Sunday, November 12, 2006

Pam's British Vocab Lesson

If any of you are planning on visiting us over here in the UK, which I hope you are, I'll give you a little foretaste of the language barrier. Think you've seen enough Bridget Jones and Monty Python to make your way around without any problems? Well, Northeast England ain't no Hugh Grant movie. The "Geordies" (read: true-blood Newcastle/Gateshead natives) in my office get just tickled pink at teaching me their colloquialisms, so here are some of my class notes:

(Note that this is my phonetical spelling of these phrases. I don't know if anyone really knows how to spell them properly.)

"Ai'm gan yam" = "I'm going home."
"Ai'm gan yami beet" = "I'm going to lunch" (maybe literally, "I'm going to have my bit--of food.")
"Hows yasel?" = "How are you?"
Mesel = Myself
Quar-er Fou = 3:45 (quarter to four)
Fil-um = Film (movie)
Ben = Bearn (I think) = baby
"Am a bovvered?" = "Like I care" (literally "Am I bothered?" assuming the answer is no)
Sciving = goofing off
mingin= bad or gross
minger= an ugly person
"Ah Terah" = a way of saying "goodbye"
"Ta" = Thanks
Champion, Bril, Brilliant, Fab, Lovely = great

For more Geordie resources click HERE

2 comments:

RENEE said...

SOOO FUNNY I HOPE YOUN DON'T TALK LIKE THAT WHEN YOU COME HOME

Drew Holcomb said...

ain u din tha tha ise?