Could you post a short daily conversation here, similar to one overheard by Cockneys, Scousers, or other English people spoken amongst themselves and using so much slang that Americans or other nationalities may have a hard time understanding what is meant?
Like a pub type conversation.
Nothing too terribly rude, but a bit of blagging, shagging, or slagging, is okay.
Could you also post the translation of the mini conversation in plain English, as well?
I need this for a project and all I can find online are Brit slang/Cockney rhyming slang dictionaries (one liners) so I’m not sure how to toss it together properly to make a conversation.
Thanks much!
PS: Scottish or Irish slang okay as well. The conversation just needs to be almost unintelligable for those outside the British Isles (and Eire). But the words can be written in their proper fashion rather than using a phonetical “accent” transcription. THANKS! KISS!
Alien: Lonely Planet has a useful little book in its language series which covers most regional British dialects. It’s available in Page One in 101. The problem with writing down a conversation is that one wouldn’t know how to spell most of it. Try the Lonely Planet book though; as a Brit, I think it is quite useful and well-written.
That arreet f’yiz, marra? (Is that Ok for you, my friend?)
Jiss yan mair bevvy an am gan yam, arreet. (Just one more drink then I’ll be heading home, OK)
Dunno when I’ll make it to Page One and I kind of need it , like soon. I also thought that a few posters here might be pretty good at this!
Btw, the transcription of the phonetics (as you wrote above) is NOT important, but the slang terminology is.
Rhyming slang particularly will need a translation, though.
I tend to use ‘yam’ for ‘gannin’ (going) home and ‘yem’ for ‘at home’, leek.
Words in parentheses are for Alien’s benefit as she evidently doesn’t come from anywhere near Morpeth, leek (like/you know).
Alien: there is a difference between accent and dialect/slang. The LP book is pretty good on dialectical translations from the various regions.
“Whisht wench an waark!” (shut up woman and keep walking!) - West Cumbria (Wukkin’n / Workington)
“Wees it gan leek?” (How are things with you, kind sir?)
“Aye, fully fucked an 'alf starved” (Not so bad actually, thanks for asking)
Again, west Cumbrian FYI.
[quote]Am gannin doon toon te see wor lass, te get wor leg awwa. (I’m going down town to see my girlfriend and get my leg over) [/quote] Is Mandarin used in British English?
Have you read ‘Trainspotting’? That’s completely written in Scottish English, so you could just swipe some of that.
Also, how about taking the bit out of the script for Austin Powers 3 where Austin and has Dad are having a conversation in cockney rhyming slang so that the ladies won’t understand?
I"ve been searching quotes from Trainspotting, Full Monty, Sliding Doors, Bridget Jones, Eastenders, Four Weddings and a Funeral, Notting Hill, but can’t find just a snippet of dialogue that is mainly slang. The quotes are mostly one liners, it seems.
I don’t have the books for Trainspotting or BJ Diary.
Again: go get that LP book. For something weightier than chat try finding any poem by Scottish poet Robert (Rabbie) Burns, written exclusively in Scottish dialect.
Oh yes, there is a cartoon strip called ‘The Broons’ from the fifties and/or sixties, I am not sure. If I remember from my childhood these were written in ‘Scottish’ and are chattier. Try:
Thanks amos, I skimmed Trainspotting, but it’s all about shagging, blagging and doing drugs. I don’t think it’s that appropriate as every other word is ‘fuck’. I can’t even locate 3 lines that are appropriate. Still looking, though.
BA, YOur Broons are cute. But it’s hard to read them as they’re a bit blurry.
CQ, please find me a four turn transcription from Kath and Kim and I’ll use that. I had hoped to find something English though as I think it’s much harder for non English to understand it in terms of slang.
For instance, a favourite phrase of my father’s, “I don’t do owt for nowt” might sound like someone using bizzarre words of their own concocting, but take away the accent and we have olde english - “I don’t do ought (anything) for nought (nothing, ie unpaid)”
How about ‘mobile’ for ‘cellphone’? Slang or just different English? And some of the mangled grammar that gets done in the UK can be pretty unbelievable, too.
Anyway, something like this would be normal where I was born.
I went down the pub with our Eddie and he give me his mobile ‘cos I were goin’ to fix him up with this bird. He was really gagging for it, but she weren’t up for it and he started going off in’t pub about how he were goin’ give me a right kickin; if he didn’t get his leg over soon. The chucker-out-man give him a knuckle butty and he were right pissed off. It were pissing down too, coming down in stair-rods, it was. We bought some Newkie browns from’t offy, and got well-pissed, then went to this knocking shop. I were knackered after.
I went down the pub with our Eddie and he give me his mobile ‘cos I were goin’ to fix him up with this bird. He was really gagging for it, but she weren’t up for it and he started going off in’t pub about how he were goin’ give me a right kickin; if he didn’t get his leg over soon. The chucker-out-man give him a knuckle butty and he were right pissed off. It were pissing down too, coming down in stair-rods, it was. We bought some Newkie browns from’t offy, and got well-pissed, then went to this knocking shop. I were knackered after.[/quote]
This is brilliant! Now how about a translation? I think I can manage it, but are newkie browns newcastle nut brown ales? what’s offy? what’s a knocking shop?
