The Dialect of the West of England; Particularly Somersetshire | Page 5

1867.] The words nouth,
knoweth; zin, sin, vrast, frost; die, day; Zathardie, Saturday; Zindii,
Sunday; and a few others, indicate an origin west of the Parret. There

are many words which with a trifling alteration in spelling, would suit
at the present time the north eastern portion of the county: as blauther,
bladder: crwest, crust; smill, smell; skir, to rise in the air [see _skeer_];
vier, fire; vier, a weasel; zar, to serve; zatch, such, &c. From such
words as _ch'am_, and _ch'uh_, the southern part of the county is
clearly indicated. I think the disposition to elision and contraction is as
evident here as it is at present in Somersetshire. In the song, there are
marks of its having undergone change since its first introduction.
Lowthee is evidently derived from lewth [see Glossary] lewthy, will be,
abounding in lewth, i. e. sheltered.
The line
"_As by mizluck wus I pit t' drive in._"
would in the present Somerset dialect stand thus:
"_That by misluck war a put ta dreav in."
That by mis-luck was placed to drive in.
In the line
"_Chote well ar aim wai t' yie ouz n'eer a blowe_."
the word chete is, I suspect, compounded of _'ch'_ [_iche_] and knew,
implying I knew, or rather _I knew'd_, or knewt. [Footnote: The
following is from, an amatory poem, written, in or about the reign of
Henry II., during which the colony of the English was established in the
county of Wexford.
"Ichot from heune it is me sent."
In Johnson's History of the English Language, page liii. it is thus
translated--
"I wot (believe) it is sent me from heaven."

To an admirer of our Anglo-Saxon all the lines, twelve in number,
quoted by M. Todd with the above, will be found a rich treat: want of
space only prevents my giving them here.]
The modern English of the line will then be,
_I knew well their aim was to give us ne'r a blow_.
I suspect zitckel is compounded of zitch, such, and the auxiliary verb
will. I view ame, is _a veo o'm_; that is, a few of them. Emethee, is
emmtey, that is, abounding with ants. Meulten away, is melting away.
_Th'ast ee pait it, thee'st a paid it_; thou hast paid it.
In the English translation which accompanies the original song in
_General Vallancey's_ paper, some of the words are, I think, beyond
controversy misinterpreted, but I have not room to go critically through
it. All I desire should be inferred from these remarks is, that, although
this _Anglo-Saxon_ curiosity is well worthy the attention of those who
take an interest in our early literature, we must be careful not to assume
that it is a pure specimen of the language of the period to which, and of
the people to whom, it is said to relate.

A GLOSSARY OF WORDS COMMONLY USED IN THE County of
Somerset,
BUT WHICH ARE NOT ACCCEPTED AS LEGITIMATE WORDS
OF THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE;
OR WORDS WHICH, ALTHOUGH ONCE USED GENERALLY,
ARE NOW BECOME PROVINCIAL.

A.
A. _adv._ Yes; or _pron._ He: as _a zed a'd do it_; he said he'd do it.
Aa'th. _s._ earth.
Ab'bey. _s._ The great white poplar: one of the varieties of the populus
alba.
Ab'bey-lubber. _s._ A lazy, idle fellow.

Abought. _part._ Bought. See VAUGHT.
Abrood'. _adv._ When a hen is sitting on her eggs she is said to be
abrood.
Ad'dle. _s._ A swelling with matter in it.
Ad'dled. _a._ Having pus or corruption; hence
Ad'dled-egg. _s._ An egg in a state of putrefaction.
Affeard'. _a._ Afraid.
Afo're, Afo'rn. prep. and _adv._ Before; _afore, Chaucer_.
Again. prep. Against.
Agon', Agoo'. _adv._ [these words literally mean gone.] Ago; _agoo,
Chaucer_; from the verb to goo, _i.e._ to go; _he is up and agoo_; he is
up and gone.
Alas-a-dây. _interj._ A-lack-a-day.
Ale. _s._ A liquor, brewed with a proportion of malt from about four to
six bushels to the hogshead of 63 gallons; if it contain more malt it is
called _beer_; if less, it is usually called small beer.
Al'ler. _s._ The alder tree.
Allès. _adv._ Always.
All'once. _pron._ [all ones] or rather (all o'n's) All of us; _Let's go
allonce_; let us go all of us.
All o's. _pron._ All of us.
Alost'. _part._ Lost: _ylost, Chaucer_.
Amang. _prep._ Among.
Amawst', Amoo'äst adv. Almost.
Amper. s. A small red pimple.
Anby'. adv. Some time hence; in the evening.
Anear', Ane'ast, Aneoust'. _prep._ Nigh to; aneast en, near him.
Aneen. On end, upright.
An'passy. _s._ The sign &, corrupted from and per se.
Anty. _adj._ Empty.
Apast'. _part._ and _prep._ Past; _apast. Chaucer._
A'pricock. _s._ An apricot.
Aps. _s._ The asp tree; populus tremula.
Aps'en. a. Made of the wood of the asp; belonging to the asp.
To Arg. _v.