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What's your favourite "non-standard" English phrase or word?

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Comments

  • #32
    pavb2
    Registered Users Posts: 2,875 ✭✭✭pavb2


    (To be spoken in a Brummie accent)

    Noddy Holder goes into a tailor's and says to one of the assistants,

    "I'm re-forming Slade, I want to buy some new stage clothes. I need a pair of flared trousers, a wide collar shirt, platform boots and a mirrored top hat.

    "Kipper Tie?" asks the assistant

    "Oh thanks" says Noddy "2 sugars please."


  • #33
    Roselm
    Registered Users Posts: 753 ✭✭✭Roselm


    spacetweek wrote: »
    I am definitely missing something here! Is that non-standard? In what way?

    I've had times where I've had to explain to Irish people that a certain phrase or word is only used here. They often don't know, sometimes I don't either.

    "Have you the right bags?" It "should" be "Do you have the right/correct bags?"

    "Have you.. " sounds like French actually--> Avez vous votre bagages corrects?(hopefully the grammar in that is ok!)


  • #34
    Janey_Mac
    Registered Users Posts: 139 ✭✭Janey_Mac


    spacetweek wrote: »
    I am definitely missing something here! Is that non-standard? In what way?

    I've had times where I've had to explain to Irish people that a certain phrase or word is only used here. They often don't know, sometimes I don't either.

    In other places it would have to be "Do you have the right bags?" or "Have you got the right bags?"

    A few hundred years ago you used to be able to make questions in English by putting the verb first (Saw you it? Think you so?) instead of by using "did you" or "do you" no matter what the verb was.

    That went out of the language in time as things do, and now in most dialects of English the only verb you can put first to ask a question is to be as in "I am right" "Am I right?"

    But in Ireland we still put the verb first for to have as well.


  • #35
    Janey_Mac
    Registered Users Posts: 139 ✭✭Janey_Mac


    newmug wrote: »
    ^^^^^ If "thou" was the formal singular, what was the formal plural?

    There was only one plural for formal and informal.

    "thou" was the informal singular.

    "ye/you" was the formal singular and the plural.

    Here for more: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Early_Modern_English#Pronouns


  • #36
    waggs
    Registered Users Posts: 38 ✭waggs


    When living in Oz, we had rented a video tape at the weekend. On the Monday I asked my Aussie housemates: 'Has the video been left back?' - I meant had it been left (as in past tense of to leave) back at the rental shop - it seemed more natural to me than to say 'has the video been returned?' - They hadn't a clue what I was asking and thought the sentence construction was the weirdest they'd ever heard.


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  • #37
    spacetweek
    Moderators, Science, Health & Environment Moderators Posts: 4,947 Mod ✭✭✭✭spacetweek


    waggs wrote: »
    When living in Oz, we had rented a video tape at the weekend. On the Monday I asked my Aussie housemates: 'Has the video been left back?' - I meant had it been left (as in past tense of to leave) back at the rental shop - it seemed more natural to me than to say 'has the video been returned?' - They hadn't a clue what I was asking and thought the sentence construction was the weirdest they'd ever heard.
    Haha - your sentence sounds perfectly normal to me!


  • #38
    slowburner
    Moderators, Science, Health & Environment Moderators Posts: 5,218 Mod ✭✭✭✭slowburner


    When my brother was an intern in the US, he had to direct another intern towards a patient.

    'It's your man over there.'

    - 'What?'

    'Your man, there.'

    - 'He's not my man, he's yours.'


  • #39
    coolhull
    Registered Users Posts: 49,731 ✭✭✭✭coolhull


    ah shure lookit here, what does be standard in yizzer areas might'nt be in these here parts, and sure wha' abou' it anyway?


  • #40
    jkell061
    Registered Users Posts: 86 ✭✭jkell061


    Is there many people adin? (i.e; in there)

    And adout. What's the craic adout? (out there)


  • #41
    coolhull
    Registered Users Posts: 49,731 ✭✭✭✭coolhull


    Begob, half-times I don't know what youse do be on about, so I don't. Youse have quare ways of sayin' things. But sure it's between yourselves it is. I'm away off now.....Good morrow to youse all.


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  • #42
    pavb2
    Registered Users Posts: 2,875 ✭✭✭pavb2


    One common one is the phrase 'Look it' just before explaining something


  • #43
    jkell061
    Registered Users Posts: 86 ✭✭jkell061


    WHISHT!!!


  • #44
    Janey_Mac
    Registered Users Posts: 139 ✭✭Janey_Mac


    jkell061 wrote: »
    Is there many people adin? (i.e; in there)

    And adout. What's the craic adout? (out there)

    I've never heard that before. Where do people say it?


  • #45
    jkell061
    Registered Users Posts: 86 ✭✭jkell061


    Janey_Mac wrote: »

    I've never heard that before. Where do people say it?


    It's a louth / monaghan thing as far as I know. It could stretch further than that I'm not sure.


  • #46
    spacetweek
    Moderators, Science, Health & Environment Moderators Posts: 4,947 Mod ✭✭✭✭spacetweek


    "the goo" as in the taste for drink.

    "D'yeh wanna go for a pint after work this evening?"
    "Sounds deadly - I've the goo."


  • #47
    coolhull
    Registered Users Posts: 49,731 ✭✭✭✭coolhull


    spacetweek wrote: »
    "the goo" as in the taste for drink.

    "D'yeh wanna go for a pint after work this evening?"
    "Sounds deadly - I've the goo."
    "gimme a pint there before I lose the heach" meaning 'I need another pint or the longing for a drink will leave me'


  • #48
    oscarBravo
    Technology & Internet Moderators Posts: 28,789 Mod ✭✭✭✭oscarBravo


    jkell061 wrote: »
    It's a louth / monaghan thing as far as I know. It could stretch further than that I'm not sure.
    I've been known to say something similar (from Westmeath, living in Mayo), but I'm pretty atypical in a great many ways. ;)

    In case it isn't obvious, those are corruptions of "within" and "without".


  • #49
    newmug
    Banned (with Prison Access) Posts: 3,571 ✭✭✭newmug


    Janey_Mac wrote: »
    I've never heard that before. Where do people say it?
    jkell061 wrote: »
    It's a louth / monaghan thing as far as I know. It could stretch further than that I'm not sure.


    I'm from South Meath. Common as muck round here.


  • #50
    miamee
    Moderators, Social & Fun Moderators, Regional East Moderators, Regional North West Moderators Posts: 11,971 Mod ✭✭✭✭miamee


    spacetweek wrote: »
    "the goo" as in the taste for drink.

    "D'yeh wanna go for a pint after work this evening?"
    "Sounds deadly - I've the goo."

    I've never heard it used in that specific way, in Dublin it would be:

    "D'yeh wanna go for a pint after work this evening?"
    "Sounds deadly - I have a goo on me for a drink."


  • #51
    rener
    Registered Users Posts: 23 ✭rener


    I've just moved to Dublin from abroad, atm my fav phrase from the Irish i met abroad is 'a wet week'. "Shuddup! you ****! you're not here a wet week! *******!"


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  • #52
    davwain
    Registered Users Posts: 94 ✭✭davwain


    newmug wrote: »
    Yizzer. Plural of "your", as in plural of you plural. Eg. "Patrick, Bridie, yizzer dinners's is ready"

    I would say my favourite non-standard expression in English is "Ya mon". It's common in Jamaica.


  • #53
    Samaris
    Registered Users Posts: 6,544 ✭✭✭Samaris


    Janey_Mac wrote: »
    and been et out of it!

    My favourite in only the second post or so! I suppose it can count as "non-standard" for a past tense of "eat" :D I do also like "whisht!", just for the sound of it. And some of the constructions we have. "Is it X you're talking about?" rather than "Are you talking about X". It may not be English as the Queen might speak it, but I just like the way it rolls off the tongue.


  • #54
    pedroeibar1
    Closed Accounts Posts: 5,108 ✭✭✭pedroeibar1


    Roselm wrote: »
    "Have you the right bags?" It "should" be "Do you have the right/correct bags?"

    "Have you.. " sounds like French actually--> Avez vous votre bagages corrects?(hopefully the grammar in that is ok!)

    In French it is similar - the correct / official manner of saying it would be "Avez-vous bien récupéré vos propres bagages?" (Have you well recuperated your suitable luggages ?), probably shortened for a sign to « Avez-vous vos propres bagages? » (Have you your suitable luggages ?)
    Similarly, "Avez-vous fait vos propres bagages ? (have you made your suitable luggages ?) means did you pack your own bags ?]

    « Propre » is an interesting word with several meanings.

    Back on topic - I like « As ignorant as the kishabrogues. » (not really English) and
    « You’d better do that post-haste ! »
    « Would ya look at the head on him! »


  • #55
    Type 17
    Registered Users Posts: 2,730 ✭✭✭Type 17


    I work with a Hungarian guy, and he is fascinated by our (Dubliner's) pronunciation of certain words:

    We restore classic cars, and it all started with our (joking) old pronunciation of Triumph Herald in the manner of old newspaper sellers of Dublin: Anyone remember "Heer-adl'd ana Press!..."?

    His favourites are:

    Herald = Hair-dl'd
    Squirrel = Squeer-d'l
    April = Apra-d'l
    Funeral = Fyooner-ad'l


  • #56
    Irish Stones
    Registered Users Posts: 2,307 ✭✭✭Irish Stones


    Janey_Mac wrote: »
    But in Ireland we still put the verb first for to have as well.

    So in Ireland, is "have you your right bags" acceptable? Or is "Do you have your right bags?" better?
    Is "Have you seen/gone/eaten...?" a correct sentence? Or should I say "Did you see/go/eat...?"
    Thanks.


  • #57
    Shrap
    Registered Users Posts: 3,163 ✭✭✭Shrap


    Irish Stones wrote: »
    So in Ireland, is "have you your right bags" acceptable? Or is "Do you have your right bags?" better?
    Is "Have you seen/gone/eaten...?" a correct sentence? Or should I say "Did you see/go/eat...?"
    Thanks.

    I would say spoken language is different to written language. I always say things like "Have you change of a tenner?" but would write "Do you have change of a tenner?". In spoken language, either of your sentences are fine, but both the ones starting "Have you..." are more Irish.


  • #58
    slowburner
    Moderators, Science, Health & Environment Moderators Posts: 5,218 Mod ✭✭✭✭slowburner


    Irish Stones wrote: »
    So in Ireland, is "have you your right bags" acceptable? Or is "Do you have your right bags?" better?
    Is "Have you seen/gone/eaten...?" a correct sentence? Or should I say "Did you see/go/eat...?"
    Thanks.

    'Have you', is a direct anglicisation of 'An bhfuil', which cannot be translated?
    For example, 'Do you have a match?' translated to Irish would be 'An bhfuil cipín agat?'.
    Translated in literal meaning back to English, the closest equivalent might be 'Is there in your being a match that you possess?'
    Obviously that is a cumbersome way of saying things so the idiom has become shortened to 'Have you...etc.'.

    That is my understanding of it but it is not from an etymologically sound or proven perspective. I would be very interested to hear an academic perspective.


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