Sunday 5 June 2011

Local words.




There is a language up here in the Dales which is peculiar to this area alone, as I expect there is wherever you live. As I have now lived up here for more years than I have ever lived anywhere else I have now become slightly more familiar with the words. Also, it has to be said, that there are now so many newcomers in the area that gradually the old words are disappearing. When the farmer and his father got together to chat, when we were first married, their conversation was nigh on a foreign language - not so now.

For example: When the farmer put on his overall to go out into the milking parlour, as far he as was concerned he was putting on his kytle; fettling his tractor means mending his tractor and if he comes in and tells me that somebody is 'only moderate' I am afraid it means they are dying.

Today on our walk I remembered another word - in fact I used it in my mind as I saw the scene, mainly because I couldn't think of an alternative word. After grass has been cut and gathered up for silage then the herd is let into the field to 'pyke' round the edges - in other words to eat the grass off in the hedge bottomns and any other place where the grass cutter could not reach. Judging by my photograph of the herd in the field they have enjoyed their pyking morning and are well-satisfied with the grass they have eaten.

These cows belong to our neighbouring farm and I noticed this one cow which is a completely different colour - I have never seen one this pale, delicate colour before - the rest of the herd of Holstein/Fresian. When the farmer comes back (it is his rambling group day) I shall ask him for identification.

Have you any local words in your area?

19 comments:

Arija said...

Yes it is always interesting to pick out regional words. The first one comes from the German Kittel, a protective garment, usually a sleeved wrap-around like a lab.coat.

Reader Wil said...

I like the Yorkshire dialect. But it's difficult to understand. Once I was on a hiking tour with a British group and among them there was one Yorkshireman who stammered, so that was a double problem for me.But after some time I could understand him.In the James Herriot books there is also some Yorkshire dialect. And Professor Higgens in "My Fair Lady"complains about the various dialects in English "or worse, hear a Yorkshireman converse..."Well it makes a language more interesting.

Heather said...

I am fascinated by regional dialect and vaguely remember mention of a kirtle in connection with my father's mother. Kirtle is Old English for a man's tunic and maybe not so far removed from kytle. When we first moved to the Bristol area I remember booklets entitled 'Creck Bristle' to help newcomers understand the local speech - 'creck' meaning correct in this case. They were hilarious. I love your new header photo Pat with that lovely line-up of curious 'girls' looking across the meadow at the camera.

Crafty Green Poet said...

Oh Scotland has lots of local words! So does Manchester which is where I was brought up so i can even mix and match my dialects if i want! I like the photo of the cows, they certainly look as though they've enjoyed their pyking

MorningAJ said...

We have fun in our house because we're both ex-pat Tykes. It's just that I'm North Riding and K's East Riding and there are a few variants even at that distance.
My favourite is "that'll do", which as you almost certainly know, means something is perfect for whatever job it's needed for!

Pondside said...

There are not so many unusual words here as in England - more in Cape Breton, my home, than on this coast. One word that is used here, and not really elsewhere in Canada is 'skookum' and it means good-useful-well made, as in 'a skookum pair of boots.

Pomona said...

I know the word fettling, but not the others!

Pomona said...

I know the word fettling, but not the others! It's so interesting finding new words.

Pomona x

angryparsnip said...

LOVE the new banner...
the cows look very interested in what you are doing.

cheers, parsnip

FireLight said...

Hello, Weaver. One of my dear Enlish friends warned me when I set out on my pilgrimage to Thirsk,
"You can always tell a Yorkshireman, but you can't tell him very much!"
On the subject of dialect, is the term "thoombit" familiar to you?
It is from the short story "The Erne from the Coast." A footnote defines it as a bit of meat inside a roll or scone for breakfast. In the story, set in northern England, it is used by a shepherd.
Every time I stop by your blog, I have to break out my ALL CREATURES GREAT & SMALL books & DVD's! Love this post!

FireLight said...

Ooops.....make that "English" friends...
"If I only had a brain.."

Gerry Snape said...

I love the new profile photo Pat...especially those gorgeous cows!

Helsie said...

In Australia we call hens "chooks". I don't know if the rest of the world uses that term or not. With all the traveling that happens these days things, and language, are changing fast.
Cheers
Helen

steven said...

my godmother lives in elsecar near barnsley and every so often i get to be with her (when she visits canada) and i hear her beautiful yorkshire accent. long ago i had a friend named ron whatley. ron was from driffield and had a lovely way of talking when he was with his mates. steven

Thickethouse.wordpress said...

In northeast Ohio we have a number of what we think of as "Scotch-Irish" expressions. To redd up the house means to put it in order. Giving it a lick and a promise is very minimal redding up, but I don't think that is actually as regional. Still I'm not sure.

George said...

An interesting post, Pat. As a lover of words, it's fascinating to hear these local terms like "kytle" and "pyking.'

Cloudia said...

let us cherish our localisms!




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The Weaver of Grass said...

Brilliant lists of words from everybody. Snd so interesting.
Seems kytle is the most traceable one of all. Thanks for joining in the debate.

Bovey Belle said...

What an interesting post. I think local words should be kept alive (I try to do that with all the Devon ones I know and with expressions I grew up with). I knew your "fettle" - from Postman Pat when my kids were smaller!!! The pykeing is an interesting one and the derivation of kytle too.

I always use the Devon word "dimpsy" for dusk, and the Gloucestershire word "boughten" to describe something which could have been home-made (perhaps that ought to be SHOULD!) as of a cake. My Gloucestershire friend always calls me her "butty" and I look at a sparrow and hear my mum call it a "spadger", which is apparently both a Dorset and a Shropshire term, and I am sure I found it linked with Bedfordshire before. Perhaps it is just one of the country names.

P.S. Is the pale cow in the herd one with Brown Swiss blood? We have some Brown Swiss crosses on the farm next door and they look similar.