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I've written a book during lockdown (like everyone else!) and have a character in it with a strong Glasweigan accent. I would love it if someone with Glasweigan (or Scottish in general) knowledge could take a quick look at it to make sure the dialog with this character in it isn't too ridiculously wrong. Probably about 3 pages worth, if that, so you don't have to read the whole book unless you want to! Email in profile.
Glasweigan
I think you need a spell checker before you need a dialect coach.
Post up the dialog that you think might be problematic and we'll critique it.
On second thoughts, once you've edited out the swearing, there might not be much left.
Did you mean glesga patter?
Yeah every one knows it's spelled 'weegie'
Stick bud in a few times nothing to do wi bottled beer, he will want a burd or a bidey in, drinks ginger when he's thirsty and if he has an itchy boaby he can get cream at the local pharmacy
https://music.youtube.com/watch?v=0zfAQXvKhD0&list=RDAMVM0zfAQXvKhD0
Inspiration for you
he will want a burd
I'd he's looking for a lumber
Which bit o' glesga is yer weegie frae?
What school did he go tae?
St something or no'?
Oh aye good point
The basics.
Celtic or rangers?
Wit's yer answer pal?
Wit’s yer answer pal?
Am a fifer eh.
East Fife for life*
*If football wasn't pure shite
Celtic or rangers?
Probably for the best if he's a Jag.
So does this seem believable coming from an 18 year old lad: “Awright bawbag! Sorry about yer Dad. Fancy comin’ picking ‘shrooms?”
It's a bit, you know,polite.
“Awright, ya bawbag! Ah'm sorry aboot yer Da'. Fancy comin’ picking some mushies?”
paton
Free Member
Whit bit a’ glesga is the c*** fae?
ahem.. 😆
mushies not shrooms?
Ahaha mushies.
That perfect Perchy
It won't be dad probably da, remember to put the toilet seat down so the weegies dinae drink the water
#prayforop
@perchypanther Could you improve this one as well: “Anyway, keep hold of the bag for now. I’m a bit spooked ‘cause yesterday two coppers knocked on my door. I nearly shat myself! Turned out they were after Josie.”
Maybe he's from Bearsden or Cowcaddens
coppers would be busies ( plural of busy - no idea how to spell it). would be round here in trainspottingland anyway
Or Polis
“Anyhow, keep a haud ae that bag the noo. Ah'm pure shitin' masel 'cause two Polis knocked on my door yesterday . I nearly shat a brick ! Turned out they were lookin' tae huckle Josie and no' me.”
No_discerning_taste
Free Member
Awright (dudes name). Sorry to hear aboot yer auld man. I'm headin' up the golfie tae git rattled on mushies, ye intae it?”
Ye widnae call someone bawbag when their auld man just died. Also getting rattled on mushies at that time is also possibly questionable!
I think I'd have to provide a dictionary with the book if I write that, as nobody apart from Glaswegians would be able understand anything! I'll take some elements from it though. It is excellent stuff!
FFS we're editin' here, No rewritin' the hale book. 😉
Awright (dudes name)
Shagger.
That's the appropriate honorific for such a sombre occasion.
So this is what he says to his mate when it turns out his mate doesn't want to eat any of the mushrooms they've picked: “Great! More for me and someone to make sure I don’t do anything stupid like shag a sheep or something!”
“Anyway, plank this bag for me eh, f'ing polis rattled my door yisterday! Turned oot they wir efter Josie, but ahm heavy para noo. I'll get it back aff ye next week. Don't touch or I'll take yer jaw aff!” 😆
Great! More for me and someone to make sure I don’t do anything stupid like shag a sheep or
somethingyer maw!”
“Please yirsel! Aw the mair for me. Jist you make sure I don’t go and dae anythin' mental like shaggin' a dug or something!”
Can I point out that there are very few sheep in Glasgow
perchypanther
Free Member
Awright (dudes name)Shagger.
That’s the appropriate honorific for such a sombre occasion.
fair comment!
perchypanther
Free Member
“Please yirsel! Aw the mair for me. Jist you make sure I don’t go and dae anythin’ mental like shaggin’ a dug or something!”Can I point out that there are very few sheep in Glasgow
Aye sheep are strictly reserved for the eberdeen crowd! 😆
Single-track better get a mention in the dedication
coppers would be busies ( plural of busy – no idea how to spell it). would be round here in trainspottingland anyway
It that scottish though? pretty sure they called the five-0 that in the film 'shopping'.
Calling the Polis Busies is more Scouse than Weegie.
The weans would call them the Feds or the Po-Po these days
They are trying to find some Eastern European gangsters who might have been involved in the kidnapping of the lad's stepmother. Any suggestions on how to translate this: “I‘ve got some mates at Croftbank. They’re not eastern European gangsters, but perhaps they might know who might be involved. Get back on the bike and we’ll head over.”
“I‘ve got some mates at Croftbank. They’re not eastern European gangsters, but perhaps they might know who might be involved. Get back on the bike and we’ll head over.”
"Ah've got mates fae Croftbank. They urny (insert your own potentially problematic Eastern European epithet here ) but they mibbe ken who did this. Get oan the bike and we'll boost ower there and see""
Is the whole book set in Glasgow or is it just a small section with one character?
Many Glaswegians* are perfectly able to temper their dialect to make themselves understood by a wider, non-Weegie audience.
We're not savages.
*Strictly speaking i'm not a Weegie. Only an actual weegie would be able to tell though and, even then, they'd really need to be paying attention, ken?
perchypanther
*Strictly speaking i’m not a Weegie.
ken
Noticeably! 😆
Needs way more expletives as a form of endearment.
Search and replace Why with How.
@perchypanther you really have a way with words! How about this one: “Holy shit Josh, we’re not the SAS. Looking like that we’ll get stopped by the Polis before we’ve even got there.
I wouldn't even attempt it if you're not from Glasgow tbh, during my apprenticeship I was at College in Springburn, there was a class of sewing machine mechanics as there were plenty textile places aboot, it was ned central.
They spoke a different language! Young boys and lassies from Possil, Barmulloch, Lambhill, Blackhill etc, maniacs.
Have you read trainspotting? Ok its luvviedom not weegieville but it a fantastic example of how to handle scots accents
Busies is common usage in Edinburgh. never heard po po or feds used by a native.
“I‘ve got some mates at Croftbank. They’re not eastern European gangsters, but perhaps they might know who might be involved. Get back on the bike and we’ll head over.”
I know a coupla c***s fae croftbank, they might have a few connections be able let us know the script. Goan grab yer bike and we'll batter up an' see if they kin clue us up.
“Jings, crivvens and, indeed, help m'boab, Wullie, whit the **** is that on yer coupon? We're no' in the IRA . Looking like that we’ll get huckled by PC Murdoch afore the end ae the street.
You need an agent now perchy get a contract on the table and chew the fat wi n-d-t
As a side note, I really liked a book called 'outlaws' by Kevin Sampson, it's kinda like an Irvine Welsh book but in liverpool, with all the local dialect, or at least a convincing amount.
I can't really explain why the book ended up being set in Glasgow. Just happened. I wanted somewhere big with close access to some hills and with a slightly dodgy area. The character that speak with a broad accent is called Jack and he grew up in Springburn but his family moved to Bearsden and his friend Tom's stepmum has been kidnapped by some people Tom's dad (who's just died) had borrowed money off.
he grew up in Springburn but his family moved to Bearsden
A fantasy novel then?
I actually heard someone say jings crivens recently in a non ironic way!
I still use "jings" quite a bit. Not so much the "crivens, help ma boab" rest of it though.
^ we had a brilliant Christmas party in Winchester (our HQ location) with a Glaswegian staff member in kilt stood on the bar reading that as a bedtime story for a packed pub...
I can’t really explain why the book ended up being set in Glasgow. Just happened. I wanted somewhere big with close access to some hills and with a slightly dodgy area. The character that speak with a broad accent is called Jack and he grew up in Springburn but his family moved to Bearsden and his friend Tom’s stepmum has been kidnapped by some people Tom’s dad (who’s just died) had borrowed money off.
Sounds like roughly 50% of Christopher Brookmyre's oeuvre. He has a pretty good handle on the vernacular too. It might be worth digging out a couple of his novels.
if he's a real weegie then asking him how "his Da is" , should probably be preceded with "do you ken who yer da is"?
“do you ken who yer da is”?
a'bodys Wullie?
No_discerning_taste
“Holy shit Josh, we’re not the SAS. Looking like that we’ll get stopped by the Polis before we’ve even got there.
FFS Josh whit ye playing at, we're no in the SAS/IRA/UDA(depends on affiliation), we'll get chinned by the polis soon as we step oot the door rigged oot like that.
Aye sheep are strictly reserved for the eberdeen crowd
🙋♂️
wanted somewhere big with close access to some hills and with a slightly dodgy area.
Stirling. Ever been to Raploch? 😳
Just don't get Sanny involved.... 😉
Ever been to Raploch?
As a past resident of Toxteth, Liverpool (1992-1996) and Manor Estate, Sheffield (2000-2008), I am tempted to re-live some of the memories on a nice wander one day.
There are so many good suggestions. Thank you very much everyone! It's given me some ideas. It will not be perfect but hopefully won't detract too much from the story which is the main thing.
Ah I was actually put onto Christopher Brookmyre by a Scottish lass, he does have a good turn of phrase and is very a entertaining read.
“This is Glesca.... Any time you're confused, take a wee minute to remind yourself of that inescapable fact: this is Glesca. We don't do subtle, we don't do nuanced, we don't do conspiracy. We do pish-heid bampot bludgeoning his girlfriend to death in a fit of paranoid rage induced by forty-eight hours straight on the batter. We do coked-up neds jumping on a guy's heid outside a nightclub because he looked at them funny. We do drug-dealing gangster rockets shooting other drug-dealing gangster rockets as comeback for something almost identical a fortnight ago. We do bam-on-bam. We do tit-for-tat, score-settling, feuds, jealousy, petty revenge. We do straightforward. We do obvious. We do cannaemisswhodunit. When you hear hoofbeats on Sauchiehall Street, it's gaunny be a horse, no' a zebra...'.”
― Christopher Brookmyre, Where the Bodies Are Buried
A beginners guide
https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b0079mcc
Off the Ball, BBC Radio Scotland
No_discerning_taste
Free Member
There are so many good suggestions. Thank you very much everyone! It’s given me some ideas. It will not be perfect but hopefully won’t detract too much from the story which is the main thing.
Just don't use Ken, naebody west of motherwell uses it. 😆
The Raploch isn't what it used to be - it's gone posh.
Just don’t use Ken, naebody west of motherwell uses it. 😆
Behave!!😆
Nobeerinthefridge
Free Member
Just don’t use Ken, naebody west of motherwell uses it. 😆Behave!!😆
Mibbe west of paisley it starts again and doon in killie you'll hear it. Sounds foreign as f here though! 😆
Going to school on the southside of Glasgow in the 70s ken was used - but not as often and widely as over here in luvviedom
tjagain
Full Member
Going to school on the southside of Glasgow in the 70s ken was used – but not as often and widely as over here in luvviedom
I think your mind is playing tricks on ye, it's just no a thing in glesga.
I didnae even know it was a thing elsewhere till I was about 12, thought it only existed in the broons and oor wullie books.. 😆
do you ken who yer da is”?
Posted 49 minutes ago
We're a Jock Tamson's bairns
seosamh77
Maybe - its a while ago but its in my memory
Just a boys game starring Frankie Miller is worth watching on you tube,cracking bit of drama based in Glesca late '70's
Nobody in Glasgow uses "Ken" and can't beleive "fud" not been mentioned yet. As in "he's a pure fud“ or "awrite ya big fud!"
🙂