Wednesday, January 3, 2007

How to Speak Donegal

If you ever decide to cross the Erne and visit Donegal (and yes, Bundoran is now part of Leitrim) You may want to learn the lingo:


A = I
Aul = Old
Aul Boy = Father
Aul Doll = Mother
Bother = Hassle
Buck = Boy or Man
Canny = Cannot
Cuttie = girl
Dinny = Don’t
Doll = Girl or Woman
Foundered = Extremely cold
Fray = From
Gan = Going
Gawkin = Looking/staring
Geesa = Give me a
Gon =Please
Handlin = Trouble or Fight or Argument
Hi = Used at the start and end of every sentence
Hay = Have
Like = used everywhere and anywhere we can fit it in!
Lock = Small amount of something
Mind = To remember
Mon = Come on
Naw = No
Nuance = Unusual
Pure = Very
Purdies = Potatoes
Rare = Strange or Unusual
Tole = Told
Thon = That
Tight = Cruel
Way'ne = Child
Wee = Small
Well = Hello
Weins = Babies or Children
Wheen = Small amount of something
Wile = Very or Terrible
Yes = Hello
Yer Whan = Her over there
Yer boy = Him over there

3 comments:

Unknown said...

A tole ya stop gawkin at my aul doll. That's a week attempt at speaking Donegal. I need a native to practice with.

Pete said...

That's a weak attempt at spelling English too, but not to worry, I'll find ya some old farmer to talk Donegal with.

Unknown said...

I'm not really good at this whole spelling thing either. I noticed another error I made in a post above. My appologies. Just pretend that's the American (therefore incorrect) way of spelling.