There’s them that would ridicule me for telling stories out a’ school, but if ye don’t get them from me, where wud ye hear them nowadays? Me grandfather and namesake toul’ this one to all he’s, an’ he wasn’t the author he’s-self! There cud be words missin’ and others outa place but I can on’y do me best.
It called the Pennyworth of Lies and it was Jack’s party-piece, a century ago.
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.’
We had street chants for most occasions and most circumstances. I can remember only a few. When you wanted to vex someone, or to distract your mate from something else, you would point determinately until she/he looked in that direction. Then you would chant:
I made you look
I made you stare
I made the barber cut your hair!
He cut it long
He cut it short
He cut it with a knife and fork!
If you remember others, please post them on Guestbook!
There was a programme on Radio Ulster recently about the Bessbrook Mill.It reminded me of a story told to me by Billie McCaigue who was, at the time, a Unionist Councillor for NewryTown.
During the Second World War some Divisions of the American Army were stationed in Bessbrook prior to their departure to France. One afternoon one of the soldiers came into a shop in the village and the young lady asked,
Tullyhappy Tulach Apaidh – the ripe mound Sturgan – the peak Skegatillida Sceach a’tSeilide – the snail’s thorn bush Maytown Maigh Tamhain – plain of the herds Maghernahely Machire na’chilin – plain of the little church Lissummon (actually Lissemor) – great fort Goragh – goat-grazing place Latt – cattle-grazing place Killybodagh coil na mBodach – churl’s wood Keggal cagal – cockle or tare’s land Drumbanagher druimbeanchair – peaked ridge Duvernagh Dubh Bhearnach – black gap Cloughreagh cloch riach – grey stones Carrickcruppen carraig chropain – outcrop rocks Carricknagalliagh [na gCailleach]- rock of the veils Ballynaleck baile na leac – townland of flagstones Carrickbracken [bhreacain] – speckled rock
