Doot-de-doot-de-doo
Question for people living in lands foreign:
What is the local equivalent of doot-de-doot-de-doo?
Like a melodic signifier of unassuming contentment?
I might say at the beginning of anecdote: "I was just strolling along, you know, all" (at which point I break into singsong) "doot-de-doot-de-doo..."
Usually something disruptive happens at that point, like a horse falls on top of the anecdote teller from a great height.
Is this place holder something that occurs in other languages?
What is the local equivalent of doot-de-doot-de-doo?
Like a melodic signifier of unassuming contentment?
I might say at the beginning of anecdote: "I was just strolling along, you know, all" (at which point I break into singsong) "doot-de-doot-de-doo..."
Usually something disruptive happens at that point, like a horse falls on top of the anecdote teller from a great height.
Is this place holder something that occurs in other languages?
Labels: Thinking about crap
posted by Greg Mills at 11:00 AM
5 Comments:
Here in the UK I've heard women say that - but not men. But I don't think I've heard many women below the age of fifty use it. Men tend to say things like "I was just strolling along, you know," [pause] "minding my own business" [pause] "as you do, and ..." then the anvil falls or the meteorite hits. Pauses strung together with quips. I've heard someone whistle as a sign of unassuming contentment as part of an anecdote than involved been on a walk. Although I don't know much I can generalise. There's quite a bit of regional variation, so there could be equivalents in Northern England/Wales/Scotland and other places with regional dialects.
Ich lauf einfach so, didlidü, und plötzlich... - also involves a certain funny facial expression; looking up in the air and rolling your head (and eyes) from one side to the other.
Hoi oi oi (well, more like hoyi oyi oyi).
Then a viking ship falls on your head. And Norwegians being so stoic:"Oi!"
Romanian: Lalalalala, (then the donkey cart falling from clouds, hits unsuspecting Romanian...) Booooih! (No good way to spell that. Let's just say the expression usually gets a laugh.)
I am told that here in Finland, people sometimes say, Da da da da da, or Tee dee dee dee dee.
Not very creative, but universal, and possibly the only thing understood by foreigners here.
"Olin qwerty ferty derty jässjf'äspofäpo kylkdfÄäöäöäyy, ja DA DA DA DA DA, hän kuoli !!"
See?
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