Lincolnshire speech

Question

I find the following passage in 'Possession' by A.S. Byatt:

Th'otchin 'at wasn't niver suited wi' nowt. Fra fo'st off he was werrittin' an witterin' an sissin an spittin perpetiwel.

I would be grateful if anyone could help me with these words.

Thanks

Usenet · Accepted Answer

[nq:1]I find the following passage in 'Possession' by A.S. Byatt: Th'otchin 'at wasn't niver suited wi' nowt. Fra fo'st off he was werrittin' an witterin' an sissin an spittin perpetiwel. I would be grateful if anyone could help me with these words.[/nq]
I can almost understand it:
Th'otchin 'at wasn't niver suited wi' nowt.
The .. that wasn't never suited with nothing.

Fra fo'st off he was werrittin' an witterin'
For first off he was .. and ..
an sissin an spittin perpetiwel.
and .. and .. perpetually.
Well that's a start. Some of the words may be colloqialisms.

The only Google hit I get on it is in French
http://ebc.chez.tiscali.fr/ebc79.html
where the passage is mentioned on page 113
and credited to Mabel Peacock by Sir George Bailey

I'm crossposting this to alt.usage.english
There are people over there who know English
dialects much better than I do.

Usenet · Answer

Thank a lot for your immediate response.
I've been enjoying reading the novel though it's difficult.

T. Maekawa

Usenet · Answer

[nq:2]I find the following passage in 'Possession' by A.S. Byatt: ... be grateful if anyone could help me with these words.[/nq]
[nq:1]I can almost understand it: Th'otchin[/nq]
Assuming the apostrophe stands for an H: Onelook has "hotch" as Scots for fidget. That would make "'at" be a noun, although I don't find any dictionary reference for "hat" as dialectal for a person.
[nq:1]'at wasn't niver suited wi' nowt. The .. that wasn't never suited with nothing. Fra fo'st off he was werrittin'[/nq]
I'm sure it's a variant of "worrit" which means "to worry." (Onelook.com)
[nq:1]an witterin'[/nq]
witter = chatter (Onelook.com)
[nq:1]an sissin[/nq]
siss = to hiss (Onelook.com)
[nq:1]an spittin[/nq]
just "spitting," because that goes with hissing
[nq:1]perpetiwel. and .. and .. perpetually. Well that's a start. Some of the words may be colloqialisms. The only Google ... Bailey I'm crossposting this to alt.usage.english There are people over there who know English dialects much better than I do.[/nq]
Best Donna Richoux

Usenet · Answer

[nq:2]I can almost understand it: Th'otchin[/nq]
[nq:1]Assuming the apostrophe stands for an H: Onelook has "hotch" as Scots for fidget. That would make "'at" be a noun, although I don't find any dictionary reference for "hat" as dialectal for a person.[/nq]
http://www.folkplay.info/Texts/90se90pm.htm
Seems to suggest the 'hotch' was a word for a particular gait of horses, which in turn suggests that ''at' was a word referring to a horse of some kind. The rest would then make sense as you have translated it.
OED gives for hotch

1. intr. To move up with a short jerk and sink back by one'sown weight; to make a succession of such movements, to jog; to move or leap forward in a sitting position; to fidget, to move uneasily or with impatience.
Mike Page

Usenet · Answer

[nq:2]I can almost understand it: Th'otchin[/nq]
[nq:1]Assuming the apostrophe stands for an H: Onelook has "hotch" as Scots for fidget. That would make "'at" be a noun, although I don't find any dictionary reference for "hat" as dialectal for a person.[/nq]
I suspect that the apostrophe stands in place of the 'e' of the word 'the'; cf th'ospital, th'umpire.
The word urchin was recommended in "another place" and I agree.
[nq:2]'at wasn't niver suited wi' nowt. The .. that wasn't never suited with nothing. Fra fo'st off he was werrittin'[/nq]
[nq:1]I'm sure it's a variant of "worrit" which means "to worry." (Onelook.com)[/nq]
Werriting does mean worrying
...

Ray

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