Dreich

I woke up in darkness this morning, Approaching winter at 56 degrees North and the clocks go back on Saturday. I am lucky to do what I do and that I get most days off at this time of year so I turned over and went back to sleep. Next time I woke up and the day was lighter but 'dreich'. Let me explain.

'Dreich, Scots adj. A very descriptive Scottish word used to describe anything that is dull and dismal. Usually the weather but can appy to anything dull, dismal or boring like music, conversations, speeches or lectures. In order to get the effect of this wonderful word, you must first be able to pronounce it.

The 'ch' at the end is not pronounced as in 'peach' but like the Scottish word for 'lake' i.e. 'loch' People from outwith Scotland and Northern Europe often have difficulty with this and will refer to things like 'Lock Lomond', much to the amusement of native Scots!

So, instead of clicking the back of your tongue against the roof of your mouth to produce 'k' try bringing the back of your tongue up to the roof of your mouth and blowing some breath through the space between. After a few attempts, you should be able to do it properly and when you have mastered it, try saying 'Its a braw bricht moonlicht nicht the nicht, och aye' . You are now prepared for visiting Scotland. The day micht be dreich but I hope this post isn't. Slainthe