peerie mootie

A phraseme or set phrase is a fixed expression at haes mair as ee wird, but it wirks laek a single unit. Da choice o wirds idda expression is set, an da order o dem is set an aa. You canna spleet up da phrase. Braaly affen dey translate intae anidder language as ee wird. Laek, in StE 'all of a sudden' or 'of course' da wirds can onn'y sit athin dat order, an canna be spleet idderwyes (eg no *sudden of an all/*all, however, of a sudden... or *course of/*of, I would say, course,...). Dis StE phrasemes can be replaessed wi 'suddenly' an 'certainly'.

Shaetlan haes a braa twartree twa-wird phrasemes at translates braaly weel intae ee StE wird, sic as:

▪whit wye (StE 'why', no "what way"):

— Whit wye is he no comin? ('Why isn't he coming?' no "what way is he not coming")

Somethin laek *whit is he no comin wye? wid be ungrammatical in Shaetlan.

▪whit laek (StE 'how', no "what like"):

— Wait till du sees what laek it looks ('Wait until you see how it looks' no "wait until you see what like it looks")

Somethin laek *wait till du sees whit it looks laek wid be ungrammatical Shaetlan.

▪peerie mootie (StE 'tiny' no "small very")

— He wis jüst a peerie mootie dug ('He was just a tiny dog')

Somethin laek "he wis jüst a tiny peerie dug" widna be Shaetlan, but StE wi a Shaetlan lonnwird (peerie). Da siccint element idda phraseme (mootie) doesna tend tae wirk on its ain, so somethin laek *a mootie dug wid soond unkan.