Bear with me a moment... Monday Readtime... Two Dialect Letters

I'm a little fraught today.  This means that I've not had time to source the short story I wanted to find last week for you, or finish either of the three I have waiting.

You see, tomorrow we are having new windows for the house and so the weekend has been a confusion of moving furniture and getting ready.

So the best I can come up with is an exercise from a couple of years ago  - write two letters, one friend to another, in dialect.  As the task was set a few months ahead of the London Summer Olympics, I based the letters loosely around the Olympic Torch Relay.


I have provided translations, too.

Two Letters in Two Dialects:

Are Charrol  to err  mayte Djewliee.

Ahwriice derr, Djewliee,

Tanks for dee invyte from yore Mam to stay a’ yorze for dee torrtch ree-laiy; dat’s reealy sound of youz; Ah was mayde-upp when youze sedd.

Me an Are Bev went down ta see i’ when it chumm to de Pee-er Ed last weekh; It was amaaa-zin. Der was loadz an loadz a peepul dere, an all dee scallies chum out for a dekkow . An aftah, it was so pachked, we ad ter ger a joey owme coz de busses was all chokka.

Anyroad we gorrin around niyne an ad a bevvy.

So if I get de cowch owver to yorze, can ya meet us ad de bus station? Am reely lukkchin forward to it – I luv dee torch, I’d folly I’ all de way to dee smokey,  Ah wudd, me. Ahr eh, it’s dead sad, dough. All dem runnaz,  dere sellin de torchis on dat internet. Dee say day need da munney, an wiv no djobz, dee do, dough, don’t dee, dough?

See yuz nex Chewsdee, den,

Charrol

Joolih replies.

Eh, hup, Karrul

It’ll be reet grand to sithee, so gi’ ohver an’ stop tha mitherin’.!  I wah wi’ owr  Tirry ’other daehyh, an he said, tha-knaws, his granddad were owver youwer waehyh for ‘ Tall Sheeps Raehyce wunce. Bu’ tha’ wor twenteh yeer since nahw. ‘Ee Seddit wor a grand sight, an’all.

‘ torch innt goahn t be  euar whil Soondaehyh and Munndaehyh, so tha’s  loaads a’ time furruz ter look abaht ‘ plaehceh. An Ah’ve gorruz tickets ter go oop Tempseh fooar ‘ celebraashunn on ‘ Soondaehyh ni’t. Owwer Tirry an’ ‘is lass is cumin’, an’ aall.

Sithee soon,

Joolih.

TRANSLATIONS

(note that ‘ch’ is guttural, like the sound  of the word loch)

Our Carol to her mate, Julie.

All right there, Julie.

Thanks for the invite from your mother to stay at yours for the torch relay; that’s really kind of you all.

Me and our Bev went down to see it when it came to the Pier Head last week; it was amazing.  There were very many people, and all the local chancers came out for a look. And after, it was so crowded that we had to get a taxi home as the busses were full to capacity. However, we got in around 9pm and had a drink.

So, if I get a coach across to yours, can you meet me at the bus station? I’m really looking forward to it – I love the torch, I’d follow it all the way to London, I would, me.  But what’s really sad -all those runners, and they’re selling their torches on the internet. They say they need the money, and with no jobs, they do, though, do they not?

See you next Wednesday, then,

Carol.

Greetings, Carol,

It will be really great to see you, so stop pestering me! I was with our Terry recently and he said, you know, that his granddad was over your way for the Tall Ships Race. But that was twenty years ago, now. He said it was an amazing spectacle, too.

The torch isn’t going to be until Sunday and Monday, so that’s plenty of time for us to go out. And I’ve got tickets for us to go to Temple Newsam for the celebration on Sunday. Our Terry and his ladyfriend are coming, too.

See you soon,

Julie.