By Michael MacLeod
A LOCAL lingo guide to help Brits understand Scottish slang has been launched.
Surprising new research found Scots phrases and sayings are like a foreign language to the majority of Brits.
Sayings like ‘bairn,’ ‘blootered,’ and ‘numpty’ leave most outsiders baffled, with more people understanding French and German than Scottish expressions.
Worried that local phrases are “teetering on the brink of extinction”, hotel bosses at Travelodge decided to supply visitors to Scotland with a local lingo guide.
Their survey found almost half of Brits – and 1 in 10 Scots – had no idea what a ‘bampot’ was, with most believing it to be a saucepan rather than its correct meaning of ‘fool.’
And only 1 in 3 Brits recognised the term ‘numpty’ as a Scots phrase.
But the findings revealed 85 per-cent knew that a German Weiner was a sausage, 90 per-cent could translate the Spanish phrase ‘Hasta la Vista’– meaning ‘See you later’ – and 70 per-cent knew that an Italian ‘Piazza’ was a town square.
Travelodge described the research as “shocking,” with communications director Greg Dawson saying foreign travel makes people ignorant to local culture.
He said: “We spend so much time and money travelling abroad that we often ignore what is on our doorsteps.
“The British traveller is often accused of not understanding the local culture when travelling abroad but their knowledge when holidaying in Scotland is even more stark.”
Guides have been created for nine other popular cities and regions across the UK.
Mr Dawson added: “Our customers visiting other parts of the country sometimes return to their hotel scratching their heads.
“These guides are a fun way for our customers to better understand local lingo when travelling within the UK”.
The research also revealed that Scots are just as baffled when travelling south of the border.
Over half of Scots thought a Cornish ‘oggy’ – a pie – was either a football chant or a cream tea, while a third were mystified by the common expression of their Geordie neighbours, ‘haddaway, man!’ – meaning ‘I can’t believe it!’
Chatty local phrases are “teetering on the brink of extinction” according to linguistics expert professor Paul Kerswill, of Lancaster University.
He said: “The diversity of dialects in the UK should be celebrated but this research shows that they’re teetering on the brink of extinction.
“Britons should be encouraged to experience the rich diversity of accents and language in their own country to help keep the idiosyncrasies of our language alive.”
