Snide rosettes outside the ground
Jarg Armani might be a bit of a thrash, but it hides illicit vanloads of subtlety, including religious imagery, footy and some real Scouse stuff. And it may well have put the final nail in NTL’s coffin. According to my correspondent, the word ‘Jarg’ is used in Liverpool and Birkenhead as a precise synonym of ‘fake’: fake designer goods, fake footy tops, fake tickets, even fake people. ‘Snide’ is similar but even more negative with its implications of disloyalty and betrayal. I’ve noticed on Merseyside footy sites that ‘jarg’ recently became one of those ‘look at me I talk more Scouse than you’ words used to establish that you’re part of the in-crowd, and its use has at least quintupled in about the last five years. See, this site is educational too. Thanks to Charles Exford, EskimoEric and Neil
See lyrics to Jarg Armani
8 Letters Sent:
Neil G
I’m certain that’s ‘the firmament’, not ‘this firmament’.
Mar 25th, 2009
Charles Exford
I listened over and over, including slowing the CD right down like they do in the detective programmes, and wanted it to be ‘the firmament’, really I did, but there’s no way you’d have the /ðɪ/ sound if it was. It’d be /ðə/. And I must admit it’s hearing /ðɪ/ which is then prompting me to hear a hint of /s/ in front of the /f/ which I might not otherwise be receptive to.
Sometimes when you’re recording something very wordy you get a couple of very similar-sounding words the wrong way round, and sometimes when you get a good take you think ‘ah, sod it, it’s the best take apart from that’, and it’s pure speculation on my part but that just might be the case here. I do wonder if he’s ended up with the ‘the’ and the ‘this’ the opposite way round to what he’s originally intended, but anyway to me it’s 95% definitely ‘this firmament’.
Mar 26th, 2009
Neil G
Bollocks.
Mar 26th, 2009
Charles Exford
Ah well let’s agree to differ and I’ll take some comfort in the fact that I predicted that the ‘this’ interpretation would be highly controversial when I sent my version in to Chris a couple of months ago.
Interestingly, listening again many times this afternoon for the first time since then, I had some doubts again the first time, because it just _should_ be the ‘the’ that you naturally expect it to be, but on repeated listenings it doesn’t sound anything like the ‘the’ of ‘the permanent’ if you compare it – it’s a different vowel sound, /ɪ/.
My 5% doubt is because it is possible NB is pronouncing ‘the’ in 2 distinct ways with 2 distinct vowel sounds, the second less standard. Can be a very schizophrenic accent the old Merseyside, after all.
Seems like we need to hear from some more of our fellow pedants on this deliciously trifling point, but may I beg them to re-wind a plenty.
Mar 26th, 2009
Charles Exford
So off out I trudged to the evening shift tonight, leaving the CD in the machine. When I came back, Mrs. Exford was listening along and CQTH over long-forgotten hidden gems on the CD cover: “produced by local schoolchildren”, “washed”, “ready to serve”, etc. It was only then I realised that the lyrics to Jarg, or a version of them at least, are there on the sleeve. Doesn’t prove anything, I know, not least because it says ‘you’d’ where he clearly sings ‘he’d', but anyway …
Mar 26th, 2009
Paul F
I found it very funny reading the intro above. That’s very true about the footy sites and words like “jarg”. See also “Is right.” used as a complete sentence to indicate agreement, and “trabs” for trainers. Sadly dying out in contrast is my favourite Scouse word “divvy”.
Apr 2nd, 2009
Neil G
I still use ‘divvy’ although I stopped using it for about thirty years. I think I brought it back into use so that it wouldn’t get lost.
Apr 3rd, 2009
Joe
Veering off topic, but ‘is rice’ is a truer in-term. ‘Is right’ is a signifier of baaaaaad wooldom.
Apr 10th, 2009
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