sentence-final 'but'/'so'/'then'/meanings.....

[DavidWW]

Ah well but - bein the well broat up Scottish lassie that ah um an always taught no tae interupt when somewan's speakin whit dae ye dae if ye canny get a wurd in sideyways wi somewan who'll jist no stop jibberin oan - but?

David - where did ye get eh 'woo hoo' fae but?

Cheers

Annette R

Click oan "View More (Eh! - shouldn't that be "Mair") Emoticons", and you will see this and several other recently added quite magnificent such emoticons, or should that be emoticauns

David

[bluebell2go]

hello, I am a linguist working on Scottish English, and more esp. on sentence-final connectives such as 'but', 'so, and 'then'. I would highly appreciate your help in the following.
What does sentence-final 'but' mean? Does it refer to a contrast? Can you paraphrase it by 'though'? Or is just a way of saying 'indeed'/'really'? Can sentence-final 'but' be preceded by a comma, that is a pause in speech? If so, is it the same meaning as the one which is not preceded by a comma?
The same questions apply to 'so' and 'then'.
Thanks for your feedback
Cheers
sylh

Hi there

I think "but" at the end is used for contrast:

"My parents are away on holiday tomorrow. I'm no' going but". I think it's similar to "though". No idea if there should be a comma.

I'm not sure what you mean by "so", unless it's:

"You're no goin' oot the night." "I am so". It's emphatic. It's like the "Oh, yes I am" of the pantomime.

Or perhaps you mean:

"I'm goin' tae Florida next week, so I am"
"Her new boyfriend's really nice, so he is".

The end tag is giving some importance to a fact or opinion.

As for "then", I can't think of how we use it differently than in Standard English. I thought everyone would use the following:

"Is that you ready to go, then?"

"I see you're moving house, then?"

It seems that it's a question, or turns a statement into a question, especially where the answer is already evident and the expected answer is positive.

I've never thought about markers for interruption before. That's very interesting.

My area is West Central Scotland. It would be really interesting to see what others from different areas and different dialects have to say.

Good Luck with your research!

[DavidWW]

Hi bluebell2go

Pure deid brillaint, so you are.... (and there's yet another archetypical
sentence ending ......)

...to point out the end of sentence constructions, - "so I am", and
"Her new boyfriend's really nice, so he is".

Never mind, as you very neatly demonstrate, the West of Scotland sentence ending, - "then?" .....

From an Honest Man, but.

Orraverybest

David

[LesleyB]

Hi all
Can't speak for "but", however, as used on the east coast I had always considered "ken" or in Dundee "issit" at the end of a sentence to be an invitiaton for the other person in the conversation to comment or nod - it is a kind of invitiation to affirm that you have understood what the person has said, I think, but it need not interrupt the flow of the speaker, a nod is sufficient!

e.g. I went doon the toon, ken.
(translation - I went down town you know)
Other person could answer "Aye...." or more often just a nod, meaning, "yeah, go on....."

In Dundee the form is more likely to be:
"Its gie cauld the day, is it"
which is a statement, not a question, but a statement which, as which "ken" above, invites some acknowledgement from the listener as to the state of the current weather situation, as in "Aye, ken - its awffy, is it." nods all round

Best wishes
Lesley

[sylh_64]

Thanks for all your helpful comments.
One more question: do you make a difference between
'he is nice but' and 'he is nice, but'? What I mean is: some Scots put a comma before sentence-final 'but' or 'so'; some don't. Does it mean that you make a pause when you talk when there is the comma? Does this affect the meaning?
Sylh

[Guest]

Sylh

Oh yes, it does make a difference.

"He is nice but" - He is nice + connective + and next statement.
"He is nice, but" - He is nice. Long pause while contemplating possible improvements to the male subject being discussed.

The second version is almost impossible if the gender positions are swapped.

"She is nice but" - She is nice + connective + and next statement.
"She is nice, but" - Most males would consider further contemplation irrelevant. The original impression would be sufficient. So this form would be exceedingly rare.

davesloan

[sylh_64]

hello thanks for helping me but I don't quite understand your reply. Can you paraphrase 'but' a bit more when it is preceded by a pause or not in final position?
sylh

[sylh_64]

When you say 'he is nice but', can you paraphrase it by saying something like:
'he is nice and that is a fact'
or 'he is really nice'
or 'he is nice and I am telling you it is your turn to speak'?

When you say 'he is nice, but', can you paraphrase it by saying something like:
'he is nice and I have other things to tell you, implying he nice, though'?

Maybe you have other paraphrases.

Sylh

[Guest]

Sylh

'He is nice but' can be paraphrased as
'He is nice. That is a fact. I am continuing to speak but the next statement is not necessarily connected.'

'He is nice, but' can be paraphrased as
'He is nice. I am contemplating this fact. I may well expand on my discussion of this topic. Please do not speak while I think on this subject.'

'He is nice' can be paraphrased as
'He is nice. That is the total of my thoughts on the subject. You may speak.'
(There is a certain amount of 'damning with faint praise' in this last statement).

davesloan

[paddyscar]

Eh!?

That's very Canadian of you!
Frances