Irish people using the word "Mate"

ILA

I sort of have a small hang-up about it, I immensely dislike feeling the urge to have to use it to conform (for instance, in an area or facility where people seem to address people as "mate" most often).

That said, I'm a terrible hoor for calling everyone whose name I can't remember "lad". Well lad!

fonecrusher1

Whats the big deal? Is it worse than saying bud, chief, boss, lad, pal, horse???

round tower huntsman

jesusinaglanza wrote: »

What is the story with this.... "mate" has only creeped into Irish society in the past few years, I die a little inside when i hear this word being used.

"mate" is for people from the UK or OZ...suddenly us Irish clowns are using it on a daily basis. it is embarrasing

"thanks mate" or "cheers mate" does not lie well with the Irish accent...

relax mate!

Pangea

Mate is definitely not an Irish term, anyone who says it is wrong but it is creeping in nowadays since the Irish watch a lot of English TV and football etc.
Same way 'dude' or any other term is creeping in.
Mate just sounds very english.
Here's Ronnie Drews view on the word mate
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zjr8O6MonUk

Dyr

Pangea wrote: »

Mate is definitely not an Irish term, anyone who says it is wrong but it is creeping in nowadays since the Irish watch a lot of English TV and football etc.
Same way 'dude' or any other term is creeping in.
Mate just sounds very english.
Here's Ronnie Drews view on the word mate
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zjr8O6MonUk

Ronnie was a notorious cranky bollix and he was from Kingstown

Dubliners have used mate as a term for as long as I remember.

sunflower27

I say mate a good bit as I am from Australia. I haven't heard many Irish people say it, although one guy I used to work with started saying it after he heard me saying it. He just started saying it one day and never stopped I'd been there months and not noticed him saying it. He has a quite strong Irish accent so it sounded a bit unusual.

The Scientician

It's better than being called cúnt.

Pangea

Bambi wrote: »

Ronnie was a notorious cranky bollix and he was from Kingstown

Dubliners have used mate as a term for as long as I remember.

Really?
Il have to take your word for it as I am not familiar with what the Dubs say but no one I know says it and if they do its because they picked it up from English influence.

Liam Byrne

"Ah sher I'll mate ya down the pub lay'her"

Mate doesn't bother me anywhere near as much as the supremely irritating "dood" - now THAT is chronic surfer-speak that should be banned under threat of imprisonment!

nacho libre

Pangea wrote: »

Really?
Il have to take your word for it as I am not familiar with what the Dubs say but no one I know says it and if they do its because they picked it up from English influence.

I've rarely heard it used either.

Mental_Legend

"Dude" and "mate" irritate me when I hear people say them a lot, but for me, the word "cheers" drives me insane! It's not that it's an expression used commonly in England that annoys me, just the word itself gets on my nerves.

foxyboxer

I'm not your bud, guy!
I'm not your guy, mate!
I'm not your mate, pal!
I'm not your pal, bud!
I'm not your bud, guy!
I'm not your guy, mate!
I'm not your mate, pal!
I'm not your pal, bud!
I'm not your bud, guy!
I'm not your guy, mate!
I'm not your mate, pal!
I'm not your pal, bud!
I'm not your bud, guy!
I'm not your guy, mate!
I'm not your mate, pal!
I'm not your pal, bud!

Dyr

nacho libre wrote: »

I've rarely heard it used either.

Usually in a different context..."is he your mate?" "are youse mates now?". But I've heard it since i was a kid.

--LOS--

I can be guilty of using it an odd only because my sister has been studying for years in the uk and uses it all the time. I will never ever say 'trainers' though :pac:

KamiKazeKitten

I use mate sometimes - only when I'm getting annoyed with someone though!
Funny that...

fontanalis

Fair dinkum it can happen very easily, it only happened to me this avo.

What about using "yeah" at the end of a sentence; is that a recent thing?

old hippy

It's nothing new, mates. I been using it for 20 odd years. At home and here in London town.

Some people are too sensitive when it comes to language, you get me?

fontanalis

Domo230 wrote: »

I always use "Alright mate" and "cheers mate". Never thought it was weird.

pfft, weirdo!

4leto

Guilty as charged I'm an alright mate, man and now that I think of it, in an English accent as well.

I have no idea were that habit came from or when, but I did live in London Years ago for about 6 months.

I am wondering what I used before.

--LOS--

fontanalis wrote: »

Fair dinkum it can happen very easily, it only happened to me this avo.

What about using "yeah" at the end of a sentence; is that a recent thing?

not as bad as 'yer', I know english people who text that at the end of sentences

pragmatic1

old hippy wrote: »

It's nothing new, mates. I been using it for 20 odd years. At home and here in London town.

Some people are too sensitive when it comes to language, you get me?

God but that London Jafaken accent is horrible. Worst accent in the world.

Greentopia

I don't see the problem. Language is fluid, we all borrow words and phrases from other countries, languages and cultures. So what? Part and parcel of the free movement of people and globilization, the internet and so on and one of the reasons the English language is the richest language in the world.

OP are you also "embarrassed" for British people who now use words like 'craic' (which is actually English in origin-oh the embarrassment! lol) or 'gob' for example? and if not then why the embarrassment at us using words like 'mate'?

HalloweenJack

If people are so touchy about which English words we use when speaking English, why don't we just speak our own language instead?

Tbh, there'd be a cause for complaining if people were saying mate when speaking in Irish.

People are just looking for reasons to get offended if they're rejecting Irish people using an English word when speaking English because that word's "too English". :rolleyes:

The mind boggles at the logic.

MungBean

Nothing wrong with it at all, its a pretty nice way to address someone.

Better than "lad" or "horse" ya hear from the idiots down this way anyway.

Pangea

HalloweenJack wrote: »

People are just looking for reasons to get offended if they're rejecting Irish people using an English word when speaking English because that word's "too English". :rolleyes:

The mind boggles at the logic.

I see your logic but its not that simple, there are many different dialects.
We in Ireland speak Hiberno-English which is quite different from the 'Proper' English.

Skunkle wrote: »

Nothing wrong with it at all, its a pretty nice way to address someone.

Better than "lad" or "horse" ya hear from the idiots down this way anyway.

Don't see anything wrong with 'lad'. I use it all the time.

MungBean

Pangea wrote: »

I see your logic but its not that simple, there are many different dialects.
We in Ireland speak Hiberno-English which is quite different from the 'Proper' English.



Don't see anything wrong with 'lad'. I use it all the time.

Problem I have with lad is that its used way too much. Its not like the rest of them, its just thrown in everywhere.

Typical conversation I hear with people using 'lad'

Well lad.
Well.
Any craic lad.
Aw lad you missed some craic.
What happened lad ?
Someones head exploded lad.
Who's head?
That lad that lives under the bridge.
Jesus lad, was he alright after it ?
Nah lad, he's fecked I'd say.

Ok maybe its not a typical conversation but you see the amount of places it sneaks into. Unlike mate which is used generally only when greeting someone or thanking someone lad is thrown in everywhere. Its like the boggar Irish version of Dude.

You know how annoying and stupid some Americans sound when they say the word dude every 2 seconds ? Thats what it sounds like to me hearing people use the word lad. Maybe its just my neck of the woods that its used so much but it annoys the hell out of me, and combined with horse it drives me insane.

timberland

jog on bruv....

parc

I lived in England for a period. Sometimes I'd text one of my English mates (;)) "mate" at the end of a sentence.

But I gotta say, it never ever ever ever felt right saying it. Always weird when you here a foreigner saying it too. I knew an Italian and a few others from abroad that said it. It just never sounded right

mixed up

Well lad ftw

Yakult

Well bah!