Welsh, Scottish, Gaelic, Irish, and British sayings: A Crash Course In UK Languages
The national language of the UK is English, we all know
that, right? Well actually, it isn’t ‘just’ English that’s spoken in the UK.
There are a few different languages, and quite a lot of
dialects around the country. Some of them are harder to understand than others.
The main languages and language dialects in the UK are;
British English (of course), Welsh, Gaelic, Scottish and Irish.
Welsh, Scottish Gaelic and Irish Gaelic are all celtic
languages. Celtic languages are a branch of the indo-European languages, and
are mostly spoken in a few northern European countries these days. Even though
English remains the national language, and the most spoken one, the dialects
and accents can be like night and day.
To give you a feel for the nuances and language quirks -
here are some UK proverbs, sayings, and day to day phrases - old and new.
Have a go at the sayings and dialects below, do you
understand them?
Scottish sayings
●
Dinnae teach yer Granny tae suck eggs! - Don’t try to
teach someone something they already know.
●
Yer bum’s oot the windae. - You’re talking nonsense.
●
Whit’s fur ye’ll no go by ye! - What’s meant to happen
will happen.
●
Haud yer wheesht! - Be quiet.
●
Do yer dinger. - Loudly express disapproval.
Welsh sayings
●
Cenedl heb iaith, cenedl heb galon. - A nation without
language is a nation without heart
●
Benthyg dros amser byt yw popeth a geir yn y byd hwn. -
Everything you have in this world is just borrowed for a short time
●
Mar chwarae’n troi’n chwerw wrth chwarae hefo tan. -
Things turn sour when you play with fire
●
Deuparth gwaith yw ei ddechrau. - Starting the work is
two-thirds of it
●
Cartref yw cartref er tloted y bo. - Hom is home,
however poor it is
Scottish Gaelic sayings
●
Cha tèid nì sam bith san dòrn dùinte. - Nothing can get
into a closed fist.
●
Is fheà rr teine beag a gharas na teine mòr a loisgeas.
- The little fire that warms is better than the big fire that burns.
●
Am fear nach dèan cur sa Mhà rt, cha bhuain e san
Fhoghar. - He who will not sow in March will not harvest in autumn.
●
Is fheà rr teicheadh math na droch fhuireach. - Better a
good retreat than a bad stand.
British sayings
●
I’m knackered! - I’m exhausted
●
He’s such a plonker. - He’s not very nice.
●
Having a good old chinwag. - Having a chat/ gossip
●
I’m chuffed to bits. - I’m really happy
●
Don’t look a gift horse in the mouth. - Don’t question
good luck
Irish sayings
●
You could skin a cat out there. - It’s frightfully cold
●
As happy as Larry - The happiest guy in all of Ireland
is. No one knows the reasoning behind his permanent state of happiness, or who
Larry is>?
●
Away with the fairies. - An Irish person’s way of
saying that another one is a bit mad.
●
You’re taking the piss. - You are kidding, right?
●
Do a legger. - Flee from the scene
About Global Language Services Ltd
Global Language Service Ltd is a translation
and interpretation agency. Though based in Scotland, our reach goes
way beyond the northern UK. We are passionate about languages, and learning
about new cultures, and we love to blog about whatever is on our mind.
Posts
