Aspects of Colloquial Speech
-
Tags.
Tags are added to questions in order
to prompt the person spoken to, to agree with the
speaker's statement. In requests, tags ask the person
spoken to, to agree with and act on the speaker's
request. Tag questions.
Did ye stairt tae jouk the schuil,
did ye?
Did you start to play truant,
did you? |
Are ye aye at the scaffie's
yaird, are ye?
Are you still working at the
rubbish dump, are you? |
Ye hivna juist haed yer teeth
oot, hiv ye?
Have you just had your teeth
removed, have you? |
Is Shona hame, is she?
Is Shona at home, is she? |
The negative tag usually contains
no, it indicates that the person speaking
expects a positive response.
Jimmie haes gane, haes he
no?
Jimmy has gone, hasn't he? |
Fiona can soum, can she no?
Fiona can swim, can't she? |
Jock will gie't ye, will
he no?
Jock will give you it, won't
he? |
The tag eh is often added
to questions and requests.
Lat me pit ma coat on, eh?
Let me put my coat on, won't
you? |
It's no ower muckle, eh?
It's not too big, is it? |
We ken him gey an weel nou, eh?
We know him quite well now,
don't we? |
Ye are takkin her til the picturs,
eh no?
You're taking her to the cinema,
aren't you? |
Pit the kist doun thare, eh?
Put the chest down there, won't
you? |
Be guid tae ma dochter, eh?
Be good to my daughter, won't
you? |
Other frequently used tags are:
Ye daena gang for that kin o lassie, na?
You don't go for that sort
of girl, no? |
Ye telt her anent it, ay?
You told her about it, yes? |
He's no ettlin tae tak aw o't,
no really?
He's not trying to take all
of it, not really? |
A'll be wi ye Monanday, richt?
I shall be with you on Monday,
right? |
Ye'r no mynt tae win hame in
this wather, shuirly?
You aren't intending to reach
home in this weather, surely? |
Great confidence is expressed by
speakers who use the tags eh or shuir
at the beginning of a statement. This invites the
person spoken to, to confirm the speaker's expectation,
producing in effect a tag question.
Shuir the
Pape's Catholic?
Of course the Pope is a Catholic? |
Eh Kairien's bairn's a laddie?
Of course Kairien's baby is
a boy? |
- Focusing devices are used to introduce items into
the conversation or to give prominence to items which
the person speaking wishes to introduce into the conversation.
The most frequently used words for these purposes are
see, ken and like.
...see thae auld hooses,
ma faither bug ane.
...see those old houses, my
father built one. |
...see you pal, gin ye
dae that again A'll dunt ye!
...see you chum, if you do
that again I'll thump you! |
...ken Morag, she juist
wadna dae't.
...know Morag, she just wouldn't
do it. |
A gaed doun the toun like,
an the polis...
I went down town, and the police... |
It wis, weel, like fower
year sin A seen him.
It was, well, four years since
I saw him. |
He haes his dug like,
gies him company.
He has his dog , it keeps him
company. |
...She's in the infirmary, ken, tae hae
a neer transplantit.
...she's in the hospital, you
know, to have a kidney transplanted. |
- Interjections.
The summoning interjection is
Hey or haw.
Hey, you wi the reid
heid!
Hey, you with the red hair! |
Haw, whaur d'ye think
ye're gaun?
Hey, where do you think you
are going? |
Some of the common assertive interjections
are:
| (n)yod |
God |
whowe |
wow |
| ma certes |
my, certainly |
mynd ye |
mind you |
| certes |
certainly |
atweel |
indeed |
| deed |
indeed |
haud on |
stop |
| by fegs |
by faith, truly |
wheesht |
silence |
Some of the commonest interjections
of surprise and astonishment are:
| losh |
Lord save us |
crivens |
Christ defend us |
| hech |
heh |
megstie me |
mighty God |
| haivers |
nonsense |
bletheration |
nonsense |
| fegs |
faith |
niver |
impossible |
Some of the interjections used to
express disgust are:
dozen't.
confound it. |
feech, feuch.
fie. |
Impatience is often expressed using
the interjection och.
Troubles or worry are often expressed
by using the interjections och, hoot
and s'truith = God's truth.
Resignation or submission to something
that can't be avoided may be expressed with aweel
= Oh well!
Assent is often expressed using weel-a-weel
= Well oh well.
Sympathy and sorrow are often expressed
by using the following interjections.
ochone
woe is me! |
nounae! nounae!
now then! |
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