St. Norbert Times

Issue date: 12/2/08 Section: Opinion

Whether one travels fifty or fifty thousand miles from home, language differs. Even in a place that speaks the same language, there are subtle changes in pronunciation, terminology, and meaning. I think that immersing oneself in the wordage of a specific country or region is one of the best parts about travelling. One quickly learns acceptable and non-acceptable words, phrases, and slang, so as not to offend people. Furthermore, people are able to connect better with locals if they can understand their speech. Language and expressions are essential to communication. Without them, meaning is lost.

In my experience, Scotland has many words that differ not only from the vocabulary in other UK countries, but also from words within different cities. The people living in the southern part of Scotland, for instance, speak differently and use different words than people living in the northern regions.

Americans and Scottish people have much to learn from each other. The other day I was speaking with some Scottish friends, and I said I wanted spaghetti noodles for dinner. To my surprise, they laughed. Noodles, to them, were associated only with Chinese dishes, not with the same general term Americans use to describe any kind of pasta dish. Spaghetti is spaghetti. Everything else was pasta. I have to admit, I was pretty confused after that conversation, but I also became aware of the fact that, even if we speak the same language, differences in meaning and interpretation of certain words still remain.

Now, on to the fun part. I have created a list of words that I've heard while staying in the Stirling area. Most words are from the Stirling, Edinburgh, or Glasgow areas, used by most of the Scots I've met. (Please note, these are not necessarily how Scottish people spell the words, but they are written in a way to hopefully convey the pronunciation to you):


bain - baby/child
bawfin - disgusting
braw - good
cannae - can't
chapel - Catholic Church
cheers - thanks
cheesered - happy
church - Protestant Church
coo - cow
the cleanie - the garbage man
glaykit - stupid, unsure, or dumbfounded
to greet - to cry
healthy - good
hee-haw - nothing
hen - girl, sweetheart
to ken - to know
kip - sleep
neeps - turnips
mate - friend
minted - rich
pants - underwear
scran - food
skelf - sliver/splinter
tatties - potatoes
trousers - jeans/slacks
weesht - shut up
wi' - with
to winge - to complain


Even though the words might be different and the dialect difficult to interpret, the Scottish are wonderful people, rooted in tradition, well-learned in the history of their country, and overall fiercely devoted to their origins, and it is well worth it to immerse yourself in their language when you visit.

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