Topic: Guys, Help Me Understand The Glasgow Patter (Read 9468 times)

Christophe · « **on:** 04 Jun 2009, 09:34 »

Last night, I watched a movie called Ratcatcher, which is about a 12-year-old boy living in 1973 Glasgow during the garbagemen's strike. To be quite frank, without the aid of subtitles I would not have understood 80% of the film.

I will be studying abroad in Glasgow this fall. This does not bode well for me.

Now Rob (the_pied_piper) has tried to make some headway with my understanding of the Glaswegian accent, but I keep not saving the links he sends me because I'm lazy. Anyone wanna help me out? Show me some good recordings of people with thick Glaswegian accents speaking and making me decipher them? Pointing me to several words that are in frequent use?

öde · « **Reply #1 on:** 04 Jun 2009, 09:35 »

Just nod and smile.

the_pied_piper · « **Reply #2 on:** 04 Jun 2009, 09:49 »

Tut, losing the links. Well, so you can't do it again i'll post them here aswell.

BBC Voices - Glasgow
Lonely Planet - Glasgow (just the last 10 seconds)
A Tourist's Guide To The Glaswegian Accent

If i find any more i'll edit this post and add them but just remember the most important one at least; despite being spelled Glasgow its actually pronounced "Glas-gee".

abbii · « **Reply #3 on:** 04 Jun 2009, 10:03 »

As a Edinburger (therefore making me semi fluent in the Glaswegian tongue), I can say that the Glaswegian Accent cannot be learnt by text, this is impossible. It's one of the few languages that can only be learnt by immersion (IE: hearing and using it).

Metope · « **Reply #4 on:** 04 Jun 2009, 10:08 »

Well then, looks like you're doomed, Chris.

Uh oh, that means I'm doomed too if I get into the art school there next year. Shit.

BlahBlah · « **Reply #5 on:** 04 Jun 2009, 12:35 »

Glasgow's a really nice city though. It has one of the best record shops ever, Mono, and most people there are friendly. Also, if you want to score some smack then I understand that it's the place to be.

As for the accent, where are you from? If you can't understand a weegie then they probably can't understand you either. Oh, and don't openly support any football teams while in the city.

You should watch Sweet Sixteen, a film about a teenager living in Greenock, an area just outside of Glasgow. It's a really good film and everyone in it has thick acccents. There's an awful lot of swearing but that's just how people talk. The TV series Taggart is another good one if you want to hear Glaswegian accents. It'll also help give you a feel for the area. Maybe.

Gemmwah · « **Reply #6 on:** 04 Jun 2009, 12:37 »

Quote from: BlahBlah on 04 Jun 2009, 12:35

Oh, and don't openly support any football teams while in the city.

Not a joke.

pwhodges · « **Reply #7 on:** 04 Jun 2009, 13:08 »

I have on the wall a painting (called "Not Enough Memory") by Whyn Lewis, a graduate of Glasgow Art School, so I reckon it's a good place. Also, when in Glasgow, visit The Burrell Collection.

I can't help with the accent, though.

BlahBlah · « **Reply #8 on:** 04 Jun 2009, 13:22 »

You should read Lanark, by Alasdair Gray. It's partly about a man studying at the Glasgow School of Art and it's an amazing book. That won't help with the accent though...

I don't think you should worry about it too much. If you're studying at Glasgow Uni then a large percentage of the people will be from elsewhere anyway.

blanktom · « **Reply #9 on:** 04 Jun 2009, 17:24 »

Quote from: Gemmwah on 04 Jun 2009, 12:37

Quote from: BlahBlah on 04 Jun 2009, 12:35
Oh, and don't openly support any football teams while in the city.

Not a joke.

Bullshit, support Celtic.

Yayniall · « **Reply #10 on:** 04 Jun 2009, 19:30 »

Quote from: blanktom on 04 Jun 2009, 17:24

Quote from: Gemmwah on 04 Jun 2009, 12:37
Quote from: BlahBlah on 04 Jun 2009, 12:35
Oh, and don't openly support any football teams while in the city.

Not a joke.

Bullshit, support Celtic.

Support Hibs.

Rudi Voller · « **Reply #11 on:** 04 Jun 2009, 19:59 »

Support Partick Thistle. The third team in Glasgow.

Patrick · « **Reply #12 on:** 07 Jun 2009, 14:21 »

Look up Billy Connolly on YouTube. If you can understand his speech in his comedy bits, you can understand Glaswegians. Guy worked in the fucking Glasgow shipyards as a younger man. He knows him some Glaswegian.

Edit for clarity: look for his EARLIER comedy bits. His accent's lost a great deal of the strength it had due to the fact that he's had to deal with American audiences (and you know how we can't understand SHIT), but the older Connolly is pure Glasgow.

calenlass · « **Reply #13 on:** 08 Jun 2009, 12:58 »

Glaswegians like to make fun of americans for saying "y'all", but then every other sentence out of their mouths has the word "you's" in it.

öde · « **Reply #14 on:** 08 Jun 2009, 21:00 »

Ah dinnae ken, ya wee kent.

ledhendrix · « **Reply #15 on:** 09 Jun 2009, 02:33 »

Dinnae ken is more east coast than Glasgow. Visit this site for all your Glasgow survival needs Glasgow Survival, YA WEE CUNT

BeoPuppy · « **Reply #16 on:** 09 Jun 2009, 05:37 »

What is this ... Trainspotting redux?

Christophe · « **Reply #17 on:** 09 Jun 2009, 06:56 »

So... Neds are the Scottish equivalent of Chavs, then?

...ya wee cunt.

Patrick · « **Reply #18 on:** 09 Jun 2009, 12:32 »

With their knuckles, and their Burberry scarves.

BlahBlah · « **Reply #19 on:** 09 Jun 2009, 13:03 »

Quote from: Christophe on 09 Jun 2009, 06:56

So... Neds are the Scottish equivalent of Chavs, then?

...ya wee cunt.

Aye. It comes from Non-Educated Delinquent, I believe.

StaedlerMars · « **Reply #20 on:** 09 Jun 2009, 13:45 »

Having lived in Edinburgh three years now I still find myself walking down the street and thinking I hear Chinese spoken behind me. When I turn around to see it's usually two Scottish women talking about god knows what.

But the people who I've met at Uni I can usually understand. So I've had no real need to understand the accent, maybe cause I just usually point at something in a store, grunt, and then end the interaction by saying 'cheers' at the end.

I recommend this method.

I will also second not supporting a football team.

E. Spaceman · « **Reply #21 on:** 09 Jun 2009, 19:56 »

support Arsenal

altered_carbon · « **Reply #22 on:** 09 Jun 2009, 21:14 »

It's much easier to pick up in real life than from the telly.
Oh and it's no the "patter." It's the banter.

Patrick · « **Reply #23 on:** 10 Jun 2009, 02:50 »

Run up to a guy in Boston

Punch his teeth out and wait for the stream of curses

If you can understand him, you can understand people from Glasgow

(now I'm just being a dick)

Reed · « **Reply #24 on:** 10 Jun 2009, 06:51 »

Try talking to Patrick when his mouth is full of cock.

If you can understand him, you can understand people from Glasglow.

(That is how to be a dick)

Patrick · « **Reply #25 on:** 10 Jun 2009, 06:55 »

Chris has actually tried this.

Reed · « **Reply #26 on:** 10 Jun 2009, 07:02 »

Why does that not surprise me?

Christophe · « **Reply #27 on:** 10 Jun 2009, 08:06 »

Quote from: Patrick on 10 Jun 2009, 02:50

Run up to a guy in Boston

Punch his teeth out and wait for the stream of curses

If you can understand him, you can understand people from Glasgow

I don't think Shane would appreciate that.

the_pied_piper · « **Reply #28 on:** 10 Jun 2009, 11:27 »

Quote from: Patrick on 10 Jun 2009, 02:50

Run up to a guy in Boston

Punch his teeth out and wait for the stream of curses

If you can understand him, you can understand people from Glasgow

(now I'm just being a dick)

Glasgow is in Scotland, not Ireland.

Scandanavian War Machine · « **Reply #29 on:** 10 Jun 2009, 11:32 »

man.

thanks to this thread, i had a nightmare last night that i couldn't reconcile the differences in spelling and pronunciation for "Glasgow" and it was really pissing me off. i was like "glass-gow" and someone else would say "glass-gee" and then my head would explode.

it was a weird dream.

BlahBlah · « **Reply #30 on:** 10 Jun 2009, 11:37 »

Most people say it as Glasgow. Only the really Glaswegian say Glasgee/glasgae, although others occasionally say it as a joke. Of course, I'm fae Aberdeen so my accent is completely different.

Scandanavian War Machine · « **Reply #31 on:** 10 Jun 2009, 11:42 »

for some reason, that is a huge relief.

BlahBlah · « **Reply #32 on:** 10 Jun 2009, 11:47 »

I had a similar problem when I first read about the American Berkeley, I just assumed it was pronounced as barklee because the British one is. It's alright, you can dream happily now.

Patrick · « **Reply #33 on:** 11 Jun 2009, 06:46 »

Our Berkeley is so much more badass.

Also dude if you ever get the chance to go into Edinburgh, do it. It's been a long time since I was in Glasgow, and it was like Idunno 2 in the morning, but I can tell you that there are a lot of ridiculously cute girls in Edinburgh.

Eris · « **Reply #34 on:** 11 Jun 2009, 06:48 »

Chris has a girlfriend, Patrick. Not all guys who have girlfriends want to punish themselves by being around lots of cute girls.

I mean, if anything, seeing the cute girls may make him miss said girlfriend more, and then he probably wouldn't be having a good time.

Oli · « **Reply #35 on:** 15 Jun 2009, 10:26 »

Glasgow has an accent?

Patrick · « **Reply #36 on:** 15 Jun 2009, 15:37 »

Quote from: Eris on 11 Jun 2009, 06:48

Chris has a girlfriend, Patrick. Not all guys who have girlfriends want to punish themselves by being around lots of cute girls.

I mean, if anything, seeing the cute girls may make him miss said girlfriend more, and then he probably wouldn't be having a good time.

It's not like it's going to be much different in Glasgow (there's cute ladies all around Scotland, last I checked), I'm just sayin'. If he's gonna suffer, might as well suffer in style.

THESE FORUMS NOW CLOSED (read only)

Author Topic: Guys, Help Me Understand The Glasgow Patter (Read 9468 times)

abbii