To what effect? With what meaning? Also, By what name? (The modern English equivalent is ‘What?’)
Example | Meaning |
Speaker: ... my grandfather, in his day, he cleared his property with the oxen. It was in the oxen days, no horses anything. Interviewer: Ah, did you have any sort of thing like ah, that the horses pull? Didn't- you-know, one of these things that didn't have wheels? Speaker: ... How do you mean, no- Interviewer: Ah, well, some of the farmers, when- when they were clearing the land, they had this, ah- Speaker: Oh, a stumper. Why, no, they didn't have that. |
what do you mean |
Example | Meaning |
Interviewer: Ah, the people you see most that- that you mix with socially, are they mostly friends or family, would you say? Speaker: That, ah, that- how do you mean now "and mix with", ah-? Interviewer: Like socially, rather than professionally as a barber, the people that you would-? Speaker: Oh, friends. Interviewer: I-don't-know, friends rather than family. |
what do you mean |
Example | Meaning |
Interview: What were the days like at Queen-Alexandra-School? Speaker: Oh that's an interesting question. How do you mean, now? In what way? Interviewer: Are there teachers, for example, that you remember or maybe one that stands out- |
what do you mean |
Example | Meaning |
Speaker: Good people but they got their problems. Interviewer: Yeah. ... Well ah- have you ah- so, when they're speaking English, like you can't really tell a different between them? Like ah w-- where they're from or? Speaker: Um. How do you mean by that? I'm not sure what you're getting after like would I know if they're from Hearst or Kap or-something-like-that? No? Interviewer: Well, could you tell if someone- someone was from ah like North-Bay or Cochrane? |
what do you mean |
Example | Meaning |
Interviewer: Okay. Um there weren't, um, th-- like the high-school system was different back then, wasn't it? Speaker: How do you mean? Interviewer: Well, I know, I mean I was told that ah, where Algonquin is now. Um that used to be like West-Ferris basically. Like it used to be like an English (inc). Speaker: Oh you mean like the schools have been moved around, yeah. |
what do you mean |
Example | Meaning |
Interviewer: So what would you say is your favourite thing about this community? Speaker: About the community. Oh I can't say but my favourite thing is. Oh I-don't-know. There's a new favourite thing about it to be truthful about it. Interviewer: Aw. Speaker: But ah- how do you mean? Ah, from what w-- Interviewer: Something that you like about the commun-- like I'm- we're both leaving for university in the fall. |
what do you mean |
Example | Meaning |
Speaker 2: Down on the lower landing and we were cutting firewood and for whatever reason, I turned it off, I turned of the motors and so we- we could hear him up the hill. Speaker: W-- well how do you mean you hear them moving or howling or- Speaker 2: Howling. Speaker: Howling. Howling? In the day time? Speaker 2: Yeah, it was yipping or-something. |
what do you mean |
Example | Meaning |
I come in at the dinner table and I just took to cry, I says, "we've lost her all this time." And she says, "You know Keith, I don't feel the damn bit sorry for you." "I- How do you mean?" "Well he said you wheeled and dealed among millionaires all your life and there's no damn reason, I'm sure if you'd get off your high horse and ask them people, there'll be some of you help you out. It's not that damn bad." |
what do you mean |