Sunday, November 6, 2011

Scottish Vocabulary 101

American English and Scottish English are almost the same. But not quite. Add an accent on both ends and fast native speakers, and there's a big difference:

Bin: Place to put garbage.
Bit: A small amount
Bits: Pulp (as in orange juice)
Biscuits: Hard cookies eaten with tea
Brae: Hill
Buggy: Stroller
Burn: River (We live near the Kinnesburn)
Car Park: Parking lot
Ceilidh: (Pronounced "Kaylee")A Scottish Dance
Cheers: Bye!
Fiver: Five pounds
Hi ya: Hello!
Jumper: Sweater or sweatshirt
Just Now: Right now
Loo: Bathroom
Meant to be: For example, "That's meant to be quite good!"
Mind the step/gap: Remember the step/gap!
Mobile: Cell phone
Quid: Pounds/Money
Quite Good: An adjective used to describe most good things, especially food
Roter: A work schedule
Sit-In: At restaurants, you specify whether you'll eat there or get take away. 
Soft Toy: Stuffed animal
Sorted: To get something worked out/fixed
Take-Away: Take-out as in food
Tener: Ten Pounds
That's lovely thanks
That's fine thanks
Toilet: Bathroom
Top-Up: Add minutes to a cell phone
Wee: Little
Wellington's/Wellies: Rain boots

Even this morning, I called a taxi driver and could not understand a word, so I said I'd see him soon. Sure enough, he showed up on-time. I find something very cheerful about the Scottish accent, and look forward to learning more common words and phrases. Cheers!

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