Glesca Patter 3

[Moonwatcher]

Glesca Patter 3

First posted 12 October 2003


Hullawrerr!

This week I’m looking for some audience participation, so clear your throats, waggle yer tonsils and keep the hankies handy.

Not all Glaswegians speak broad Glaswegian. Variations on words and how they’re spoken depend on where the speaker comes from and their background. The dialect can be softened, refined or suppressed, although the accent usually gives the game away. But it’s broad Glaswegian that we’re interested in so lets get on with it by tackling the most distinctive and confusing factor – the Glaswegian’s total disdain of the letter ‘T’. Crisp, clear sounding Ts are as rare in broad Glaswegian as wicker work chairs in a nudist colony. Take the word ‘butter’.
Did you visit the link I posted last week which has the snippet of the kids singing? Did you listen to how they pronounced the word butter? There is absolutely no trace of a T in the word. It’s pronounced ‘buh-urr’. Words ending in T like ‘flat’ get similar treatment, the T is chopped off and replaced with a glottal ‘uh’, hence ‘fla(uh). If there are any fellow Glaswegians out there who think they can better describe this then feel free to jump in here! Try listening to the clip and you’ll hear what I mean. This ‘uh’ sound that replaces the letter T can be represented by an accent as in ‘bu′urr’ and ‘fla′’

Okay let’s hear you all try it. After me… bu′urr… bu′urr…bu′urr…
Look, some of ye are no trying! Again… bu′urr…
Right, let’s try …fla′… fla′… fla′…

Enough! It’s gettin awfy slimy oot there! Wipe yer faces and keyboards and catch yer breath.

This produces conversations like;

“Ahm gaun doon eh (tae, to) the shoaps, dae ye wan′ anyhin?” (I’m going down to the shops, do you want anything?) Remember, ‘want’ as in ‘cant’.
“Aye, ye be′urr ge′ some bu′urr an some breid an mulk” (Yes, you’d better get some butter and some bread and milk.)
“Well ye be′urr gie meh some money fur eh bu′urr coz ahm skint” (Well you’d better give me some money for the butter because I’ve none.)

Now, to save all this insertion of accents, words are normally written with the ‘Ts’ intact. But remember that when you’re listening to the Patter in its native broad Glaswegian, they will cease to exist. Keep practising.

A – Z Still on Bs;

bed recess -
An alcove in a tenement flat which held a double bed. It was normally curtained off for privacy. Given the numbers of people who once stayed in these small flats, kids were often squashed into these beds like sardines. In surviving, modernised tenements these alcoves are now often used as small dining areas.

beds -
Hopscotch or peever. Girls game using chalked out squares on the ground. A total mystery to us lads who couldn’t figure out all that jumping and chanting that went on among the lassies when they were playing this game.

beelin -
Very angry. “The aul man wiz beelin when eez hoarse (horse) fell at eh first fence.” (My father was very angry when his racehorse let him down)

belang -
Belong. “I belang tae Glesca.”

ben -
In, inside. “Come ben eh hoose.” (Come inside the house)

bevvy -
Alcohol or drinking session. “Ah wis oan eh bevvy last night. Ah’ve a heid lik a sterheid!” (I was drinking last night and now I’ve a hangover.) Being on the ‘heavy bevvy’ is to have a really good session. A ‘bevvy merchant’ is one who is persistently drunk.

biddy -
Old woman. “An auld biddy threw a stain at the scabby dug.” (An old lady threw a stone at the scruffy dog.) Also, ‘Red Biddy’ is cheap red wine.

Billy boy – Old term for a protestant, derived from William of Orange. Normally heard in the singing at ‘old firm’ football games between Rangers and Celtic (sorry no links to that one!) Also once a way of establishing someone’s religion. “Are ye a Billy or a Tim?” ‘Tim’ being the catholic equivalent.

black affrontit -
Offended or ashamed. “Mah knicker elastic snapped an mah drawers fell tae mah knees! Ah wiz black affrontit.”

blinder -
Well played. “Jimmy goat up fur eez turn at eh darts an eh played a blinder.” (Jimmy played well at the darts)

blooter -
To hit someone really hard. “Jimmy hid jist enough eh the insults fae the guy, so eh jist turnt an blootered im!”

bluenose -
A Rangers supporter.

bogey -
A wooden cart made out of old wood and wooden boxes, old pram wheels, nails and string. I always knew them as guidies. Made famous by the Sunday Post character Oor Wullie. Also, something ending ubruptly, usually because things have suddenly gone wrong, ‘The gemmes a-bogey’. “Eh wiz in the pub wae eez fancy bit an eez aul lady cim in. She wiz beelin! Iz soon iz eh saw urr eh knew eh gemme wiz a-bogey!”
(He was entertaining his mistress in the local hostelry when his wife came in. She was very angry! As soon as he saw her he knew the game was up!)


Well, mah battery’s gaun flat, so eh gemme’s a-bogey fur this week.

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More tomorrow.

[Guest]

Bravo!Reminds me of when my cousin from Barrhead came to visit.We'd sit around the table after dinner and teach her to speak like a Newf.
She kept wondering why no one could understand her,we after all never asked her to repeat herself.She never quite caught on but my brother managed to teach her enough to get served at the Bar.(the Local )HK

[AnnetteR]

Hi Bob

They are just as funny second time around. I'll need to stock up on the paper hankies cos you know me, you've either got me greeting wi laughter or greetin wi sadness (The Model being a prime example for the sad one). When all you folks out there read Bob's story about the Model(and ah don't mean a slinky lassie) you'll never moan about your circumstances again so be warned, it tears at the heart strings.

Keep em cummin

Cheers

Annette

[Guest]

Annette

I am searching the Black family, John and Agnes who lived in Renton Dunbartonshire are they connected to yours?

[AnnetteR]

Hi there

My GGGG Grandfather was a Charles Black married to a Rebecca Paton both from Ireland. The family eventually settled in Barrhead, Renfrewshire. I have a few John's in the line but alas no Agnes and no one in Renton. I haven't researched that line for quite some time but when I get back to it and if I come across anything that might be of interest I will let you know.

Cheers

Annette