Scots names/exonyms for kintraes, cities, seas, planets etc.

In Wngary springis Danubyus,
That I now call Danuby

Here is another instance of the cruel mangling of Scottish place names by the Southron in Parliament.

The tribbel is ’at she winna gyang t’ ony place she’s been at afore, an’ she’s been near han’ a’ wye. Veenus, Napples, Roam, Pairis, London, Chapel o’ Geerie, Killarny, Lossiemooth, Monty Carla, Loosern, Foggie-loan, Auld Reekie, Booloin, Drumleethie, Fitehoose, Widny, Weston-supper-Mary—she's seen them a’.

Baith at Strathpeffer an’ Harra-gate I got relief. Foo nae Buxton!

An’ fin ony o’ ’er freen’s gets a praisent o’ a knock wi’ Wastminster chimes, she be t’ hae een wi the chimes o’ Buckin’-ham Pailace or Balmoral Cas’le.

Afore we left the Siller Ceety on the Dee an auld freen’, “Toshie” Baxter, cam’ up by t’ speir gin I cud brak’ m’ jurney at Birmingham or Pleemuth on th’ aff chance o’ pickin’ up a curn 1922 pennies.

“That’s jist a fairy story, accordin’ tae the Bishop o’ Birminham,” said Bob Kinnaird, “an’ he ocht tae ken surely.”

[…] and breuelie in an epistil, quhilk than wes send to Aphrik, he decretit in thir wordis, that na thing suld be alterit, bot that keipit quhilk wes be traditioun commandit.

Sall bas-tard Christiannes, sic as Prester Jhone in Afric, beire impyre, and Philipe of Spean mak the warld agast […]

Qhairas sensyne Hispaine, being unitit, hes extendit hir dominioun to Afrique, and into the new fund landis, hes borne armes in Ungarie and Germanie, commandit over the cheiff ilandes of the Mediterrane Sea, over Naples, Sicile, Milane and Flanderis

Maist o’ us i’ the noo are near aff oor heids ower the wey o’ daein’ in Afriky, an’ yet there are plenty, an’ mair espaishly amon’ them that are makin’ fortins aff’t, that wad welcome a guid gaun war every year.

In a poyem:

Nae a fit they’ll haud o’ Afric’s sile

We got a funny pickter o’ hoo they steal horses in Americky […]

Tak tent: nairae-nebbitness in content! Also haes ‘Americkans’ (noun) and ‘Americkan’ (adj.)

T’ my min’ the main feater o’ the Riveery Cairnavils is the doonricht waustry o floo’rs. There’s as mony poo’d as wad full Tarnty Ha' a hunner times ower, or provide button-holes for a’ the boozers in Amerrica. A body wad think th’ hale popilace was i’ the seed trade.

This leuks like an example o ‘Ameriky’ bein uised in fiction by a Scots speaker in a Gaelic-speakin airt:

“Aye, just that for all I care! The Laird needs this land to mak’ better use of it. Ye can all go to Ameriky, if ye want. It’ll haud ye all.”

Set furth unner the heiding ‘OLD METHODS OF TEACHING’:

The following is intended to show the teaching methods in a Forfarshire school of a former day:—
“‘Ameriky’s a great big place,’ explained the teacher to the class, ‘but it disna a’ belang till itsel’—we have a big lump o’t ca’d Canady. Point oot Canady!’ Here the pointers clattered all over the sheet to north, south, east, and west, but as far from ‘Canady’ as possible. “Eh, that’s awfu’!—Jock Stewart’s hettest!’—instantly every stick claimed kinship with Jock’s—‘but ye’re a’ cauld ye. Up a bittie—tuts! that’s owre far; doon! doon yet—easht noo. Div ye no’ ken your richt hand frae yer left? The tap north, the boddam sooth, the richthand easht, the lefthand wast—pit doon yer pointers an’ say that a’ thegither.’ […]

*This anecdote seems tae hae been liftit frae the beuk Howetoon, the Records of a Scottish Village, by a Residenter (1892). A 1899 Forfar Herald, that recoonts the same jography lesson, cries the stories in the beuk ‘authentic’: ‘[…] there is little if any exaggeration in these sketches. They are noted from the recollection of a participant in the experiences recorded, and are genuine specimens of local humour in a special aspect, and excellent illustrations of some peculiarities of district dialect.’ First recordit reference in the press that I can finnd wis in 1892.

He wan baith Pers[?] and Armeny

The wife and me’s going out soon to Austraily.

The schip passis out of the land and cummis to Burdeus or to ony vthir strange steid

Item, it is statute and ordanit in the said parliament that it sal be leful til al merchandis of this realme to sale to the Rochel, Burdeus, France and Noroway with sic merchandise as is convenient […]

Puncheonis of burdeous vyne careit […] on mennis schoulderis

   A fylie syne a freen’ sell’t me a ticket for the Calcutty Races ’at gae me a chance o’ winnin’ aboot three hunner thoosan’ poun’, an’ sae I wasna batherin’ m’ heid wi’ trifles like the Derby.
   Sae far I havena hard fit luck I had, but Calcutty’s a lang wye awa’ an’ it tak’s a curn weeks for a letter t’ come fae Sooth Afriky. […]

“It reminds me o’ ae day oot in Callyforny,” […]

There is a rainbow an sevrul objecks of intrest in the visinity. There are 4 sides to the falls—the outside, the inside (where you go under). the Canady side, an the American side.

Gibbie can fairly scoarn da Yanks efter bein oot in Canady sae lang.

The ȝettis of Caspy ar stekit with yrne bandis & barris

The ile of Caspis in the se

An’ little did I think fin I picker’d a gran’ time aheid wi’ twa o’ m’ cronies at Estoril on the “Costa do Sol” ’at a lot wad depend on something else besides Kirsty an’ the wedder. I forgot aboot m’ health.

FLINT IMPLEMENTS IN EGYP

That’s true enuch, Jock, for it’s nae just very lang syne sin’ I heard o’ a pairty in Buckie wha thocht that the Forth Brig wis bein biggit in Egyp’.

*Ends wi a sub-script opening single curly quote. Dae ken what that is:

“Av heard you tellin’ yarns aboot yer experience amo’ the Chinese pirates far mair astonishin’ than that,” said Tam Blyth. “Bit the Plagues o’ Egyp[_‘] an’ the crossin’ o’ the Reed Sea is terrible strong stuff.”

the King of Fraunce may ask 30 / him his scathis of all his clamys of his voyage

A TREATISE OF THE HAPPIE AND BLISSED UNIOUN betuixt the tua ancienne realmes of Scotland and Ingland, eftir thair lang trubles, thairby establisching perpetuall peace to the posteriteis of baith the nationes, presentlie undir the gratious monarchic and impyir of our dread soverane, King James the Sixt of Scotland, First of Ingland, France and Ireland.

Qhair be the contrair Italie, having sometyme hir forces knitt togidder, obteinit the impyir of the warld, now being devydit in many seignories and potentates aggries hardlie togidder […]

In reference tae a drink (rum?):

But maybe by the time I have made you a bonny drop of guid auld Jamaicy he’ll show himself.

Efter I was gettin’ oot for a fylie ilka day I wad hae likit t’ hae treatit ’er t’ efterneen tay in m’ faverite tay-shop i’ the Rua Garrett, Leesbon. But for some mysteerious rizzon Kirsty wadna hear o’t.

[…] the regiment of Scots was drafted off to Leifland

Date approx.

Ilk place quhilk your fute sal tred salbe / youris: fra the desert, and fra the Liban, and fra / the gret flude Eufrates till to the west sea salbe / your termis.

Liban appears an aw in the (Scottish?) English quair Thomas Hudson's historie of Judith.

Would you like them done in ‘Russia’ or ‘Morocco’, sir? Old gent—“Na, never maind aboot Rooshy or Moroccy, I'll just hae ’em bound Glasgy here.

the moroccy leather being a’ gildit

Aulder Scots haes Marrok. Aulder Scots borraed adj maroquin frae French (DOST entry)

The story of Betty Mouat, who “sailed to Norrawa ower da sea.” is still told in the islands, […]

It wis a Norrawa ship, wis it no? An if dat wis da case, dan ye can ken ower weel, at if dey wir onything dune at wisna richt, dey'l be nae maer rest or pace while dir a branch o da generation at did it i da place. Da Norrawa enes, ye a ken, can doe maer as maet demsels.

I didna say a word aboot that debate they hid on the wye th’ Norrawa bisness wis han’let, bit Aw did regret ‘at th’ Opposeetion pusht th’ maitter tull a vote. […] It wis disappintin ‘at we leet th’ Germans get sic a haud o’ Norrawa as we did, bit we canna help it noo. […]

I feel sure you and Mr. Bennett must have enjoyed every minute of your visit to “Norrawa oer the Faem.”

Sin I vrote ye last—a puckle weeks syne—I’ve had fit the minister ca’s a Pisgah view o’ Pailestine. I was laid low wi’ an attack o’ pewmonia on board a liner bound for Portigal an’ the winner is ’at I’m nae streetch’d oot at the boddom o’ the Bay o’ Bisky.

“The sea, the sea, the open sea, the fresh, the blue, the ever free,” may be a fine thing for a young woman to skirl aboot at a tea pairty after swallowin’ fower cups o’ tea, no to mention a fountain o' Pairis buns, cookies, and sic dainties, […]

Efter veesitin’ een o’ the biggest an’ brawest kirks in Pairis an auld freen’ o’ mine, belangin’ t’ the Geerie, said th’ thing ’at struck ’er maist was the by-ordnar waustry o’ can’les.

Wittins anent the name here (frae 1874). Notes frae Cronciles (1899):

“Plotcock is supposed to be a Scotch corruption or nickname for Pluto, or the devil—a survival of the heathen mythology”

“Plotcock is the old Scotch form of the Roman Pluto, by which Satan is meant.”

DOST entry

thar com twa Bartanaris on your cost and had tayne ane pryis of Porttergayll

Letter sent frae Peebles:

[…] anent the Portingallis

Fin I was cairried ashore on Portigeese sile wi’ full marrytime honours I was richt gled I wasna teen t’ Quarry Tine—the port far they land sae mony sick fowk.

Nixt tae the date 8 Nov 1662:

James, tailor, indweller in the Potterraw

TAE DAE: Jot doun ither instances

See and no’ lat nae sharks tak a bite o ye fin ye’re sweemin aboot the Reid Sea […]

Syne the stokers yokit t’ work as gin the ship was oot for the blue ribbon o’ the sea, an’ I cud hear the weerless operator signallin’ ’at the liner was in the middle o’ the Reid Sea wi’ the sin bleezin’ fae a cloodless sky.

Would you like them done in ‘Russia’ or ‘Morocco’, sir? Old gent—“Na, never maind aboot Rooshy or Moroccy, I'll just hae ’em bound Glasgy here.

shud git a single ticket for Rooshy

Czar of Rooshy

“An’ dae ye mean tae think, Tam, we’re railly fechtin’ for Rooshy an’ France?”

…if we ha’e millions to spare, the best plan wad be to gi’e a’ the Bolshies a free ticket to Rooshy

“An’ tae think that we hid a British Caibenet playing intil the han’s o’ oor enemies gieing permit for the exportation o’ macheen guns tae Rooshie […]”

“Man, Adam, I hae a rare thing tae tell ye! Nae less than war has been declared by Britain and the combined powers against Rooshia, which news arrived intae Leith late last nicht. […]”

he was in the eistland and cam hame and marieit ane wyfe.

Sae far I havena hard fit luck I had, but Calcutty’s a lang wye awa’ an’ it tak’s a curn weeks for a letter t’ come fae Sooth Afriky.

“[…] An’ awa’ wi they reid hankies an’ the tartan graavit. A body wad think ye was gyaun t’ the Sooth Pole for a curn ’ear.”

Twa or three o’ m’ corryspondents, kennin’ I was bound for Portigal, vrote t’ speir gin I had been appintit a non-intervenshun offisher i’ the Spainish war.

Of aikin tymmer of Lowdis in Swadin

[…] the laird gave ordour to this defender to transpoirt the boy away to Swaiden; at the leist Colonell Hew Hammiltoun was left tutour testamenter to the boy quha send him hame to Kilbirnie […]

He then being serving the warres vnder the croun of Swaden

The King of Swadin, quha wes imbeset by the Holanderis

Nixt tae the date 5 Jan 1670:

Findlay, merchant in Riga, Swaiden

Saunders—The short an’ the lang o’ the Tazers’ policy has jist been to steel, aither by slicht or micht, frae a’ the nations roon aboot. Roosha his swallowed up pieces o’ Swaden, Polan’, an’ Turkey, an’ my saul!

Date approx.

LVC of Antioche, of the natioun of Sirie, quhais prays-ing is tald in the vangele.

And jit mare, sen it is the Kingis rycht way or / passage to pas thare away to Ungary

See quote at Africae. Also:

Ungaria, quhilk valiantlie resistit the Turkis almaist be the space of tua hundreth yeires, at last war subdeued throw thair auin divisiouns - as Polonia is greatumlie threatnit be the Muscovite.