Odd Regional Phases and Expressions

[Brother Oni]

Cantonese version - adding the sound 'lah' on to the end of words or sentences as emphasis. It doesn't mean anything by itself and while uncommon in Hong Kong, it's virtually punctuation in Malaysia. It's especially weird when Malaysian Chinese start lah-ing when speaking in English.

German dialects are nearly untranslatable, often because they have their own grammar and syntax.

This reminds me of a story of German IT worker trying to communicate with his Bavarian colleague: "Was? Was? WAS? Hermann, speak English!"

There's also a story of a newly setup logistics company with offices in France, Germany and Italy; they all decided to use English for internal communications so that everybody would be equally disadvantaged.

[SirKazum]

"Going to Buffalo by way of Cleveland" was one from my hometown (Erie, PA, located directly between those two cities). It meant, "doing an excessive amount of unnecessary work."

That reminds me of a couple common expressions from my mother's hometown that are actually references to jokes that got really popular for a while. Like "good too" (Bom também), the punchline to a joke about how a guy's mother-in-law died in a different way than he expected. Or something that can be roughly translated to "We stupid but we not dumb" (Nós é burro mas não é besta - "we" here being mistakenly used instead of "I"), from a rather racist joke about the Middle-Eastern immigrants that are numerous in that town, which means something along the lines of "I may not have a lot of book-smarts but I'm not naive".

[Sinewmire]

Hoo boy.

Well, I grew up in an especially backwater park of the UK called the Forest of Dean (featured by name in harry potter, I rather doubt it was shot there). Think Hot Fuzz, if you've seen it.

Spoiler: Flavour text for those who are interested

Show

Within the Forest are the Foresters. You're not accounted a Forester unless your family'd been there for 3 generations, and my friend Dane can trace his family to the area since before the Domesday Book (1066 ish).

They have a really, really heavy accent - like the dog handler in Hot Fuzz - so pronounce Wolf as Wurf.

Heads are uniformly "Swads" (Swedes, ie turnips) and a friends are greeted with "Owh bis't me owle buht?" ("How be'st [thou] my old butty?")

According to popular account, "Butty" is a mining term (lots of old coal mines around here) from your mine-working friend who you would repeatedly collide with, hence butting against.

My friend in primary school, Kelly, and her family were real Foresters, and despite having lived in the forest my entire life I had no idea what they were saying. At all.

[Keltest]

I've never heard anyone say this without it sounding forced. To be fair, I also haven't been to the Carolinas.

It reaches as far north as PA sometimes. Usually when I hear it, its an aside used as a term of endearment for somebody who is likely to encounter failure at what theyre doing, but insists on trying anyway. Kind of a "yeah theyre dumb, but we love them for it".

[The Fury]

German dialects are nearly untranslatable, often because they have their own grammar and syntax.

I was afraid of something like that.

Lets use the Bavarian dialect as an example: This is heavily influenced by french grammar and syntax, so instead of using the formal german version of "you" = "Sie", you work more closely with the french "S´il", but attach the "´s" to the main word. The phrase "please come here" would translate to "Kommen Sie bitte her" in german, but "Kommen´s bitte her" in bavarian, or more precisely "Koam´s bittschö hea" or "What do you want?" / "Was wollen Sie?" to "Waos woin´s?". So, quite often, non-bavarians either feel not talked to, or feel disrespected because they expect to hear the formal "Sie" and don't find it.

Another oddity would be the the greater Berlin area. The grammar there makes frequent use of "on" instead of "to", so people wouldn't say "I go to work" (Ich gehe arbeiten), but rather "I go on work" (Ich gehe auf Arbeit), which is not like talking about an activity, but more like announcing a status.

That sounds really confusing. Though I'm pretty sure at least one good comedy sketch came out of it.

I've never heard anyone say this without it sounding forced. To be fair, I also haven't been to the Carolinas.

That's the annoying thing about a lot of these colloquialisms. A lot of them sound fun, but they just don't sound good when I say them.

I'm in "hon country." "Hon" is a perfectly appropriate, gender-neutral form of address to use for just about anyone.

That's a good example of what I'm talking about. When some folks from my work's corporate office in Louisiana came to visit our site, (which is in Oregon,) they called everyone "hon," "darlin'," or something similar. We all thought it was funny, but there were a few people that pointed out that we could never get away with saying stuff like that in ordinary conversation. At least to me, in our accent it just sounds awkward. Maybe somewhat insincere. Even creepy at worst.

[Florian]

That sounds really confusing. Though I'm pretty sure at least one good comedy sketch came out of it.

Hah, yes, that's been comedy standard for ages now. Started with the "Urban Prussian Bureaucrat" stuck in "Hands-On Backwater Bavaria" and moved to be a trope used in nearly every crime serial, like a "fish head" (slang for northern coast germans) junior detective transferred to a bavarian unit or an "urbanite" transferred to the lonely baltic coast region.

[GolemsVoice]

It's actually bad enough that the film Grave Decisions, set in super-rural Bavaria, had (High) German subtitles. A friend of mine, Russian by birth but living, studying and working here for almost his entire life, actually needed them.

There's a funny but sadly not forum-appropriate joke based on various double meanings between dialect and slang, too.

[Peelee]

Meanwhile, I'm trying to get my Austrian citizenship even though I know I'll always be talking wrong when I learn German to talk to my extended family. I'm not at all a fan of the dialect situation.

[Keltest]

Meanwhile, I'm trying to get my Austrian citizenship even though I know I'll always be talking wrong when I learn German to talk to my extended family. I'm not at all a fan of the dialect situation.

Clearly you should invent a time machine so you can go back to roman times and tell those barbarians to get their linguistic act together.

[Peelee]

Clearly you should invent a time machine so you can go back to roman times and tell those barbarians to get their linguistic act together.

Eh, it'd be easier to use the time machine to just get my mom to speak German to me a lot.

[Keltest]

Eh, it'd be easier to use the time machine to just get my mom to speak German to me a lot.

How would that solve the dialect problem?

[Peelee]

How would that solve the dialect problem?

I'd know the only dialect I care about. The key to problem solving is to reduce the problem down to what only affects you personally, ive found.

[Keltest]

I'd know the only dialect I care about. The key to problem solving is to reduce the problem down to what only affects you personally, ive found.

no no, that's absurd. Clearly affecting a massive change in linguistic history, with massive repercussions throughout the modern world, is the better solution.

[Peelee]

no no, that's absurd. Clearly affecting a massive change in linguistic history, with massive repercussions throughout the modern world, is the better solution.

Well, obviously, but I'm kind of lazy.

[Some Android]

At this time of year, at this time of day, in this part of the country?

...May I see it?

...No.

Now if you'll excuse me I have to stretch my calves on the windowsill - isometric exercise. Care to join me?

[Fri]

I remember people used to refer to any kind of "protein" part of the fish as "fish" in my native language. I'm not sure if it's regional dialect of my home area or more widespread. And I say used to, because I rarely heard it anymore. But when I was a kid it's widespread, and I think old people might still use it. It's kinda similar like how in english dialect people might say "pudding" to refer to all kind of "dessert" part of the meal.

So this conversation often happened.

"So, what's your fish?"

"It's chicken."

[Eldan]

So for instance "the mountain is out" to mean a clear day was common when I was a kid but is becoming less so over time.

We have that one too. Or "The mountains are in the front yard". Mostly meaning a day with clear weather and a warm south wind from the alps. It's a quite striking effect. Unless the weather is very clear, the alps are barely visible due to fog, mist and clouds. But then, the wind turns south and suddenly, that bit of grey haze in the distance turns from this:

[Eldan]

I know it might not make any sense to me, because y'know... German slang might not translate into English at all, but could you give a specific example?

The most extreme German dialects are mutually unintelligible.

A good example is Wallisertitsch, which is spoken in one area of the Alps. Wikipedia gives the following sample phrase:

English: The bug on the ceiling is moving.
Standard school German: Der Käfer an der Decke bewegt sich.
Zürich German: Der Chäfer a dr Decki bewägt sich.
Walliser German: dr Güegu a ner Welbi mottut schi

Though that sentence is chosen for containing as many difficult examples as possible.

Or another one, from a longer text I found:
English: In the morning, when the moon is still shining, the farmer goes mowing (to the mowing). At six, he wakes his wife from deep ("hard") sleep.

Standard school German: Am Morgen, wenn noch der Mond scheint, geht der Bauer mähen. Um Sechs weckt er seine Frau aus dem tiefen Schlaf. Sie

Zurich German: Am Morgä, wenn der Mond no schiint, goht dr Buur at Mahd. Am Sächsi weckt är sini Frau usem tüüfe schloof.

Walliser German: Am Moorgnd, nuch im Maannischiin, geid dr Puir an ds Maad. Zi Säggschän weckt r schini Froiw us hertm Schlaaf.

I could probably follow the general sense of the sentence, if one were to talk slowly. No chance with a lot of specific words.

[ve4grm]

Hah, yes, that's been comedy standard for ages now. Started with the "Urban Prussian Bureaucrat" stuck in "Hands-On Backwater Bavaria" and moved to be a trope used in nearly every crime serial, like a "fish head" (slang for northern coast germans) junior detective transferred to a bavarian unit or an "urbanite" transferred to the lonely baltic coast region.

We have that in English as well. The British film Hot Fuzz did it amazingly, with a London detective in rural England: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cun-LZvOTdw

Someone already mentioned Louisiana, where the Creole dialect blends French, English, and their own invented terms. It's probably one of the hardest to understand in the US.

And don't even get me started on Newfoundland! While ostensibly English, the deep Newfie dialect is nigh impenetrable sometimes. It's a good thing they're all so dang nice and likable. (Seriously, some of the nicest people you'll meet, but the more rural parts are absolutely incomprehensible.) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zqLuIXwsLDw

[Vinyadan]

Walliser German: dr Güegu a ner Welbi mottut schi

Mottut might be a Latin loanword. Welbi might come from the same word as "Gewölbe", but I am not sure.

[Florian]

We have that in English as well. The British film Hot Fuzz did it amazingly, with a London detective in rural England

Great movie, good cast, but not exactly self-explaining. You need to be a fan of old John Nettles-era Barnaby to fill in the blanks and get most out of it, as a non-UK watcher.

[Peelee]

Great movie, good cast, but not exactly self-explaining. You need to be a fan of old John Nettles-era Barnaby to fill in the blanks and get most out of it, as a non-UK watcher.

As someone who has never heard of John Nettles or Barnaby, I disagree.

[ve4grm]

Great movie, good cast, but not exactly self-explaining. You need to be a fan of old John Nettles-era Barnaby to fill in the blanks and get most out of it, as a non-UK watcher.

As someone who has never heard of John Nettles or Barnaby, I disagree.

Same. I'm Canadian, and have little knowledge of that reference (though I've heard the name).

Though I have no doubt you get more out of it, with the precursor knowledge.

[Aedilred]

As someone who has never heard of John Nettles or Barnaby, I disagree.

But how do you know you got the most out of it? There might be more in there if only you had more familiarity with the work of John Nettles!

Having said that, I think Midsomer Murders was always intended to be pretty self-aware anyway. It might have lost what edge of self-parody it had when it started (or at least I remember it having) in the meantime though.

Bergerac, on the other hand, I'm not so sure.

[Florian]

As someone who has never heard of John Nettles or Barnaby, I disagree.

Same. I'm Canadian, and have little knowledge of that reference (though I've heard the name).

Though I have no doubt you get more out of it, with the precursor knowledge.

Midsummer Murder is an BBC show that's running for more than a decade now and was a great piece of ironic world-building for a while. The show managed to establish most of the tropes RE: Rural England that Hot Fuzz works with and thrives on.

[Tvtyrant]

Not sure where they are from regionally, but katty-corner, kitty-corner and higgly-piggly are used to mean the same thing by different people.

[Thorin Ironfist]

I'm yet another Canuck, but I live in the South (southern U.S., that is) and I still struggle with "thank you kindly" or "if you care to," especially with the accent down here.

"Bless his heart" will never stop being amusing though.

[thorgrim29]

Cajun English. Some of these I only learned later in life were unusual. I still have a hard time imagining a world in which we don't say "why don't you get down with me?"

"Pass the mop" - mop/sweep the floor

"Come see" - come over here

"Save the plates" - put the dishes away

"Get down" - get out (of the car)

"Make groceries" - buy food

"Couillon" - an idiot

"Emmerder" - someone who's in everyone else's business. This is a verb in every other dialect.

And there are a bunch of extra names for all the animals too.

A few of those are word for word translations of french expressions (or actual french words like couillon and enmerdeur), no idea what's with the car and plates ones though. We have sort of the reverse over here with a few badly translated english expressions or terms.

Which brings to mind a few delightfully french expressions I picked up over there (France french I mean). A fly "word for person who puts it in the butt" is somebody who is overly precise and finicky. There's a testicle in the soup means there is an issue.

One thing I've noticed that I'm not sure wheter it counts as an expression or an habit is that anglophones tend to make a big to-do of sneezing. I typically sneeze 3 times in a row so if it happens when I'm with american family members or colleagues (and I've noticed it in brits and anglo-canadians too) there are a lot of "bless you"s flying around the room. Since I tend to get a bit of hay fever when I travel and I never managed to learn how to sneeze discreetely it happens a lot. It might not be odd to many of you guys but it is to me.

[ve4grm]

Cajun English. Some of these I only learned later in life were unusual. I still have a hard time imagining a world in which we don't say "why don't you get down with me?"
...
"Save the plates" - put the dishes away

"Get down" - get out (of the car)
...

A few of those are word for word translations of french expressions (or actual french words like couillon and enmerdeur), no idea what's with the car and plates ones though.

"Save the plates" sounds like it's referring to saving disposable plates for reuse? Maybe it was and got co-opted into the main usage.

"Get down" out of a car might be a carry-over from horses and carriages, where you'd actually need to get down off of it?

Interesting, to say the least.

[Aedilred]

A few from what I somewhat cavalierly consider my neck of the woods. Some may be a little more widespread outside the West Country:

Grockle - tourist
Gurt - big/great/very
Bunnyhopper - rabbit
Lush - good/nice
Daps - plimsolls
Manglewurzel - beet
Alright me lover? - hello
Cheers - thanks (in addition to its usual sense)