What does "Auld Lang Syne" mean?

Asked by 2davidc8 (10189

) December 7th, 2011

What is the exact, literal meaning of those words? I think that “auld” probably means “old”, but what about the other two?
And, do they have a figurative meaning besides the literal?

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4 Answers

This Wikipedia article goes into the meaning of Auld Lang Syne.

Bellatrix (21317

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Auld lang syne means literally old long since, or distant times passed. It is Scots dialect and its full meaning doesn’t translate well into standard English. In Scots it is a very warm and wistful expression.

flutherother (34864

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@Bellatrix Wow, that Wikipedia article has a lot more information than I was looking for! Awesome! The article is so incredibly comprehensive. I especially enjoyed the IPA representation of the Scots pronunciation. I also liked learning that the S in Syne should be pronounced like an “s” and NOT like a “z”, as is so often heard. Thank you.

2davidc8 (10189

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