The Doric

[heilanner]

i've seen in a fair few threads that some of you try to type in Doric/(Scots) and as a native Doric speaker i think it's great that you make the effort even if it is just in jest and if sometimes you do get some of it wrong (and i'm talking about some of the Scots on here too ;) ).

i wondered how many of you have ever attempted reading Robbie Shepherd's Doric Column which appears weekly in the Aberdeen Press & Journal newspaper?

here's a link http://www.pressandjournal.co.uk/Sea...herd&submit=Go

i'll say good luck to those souls brave enough to tackle it. even i get confused sometimes and i've spoken it all of my life!!

[MacMillan of Rathdown]

I've a question for you-- why's it called "doric"?

[JimB]

Holy cow!!
My first impression is that the fellow had his hands on the wrong row of the keyboard!
Fun though :-)

[heilanner]

from the foreword to The Doric Dictionary by Douglas Kynoch:

Doric is a name given to broad and rustic dialect. Deriving from that spoken by the Dorians in ancient Greece, it has been applied in more recent times to the dialects of England and Scotland, while in Scotland itself the term refers pre-eminently to the dialect of the Scots language which is spoken in the north-eastern corner of the country. The Doric of North-east Scotland meets both the traditional qualifications. On the one hand, its broadness can present difficulty even for Scots in other parts of Scotland, while on the other, its richest manifestation has always been found in the rural hinterland, where the language has recorded and labelled all the trappings of everyday life in what was a largely farming and fishing community.



i hope that helps

[heilanner]

Holy cow!!
My first impression is that the fellow had his hands on the wrong row of the keyboard!
Fun though :-)

ha! yeah, it's not an easy read.

[Rex_Tremende]

I've a question for you-- why's it called "doric"?

My dictionary says:

Doric |ˈdôrik; ˈdär-|
adjective
1 [...]
2 relating to or denoting the ancient Greek dialect of the Dorians.
• archaic (of a dialect) broad; rustic.
noun
1 [...]
2 the ancient Greek dialect of the Dorians.
• a broad or rustic dialect, esp. the dialect spoken in northeastern Scotland. [ORIGIN: by association with the ancient Greek dialect, perceived as rustic.]

Regards,
Rex.

[AcuteEnigma]

You must have a bottle of scotch with you in order to understand doric.
A couple of drams and it all makes perfect sense.

[Fougasse]

Good link, very entertaining! For those looking for a gentler introduction to Lallans (the speech of the Lowlands of Scotland) try this link:

http://www.itchy-coo.com/

[unaspenser]

Thanks for the article link! I went to school in Aberdeen and there was one particular coffee shop I loved to go to because the two ladies who worked there would converse loudly in Doric and I could eavesdrop and try to figure out what they were saying. I think a lot of folks here aren't aware of teh difference between Doric and the Lowland Scots dialects (though several of my linguistics professors disputed that they were actually not mutually intelligible with English and therefore could be classed as seperate languges). Anyway, it's always nice to have a native dialect-speaker to set 'em straight.

Diane

[Kilt_Em_All]

That hurts my head just trying to read. I can manage to make out most of it if I take my time, but a some of it is just beyond me. I'm sure it'd make more sense if I'd been to/lived in Scotland at some point.

-Elliott