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10 Mar 03 - 07:35 AM (#906388) Subject: High Level Ranters - Help From: Fiolar In the High Level Ranters record "Border Spirit" there is a track entitled "Gan Te the Kye." What is or was a "kye?". Hope one of our Northumberland 'Catters can help. Thanks in anticipation. |
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10 Mar 03 - 07:40 AM (#906390) Subject: RE: High Level Ranters - Help From: A Wandering Minstrel A large drystone enclosure for the folding of sheep. actually sheep-folding sounds rather painful 8) |
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10 Mar 03 - 08:00 AM (#906396) Subject: RE: High Level Ranters - Help From: Fiolar Thanks Minstrel. |
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10 Mar 03 - 08:40 AM (#906416) Subject: RE: High Level Ranters - Help From: MMario but sheep don't fit into your pockets properly if you don't fold them. |
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10 Mar 03 - 08:51 AM (#906424) Subject: RE: High Level Ranters - Help From: Snuffy Kye or kine is the (dialect) plural of cow (or coo) For once I had a score o' kye Ochone, ochone, ochree Feeding on yon hills so high And giving milk to me |
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10 Mar 03 - 10:09 AM (#906481) Subject: RE: High Level Ranters - Help From: Dave Bryant In the song Bonny at Morn which is also from the North East, it's pretty obvious from the context that the line The Kye's in the corn refers to Cattle - just dialect for cows. |
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10 Mar 03 - 10:33 AM (#906499) Subject: RE: High Level Ranters - Help From: IanC "Kye" is the singular of "kine". In fact, Kine is just an -n plural of "Cow" (Cowen) pronounced in a particular way. Kine, spelt like that, found its way into the King James Bible. "Swine" is another -n plural (in this case of Sow) though I've never heard anybody call them Sye. The -n plural is, in fact, very common all the way up the East of England (I think it may be Danish as this was the area of the Danelaw). Another one, very common until recently is Shoon (for Shoe). I know one or two people in Cambridgeshire who seem capable of using -n interchangeably with -s for plurals, though they do use it regularly for certain words. :-) |
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10 Mar 03 - 10:57 AM (#906533) Subject: RE: High Level Ranters - Help From: belfast The dictionary most ready to my hand (Collins New English Dictionary, 1956) gives this: "kye, ky n.pl. (Scot.) cows." A great invention is the dictionary and, for a technophobe like myself, remarkably easy to access. |
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10 Mar 03 - 05:47 PM (#906848) Subject: RE: High Level Ranters - Help From: GUEST,Peter from Essex Great thing the dictionary, also wrong as it is not a specifically Scots term. I must say that I have never heard the term used for a sheepfold. |
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10 Mar 03 - 06:03 PM (#906862) Subject: RE: High Level Ranters - Help From: Mr Happy agnigami= the ancient oriental art of sheep folding! |
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10 Mar 03 - 07:24 PM (#906917) Subject: RE: High Level Ranters - Help From: Murray MacLeod I have to take issue with Ian C that "kye" is singular. Getting away from dictionaries for a moment to real life usage, anybody I ever knew who talked about "kye" would have been referring to the plural of "coo". Murray |
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11 Mar 03 - 01:39 AM (#907085) Subject: RE: High Level Ranters - Help From: Boab In Scotland I have seldom heard the word "cows' or even "coos" used. "Kye' was the only plural I ever used for mair than yin "coo" in all my years as a country laddie. So too with the word used for the plural of "shoe". "Shoon", "shune " or "shuin" [as spelled in different areas]. My wee sister, being befriended by a "posh" lady in the train, who politely inquired as to the purpose of the day-trip, solemnly informed her that "I am going to town to buy a pair of new shuin!" |
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11 Mar 03 - 07:49 AM (#907197) Subject: RE: High Level Ranters - Help From: A Wandering Minstrel Normally Kye would imply cows but obviously to "Go to the cow with me" would be a bit of a roundabout way to open a discussion on country matters. In context this implies a place probably secluded ;) |
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11 Mar 03 - 08:46 AM (#907233) Subject: RE: High Level Ranters - Help From: Fiolar I did know that "kye" was a dialect word for "cow" but in the High Level Ranters song it makes no sense at all to say that "gan te the kye wi me" means "come to the cows with me" and that is why I posted the query. Minstrel's explanation about it meaning an enclosure sounds much more logical. |
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11 Mar 03 - 08:49 AM (#907236) Subject: RE: High Level Ranters - Help From: smallpiper What's logic got to do with it? It could be reffering (I'm guessing because I don't know the song)that he/she is asking him/her to go to see the cows i.e out in the cow shed where there's a hay loft ??? wink wink nudge nudge! Just as Wandering Minstral suggests |
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11 Mar 03 - 02:30 PM (#907560) Subject: RE: High Level Ranters - Help From: Steve Benbows protege in the High level ranters song book , in the tune "Felton Lonnin" Kye definately refer to cattle and in the "Folk songs and ballads of scotland" comp./edited by Ewan maccoll there is a glossary of term in the back. 'Kye' means cattle according to this book. Hope that helps. with regards. pete. |
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11 Mar 03 - 04:28 PM (#907659) Subject: RE: High Level Ranters - Help From: CraigS One goes to the kye (or beeasts, as they are called where I come from) to attend to their needs - to make sure there are none in distress, ensure they have water, etc. - or to bring them back for milking, unless they are close enough to the farm to be called in. Nothing strange about going to them - it's a chore that has to be done, and to make them wait would be unkind, particularly if they need milking. So if you wish to talk, you can walk to them and talk at the same time. |
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11 Mar 03 - 04:36 PM (#907665) Subject: RE: High Level Ranters - Help From: Learchild Think CraigS is probably getting close, it could just be two lovers going out to tend the cattle together. As a Northumbrian lass thats my best guess, I could ask Johnny Handle tomorrow night for you as he runs a club at the Bridge Hotel, Newcastle, one Wednesday in the month -i.e. tomorrow. |
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11 Mar 03 - 09:45 PM (#907875) Subject: RE: High Level Ranters - Help From: Abby Sale This is handy: The New Geordie Dictionary It agrees with cow |
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12 Mar 03 - 01:56 AM (#907990) Subject: RE: High Level Ranters - Help From: Boab Learchild---Johnny would be the ideal man to ask---he's one of the old "Ranters", along with Ali Anderson [now there's the best concertina in the British Isles!] , Tom Gilfellan and Colin Ross. |