hear tell - From Ulster to America
Source: From Ulster to America: The Scotch-Irish Heritage of American English
Author: Michael Montgomery
Comments: From Ulster to America recounts the lasting impact eighteenth-century settlers from Ulster have made on the development of the English language of the United States. The book documents over 500 vocabulary items contributed to American English by these ‘Scotch-Irish’ settlers. Each ‘shared’ term with its meaning is authenticated by quotations from both sides of the Atlantic. This searchable online version of his book takes its text from the dictionary part of the second edition published by the Ullans Press in 2017.
hear tell (of) vb phr To be informed of, learn of by word of mouth. [oed hear vb c1220→]
Ulst.:
1880 Patterson Antrim/Down Glossary 51 = to hear: ‘Did ye ever hear tell o’ the like?’
1902 McIlroy Druid’s Island 93 A think a niver hear’d tell o’ a greater fool or a mair evil-disposed youth.
1933 MacNeill Reverence Listens 23 I’m certain sure you never heard of anything like this trouble of mine.
1942 Bangor Words 40 = hear the story of: ‘I heard tell you were going away’.
1982 Glassie Folk History 35 I used to hear tell of the Red Meadow before I knew what it meant, do you see.
2005 Robinson Alang Shore 73 A heerd tell the growed-up men uised tae play [marbles] fur money.
U.S.:
1939 Hall Coll He never was heared tell of no more.
1973 GSMNP-5:27 She was the illest-tempered youngun I’ve ever heard tell of in my life.
1973 GSMNP-76:9 His brother left his daddy and mother, and they never heard tell of him from that day to this.
