Ross O'Carroll-Kelly - Language

Language

The novels are written entirely from Ross's first-person perspective, written in an eye dialect representative of the intonation attributed to affluent areas of South Dublin, commonly called "Dortspeak" (after the DART, a rail service covering the Dublin coast). This accent is one of the primary targets of satire in the columns and novels. Due to the wide variety of esoteric slang used in the novels, a glossary ("ThesauRoss") appears as an appendix to Ross O'Carroll-Kelly's Guide to (South) Dublin: How To Get By On, Like, €10,000 A Day. Though the basic idioms are derived largely from standard Hiberno-English, the South Dublin accent as represented by Howard has distinctive features:

• "Car" is written as "cor", "Arts" as "Orts", "star" as "stor", and "fuck" as "fock", "right as "roysh."
• The "soft T" prevails: "right" becomes "roysh", "DART" becomes "Dorsh"
• A form of rhyming slang is used: A taxi is a "Jo Maxi" (or simply a "Jo"), a face is a "boat race", breasts are "top tens" (Top Ten hits — tits) and a love-bite is a "Denis" (Denis Hickie). Ross often refers to having an "Allied Irish" (Allied Irish Bank: "wank"). "Padraig Pearse", "fierce")
• Other forms of wordplay (occasionally employing equally obscure references) are also common. For example, a girl who has "fallen to the communists", has "Munster playing at home" or has won a "starring role in a period costume drama" is (or is speculated to be) having her period
• Ross, in particular, describes women by comparing them to female celebrities. For example "A total Ali Landry", "A bit of a girl-next-door vibe, if your next door neighbour happens to be Cheryl Tweedy"
• Ugly women are often referred to as "moonpigs" or "swamp donkeys"

Although the main satirical targets of the columns are affluent South Dublin dwellers, elements of working-class culture (sometimes called skanger culture) are also parodied, again, primarily through language.

• Common exclamations include "Ah Jaysus!", and "(Wat's de) Story, bud?" (which is taken to mean "How are you?")
• The 'th' sound becomes a 'd' sound: "Wudja looka dat young fella over dare" ("(Would you) Look at that young man over there")
• "The Herald" becomes "De Heddild", "aren't" becomes "arden't", and crime figure "The General" becomes "de Generodle"
• Working-class people are sometimes referred to by Ross as "Howiyas" (based on the Dublin accent rendering of "How are you?"), and the women as "Jacintas", "Anitas" (written as Anee-eh) or "Natalies" (names perceived to be common among working class Dublin women)
• The term "steamer" is a phrase used by Ross referring to a guy who 'bats for the other team or drives on the wrong side of the road' i.e.: is homosexual

Eye dialect is also used to portray the accents of Northern Irish people, "culchies" (rural dwellers) and foreigners.