The supremacy of "shite" over "shit"

"Shite" and "shit" may have the same meaning but they're definitely not interchangeable in my idiolect.

"Shit" has a lot of sentimental value since it was one of the first bad words I ever learnt. I can still remember the sense of excitement that would always accompany its surreptitious use. The age of innocence over, I moved up north and discovered "shite". What a revelation. Somehow, that wee diphthong in the middle makes for a much richer and more satisfying linguistic experience than the plain vowel in "shit".

But good old "shit" has a role to play as well. I'm still more likely to use it as an exclamation. I guess when it comes to exclamations, short and uncomplicated vowels are precisely what you're after.

So I'll say: At this point in time and space, my career prospects are pretty shite.

But: Shit! I may have to get a job.