Words from dialects
In
my world as an audiobook narrator, I occasionally find myself researching
dialects, -- a rich source of words that are just plain fun.
A
Scottish dialect gave us spree, a frolic or drinking bout, which came to English in 1804 (though
drinking bouts had been around for centuries).
Throwing
an intriguing light on JK Rowling’s enigmatic headmaster, the word dumbledore
became a part of the language in 1787, from a dialect spoken in the
Cornwall region. It means bumblebee.
A
Kentucky dialect gave us splurge. Meaning ostentatious display, it came to English
in 1828, possibly from a mashup of the words splash & surge.
From
a dialect spoken near Norfolk, dumpling came to be officially a
part of English in 1600. It may have come from a German word meaning lump.
In 1738 we gained the word kasbah,
which came to us through French from a dialect of north African Arabic. The
original word meant fortress.
The
Cockney dialect gave us ain’t. Well, sort of. In the early
1700s ain’t was considered a proper English contraction for am not. A century later, people started
using ain’t to mean are not & is not, causing ain’t to lose favor among
grammarians, oozing its way into the category of Cockney slang.
A
northern British dialect gave us keister, or buttocks. This meaning arrived in 1914, extrapolated from earlier
meanings of keister – safe or
strongbox, & burglar’s toolkit.
And the Scots have keisters, too. From a dialect of
Scotland we have the word fud, meaning buttocks. It’s a mystery where fud came
from, but it is most likely from a Scandinavian source. Fud entered English in
1785.
And
though I’d planned on ending with keister & fud, I can’t resist yen, which
came from a Beijing dialect. Yen originally meant smoke, then grew to mean intense desire for opium. Today yen
means a dreamy desire or hunger.
It arrived in English in 1906 after making earlier attempts in the forms of yen-yen
& yin.
And
on a note of shameless self-promotion, my fourteenth audiobook became available
this week. Why Grandma Bought That Car (Kotu Beach
Press) is a collection of short stories & verses, each one focusing on a
transformational moment in a woman’s life. The author is good friend, Anne R. Allen, & I enjoyed sharing narrating
responsibilities with good friend Claire Vogel. I’m hoping some of you may take
a listen.
What treasures, Mr. Monger! I'd always wondered where the word "keister" came from. My mother considered it quite rude.
ReplyDeleteNow isn't it funny that "booty" means treasure (sometimes kept in a strongbox) and has recently been repurposed to mean, um, keister.
And now we know where Dumbldore's name came from! And perhaps Elmer Fud (d) ?
I had no idea that a "yen" was originally a jonesing for opium. (And where does "jonesing" come from, do you suppose?)
Thanks for the shout-out for Grandma's Car. And congrats on your 14th audiobook!
Hey Anne - thanks for popping by once again, & for pondering words with me. I'll have to look into Jonesing & booty.
ReplyDeleteI was fascinated by the progression of "yen". From a craving for opium to chocolate. And I was so surprised that Ms. Rowling did not manufacture "Dumbledore".
ReplyDeleteHi Christine - perhaps she DID manufacture Dumbledore's name separately from the bumblebee meaning, but chances are somewhat slim, eh?
ReplyDeleteI shall henceforth call bumblebees "dumbledores." Love it. Kentuckians should be proud for giving the English-speaking world the word "splurge." So many would be at a loss for a word without it. To think that "ain't" used to be proper!! I love that too. I like Anne's theory about Elmer Fudd's surname. I look forward to enjoying the Anne's audiobook narrated by none other than my good friends C.S. Perryess and Claire Vogel.
ReplyDelete