Why do some people pronounce the word wash as “warsh”? Martha and Grant discuss the so-called “intrusive R” and why it makes people say “warsh” instead of “wash” and “Warshington” instead...
Macakeneatit n.— «Scots are known in England as the “Macakeneatits” because they want thie cake while eating England’s.» —“Rangers, Celtic and the question of survival in the English Premiership” by Stephen...
Where in the world would you be likely to find sculch in your dooryard, or ask for just a dite of cream in your coffee? Martha has the answers in this minicast about some distinctive regional terms.
In Scots English, something fankled is tangled, messed up, or confused, as with a telephone cord that has worked itself into knots. Gordon in Anaheim, California, picked up fankle from his Scottish wife, and the word fits neatly with Scots fank, a...
A new resident of Pittsburgh is startled by some of the dialect there, like yinz instead of “you” for the second person plural, and nebby for “nosy.” What’s up with that? For a wonderful site about the dialect of that...
Does your family use a special word you’ve never heard anywhere else? A funny name for “the heel of a loaf of bread,” perhaps, or for “visiting relatives who won’t leave.” In this week’s episode, Martha and...