T.R | Title | User | Personal Name | Date | Lines |
---|
336.1 | | SIOG::EGRI | Ireland - Home of the Erin go Bra | Thu Jul 26 1990 13:51 | 20 |
| When I first moved to Irelanmd the Irish were killed telling me that
they spoke the best form of English in the world and that non-English
speakers always came here to learn proper English.
Well my first job on moving here was teaching English as a Foreign
Language to people of the Arabic persuasion. I told them that when
they rode the bus to and from school, they should spend their time
listening to how the people on the bus spoke so they could pick
up pronunciation and sentence structures.
I decided to do the same myself one day. Sitting behind a Dublin
mother and her son, I overheard the mother say something to the
boy. Not hearing her he said "HUH" to which she replied, "Don't
say HUH, say WAH". I had to move to another seat to avoid the sudden
burst of laughter that gushed out of me. Everyone of the 32 counties
in Ireland has a different accent and sentence structures to boot.
Yours phonetically,
Ted.
|
336.2 | East-end London | KAOM25::RUSHTON | Unscathed by inspired lunacy | Thu Jul 26 1990 14:14 | 46 |
| Examples of East-end London as two people meet each other:
East-ender Translation
Ello John. What d'you reckon? Good morning, Aloysius. Is it not
a delightful day?
Ello John. What d'you reckon? Indeed, Tarquin. The birds are
singing, the sun shining. Crystal
Palace's Cup propects have never
looked brighter.
I dunno. What d'you reckon? You are perfectly correct. All, as
Pangloss once said, is for the best
in the best of all possible worlds.
I dunno. What d'you reckon? I personally tend to the opposite
view, also set out by Voltaire in his
anti-Liebnizian work 'Candide'.
I dunno. What d'you reckon? Yes, this view has its merits. But
naturally each of us is entitled to
draw his own conclusions. After all,
we live in a dangerous world...
I dunno. What d'you reckon? As Voltaire points out through his
mention of the Lisbon earthquake of
1775.
I dunno. What d'you reckon? Precisely! And we are forced to
conclude with Voltaire's hero that all
that remains is for each of us to
occupy himself with his immediate
concerns: to, as it were, 'cultivate
his garden'.
Yeah. Tara, then. Quite! Well, Tarquin, you have cert-
ainly given me much to mull over.
Thank you!
Tara, then. Not at all! It is through discussion
and controversy that Literature pours
forth its treasures! Now, farewell!
|
336.3 | | OTOU01::BUCKLAND | Quality is not a problem | Thu Jul 26 1990 14:29 | 3 |
| Hey Pat,
You're in no way related to Willie are you?
|
336.4 | Oi'm not tellin' | KAOM25::RUSHTON | Unscathed by inspired lunacy | Thu Jul 26 1990 14:49 | 3 |
| <<You're in no way related to Willie are you?
The TV producer and author of 'Spythatcher'? There are rumors...
|
336.5 | Oirish it would be noow, is it? | KAOM25::RUSHTON | Unscathed by inspired lunacy | Thu Jul 26 1990 14:52 | 43 |
| The Irish I ran into in Dec. 1988:
Irish Translation
Jasus will you look at the We are arriving in Ireland.
clouds on them hills!
God th'owd beg's fleppin. My stomach thinks my throat is cut.
Ye wouldn't ever have anny Have you got fish?
fish, now?
I have whate trout, fluke... Sea trout, flatfish...
smork sarmin, sarmin steek... smoked salmon, salmon steak...
Bords eye fush fengers. Bird's Eye Fish Fingers.
God bliss all here. Evening everyone.
Jeames is gittin wid. James is getting married.
The feather is efter findin The priest discovered him in the
him inside in the ditch wit a wan. hedge with a girl.
O, he's a heppy men arright. The priest is delighted.
Top of the morning, Paddy! Good morning. I am a tourist.
You're a fine broth of a boy! You, on the other hand, are not.
Your sister, now. There's a Your sister has a certain rude
colleen! charm.
I wouldn't be dhrivin her away. Nudge, nudge, if you take my meaning.
Paint a stoat. Pint of Guinness, please.
A was on the Narth Circular I was a friend of Brendan Behan's.
wit Behing.
Jasus we hed soom jairs. We used to get drunk together.
|
336.6 | | OTOU01::GANNON | Mind that bus! What bus? SPLAT! | Thu Jul 26 1990 15:21 | 10 |
| When living in the Highlands of Scotland I was once out walking
with a visiting lassie when we passed by a shop that specialized
in selling sheep's offal (used to make haggis amongst other
things). Looking at the shop front in horror she asked me:
"What kind of shop is that?"
I replied, "It's an offal shop."
She, thinking I had said an awful shop, responded, "Yes I can see
it is, but what *is* that they're selling?"
-Gerry
|
336.7 | | KAOM25::RUSHTON | Unscathed by inspired lunacy | Thu Jul 26 1990 15:27 | 1 |
| Yes, gone on...
|
336.8 | I like the French, but that was a good one: | VANISH::SELMECZI | | Fri Jul 27 1990 11:16 | 19 |
| Once in Chelmsford,
Two Frenchies ( Girls !) went in the Kentucky Fried Chick restaurant,
speaking some English and started their order:
French Girl(s): - Two largue cocks, please !
Guy behind the counter (adjusting his pants...):
- here and now? in front of all these people!?
French Girl(s) (they didn't get the grift..):
- yes pleazze(...some laugh here...), and witz szome
ice too pleazze.
needless to say the restaurant as one body burst out in a laugh, but
eventually they did get their large Cokes...
/T.
|
336.9 | vocable pontification | POLAR::LACAILLE | Eight legs, 2 fangs and an attitude | Fri Jul 27 1990 15:42 | 5 |
|
A frenchie....is that like a limey?
pUD's Mother
|
336.10 | American air force | KAOM25::RUSHTON | Unscathed by inspired lunacy | Fri Jul 27 1990 15:49 | 67 |
| Many years ago, I used to live on a number of airbases which was
probably a good idea since my father was in the air force and I
hadn't left home yet(although my parents used to lock up the house
for long periods and leave a road map and a sandwich on the front
lawn, as a suggestion that I should leave). One of these bases
was near the USAF base in Ramstein, Germany. This is a typical
exchange with the base telephone operator, if you called to
complain about their over flights:
USAF Translation
Howdy. Hello.
USAF Ramstein, have a nice day. Hello.
We have a woodshed/F111 interface One of our jet planes has
situation. crashed into your woodshed.
This situation is in a usualization mode. Oh my God not again?!
Evidently, I am distressized. I am sorry about this.
Unhappily this carries no apology But there is nothing I can do.
capability mewise.
I am putting you on hold. I am looking up your file.
I am putting you on Muzak. I am giving the CIA your tele-
phone number.
Transferring you. A CIA agent will now speak to
you.
Re the woodshed/F111 interface situation... As I was saying...
Madam, your woodshed died for freedom. Madam, I am trying to put you
in the wrong.
In war woodsheds are expendable. I regard you as a piffling
cretin.
We must not place chickens before liberty. A pox on your livestock.
There is also an air-breathing intermediate There is a cruise missile in
nuclear deterrent in your zucchini. your courgettes.
We are fighting a war here. And I do not care.
Our forces are fully committed. 1% of our men are flying
planes and the rest are get-
ting drunk or whining about the
weather.
Please stage a recipient-motivated return Please return our cruise missile
to base.
Madam, what you suggest is not only The cruise missile will not fit
impossible but anti-patriotic. up there.
Excuse me. This conversation has become
tedious.
Excuse me, I have to go push a button. Goodbye, world.
Have a nice four minutes, now. Goodbye.
|
336.11 | re .9 | VANISH::SELMECZI | | Fri Jul 27 1990 16:07 | 6 |
| Re .9
I'm not British. I am just one more of those KOLB�SZ eating
Hungarians...
|
336.12 | That was pretty good! | KAOFS::M_RENAUD | Canadian Remote Diagnosis Centre | Fri Jul 27 1990 16:33 | 6 |
| RE .10
Ha! Ha! Ha! Ha! (French laughs, I don't know how to write a laugh in
english...)
Michel.
|
336.13 | re .12 | VANISH::SELMECZI | | Fri Jul 27 1990 16:51 | 9 |
| re .12
That's just about right...
NOW, Let's see how good is your Hungarian???
;-)
|
336.14 | Its fryday | POLAR::LACAILLE | Eight legs, 2 fangs and an attitude | Fri Jul 27 1990 17:49 | 25 |
|
Language Laugh
english hahahaha
french hahahaha
dutch hahahaha
bulgarian hahahaha
North pole hohohoho
politicians eh?
dogs N/A
cats N/A
some people with tea
towels on their heads
knotted at the corners haho yoo ni ni gorf alooooo
Mudder pUDder
|
336.15 | North Staffordshire | KAOM25::RUSHTON | Unscathed by inspired lunacy | Mon Jul 30 1990 16:10 | 63 |
| Since my grandfather was from North Staffordshire in England, and I've
had the occasion to go to a few pubs there with my uncles, I thought
an example of a typical exchange in a pub in the North (Stoke-on-Trent)
might illustrate another English dialect:
Staffordshire Translation
Noo! Good evening landlord! What a wonderful day
it has been!
Noo, then! Indeed. And may I enquire what is your
drinking pleasure?
Paynt? We serve a full range of cocktails, but I
suspect you prefer beer.
Aye. A correct analysis of the situation. Most
perspicacious.
Nay. I am not convinced that I require such a large
intake of liquid.
Huf. I have therefore decided to order a mere half
pint.
Smiths. Smith's brewery has always seemed to produce
a nutty thirst-quenching product.
Theakstons. While Theakstons Old Peculiar has its appeal
to those tired of standing on their hind legs.
Broon. Newcastle Brown has carved a niche in my heart
and duodenum.
Seeamer gin. Perhaps you would be so good as to repeat my
order.
Baht andle, like. I prefer a thin glass constructed along the
lines of a truncated cone.
Sup up. Drain the flowing bowl, the better to refill it.
By! Good heavans! I believe I recognize that
person.
Ey, oop. Is your name by any chance Rodger the Lodger?
Ey, oop. How is my wife with whom you decamped last
Thursday?
Ey, oop. I think I will rend you asunder you oily little
brute.
Ey, oop. So! Flee if you will. We shall meet again.
Yamfer me. It has been a tiring day, I shall return to my
solitary bed.
Ga neet. Farewell, fellow roisterers! Until our next
brimming draft.
Rubbit, bledda rubbit. What an exceptionally garrulous person.
|
336.16 | Wee joke | COGITO::HILL | | Tue Jul 31 1990 14:15 | 8 |
| This reminds me of a wee joke told by one of the lads I play "fitba"
with: (He's a Scotsman, so I hope no one will take offence)
Q: What does a Scotsman say when he finds a fly in his pint?
A: [grabs him by the wings and shakes] "Go oon, spiti' back, ya wee
bastard!"
|
336.17 | Don't they eat cow stomachs in Scotland? | ICS::FINUCANE | A future Golden Girl | Wed Aug 01 1990 15:01 | 6 |
|
re: -.1
Huh? so what does the fly say back to him?
|
336.18 | | COVERT::COVERT | John R. Covert | Wed Aug 01 1990 15:54 | 3 |
| >so what does the fly say back to him?
Suck me up, Scotty; there's no intelligent beer doon here!
|
336.19 | | OTOO01::POND | | Wed Aug 01 1990 17:43 | 2 |
| So what do you mean like there are talking bugs in Scotland?
Is that the joke? I don't know, I just don't seem to get it...
|
336.20 | A good punchline | POLAR::RICHARDSON | He who laughs best | Wed Aug 01 1990 17:47 | 8 |
| I think the punch line should be :
The fly says "Leave me aloone, dinya see em doin' the bauck strrrrrroke??"
HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!
Now THAT'S funny!!!!!!!
|
336.21 | | MURP::HINXMAN | Sufficient unto the day | Wed Aug 01 1990 17:54 | 15 |
| re .19
The implication is that the Scotsman is so mean he wants back the
beer the fly has swallowed.
Or was your note a wind-up?
"The Scotsman is mean, as we're all well aware,
And bony and blotchy and covered with hair.
He eats salted porridge, he works all the day,
And he hasn't got bishops to show him the way."
Michael Flanders
Tony
|
336.22 | | POLAR::RICHARDSON | He who laughs best | Wed Aug 01 1990 18:04 | 1 |
| I guess Flanders was tops in his Field....
|
336.23 | From a publication by a travel writer | BTOVT::BOATENG_K | Ahem ! To be contd.. | Wed Aug 01 1990 22:09 | 49 |
| Examples of how English is being used in different parts of the world:
In a Tokyo Hotel: Is forbitten to steal hotel towels please. If
you are not person to do such thing is please not to read notis.
In another Japanese hotel room: Please to bathe inside the tub.
In a Bucharest hotel lobby: The lift is being fixed for the next
day. During that time we regret that you will be unbearable.
In a Leipzig elevator: Do not enter the lift backwards, and only
when lit up.
In a Belgrade hotel elevator: To move the cabin, push button for
wishing floor. If the cabin should enter more persons, each one
should press a number of wishing floor. Driving is then going
alphabetically by national order.
In a hotel in Athens: Visitors are expected to complain at the
office between the hours of 9 and 11 A.M. daily.
In a Yugoslavian hotel: The flattening of underwear with pleasure
is the job of the chambermaid.
In a Japanese hotel: You are invited to take advantage of the
chambermaid.
In the lobby of a Moscow hotel across from a Russian Orthodox
monastery: You are welcome to visit the cemetery where famous Russian
and Soviet composers, artists, and writers are buried daily except
Thursday.
In an Austrian hotel catering to skiers: Not to perambulate the
corridors in the hours of repose in the boots of ascension.
On the menu of a Swiss restaurant: Our wines leave you nothing
to hope for.
On the menu of a Polish hotel: Salad a firm's own make; limpid
red beet soup with cheesy dumplings in the form of a finger; roasted
duck let loose; beef rashers beaten up in the country people's fashion.
In a Hong Kong supermarket: For your convenience, we recommend
courteous, efficient self-service.
Outside a Hong Kong tailor shop: Ladies may have a fit upstairs.
|
336.24 | Page 2.. | BTOVT::BOATENG_K | Ahem ! To be contd.. | Wed Aug 01 1990 22:12 | 28 |
|
Examples of how English is being used in different parts of the world:
In a Rhodes tailor shop: Order your summers suit. Because is big
rush we will execute customers in strict rotation.
Similarly, from the Soviet Weekly: There will be a Moscow Exhibition
of Arts by 15,000 Soviet Republic painters and sculptors. These
were executed over the past two years.
In a Zanzibar newspaper: A new swimming pool is rapidly taking
shape since the contractors have thrown in the bulk of their workers.
In a Vienna hotel: In case of fire, do your utmost to alarm the hotel
porter.
A sign posted in Germany's Black Forest: It is strictly forbidden
on our forest camping site that people of different sex, for
instance, men and women, live together in one tent unless they are
married with each other for that purpose.
In a Zurich hotel: Because of the impropriety of entertaining guests
of the opposite sex in the bedroom, it is suggested that the lobby
be used for this purpose.
In an advertisement by a Hong Kong dentist: Teeth extracted by the
latest Methodists.
|
336.25 | page 3.. | BTOVT::BOATENG_K | Ahem ! To be contd.. | Wed Aug 01 1990 22:15 | 47 |
|
Examples of how English is being used in different parts of the world:
A translated sentence from a Russian chess book: A lot of water
has been passed under the bridge since this variation has been played.
In a Rome laundry: Ladies, leave your clothes here and spend the
afternoon having a good time.
In a Czechoslovakian tourist agency: Take one of our horse-driven
city tours -- we guarantee no miscarriages.
Advertisement for donkey rides in Thailand: Would you like to ride
on your own ass?
On the faucet in a Finnish washroom: To stop the drip, turn cock
to right.
In the window of a Swedish furrier: Fur coats made for ladies from
their own skin.
On the box of a clockwork toy made in Hong Kong: Guaranteed to
work throughout its useful life.
Detour sign in Kyushi, Japan: Stop: Drive Sideways.
In a Swiss mountain inn: Special today -- no ice cream.
In a Bangkok temple: It is forbidden to enter a woman even a foreigner
if dressed as a man.
In a Tokyo bar: Special cocktails for the ladies with nuts.
In a Copenhagen airline ticket office: We take your bags and send
them in all directions.
On the door of a Moscow hotel room: If this is your first visit
to the USSR, you are welcome to it.
In a Norwegian cocktail lounge: Ladies are requested not to have
children in the bar.
In the office of a Roman doctor: Specialist in women and other diseases.
In an Acapulco hotel: The manager has personally passed all the
water served here.
|
336.26 | Now you know.. | BTOVT::BOATENG_K | Ahem ! To be contd.. | Wed Aug 01 1990 22:22 | 20 |
|
Examples of how English is being used in different parts of the world:
From a Japanese information booklet about using a hotel air
conditioner: Cooles and Heates: If you want just condition of warm
in your room, please control yourself.
From a brochure of a car rental firm in Tokyo: When passenger of
foot heave in sight, tootle the horn. Trumpet him melodiously at
first, but if he still obstacles your passage then tootle him with
vigor.
Two signs from a Majorcan shop entrance:
- English well talking.
- Here speeching American.
Ad sign in front of a London restaurant:
Wanted man to wash dishes and 2 waitresses.
|
336.27 | | KAOM25::RUSHTON | Unscathed by inspired lunacy | Thu Aug 02 1990 10:07 | 11 |
| Heard this phrase on the Max Ferguson radio show about a year ago,
I think it was sung by a group from Cornwall (England, silly).
Does anyone know the rest of the song?
Oh Lord above, send down a dove,
With a beak as sharp as razors,
To cut the throats of them blokes
What sells bad beer to sailors.
Pat
|
336.28 | Like, Boston, y'know | VAOU02::HALLIDAY | Look to the future | Fri Aug 03 1990 22:47 | 4 |
| Gee, and I thought I was doing well when I figured out how to pronounce
`Nooton Cohnah' and `Hahvuhd Squeah'.
...laura, still getting over her jet lag
|
336.29 | Say what? | OLDJON::WATSON | Some like it not | Mon Aug 13 1990 12:19 | 17 |
| One day last year I got a call from a guy in Ayer, Scotland, who wanted
some info on uVAX diagnostics. What, with the milli-second delay on the
phone lines and the inherent echo that accompanies it I had a hell of a
time figuring out exactly what he was looking for. Finally I got it, and
asked him to repeat his name for me. He said it was "Stoot." I asked him
to say it again, and he replied with "Stoot." After a couple of more like
this I finally apologized and asked him to please spell it. Slowly, he
spelled, "S-T-U-A-R-T. Stoot!"
Once while camping along the Massachusetts & New Hampshire borders we had a
neighbor who told us he was from "Nawchemsfud." Unlike the Scotsman, I had
to ask him to repeat it at least 10 times hoping to catch the inflection in
his voice, to no avail. Eventually, _he_ got pissed and pointed in a general
direction and said, "Nawchemsfud, nexta Loe'll." Turns out he was from
North Chelmsford, next town over from Lowell, Mass.
Cliff
|
336.30 | Bafflegab supreme! | KAOM25::RUSHTON | Unscathed by inspired lunacy | Thu Jan 17 1991 15:39 | 44 |
| Recently, I was confronted with a frustrating experience wherein
I was concentrating on a lecture being conducted in English, on
a subject in which I was reasonably conversant, by a speaker who
was audible and clear - but I hardly understood a word he was
saying! The lecture was rife with jargon!
What follows are verbatim phrases from that lecture that I have
tried to place into a context that has some semblance of
coherancy, so that you may be able to grasp the gist of the subject
matter.
This is a good launching point for us to plug and chug with these
numbers which are taken from a real life process that works in the
back pocket. In this particular case, we want to bruise up
against our process and blur these numbers around the barn door.
Now, of course, down at the atomic level, if you will, we can zoom
down to one dimension which does a nice job of backing us up to
zero.
Now, at this point we want to crack the lid on the Poisson
process, which is a good rope to grab so we can come out of the
other end of the chute. But you'll never push a good bullet out
of the end of that gun! However, we'll feel real good as this
number cruises around.
With this sorta window size, and not having a math attack, we
can kinda logicalize our way around the data and wriggle out into
the real world. Of course, with our zoom lens we can use our
hypermodel to rewind the film. This also lives through
decomposition, that is not to say that there isn't a ton of
utility. But within the controlledness and the sanctity of the
process, there is some sense to be made of it, if we zoom down to
the smallest moment of truth. Here we can find a few more
hammerheads for this particular point-set, if we can get down to
this level of grind.
However, with new componentry, we get into a fluff mode and
the constipation of the system gets choked by the process,
although the 'bathroom' example carries a piece of the company
load. These, of course, are the genetics of the course and they
ratchet us, in a nice way, forward in time. This should put
enough map into your back pocket-ware, but maybe there isn't
enough interest to kill the tree.
|
336.31 | :-) | VAOU02::HALLIDAY | this lovely mess | Fri Jan 18 1991 13:44 | 1 |
| Marketing strikes again!
|