We’ve previously sung the praises of slang and neologisms, and their immense potential to invigorate language. English in particular, is a very creative and flexible language, moulded over the years by colonial and immigrant influences and the trends observed in popular culture. Yet the English spoken in Britain is not always entirely obvious to an Australian, or even a resident of Ireland.
The countries with the highest percentage of English speakers (Ireland, New Zealand, Australia, U.K., and USA) are found in opposite corners of the world. Science geeks may look to Darwin’s theory of evolution to understand how each of these places developed a unique accent, its own terminology, slang, and often distinctive aspects of colloquial grammar – a kind of international dialect.
Let’s cast a quick glance at some of the peculiarities of Irish slang. Do you act the maggot and does everything go arseways when you go on the lash? Do you get the glad-eye, or has it been the Donkey’s years since you met a deadly person? Or do you not have a clue what is going on here? In the below video Irish people try to explain the peculiar and often hilarious phrases used colloquially in Ireland.
Confused? Don’t get your knickers in a twist. If Irish slang is not your cup of tea, perhaps you’ll find the British version more reem.
Still not convinced? Don’t worry if all of this linguistic meddling, this word revolution, is proving too much to handle, and if you can’t get to grips with the language of today’s youth. If all else fails, we always have the Queen’s English to fall back on.
If you want to know more about some of the varieties of English slang used across the world, why not check out this article.
Written by Iweta Kalinowska
Communication Trainee at TermCoord