In Canada, "Nuffie" refers to people from Newfoundland - where geographical conditions are very rugged and contact between parts of the island and the mainland was almost non-existent for many decades. This isolation led to a distinct dialect of old English being used by many who lived there. Outside of Newfoundland, the word is usually used to imply ignorance and backwardness, just as the word hillbilly is used in the US. The use of both words is almost always derogatory in my opinion. Marianne At 11:38 AM 7/3/2011 -0400, you wrote: >For list members outside the US, those of us from this tradition are >often termed, affectionately, or more often otherwise, "hill billies." > There is a similar tradition in Canada of a distinctive form of >English leading to the term "Nuffie," similar to "hill billy" in >intent I suppose, but I think more distinctly Irish. Anyone familiar >with that dialect? > >I think people like to hear archaic dialects but can't seem to resist >making fun of them. Seems we can't resist humor even if the intent is >often not exactly benign. > >Charles > > > > > > > > >Quoting Allene Goforth <agoforth@moscow.com>: > > > Charles, my husband is from that area, although his ancestors came from > > a place near York, England, in the 1600s. ( He is in Haplogroup J2b2.) > > > > I think Scots-Irish is more appropriate, but I've seen it as > > Scotch-Irish as well. The latter does tend to make a person thirsty! I > > can't find my copy of The Story of English to verify this, but some of > > their expressions are supposed to go back to Elizabethan England. > > > > Allene > > > > On 7/3/2011 5:34 AM, Charles Cain wrote: > >> Jerry > >> > >> On a more serious note, I think Mr. Cassidy has a point, particularly > >> in a region of the US called "Appalachia," that part of the > >> Appalachian Mountains extending all the way from western Pennsylvania > >> (or even into New York) to northern Alabama. It is a treasure trove of > >> archaic English expressions and many, I suppose, originating in > >> Ireland or Scotland. It was settled originally by Scots-Irish in the > >> mid to late 1700s and early 1800s. Until recently, TV and all that, it > >> remained culturally distinct. Many of the US M222 live or came from > >> there. > >> > >> Coming out of that tradition on both parents side, I really enjoyed > >> hearing the old speech as a child. It is disappearing fast. > >> > >> Charles > >> > >> PS Do folks prefer Scots-Irish or Scotch-Irish? One sounds like an > >> interesting whiskey blend. > >> > >> > >> > >> > >> > >> > >> > >>> Modern Irish words for that kind of personal charm include plámás and > >>> carasma (taken directly from the word 'charisma'). Words for a charm > >>> used to cast spells include briocht, ortha > (derived from the Latin 'oro'), > >>> piseog, and draíocht (the modern spelling of druidheacht / druidry). > > >>> > >>> There was a very nice fellow by the name of > Daniel Cassidy who claimed that > >>> large amounts of American slang came from Irish Gaelic. As far as my > >>> friends and I have been able to tell, he > was not an Irish speaker and many > >>> of his claims seem unlikely. Is that where the mojo idea came from? > >>> > >>> Le gach dea-ghuí / Best, > >>> Jerry > >>> > >>> > >>> -----Original Message----- > >>> From: dna-r1b1c7-bounces@rootsweb.com > >>> [mailto:dna-r1b1c7-bounces@rootsweb.com] On Behalf Of Charles Cain > > >>> Sent: Wednesday, June 29, 2011 11:13 AM > >>> To: dna-r1b1c7@rootsweb.com > >>> Subject: Re: [R-M222] Con muighe na nGall O'Cathain > >>> > >>> For those of you who don't understand the ancient Irish language...mine > >>> being somewhat incomplete by > admission..."Mojo" means "charm" or ability to > >>> influence others." > >>> > >>> Anyone confirm? > >>> > >>> Charles > >>> > >>> > >>> > >>> R1b1c7 Research and Links: > >>> > >>> http://clanmaclochlainn.com/R1b1c7/ > >>> ------------------------------- > >>> To unsubscribe from the list, please send an email to > >>> DNA-R1B1C7-request@rootsweb.com with the word 'unsubscribe' without > >>> the quotes in the subject and the body of the message > >>> > >> > >> > >> R1b1c7 Research and Links: > >> > >> http://clanmaclochlainn.com/R1b1c7/ > >> ------------------------------- > >> To unsubscribe from the list, please send an email to > >> DNA-R1B1C7-request@rootsweb.com with the word 'unsubscribe' without > >> the quotes in the subject and the body of the message > > > > > > R1b1c7 Research and Links: > > > > http://clanmaclochlainn.com/R1b1c7/ > > ------------------------------- > > To unsubscribe from the list, please send an email to > > DNA-R1B1C7-request@rootsweb.com with the word 'unsubscribe' without > > the quotes in the subject and the body of the message > > > > > > R1b1c7 Research and Links: > >http://clanmaclochlainn.com/R1b1c7/ >------------------------------- >To unsubscribe from the list, please send an >email to DNA-R1B1C7-request@rootsweb.com with >the word 'unsubscribe' without the quotes in the >subject and the body of the message > > > >----- >No virus found in this message. >Checked by AVG - www.avg.com >Version: 10.0.1388 / Virus Database: 1516/3740 - Release Date: 07/02/11