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Differences - A Guide to Visiting Ireland
Sep. 5th, 2007 12:16 pmSpoken:
chips - n. what American french fries dream of being, but never manage.
crisps - n. fried crunchy snacks made of potato.
biscuit - n. cookie.
digestive biscuit - n. graham cracker. (This still makes me giggle.)
pudding - n. dessert.
rashers - n. cooked strips of bacon.
whinge - v. whine.
lift - n. elevator.
flat - n. apartment.
trolly - n. shopping cart.
bin - n. trash can. this term also employed for the giant versions.
take-away - n. & v. take-out.
Ex. Would you like that for here or take-away?
pub - n. drinking place. a more family-friendly, social version of a bar.
ring - v. to telephone ([intr.] someone)
call - v. to call upon, to meet ([intr.] someone)
Gaelic
craic - n. pronounced "crack", fun.
Ex. That pub was great craic.
sláinte - n. pronounced "schlawn-cha," health. used as a toast - to your good health!
slán - n. "schlawn" goodbye
áras - n. "ahrrahs" building.
Then there are the other idiosyncrasies - the Irish
Thankfully, I have been familiar with almost all of these. It is generally very easy for me to understand what Irish speakers of English are saying, in terms of vocabulary. But it has been surprisingly hard for me to acclimate to using the alternate terms myself. Sometimes, too, I have to ask them to repeat what they're saying, because I am unfamiliar with their accents overall. But I'm getting there!
Also, I have so much respect for those who have gone to a country that doesn't even speak a dialect of English as its main language. I can't even begin to imagine how much more difficult all of this would be with that added barrier.
chips - n. what American french fries dream of being, but never manage.
crisps - n. fried crunchy snacks made of potato.
biscuit - n. cookie.
digestive biscuit - n. graham cracker. (This still makes me giggle.)
pudding - n. dessert.
rashers - n. cooked strips of bacon.
whinge - v. whine.
lift - n. elevator.
flat - n. apartment.
trolly - n. shopping cart.
bin - n. trash can. this term also employed for the giant versions.
take-away - n. & v. take-out.
Ex. Would you like that for here or take-away?
pub - n. drinking place. a more family-friendly, social version of a bar.
ring - v. to telephone ([intr.] someone)
call - v. to call upon, to meet ([intr.] someone)
Gaelic
craic - n. pronounced "crack", fun.
Ex. That pub was great craic.
sláinte - n. pronounced "schlawn-cha," health. used as a toast - to your good health!
slán - n. "schlawn" goodbye
áras - n. "ahrrahs" building.
Then there are the other idiosyncrasies - the Irish
- use the metric system (Celsius for temperature, litres for liquid measure, grams for weight, kilometres for distance)
- drive on the left side of the road (I'm still getting used to this one - it makes crossing the [already narrow] streets a whole new level of fun, let me tell you)
drink, if our flatmates are anything to go by, more than people intimate- spell things, for the most part, in British English, and
- utilise a combination of 12 hr and 24 hr time? Maybe? They also say things like "half nine" for 9:30. (My American group decided "half nine" should really mean 4:30, but it hasn't caught on.)
Thankfully, I have been familiar with almost all of these. It is generally very easy for me to understand what Irish speakers of English are saying, in terms of vocabulary. But it has been surprisingly hard for me to acclimate to using the alternate terms myself. Sometimes, too, I have to ask them to repeat what they're saying, because I am unfamiliar with their accents overall. But I'm getting there!
Also, I have so much respect for those who have gone to a country that doesn't even speak a dialect of English as its main language. I can't even begin to imagine how much more difficult all of this would be with that added barrier.
