It seems when people travel to English-speaking countries, the most noticeable differences are ones that don\u2019t matter very much. So you say \u201chob\u201d and I say \u201cstove.\u201d I call that arrangement of stars \u201cThe Big Dipper\u201d and you call it \u201cThe Plow.\u201d You say \u201cye\u201d and I thought no one had used that form of the verb since King James\u2019 Bible. In the end, though, it highlights our similarities more than our differences, because there\u2019s no cultural confusion: we just have two ways of saying the exact same thing.<\/p>\n
There are times, though, when two ways of saying the same thing can matter a lot. A few weeks ago I went to the island of Cape Clear, the southernmost inhabited point in Ireland. I was there for a storytelling workshop hosted by an American named Chuck Kruger, and attended by around ten people from the storytelling community in Ireland and England. Nearly every person there had a different accent, from thick country Irish to a sincere Cockney. It was an incredible experience, but I had one problem: due to a fluke in the off-season bus schedule, it was not possible for me to get back to Cork. I could get to Cape Clear without a problem, but there was no bus back. So I explained my situation at dinner and asked for a ride.<\/p>\n
To their credit, the Irishmen kept straight faces while we worked out transportation logistics, but Gerry couldn\u2019t help grinning when he explained I really couldn\u2019t use that wording anymore. \u201cIn Ireland, needing a ride means you want to have sex.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cIf I ask for a lift, is that better or worse?\u201d<\/p>\n
They all lost it. Daphne said where she\u2019s from they sometimes ask for a spin, thus avoiding the awkwardness of both ride and lift. Nina, an American girl currently living in Dublin, wondered how you would say \u201cride a horse\u201d if you can\u2019t use those words, and Noona (eighty years old, wears a crocheted cap) went into a fit of giggles and didn\u2019t recover for a solid five minutes.<\/p>\n
Luckily I had the ultimate payback: \u201cIt goes both ways you know. When Kate told us that story about the nun who liked her fags\u2026\u201d*<\/p>\n
For your further edification, here is an incomplete introduction to Irish phraseology:<\/p>\n
Give out: Another phrase that sounds funny but is completely innocent. It means to give someone a hard time. \u201cI suppose I can\u2019t give out about burning the Thanksgiving turkey, since I messed up the sweet potatoes.\u201d<\/p>\n
Your man: This is not establishing any ownership over the man, it\u2019s just a way of referring to someone male. \u201cIsn\u2019t that your man from the pub last night?\u201d<\/p>\n
Lads: Just like we say \u201cguys,\u201d this does not say anything about the gender of the people in question. In fact, the lads might all be girls. \u201cWe\u2019ll stay here a moment and wait for the lads.\u201d<\/p>\n
Laughs: When something is a laugh, it is fun or entertaining, not necessarily humorous. \u201cThat trip was a laugh.\u201d<\/p>\n
Fair play: Roughly \u201cgood job.\u201d \u201cI succeeded in putting photos up on Facebook! Fair play to me.\u201d<\/p>\n
Didn\u2019t he\u2026: This is a trick where you turn whatever your main point is into a question. I think it\u2019s for emphasis, because you\u2019re not expected to answer. You might not even know the answer. \u201cWe were walking back from the second pub, and didn\u2019t your man fall right down the hill?\u201d<\/p>\n
Ah sure: Thrown in front of things every once in a while, for good measure. \u201cObama says \u2018Yes we can,\u2019 Irish politicians say \u2018Ah sure, we\u2019ll think about it and get back to you in a week.\u2019\u201d (Direct quote\u2014this was not me. I would never confuse Obama with Bob the Builder.)<\/p>\n
Thanks be to God: Peppers the speech of Irish people of a certain generation. Gaelic speakers tended to say \u201cThanks be to God\u201d (it is somewhat shorter in Gaelic) frequently, and I think the tendency translated into English. \u201cIt\u2019s cold but it\u2019s not wet, thanks be to God.\u201d<\/p>\n
*The nun in question was fond of cigarettes.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
It seems when people travel to English-speaking countries, the most noticeable differences are ones that don\u2019t matter very much. So you say \u201chob\u201d and I say \u201cstove.\u201d I call that arrangement of stars \u201cThe Big Dipper\u201d and you call it \u201cThe Plow.\u201d You say \u201cye\u201d and I thought no one had used that form of… <\/p>\n