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Speaketh liketh a true renaissance lord or lady |
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Written by Paul Raymore
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Tuesday, 12 September 2006 |
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 On Sept. 16 and 17, the Truckee River Regional Park will be transformed into a Renaissance Village complete with jousting knights, preening ladies of the court, and hearty delicacies to satisfy your appetite … but only if you know how to ask properly.
“Dude” is not a renaissance term. Don’t expect to order your authentic pastie from The Pastie Bakery with a line such as: “Hey bro, can I get, like, an apple pastie, and like, a Coke?”
Instead, get into the spirit and learn a bit of the renaissance language common during the time period.
To help, we’ve put together this quick guide, which is all excerpted from a much more thorough guide compiled by Chris Morgan of Renaissance Rose Productions.
Greetings:
“Good morrrow,” “Good day,” or “Good even.” (Also, append “God bid ye…” to any of these.)
Saying goodbye:
“God be with you,” “Fare you well,” or “I shall see you anon.” (“Hello” and “Hi” are relatively modern terms and were never used in the 16th century.)
Yes and No:
You may say “yes” and “no,” but more colorful alternatives are available. Instead of “yes” try “aye” (rhymes with eye) or “yea” (rhymes with day). Instead of “no” try “nay” (rhymes with way).
Catch phrases:
Here are a few common 21st century phrases translated into 16th century approximations:
Instead of: Honestly, Really, Seriously...
Use: Forsooth, In sooth, By my troth, Verily, Surely, Indeed
Instead of: OK
Use: Good now, Good, Indeed
Instead of: I think, I guess
Use: I daresay, I trow, I think me, Methinks
Instead of: Maybe, Perhaps
Use: Mayhap, Belike, Perchance, Peradventure
Instead of: Excuse me, Pardon me
Use: I cry you mercy, I crave your pardon, Pray pardon
Instead of: Please
Use: An it please you (or thee), I pray you (or thee), Pray, Pray thee
Instead of: Thank you
Use: God grant you mercy, Grant you mercy, Gramercy
Instead of: No kidding?, Really?
Use: Go to! E’en so? In sooth?
Instead of: Wow!, Far out!, Cool!
Use: Mercy now!, By my faith!, In faith!
Instead of: Darn it!
Use: Alack, Alackaday, Alas, Fie, Fie me, Out upon it
Instant Elizabethan insults:
Many an old hand at the art of delivering Elizabethan insults relies on a simple 1, 2, 3 formula: It consists of the word “thou” + a colorful adjective + another colorful adjective + a choice noun. For example: Thou churlish idle-headed clotpole (You rude, silly blockhead). To make your job even easier, we’ve provided you with two lists of building blocks to make insults from. Simply string together one, two, or three colorful adjectives from list A with one choice noun from list B. Begin each of your insults with “Thou” and you’re set.
List A (adjectives)
Addle-pated
Awky
Back-bearing
Base-born
Bawdy
Blubbered
Cream-faced
Draffish
Firking
Flap-eared
Fobbing
Grippling
Hamfaring
Knotty-pated
Milky
Mulligrubbing
Pigeon-livered
Prattling
Spumy
Thick-eared
Uglisome
Whey-faced
Wracksome
List B (nouns)
Ale-knight
Applel-squire
Babion
Balatroon
Belswagger
Clodplate
Cockatrice
Cony-catcher
Cumberworld
Dizzard
Drumble-dore
Fop
Gib-cat
Hag-seed
Jack-pudding
Moonling
Layabout
Pinchfart
Runnion
Swad
Whiffer
Woodcock
For more on the Truckee Renaissance Faire, read the following stories:
'Tis time for the Truckee Renaissance Faire
The art of the joust
Barbarian-sized hunger at the Ren Faire?
There be pirates in Truckee! Soon there will be privateers.
For even more information, please see www.TruckeeRenFaire.org.
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Last Updated ( Tuesday, 12 September 2006 )
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