the weather that gets harsher as you venture north.
Anyway, history lesson aside; what on earth is it?
Doric, despite becoming 'Englified' in its modern age, is best described as a language of its own. It simply does not tie in with the Collins' in any sense and in reality, I have no clue what it means half of the time. Predominantly used by what would be considered a 'tcheucter' from the North East, the doric language underlines 'if you know, you know' because if you don't, you'll never understand.
In many ways, the Doric language has become humorous in its age and the Flying Pig Productions use this to their advantage, see if you understand what they are saying in these clips:
http://www.flyingpigproductions.co.uk/category/clips-2/video/
Here are a selection of my favourite Doric words (which I use occasionally):
quine
the doric word for girl
loon
the doric word for boy
rowie
this is less used, but is the doric word for buttery. A buttery is a delicacy native to the North East- basically a small lump of calories but ever so tasty.
een
these are eyes. Not to be confused with one which could be used in the context 'I'll have that een'
drookit
when you've been out in the rain and you are soaking wet
oxter
an armpit
ken fit like
This is a funny one. If you read my earlier post, you would have discovered that 'fit like' means 'how are you?' but when you place 'ken' in front of this, it translates to 'do you know what I mean?'. This has relevance to English Grammar rules in that they don't make any particular sense.
da ken
This may be the easiest as it is a neighbour of the Glaswegian 'dinnae ken' and therefore means 'I don't know'
The excessive use of vowels in the Doric language contributes to its rhythmic sound when used in poems and hence, there are very close ties between Doric and traditional Scots poems. Therefore, like many others, I believe that it is a real shame to see the Doric language being phased out so rapidly. We should promote our heritage and after all, this language is the basis for many other dialects throughout Scotland. Here's the good news:
http://www.scotsradio.com/aibrdeenshire-cooncils-guidelines-doric-curriculum/
In the next post I will be travelling North to see what the craic is in the Highlands- please keep reading!
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| Aberdeen & Aberdeenshire |
Doric, an antecedent from the Ancient Greek language, traditionally referred to the word 'rustic' and therefore optimised the harshness used by those who spoke it. However, despite modern affiliations, the doric language did not originate in the North East as it was typically used in the Lowlands before travelling North in the mid twenties- it isn't only the weather that gets harsher as you venture north.
Anyway, history lesson aside; what on earth is it?
Doric, despite becoming 'Englified' in its modern age, is best described as a language of its own. It simply does not tie in with the Collins' in any sense and in reality, I have no clue what it means half of the time. Predominantly used by what would be considered a 'tcheucter' from the North East, the doric language underlines 'if you know, you know' because if you don't, you'll never understand.
In many ways, the Doric language has become humorous in its age and the Flying Pig Productions use this to their advantage, see if you understand what they are saying in these clips:
http://www.flyingpigproductions.co.uk/category/clips-2/video/
Here are a selection of my favourite Doric words (which I use occasionally):
quine
the doric word for girl
loon
the doric word for boy
rowie
this is less used, but is the doric word for buttery. A buttery is a delicacy native to the North East- basically a small lump of calories but ever so tasty.
een
these are eyes. Not to be confused with one which could be used in the context 'I'll have that een'
drookit
when you've been out in the rain and you are soaking wet
oxter
an armpit
ken fit like
This is a funny one. If you read my earlier post, you would have discovered that 'fit like' means 'how are you?' but when you place 'ken' in front of this, it translates to 'do you know what I mean?'. This has relevance to English Grammar rules in that they don't make any particular sense.
da ken
This may be the easiest as it is a neighbour of the Glaswegian 'dinnae ken' and therefore means 'I don't know'The excessive use of vowels in the Doric language contributes to its rhythmic sound when used in poems and hence, there are very close ties between Doric and traditional Scots poems. Therefore, like many others, I believe that it is a real shame to see the Doric language being phased out so rapidly. We should promote our heritage and after all, this language is the basis for many other dialects throughout Scotland. Here's the good news:
http://www.scotsradio.com/aibrdeenshire-cooncils-guidelines-doric-curriculum/
In the next post I will be travelling North to see what the craic is in the Highlands- please keep reading!
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