Riddle

I was over at Angela's @ Tracing Rainbows and she was talking about the word "riddle" the other day.

Not only does the word riddle mean solving a puzzle, but it can also mean to sieve something where we come from in Cumberland/Westmorland, which is now the county of Cumbria in the UK.  My Pop used a "riddle" in the garden to sieve the soil when planting his garden.

That got me to thinking about dialect.  Although we have lived in Canada since 1989, both hubby and I still talk with a British accent.  My dad lives over here as well and he too still talks with a British accent.  When we go back to the UK, people notice a difference with the way we talk, as we say garbage instead of rubbish, and many other Canadian words.  They also think we now have an "American/Canadian" "twang" to the way we talk.

By the way most people who don't live in Canada or the States, think we sound alike or pretty similar.  Just like South African's and Australian's and New Zealander's sound similar to me.

Now back to the dialect subject.  When I am talking to my dad we automatically drop back to using words that are used on a regular basis back in Cumbria.  The same way I do when talking to my mam or brother's who live in the UK.  Although I don't consciously do this, I do, do it.  My mam will call me out for using a broad Cumbrian word, like "nowt," instead of nothing.  As in, "there's nowt that I can do about it."  Instead of "there's nothing that I can do about it."

I know I have said this "many a time," but I totally forget I have an accent, and am puzzled if someone doesn't understand me here in Canada.  In the States, I am more aware of having an accent, as everyone comments on it there.  I am a talker which doesn't help, so will talk to anyone and everyone when out and about.

One of our grandkids will call me out when I use a Cumbrian word instead of a regular Canadian word, or pronounce it differently.  Instead of saying the word "Garage," I will occasionally pronounce it "Garidge."  He will tell me that's not the way you say it!!

Finally for those of you who don't know what a soil riddle is, here you go: