1. OurJud

    OurJud Contributor Contributor

    Joined:
    May 21, 2009
    Messages:
    9,502
    Likes Received:
    9,758
    Location:
    England

    Any Geordies in the house?

    Discussion in 'Research' started by OurJud, Aug 12, 2016.

    I'm looking for the origins of a couple of colloquialisms. Apologies for any misspellings.

    Wah as in Us: "Shut up, man! He'll hear wah!"

    Vorn eye
    as in Almost: "She's very old now - vorn eye 89, in fact."

    Yem
    as in Home: "I'm knackered, man! I'm gannin yem."
     
    Last edited: Aug 13, 2016
  2. Shbooblie

    Shbooblie Senior Member

    Joined:
    Apr 3, 2015
    Messages:
    342
    Likes Received:
    213
    Location:
    North East England
    Hey @OurJud - actual geordie here (though not that slang with my words, don't actually use them myself but know a lot of people who do)

    'Yem' is the only one I'm sure about after learning about it in history class. It's a remnant of an invasion at some point in the history of the North East. I believe it comes directly from Anglo Saxon language. Managed to find a little page, seems no one 100% agrees where that's come from :
    https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/hyem

    I've always heard people pronounce 'Wah' as 'Wih' or 'Wuh' where I live. I've always thought it came from us using bad English and it was just the Geordie way of saying 'we'. If we were to say 'Shut up, man! He'll hear us' it doesn't roll of the tongue quite as easily as saying 'we'. I didn't manage to find much on that one.

    I've never heard of 'vorn eye' before. Wonder if there are any others from our part of the world on this forum who could help out?
     
    OurJud likes this.
  3. OurJud

    OurJud Contributor Contributor

    Joined:
    May 21, 2009
    Messages:
    9,502
    Likes Received:
    9,758
    Location:
    England
    Thanks, @Shbooblie, I was beginning to think this thread had died a death.

    I hasten to add that none of these phrases come from the horse's mouth, so to speak - they're all taken from my all-time favourite tv show Auf Weidersehen, Pet.

    I'll see if I can dig up the phrases in question on youtube.

    "Because he'll hear wuh!" (Brenda just after the 7:12 mark)



    "You can vorn eye be in Manhattan..." (Oz just after 5:00)

     
    Last edited: Aug 26, 2016
    Shbooblie likes this.
  4. Shbooblie

    Shbooblie Senior Member

    Joined:
    Apr 3, 2015
    Messages:
    342
    Likes Received:
    213
    Location:
    North East England
    Ahh I see, I've never heard vorn eye before in my life, must be quite slang then!
     
    OurJud likes this.
  5. big soft moose

    big soft moose An Admoostrator Admin Staff Supporter Contributor Community Volunteer

    Joined:
    Aug 1, 2016
    Messages:
    22,567
    Likes Received:
    25,882
    Location:
    East devon/somerset border
    a lot of geordie and mackem sayings come from the old norse this is the bit of the country that the danes held on to longest as the saxons gradually pushed back into the danelaw (this is also true of some north yorkshire dialect)

    Also this area was also the first area to be settled by angles and saxons who came over as mercenaries to fight the picts after the romans left, so some words are angle/saxon
     
    Last edited: Aug 31, 2016
    OurJud and Shbooblie like this.
  6. Shadowfax

    Shadowfax Contributor Contributor

    Joined:
    Aug 27, 2014
    Messages:
    3,420
    Likes Received:
    1,991
    OurJud likes this.

Share This Page

  1. This site uses cookies to help personalise content, tailor your experience and to keep you logged in if you register.
    By continuing to use this site, you are consenting to our use of cookies.
    Dismiss Notice