By Faith Welch<\/p>\n
Bout ye? Good craic!<\/p>\n
These phrases may sound like absolute gibberish to the average American, but to a person living in Northern Ireland they are everyday phrases for \u201cHow are you?\u201d and \u201cGood fun!\u201d<\/p>\n
There is more than a little difference between American English and that of the little UK country of Northern Ireland than meets the eye\u2014or rather, the ear. Unlike its neighbor, The Republic of Ireland, Northern Ireland is part of the United Kingdom, along with Britain, Scotland and Wales, and therefore has a culture that is very similar to Britain\u2019s.<\/p>\n
\u201cBefore England invaded Northern Ireland there weren\u2019t towns or villages.People lived in small huts with farms. And potatoes,\u201d says Justin Lee, a 16-year-old Northern Irish, in his thick accent during a Skype interview. \u201cBut now there are basically no differences between the two cultures. We have the same advances in modern day technology, the same government and the same currency.\u201d<\/p>\n
It\u2019s not just the currency that Britain and Northern Ireland have in common. The slang of both countries share many words, some of the popular ones being \u201ccheerio\u201d for goodbye, \u201cmate\u201d for friend and \u201csmashing\u201d for something wonderful.<\/p>\n
Probably the first thing that a tourist will notice about the difference in the languages is the many names for food. Because the famous European fish \u2018n\u2019 chips is so well known, most people know that \u201cchips\u201d mean french-fries. So how are chips ordered? \u201cMay I get some crisps?\u201d would be the appropriate query. There are other words that are less commonly known, such as the \u201cbap,\u201d which is Northern Irish word for a sandwich bun.<\/p>\n
Although they know the word \u201ccookie,\u201d it is not the word they use to describe the delicious, warm baked treats that everyone loves here.<\/p>\n
\u201cI know that you Americans think that biscuits are a British thing, but that\u2019s just not true. We invented them!\u201d says Deejay Hunter jokingly, a Northern Irish 16-year-old.<\/p>\n
Some words are common in America and Northern Ireland, but have very different meanings. These variations can be embarrassing. Elizabeth Godwin, 15, got herself into trouble several times when she visited Northern Ireland for the second time with some of these words.<\/p>\n
\u201cI was playing volleyball with them once when my pants started to fall a little, so I said \u2018Pause the game! My pants are falling down!\u2019 Then, as everyone giggled, I remember that \u2018pants\u2019 is their word for underwear!\u201d<\/p>\n
The young traveler found one certain word to be particularly humorous.<\/p>\n
\u201cI found it hard to keep a straight face when the people over there used the word \u2018crack\u2019,\u201d says Godwin, \u201cIt\u2019s hard to get used to that word meaning fun.\u201d Traditionally spelled \u201ccraic,\u201d it is pronounced \u201ccrack\u201d and can get very confusing when someone exclaims that they had \u201csome good craic the-day!\u201d<\/p>\n
Additionally, the Northern Irish also have completely new words in place of the average American ones. The proper response to \u201cDid you have good craic today?\u201d would not be \u201cyes,\u201d it would be \u201caye!\u201d In Northern Ireland \u201cyous,\u201d meaning \u201call of you,\u201d replaces the American \u201cya\u2019ll\u201d commonly used in the South.<\/p>\n
Adjectives are a fun way to paint a mental picture, but it is helpful to know exactly what the adjective means. \u201cBrilliant,\u201d \u201cgrand\u201d and \u201csmashing\u201d are all ways of saying that something is good.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen we say \u2018that\u2019s class!\u2019 we mean that it is awesome or good,\u201d explains Michelle Mullen, a 21-year-old Northern Irish girl from the small town of Ballysally, along with Lee and Hunter. Instead of describing things as \u201clittle\u201d they say \u201cwee.\u201d<\/p>\n
There are many ways to describe a person. \u201c\u2018Dead on\u2019 means that the person is easy to get on with,\u201d says Mullen, during another Skype video chat. If the person is liked as a friend, then they would be described as \u201cmate,\u201d but if the person is thought dumb, the words \u201ceejit\u201d and \u201cplonker\u201d would be thrown around.<\/p>\n
Stereotypes typically come from somewhere. Fulfilling the Irish stereotype, there are many ways to say \u201cdrunk,\u201d for example, bollixed, hammered, blitzed, plastered and spastic. These are used when someone has gotten into too much of one of Ireland\u2019s ultimate cultural identifiers: Guinness, or \u201cthe black stuff.\u201d<\/p>\n
Now, don\u2019t be a wee eejit! Aye, yous would have more smashing craic if ye eat some class biscuits in the country where they were invented: Northern Ireland! Cheerio!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
By Faith Welch Bout ye? Good craic! These phrases may sound like absolute gibberish to the average American, but to a person living in Northern Ireland they are everyday phrases for \u201cHow are you?\u201d and \u201cGood fun!\u201d There is more than a little difference between American English and that of Continue reading What\u2019s in a word? Irish offer humorous lessons in English<\/span>