The Mudcat Café TM
Thread #118793   Message #2571124
Posted By: Austin P
19-Feb-09 - 03:12 PM
Thread Name: BS: Lancashire and Yorkshire - Norse origins
Subject: BS: Lancashire / Yorkshire dialect - Norse origins
I've been having conversations with a friend in Denmark about the the origins of Yorkshire and Lancashire dialect terms that have close parallels in modern Scandanavian languages. This is well known in lowland scots but there seems very little on 'Danelaw' dialects.

Can anyone recommend a dictionary of dialects that gives origins as opposed to touristy (how to speak lanky) publications. I've drawn a blank mostly.

Some examples:

English / Dialect / Danish

Bridge / Broo / Bro
She / Hoo / Hun (pron Hoon)
Child / Barn / Barn
Barn / Laithe / Lade
Pig / Grease /Gris
Lie (down) / Lig / Ligge
Play /Lake / Lake
Burn / Swither / Swide (archaic)
Stream / Beck / Beck
Scream / Skrike / Skrike
Church / Kirk / Kirke

Some obvious ones don't even appear as Danish in the Oxford dictionary (well, my copy) - e.g. Skullduggery - the Danish for 'guilt' is Skyldig -> Skyldigeri -> shurely shome shimilarity?

Perhaps our Scandinavian Hatters can help ...

Mange Tak

AP