Ulster-Scots is now known as Ullans. How can you tell the difference between somebody who is talking Ullans and somebody who is just using Ulster Dialect? Easy. Just use the guide below, made out by Philip Robinson, author of ‘Ulster-Scots: a Grammar of the Traditional Written and Spoken Language’.
He advises: ‘listen for a number of ‘markers’. These are the most common words used by Ulster-Scots speakers and which are not used by other dialect speakers. The Scots words thon, dander and wee [for that, stroll and small] have simply been borrowed into Ulster dialect. But words like nicht, cannae and gye [for night, cannot and very] are very common markers for Ullans. Almost all Ullans speakers will only use these markers at home or in each other’s company. Outsiders may never hear it spoken because Ulster-Scots speakers also know English and use it with them.
But it is a language spoken widely in four counties, Donegal, Londonderry, Antrim and Down, and has regional and social variations within these counties. It is fully comprehensible only to native speakers. It is distinct from English in many aspects of pronounciation, vocabulary and grammar.
GUIDE
If you often hear – and sometimes use – less than 20 of the words below, your experience of Ullans is very limited and ‘ye cud dae wi a bit mair lairin’. If you often hear – and sometimes use – more than half, you are already part of the Ulster-Scots speaking community. More than that you are very familiar with current, everyday Ulster-Scots.’
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ENGLISH |
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of |
o |
o |
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yes |
ay |
ay |
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no |
na |
na |
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remember |
min[d] |
mind[d] |
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small |
wee |
wee |
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that |
thon |
thon |
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stroll |
dander |
danner |
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today |
the day |
the day |
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tomorrow |
the morra |
the morra |
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with |
wi |
wi |
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lane |
loanen |
loanen |
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path |
pad |
pad |
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there |
thonder |
thonner |
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to |
til |
til |
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ditch |
sheuch |
sheuch |
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brat |
skitter |
skitter |
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shout |
gulder |
gulder |
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tip over |
coup |
coup |
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sly |
sleekit |
sleekit |
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than |
nor |
nor |
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endure |
thole |
thole |
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awkward |
thran |
thran |
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have |
have |
hae |
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give |
give |
gie |
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not |
nat |
no |
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from |
from |
frae/fae |
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any |
any |
onie |
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several |
lock |
wheen |
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stone |
stone |
stane |
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more |
more |
mair |
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most |
most |
maist |
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home |
home |
hame |
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sore |
sore |
sair |
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head |
head |
heid |
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round |
roun’ |
roon |
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house |
house |
hoose |
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town |
town |
toon |
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foot |
fut |
fit |
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none |
noan |
nane |
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over |
over |
owre |
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couldn’t |
cud’n |
cudnae |
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wouldn’t |
wud’n |
wudnae |
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won’t |
won’t |
winnae |
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one |
wan |
yin |
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bright |
bright |
bricht |
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light |
light |
licht |