PART 1A: Greeting...
1. Guid dey!... Good day! MP3
2. Guid morra!... Good morning or good day! MP3
3. Gawd grant ye guid e’en!... God grant you [a] good evening! MP3
4. Gawd gie ye guid dey!... God give you good day! MP3
5. Weel met!... Glad to see you! MP3
6. Hou be aa wi’ ye?... How is everything with you? MP3
7. Hou ye fend thas dey?... How are you managing? MP3
8. Be ye lestin?... How are you lasting? MP3
9. Hou be thee thas fine dey?... How are you this fine day? MP3
10. Richt welcome be ye!...You are most welcome! MP3
11. Ye be tae me welcome, hairtely!.. I am very glad to have you here! MP3
12. Hou faires thy guid wife?...(MP3) How is your wife?
13. Hou tha noo, wha’ dost thou hear?...(MP3) Well, what’s new?
14. Hou art thou?...(MP3) How are you?
15. Hou be thee thas braw (or gey) dey?...(MP3) How are you this fine day?
16. Hou tha noo?...(MP3) How are you doing.
17. M’laird (M’lady), Ah see thee well....(MP3) M’Lord (M’Lady), you seem well!
18. Hail, Master Wulliam!...(MP3) Hello William!
Part 1B: Answers to Greetings
1. Brawlie, t’ank, ye....(MP3) Nicely, thank you!
2. Sae faa ye....(MP3) Same to you!
3. Ah hae been waur....(MP3) I have been worse!
4. No' bad conseederin....(MP3) Not bad considering.
5. Ah canna compleen....(MP3) I can’t complain!
6. Hingin bi a thread....(MP3) Just barely managing to get by.
7. Ah t’ank thee...(MP3) I thank you
8. Richt well...(MP3) Just fine
9. Aiye, ‘tis tha’....(MP3) Yes it is, just like that!
10. ‘Tis indeed....(MP3) Yes, it is!
11. Richt fine, Ah be [or mine be]!...(MP3) I’m well [or mine are well!]!
PART 2. Leaving/Parting:
1. Adieu...(MP3) (If the person is French)
2. Heist ye back!...(MP3) Come back soon!
3. Gawd thee save an’ keep!...(MP3) God keep you safe!
4. Gawd ye speed!...(MP3) God speed you (on your journey)!
5. Ah shall see thee anon....(MP3) See you later!
6. Faire ye well, Mistress!...(MP3) Best wishes, Mistress…unless they are French in which case it could be M’Dame or Monsieur (singular) or Mes Dames [plural], Mademoiselle (singular) or Mesdemoiselles [plural] )
7. See ye efter....(MP3) See you later!
8. A guid dey tae thee [or ye]!...(MP3) Have a good life!
9. Anon!...(MP3) I’ll see you later!
10. Faire ye well tha noo!...(MP3) Goodbye for now!
11. Faire ye well, Guidman...(MP3) (Husband/Male head of household/Peasant), Guidwife (Female head of household/Peasant), Mum (Madame/General takes in all classes), Maister (Mister/General takes in all classes), Little Lad (Boy child), Little Lass (Girl child),Cousin (Anyone you are close to, not just family name)
12. Gawd save aa thas fine company, great an’ smaa!...(MP3) God keep all of you, here now, safe.
PART 3. Please (An= If)
1. Prithee, kind Sir...(MP3) I pray thee or Please sir...
2. An' thou likest...(MP3) If you please...
3. An' it please ye...(MP3) If you please...
4. An' thou wult...(MP3) If you please...
5. An' ye wult...(MP3) If you please...
6. Bi yer leave, Guidwife...(MP3) If you please, Wife...
7. Pray, cin ye tell me...(MP3) Please can you tell me...
PART 4. Excuse Me:
1. Pray thee...(MP3) Excuse Me...
2. Pray Fergie me...(MP3) Forgive me...
3. Pray pairdon, M’Laird...(MP3) Excuse me My Lord (or M’Dame, Mistress)...
4. Bi yer leave...(MP3) If you please, excuse me...
PART 5. Phrases You might have the need of:
1. Enjoy tha stew richt hairtily, we did!...(MP3) We enjoyed the stew very much.
2. Doth it meet wi’ yer approval, kind Sir?...(MP3) Do you approve, Sir?
3. Aiye, Ah hairtily approve!...(MP3) Yes, I approve.
4. Ye did ficht richt well thas dey!...(MP3) You fought well today.
5. Ah know no' o’ whit ye speak!...(MP3) I don’t know what you are talking about.
6. Ah wudna hae it so...(MP3) I don’t want it that way.
7. He foucht no' thas dey....(MP3) He didn’t fight today.
8. Whit time cin it be?...(MP3) What time is it.
9. Coom awey tae yer tea!...(MP3) Come along to tea.
10. Thaes bonnie weens, thay is....(MP3) Those are pretty children.
11. Baith tha twa o’ yese!...(MP3) Both of you.
12. Gie’s tha haimmer!...(MP3) Give me the hammer.
13. Stay ye ahint!...(MP3) You stay behind.
14. Hou came he tae thy hauns?...(MP3) How did you get a hold of him.
15. Tak ye nae mair aiples....(MP3) Don’t take any more apples!
16. Fear ye no’!...(MP3) Don’t be afraid!
17. Ah fear thee no'!...(MP3) I’m not afraid of you!
18. Ah cair no' fer tha likes o’ him!...(MP3) I don’t like him!
19. Am Ah no richt?...(MP3) Am I not right?
20. Think ye sae?...(MP3) Do you think so?
21. Haud yer weesht!...(MP3) Shut up!
22. Tarry ye no’...tha King [or Queen] be nigh!...(MP3) Don't you delay... the King [or Queen] is coming!
23. Mek wey!...(MP3) Look out, here I come!
24. Know ye tha whereaboots o’ tha privy?...(MP3) Do you know where the toilet is.
25. Stay! Gae nae further!...(MP3) Stop! Don’t move.
26. Certes, M’Laird!...(MP3) Certainly, M’Lord.
27. Fash ye no’ aboot him...(MP3) Don’t worry about him.
PART 6. Yes and NO:
1. Yes: Aiye, Yea, Verily, ‘Tis so, Indeed!...(MP3) (Oui! said to a frenchman)
2. No: No, Nae, Niver (never), ‘Tisna (It is Not), Indeed no’ (Indeed not)!...(MP3)
Part 7. Coontin', Dey & Munt names an' tyme o' dey (Counting, Days & month names and time of day...
*Coontin:
1: wan, 2: Twa, 3: three as in English, 4: Faur or fower (MP3)
5: five as in English, 6: sex or sax, 7: seeven or siven (MP3)
8: eight or ate as in English, 9: nine as in English, 10: ten as in English (NO mp3)
11: aleeven, 12: twul', 13: therteen, 14: faurteen or fowerteen (MP3)
15: Fufteen or feifteen, 16: sexteen or saxteen, 17: seeventeen or siventeen (MP3)
18: eighteen or ate-een, 19: nineteen as in English (NO mp3)
20: twinn'ie, 30: thertie, 40: faurtie or fowertie (MP3)
50: fuftie, 60: sexty or saxtie, 70: siventy (MP3)
80: eighty or ate-y, 90 nine'y, 100: Hunnert, 1,000: thoos-and. (MP3)
*Dey Names:
Toosdey...Tuesday
Wadensdey...Wednesday (MP3)
Thirs-dey...Thursday (MP3)
Fry-dee...Friday
Set-urdey...Saturday
Son-dey...Sunday
*Munt Names:
Januar, Febuar, Mairch, Aprile, Mey (MP3)...an' the raist be as in English.
*Saisonal Names:
Spring...Ware
Simmer...Summer
Hairst(harvest)...Fall (MP3)
Winter...same as English
(tyme o' dey)
2:30 = twa an' therty o' tha clock.... 2:45= a qwarter tae three
4:00 = faur or fower o' tha clock.... 12:00 = Nuin.
Morn or Marn = morning
Efternuin = afternoon (MP3)
Sundoon = sunset
Gloamin = dusk
E'en = evening
Midnicht = midnight (MP3)
An' laist bit no' least...KEEK O' DAWN = daybreak or TOO DAMNED EARLY!
And with aa (all) that..., there are no clear rules to show us how to write or speak Elizabethan because the Grammar books weren’t even written until 1586. We know “that people of the 16th century wrote very much like they spoke” and that in Scotland the many different spellings of surnames demonstrate this fact.
So..., all we can do is have fun with it, Aiye?
~o00o~
Resources:
“Trippingly on the Tongue. A Book of Instruction for Speaking Early Modern English”, Laura Crockett.
“Forgotten English”, Jeffrey Kacirk, William Morrow and Co, Inc. 1997
“The Elizabethan Language Book”, Gerald F. Zepeda. Pamphlet. Renaissance
Pleasure Faire, Performing Arts Dept, P.O. Box 9188, San Bernadino, CA 92427
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Note:
Mind ye, tha nou, thar be no contractions in oor Elizabethan an’ tha vairb be at tha front o’ tha sentence in these
examples!(Remember, there aren’t any contractions in Elizabethan and that the verb is at the beginning of the sentence in these examples! ) But there are other ways to sound Elizabethan...Shittimwoode.org states that we may move the object ahead of the subject, or the adverb ahead of the subject or EVEN drop words...bit tha' 'tis muckle ENGLISH fer tha likes o' thas wee Scots Lass!
Respects tae ye and yers, Mistress Faellyn (Ellyn)
