Irish Dopers, I'm confused so...

[Tir Tinuviel]

Anyways, seeing as my lovely Twisty is a Dub, I've been trying to learn the language so I can understand what he's ranting on about.

I don't understand the rules regarding the use of the word 'so' at the end of sentances. Apparently I keep getting it wrong, so that implies there is a correct way to use it, hence the posting in GQ.

Tell me how I'm supposed to use it so?

Ta muchley!

[TwistofFate]

it is rarely used at the end of a question, and mostly used at the end of an exclemation or a statement of fact or reassurance.

[Tir Tinuviel]

So what about this crazy mad idea making a question out of something that really doesn't need to be asked, like "Will I get the beers in so?" or "Can I make the tea so?"

[TwistofFate]

you getting the beers in?

that'll be grand so.

[Declan]

Originally posted by Tir Tinuviel
Anyways, seeing as my lovely Twisty is a Dub, I've been trying to learn the language so I can understand what he's ranting on about.

Ta muchley!

Good luck ,lol

when ever he is ranting on

Just smile and nod that usually takes care of 95 percent of the conversations.

Declan

[Tir Tinuviel]

Aye Declan, I got that nice and sorted, can even watch the telly in the background too, but I just feel I'm not satisfying his emotional needs, ya know.

[TwistofFate]

He shoots and thats 3-0.


the captains weaving run results in a third!

......................................sorry honey, you were saying?

[Declan]

Originally posted by Tir Tinuviel
Aye Declan, I got that nice and sorted, can even watch the telly in the background too, but I just feel I'm not satisfying his emotional needs, ya know.

Well as a rule , we do not have emotional needs. As long as the Guiness, and the local football is not interupted , we are golden

Declan

[Tir Tinuviel]

Ah, that's useful to know so.

You're Canadian-Irish? Or are we talking about men in general?

[Declan]

Originally posted by Tir Tinuviel
Ah, that's useful to know so.

You're Canadian-Irish? Or are we talking about men in general?

I am actually Irish , I was born in Belfast

My family emigrated to Canada in 1970 , so i got naturalized sometime in the 80's

Declan

[Iteki]

Tir, sounds like you have the hang of it. As you said it can be often used with rhetorical questions. It can also replace "in that case" for example "Are you hungry? Come on so."

Never noticed this before, but the mrs reassures me that I do it all the time. So that's grand so

[Tir Tinuviel]

ahhhhh, cheers Iteki, I didn't realise it meant "in that case", I was using it in any case where I might have used "so" at the beginning of the sentence.

Cunning.

Actually all the Irish people I know that I've asked say that they never use it, and then 2 mintues later they will, but when you point it out they don't even realise!
heh!

[Nametag]

Reminds me of Robert Heinlein's weird use of "So?" where anyone else would use "Oh?" or "Oh yeah?" Always through me for a loop as a lad. Is this a Navy thing, or what?

[rocking chair]

irish so= canadian eh?

[Declan]

Originally posted by rocking chair
irish so= canadian eh?

Not with me anyways , I hear it enough but not all the time to say that everyone says it

Declan

[StinkPop]

Originally posted by Tir Tinuviel
Actually all the Irish people I know that I've asked say that they never use it, and then 2 mintues later they will, but when you point it out they don't even realise!

Very true. What I find ironic is that those very same people will leave "so" off the end of a sentence when it should be there. For example:

"Did Aiofe go to the pub?"
"She must have done."

My wife is Irish. I didn't have to try to learn how she speaks -- I just picked it up. Now when asked the time I say "It's half three" instead of "It's three thirty" (assuming that's what time it is, of course). And I do it in an Irish accent. A bad Irish accent. I can also insult our baby daughter in Irish (real Irish, not Irish English). She's a right cailín cráighte beag, she is. [I'm not sure I spelled that middle word correctly. I can never spell the ones with h's correctly. What kind of a language puts h's after m's, d's, and b's?]

[Iteki]

The kind that then pronounces the bh as 'v' and the mh as 'w' etc

mrsIteki also speaks with an Irish accent now, much to the confusion of others. People tend to do a double-take when an asian swede lets out a roar of "ah would you ever go fuck off!"

Happily I have managed to train her away from saying "jayzis, I look like a knacker!" She picked that up when we lived in Dublin, but had no idea what it meant.

[ruadh]

Originally posted by StinkPop
What kind of a language puts h's after m's, d's, and b's?]

Why is that any stranger than putting them after Ps, Gs and Ts?

[StinkPop]

Originally posted by ruadh
Why is that any stranger than putting them after Ps, Gs and Ts?

I suppose it isn't. Guess I'm just used to the Latin-based languages. I do like many of the names with h's in them, like Niamh and Aoibheann (not sure I spelled that right either). Tough to name a kid something unpronounceable by 99% of Americans, though.

[Tir Tinuviel]

Originally posted by Iteki
"ah would you ever go fuck off!"

shouldn't that be "feck"?

[Declan]

Originally posted by Iteki

Happily I have managed to train her away from saying "jayzis, I look like a knacker!" She picked that up when we lived in Dublin, but had no idea what it meant.

From Knackers yards , where horses were sent prior to going to the glue factory.

Declan

[Iteki]

Not in Dublin it doesn't. In that context it refers to members of the travelling community and is extremely pejorative. However, she still says "I am knackered" which then refers directly to the knackers yard as you say.

[hibernicus]

Originally posted by Iteki
Not in Dublin it doesn't. In that context it refers to members of the travelling community and is extremely pejorative. However, she still says "I am knackered" which then refers directly to the knackers yard as you say.

That's true. But I've also heard girls in Dublin using "knacker" to mean "slut", or at least that's what I understood from the context.

Stinkpop, "she must have done" isn't very Irish either. More likely it would just be
- Did Aoife go to the pub?
- She must have.

[StinkPop]

Originally posted by hibernicus
Stinkpop, "she must have done" isn't very Irish either. More likely it would just be
- Did Aoife go to the pub?
- She must have.

It must be a Dingle or Co. Kerry thing then, since they all say "must have done" around there. They love to leave out unnecessary words.

[curly chick]

- Did Aoife go to the pub?
- She did

Sounds far more likely to me.

[Declan]

Originally posted by curly chick
- Did Aoife go to the pub?
- She did

Sounds far more likely to me.

Not that particular conversation of course

but one that I did hear , was along the same lines

Q- Did Liam go to the pub

A -How the feck should I know , do I look like the beeb
I can't be arrsed to keep ****** wereabouts all the time

Declan

[Iteki]

Declan, nailed it

[Tir Tinuviel]

in Brit knackers is testicles...

Big Hairy Knackers!