Definitions
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.
- noun cardinal, dialect
one in Cumbriansheep counting rhyme. - noun cardinal, North East England, dialect
one
Etymologies
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License
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Examples
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The Chinese-language papers used the phrase yan shi zheng for the disorder.
Crazy Like Us Ethan Watters 2010
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Note 37: The first character of the word should be pronounced as "yan" or "juan," though in most cases it is pronounced as "shen."
Between Winds and Clouds: The Making of Yunnan (Second Century BCE to Twentieth Century CE) 2008
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All the spirits stop at Mebu'yan's town, on their way to
Philippine Folk-Tales Fletcher Gardner
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Mebu'yan is now chief of a town called Banua Mebu'yan ( "Mebu'yan's town"), where she takes care of all dead babies, and gives them milk from her Breasts.
Philippine Folk-Tales Fletcher Gardner
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As the man said, 'weder-weder lang' yan 'UN forensics experts have to identify bodies -- >
WN.com - Articles related to UN report that linked meat-eating with climate change flawed 2010
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As the man said, 'weder-weder lang' yan 'UN forensics experts have to identify bodies -- >
WN.com - Articles related to Philippines Arroyo to start campaign for house seat 2010
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'oman ain't gwine hether an 'yan', rippity-clippity, day in an 'day out, an' half the night, they er on the'r heads.
Mingo And Other Sketches in Black and White Joel Chandler Harris 1878
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'Di totoo' yan 'no, "bungad ni Peachy (real name ni Rufa Mae).
Home Gerry Ocampo 2010
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'Di totoo' yan 'no, "bungad ni Peachy (real name ni Rufa Mae).
Home Gerry Ocampo 2010
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R yan Gosling, "The Ides of March": He emerged as a big star this year with this film, "Drive" and "Crazy, Stupid, Love."
johnmperry commented on the word yan
North of England sheep counting jargon
1 Yan
2 Tan
3 Tethera
4 Pethera
5 Pimp
6 Sethera
7 Lethera
8 Hovera
9 Covera
10 Dik
11 Yan-a-dik
12 Tan-a-dik
13 Tethera-dik
14 Pethera-dik
15 Bumfit
16 Yan-a-bumfit
17 Tan-a-bumfit
18 Tethera-bumfit
19 Pethera-bumfit
20 Figgot
September 26, 2008
chained_bear commented on the word yan
Ah, this brings back fond memories of lazy college days counting to ten in ... whatever language my friend said it was.
September 26, 2008
Prolagus commented on the word yan
Johnmp, have a look at sionnach's list...
September 26, 2008
fuzzbomb commented on the word yan
Yan as one is used further afield than Cumbria and the North East. It's also used in Yorkshire dialect, particularly the North and East Ridings. I occasionally hear it (and say it myself) where I live in the old West Riding. Anything by Arnold Kellett or the Yorkthire Dialect Society would be a good source for this.
The celtic sheep counting numbers are certainly not just from Cumbria. There are many variants covering most of England and Wales, though they aren't commonly known anywhere, I gather. I knew one version as a child in Westmorland, and there are four variations for Yorkshire in Arnold Kellett's Basic Broad Yorkshire (1992, South Settle press). I know Kellet's Wensleydale variant by heart and can say it fast.
The numbers listed by johnmperry here are familiar to me. My hunch is these are the ones I knew as a boy in Kendal: lethera, hovera, covera. However I don't recall Figgot at all.
I just checked Wikipedia's "Yan Tan Tethera" article, which has two dozen versions. Figgot is mentioned - the version given by johnmperry here is _supposedly_ a Lincolnshire variant. However the Wikipedia article is very thin on citations.
January 31, 2020