> the thing that (secretly) amuses me is that many of the obscure words that I feature haven't actually been spoken since.. oh, the Great Vowel Shift maybe?!
The Great Vowel Shift - you are referring to Glaswegian, no doubt?
Pick a vowel, any vowel...they'll shift it somewhere you'll never expect it.
For example, their i -> e shift causes no end of trouble. I was at a conference in Glasgow with a few younger colleagues a few years ago; one of the lads was trying to chat up a local lass in a very loud music bar. He suggested that she join us in a heavy rock club later that night. Her response initially enthralled him: he thought she said "I love to get up for sex in the morning". I've struck gold, thought he! She had actually said "I have to get up at six in the morning". Several confusing sentences later as his smooth moves were being perplexingly rebuffed, he realised too late he'd got it wrong...very wrong.
