Sir, – I’m intrigued by Frank McNally’s account of how Beckett, an artist notoriously fastidious regarding adherence to his words and stage directions, was delighted by a reference to Godot as “yer man” being changed without his imprimatur to “himself” (An Irishman’s Diary, December 14th).
What interests me partially is Mr McNally’s view that the two terms might be regarded as identical, and that a Corkonian distinction between the tone of the terms might have inspired the adjustment.
While I’ve lived in Cork for over 10 years now, I would consider the fine but real line between these two third-person pronouns as being clearly evident in Dublin and around the country.
To my ear, “yer man” has a comedic implication.
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If in a story, a phrase like “up stands yer man” or “in comes yer man and says” is used, a punchline is about to follow, typically at yer man’s expense.
Conversely, if you encounter someone after a long absence and they ask of someone “how’s himself?”, the tacit implication is that this is an individual whose importance is sufficient that they need not specify identity, that his welfare would be of concern, and that they might have spoken of him often in the interim.
It could be, of course, that I’ve spent too long in Cork by now, despite having grown up a short walk from Beckett’s home. – Yours, etc,
BRIAN O’BRIEN,
Kinsale,
Co Cork
