burntcopper (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
burntcopper) wrote2008-05-09 12:04 pm
burntcopper) wrote2008-05-09 12:04 pm
Entry tags:
volunteers required
Okies, I need volunteers.
Oi Yanks No needs *you*, Welsh people. And Wales-dwellers who aren't necessarily native to the country will do nicely, too.
Oi Yanks No, if you peruse the links, is basically a resource for non-British people which was originally started up for fic purposes, but kind of...er... extended a bit. It covers slang, culture, schooling, any major peeves that people (yes, we're looking at you, americans) get horribly, horribly wrong and make the natives headdesk and make inarticulate screaming and gurgling noises. So far we have the fairly large English section, the Irish rant, a bit of Scots, but we've never had anyone do owt for the Welsh section (mostly due to the fact that I didn't have anyone Welsh on my flist when it started up, and yours truly's welsh experience is mostly confined to a couple of trips to Cardiff and regular visits to mates who live in a small farming village in the Brecon Beacons). What with the Torchwood explosion, it's been made painfully obvious that we need one.
So : volunteer. Tell me things that people always get wrong and make you scream if you read them. Tell me about clichés and misconceptions you hate. Tell me precisely why Wales is not just the bit stuck on the side of England that's obsessed with rugby and close-harmony singing. Tell me how politics and schooling differs. Give me slang primers.
Most important? It has to be *current*, unless you've got something to contribute to the history bit. (rants are always, always welcome in the history section)
Sarcasm and humour necessary. Also short and pithy is pretty necessary. (attention span? what attention span? oooo, shiny....)
And if you feel the other sections are missing something that always gets on your tits when people get it wrong, wrong, so very wrong? Feel free to contribute.
Oi Yanks No needs *you*, Welsh people. And Wales-dwellers who aren't necessarily native to the country will do nicely, too.
Oi Yanks No, if you peruse the links, is basically a resource for non-British people which was originally started up for fic purposes, but kind of...er... extended a bit. It covers slang, culture, schooling, any major peeves that people (yes, we're looking at you, americans) get horribly, horribly wrong and make the natives headdesk and make inarticulate screaming and gurgling noises. So far we have the fairly large English section, the Irish rant, a bit of Scots, but we've never had anyone do owt for the Welsh section (mostly due to the fact that I didn't have anyone Welsh on my flist when it started up, and yours truly's welsh experience is mostly confined to a couple of trips to Cardiff and regular visits to mates who live in a small farming village in the Brecon Beacons). What with the Torchwood explosion, it's been made painfully obvious that we need one.
So : volunteer. Tell me things that people always get wrong and make you scream if you read them. Tell me about clichés and misconceptions you hate. Tell me precisely why Wales is not just the bit stuck on the side of England that's obsessed with rugby and close-harmony singing. Tell me how politics and schooling differs. Give me slang primers.
Most important? It has to be *current*, unless you've got something to contribute to the history bit. (rants are always, always welcome in the history section)
Sarcasm and humour necessary. Also short and pithy is pretty necessary. (attention span? what attention span? oooo, shiny....)
And if you feel the other sections are missing something that always gets on your tits when people get it wrong, wrong, so very wrong? Feel free to contribute.
no subject
I was reading the site yesterday and it's brilliant. Wish someone had pointed it to me years ago when I first got here.
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Though I did love when I asked for links to brit guide sites in fandom one time and one of my flist said 'have you tried this site?' And I raised an eyebrow and went 'um, did you look at the domain name?'
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Btw, noticed on the Scottish section a mention of turnips. That'll be swede to the English. Always confused me when i first moved that swedes and turnips were the wrong way round. And spring onions/shallots/scallions. That brown soda bread in the south of Ireland is called Wheaten loaf in the north. Potato bread in Ireland is called something else in Scotland (can't remember off the top of my head).
One thing about Wales that isn't misconception - people do actually say "there's lovely". I choked the first time someone said it to me.
Also, they do apparently teach soccer here, as football implies rugby football. That may have changed now, but it was relevant to schooling in the 80s.
Oh, working mines still exist - we've got a pot noodle mine.
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2. DON'T try to pronounce an 'll'. Even the English get it wrong [BEG].
3. Bara brith. Tea cake to the rest of the world. Tres yummy.
4. Brains beer. Unless you're a masochist, avoid like the plague. Yeeeuchhh!
5. Yes, the road signs come in English AND Welsh. Stick to the name you recognise!!
6. ARAF = slow [motorists]. Should have both on the road.
7. No we don't all go down the mines any more [Maggie Thatcher, grumble, grumble, plus we kinda ran out of coal...].
8. Rugby. Only game in the world. That game you call football [smacks forehead]? Rugby for wimps!!!
9. Yes, we like music. And singing. It's the chapel upbringing, see?
10. 'Fair play to...[him/her/them]'. Somewhat grudging respect.
11. It's "Cymru"; the name of our country. The other name with the 'W' was imposed by foreigners [mutter, mutter...].
XC [I'll think of some more when I can]
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People do generally speak to their neighbours and probably know all their business down to what colour undies they have on...it's not know as 'The land of the twitching curtains' for nothing you know!
The Welsh have a paranoia and abound with conspiracy theories (sports commentators especially)
Cardiffians and Newportonians have accents unlike any other in Wales - verging on scouse with helium (it's to do with the long history of multi-culturalism in dock towns)...but which is noticeably absent in Torchwood which, of course, is set in the docks!A Cardiffian, for instance, lives in Kierrrrdiff, whilstt a Newportonian reads the Daily Eiargussss (argus).
A Newportonian will ask to 'lend' a tenner off you rather than 'borrow' it...whilst finishing every sentence with 'innit'...whereas North of Cardiff they add totally unecessary words into sentences e.g: "Wherefore is that thing there is it?" (Where is it?)...this is because Welsh is a language with rhythm and metre - in Welsh a sentence has to balance...this carried over into English...another example? "I off over there to that there bus stop over there to get the bus so I am"
Best time to commit a crime in Wales?...during a six Nations rugby match - the streets are literally deserted...sometimes cliches aren't cliches.
I could go on...but I'm moving house to over by there so I am.
Oh, on the words thing...I read an hilarious review of 'How Green Was My Valley' (the 1930s film with roddy McDowell), by an American...who was confused by the fact that all the characters spoke like Yoda ..