Document 1703

Scots Tung Wittins 52

Author(s): Robert Fairnie

Copyright holder(s): Name withheld

Nummer 52
Aprile 1998

Scots Tung WITTINS

Eydentlie uphaudin the Scots Leid Campaine
E-mail: [CENSORED: emailaddress] Ph. [CENSORED: phonenumber]

East Lothian Calendar tae kythe agane.
In the bygane days o the East Lothian Tourist Board, thai yaised tae furthset an East Lothian Calendar ilka year. Copies aye yaised tae be weel socht efter bi fowk for sendin tae Scots freends bidin furth o Scotland but ivver syne the Tourist Board tint its local foond, the calendar haes been tint an aw. Raicent wittins in the Lothian Times maks mint o a jynt complouterin atween the Library Service an the Haddington Camera Club tae fetch oot a new furthsettin o the calendar. Aw East Lothian photographers is speirt tae pit forrit up tae twal photie-slides o East Lothian vizzies intil a competeetion. The bettermaist photie-slide wull beir a gree an the best twal wull be furthset in the calendar. The high-heid yin for the projeck is Veronica Wallace, the library service's local historie an promotions librarian, that says thai'r ettlin tae hae wee bits o intrestin historical wittins inower the calendar an aw an thai'r howpin tae hae it ready for coffin for the stert o August.

Scots Tung haes been speikin wi Mistress Wallace tae propone that the nems o the months an the historical wittins shuid be prentit in Scots tae gie the exiled Scots, no juist the sichts o East Lothian, but the soonds an aw bi wey o the prentit Scots wirds. She soondit gey intrestit an promised tae propone it tae her heid librarian for his consait but eikit that, gin thai wur tae mak yiss o the Scots leid, thai wad be in sair want o some kinna heeze wi the owersettin. She wis telt bi Scots Tung no tae fash hersel wi ocht like that for that wis whit Scots Tung wis here for. Thae seeds haes noo been sawn an aw it wants for is tae wait an see gin onie o thaim breards at aw.

The funtain moniment at the cunyie o the brig an High Street, Musselburgh
Anither proponed ploy in East Lothian is tae redd up an sort the abuin auld funtain moniment in the Honest Toun an aiblins tae chynge it intae some kinna war memorial. Yin o the toun's architects, that's ettlin tae pit forrit his ain plans in competeetion wi ithers, speirt the Secretar for the meanin o "auld lang syne". He pintit oot that he wis proponin tae hae stane plaques muntit on the sides o the moniment wi some kinna sitable inscriptions an wis wunnerin gin "auld lang syne" cuid be fitted intae it in some wey. "Ye sing the words every year" he sayed, "an tho ye hae a guid idea o their general meaning, when ye try tae pin them doon tae an exact yin, ye find oot that ye juist dinna ken". Weel, he kens noo an forby that, it wis proponed tae him that, insteid o juist eikin "auld lang syne" tae onie maistlie English inscription, whit for no hae the hail inscription scrievit in Scots. He wis fair taen bi this idea an speirt gin Scots Tung wad gie him a heeze wi the language gin his ain proponin wis the yin that wis chaisit. The breardin o mair sawn seeds is waited on wi muckle howp an monie crossed fingers.

Launch o the Electronic Scots Scuil Dictionar.
The SND's abuin Electronic Scots Scuil Dictionar haed its offeecial hamecomin on Tues. 21t Aprile at the SCET, Glesca an we unnerstaun fae fowk that's seen it that it's naethin less nor pure dead brilliant. Anither demonstration is tae tak place in Edinburgh on Thursday 30t Aprile (4.30pm) at the St. Bernard's Centre, Dean Park Street, Edinburgh.

The SNDA haes been kythin dictionars for ower sixtie year, an is noo breardin intae the electronic era wi the ESSD. Its ettle is tae gie bairns an eithier ingate tae the Scots leid, tae gar thaim hae an ee tae it, an abuin aw tae dae awa wi the norrie that Scots is juist tae dae wi the bygane.

Thai howp it micht gie a guid heeze tae the ongaun eddicational ettles o upsteerin the learnin o Scots in the scuils an eik tae the success o thair Scots School Dictionary (Scots-English/English-Scots), furthset in 1996 forby the monie ither publications that haes been brocht oot tae keep up wi the day's muckle swall o intrest in the language.

The CD-ROM is airtit tae upper primary an nether saicondary clesses. It craws o the follaein guid pints:-

* yaiser-freendlie text.

* mair witterins in popup illustrations anleets: (see picter).

* interactive wird gemms, sic as anelectronic Meenister’s Cat

* wird pronunciations recordit bi bairns an grown-ups

* Grammar Broonie giein a heize on Scots gremmar

* Ma Ain Dictionary for bairns' ain wird leets (wi a form for sendin wirds tae the SNDA's wird collection.

Neist Forgaitherin Mon. 25t. Mey 1998 7.30pm tae 9.00pm Comatee Rm. C. Brunton Ha, Musselburgh.

Popup features is foondit on a toun cried SCOTSTOUN, whaur aw the street nems, fowk an ongauns is in Scots. Hetspats airt intae ither features, sic as a bedroom, kitchen an scuil playgrund.

[NOTE: illustration of kitchen in original]

The CD-ROM (PC or MAC vairsions) cuin be coft for £30.00 fae:-

SCET, 74 Victoria Crescent Road, Glasgow, G12 9JN.

or direck fae:-

Scottish National Dictionary Association,
27 George Square,
Edinburgh, EH8 9LD.
Tel/fax: [CENSORED: phonenumber]
email: [CENSORED: emailaddress]

wabsteid: http://www.snda.org.uk

Scots Tung WITTINS on the wab.
The Scots Tung Wittins cuin be vizzied or doon-loadit an prentit fae the wab-steid o The Scots Speikers Curn, Glesca.
Wab-steid backin:-
http://www.ndirect.co.uk/~love/

The Scots Magazine.
The Mey edeetion o the abuin magazine haes its raigler dale o Scots language inpit wi Speaking Scots dalin wi the meanins an yisses o troke an trokings. It threaps an aw tae fans o Speaking Scots that its wab-steid noo haes a pairt cried Wirds, that gies a leet o Scots wirds an thair meanins. New entries wull be eikit tae the leet on a raigler foond, biggin up a muckle Scots vocabular.

The Scots Magazine (Conteenit)
The wab-steid backin is gien as:- http://dcthomson.co.uk/mags/scots/words.htm

A scrieve anent The Bard o Galloway (William Nicholson) bi Roger McCann, tho scrievit in English, gies some guid exemplars o Nicholson's Scots verse. Anither guid wee Scots pome kythes in the Poet’s Box at the hinneren o the Letters tae the Editor pages whaur Richard, oor convener, haes a guid Scots letter furthset aneath the heidin o Scots Tung.

Juist Ask is the cuttie story bi John MacLeay anent aw the smert answeirs gien tae bairns an young warkers whan thai speir quaistens o thair elders. The hinnermaist pairt haes echoes o An unalike wey o thinkin that kythed in STW nummer 51.
'"Whit exactly does the joab involve?" (speired the man at a job interview.)
"Well, like the advert says," explained the personnel manager, heartened at this keen response, "we're lookin for a handy man. Bit o this, bit o that. Maybe fetchin and carryin from the loadin bay...."
"Mmm. No sure that my back's up tae that," replied the applicant.
"Ahh? Well, general help around the place. Wee bit o electrical work, bit o maintenance, touch up the paintwork when it needs a lick."
"Electrics? Me?" protested the prospective employee. "And as for paintin – that's the wife's department in oor hoose."
"We did advertise," the personnel man reminded, "for a handy man. You don't strike me as bein all that handy."
"Course Ah'm handy," argued the applicant. "Ah live just roon the coarner!" '

Tae see oorsels as ithers see us.
Whan the Secretar wis on holiday in Germany the furst hauf o this month, the wather wis gey dreich, wat an wi a richt snell wund an aw, sae a puckle o efternuins wis spent watchin the tellie wi his grandson.

The laddie's favourite ilka efternuin throu the week, wis Bonanza follaed bi Unsere Kleine Farm that wis nocht mair nor the Little House on the Prairie dubbed intae German. In yin shawin o the hinnermaist program, the young lassie o the hoose haed a click that bid on yin o the nearhaun ferms; a laddie aboot seeventeen year auld. This laddie haed juist won a bursary tae gaun tae yin o the univairsities an wis tellin the lass that his professor haed sayed his scrievin wis awfu guid an that, gin he stuck in tae his studies at the uni, he micht end up bein as guid as Mark Twain or even Robert Burns.

It's aye guid tae be minded that oor maist kenspeckle scriever o Scots is still yaised bi fowk the warld ower as a benchmerk o excellence in leeterature. A peetie the Scottish Office disna dae the same.

Ulster-Scotch Leid Societie.
Compluthert fer tae gie a heft til tha Ulster-Scotch leid in wor ain hamelt tongue an literarie scrievins frae tha Lallans o Ulster.

Press Statement – 16/04/98
Contact Names: Lee Reynolds or
Nelson McCausland.
Contact Numbers: [CENSORED: phonenumber],
[CENSORED: phonenumber] (NMm),
[CENSORED: phonenumber] (LRm)

The Ulster-Scots Language and the Agreement.
The Ulster-Scots Language Society welcomes the recognition of the Ulster-Scots language in the proposed agreement from the multi-party talks. The Society also welcomes the commitment to equality for all. However, the treatment proposed for the two traditional minority languages in Northern Ireland is inconsistent with the principle of equality.

The government has made a commitment to "take resolute action to promote the Irish language" and has identified seven specific action points to implement that commitment. However, there is no corresponding commitment to take resolute action to promote the Ulster-Scots language.

The Ulster-Scots Language Society calls upon the government to make that specific commitment.

It also calls for government to undertake the following measures that have been identified as necessary for the development of the Ulster-Scots language community:

1. An Ulster-Scots Language Trust – This trust would follow the model of the Ultach Trust, which has done so much to promote the Irish language.

2. An Ulster-Scots Language Centre – This Centre would have a similar role to the Scots Language Resource Centre
in Perth.

3. An Ulster-Scots language working party involving civil servants from government departments and the Ulster-Scots Language Society – Its primary role would be to integrate Ulster-Scots into the educational system and assist liaison with the Ulster-Scots language community.

"This is not a complex problem and the solution is simple and straightforward. All that is necessary is for the government to make a public commitment to promote the Ulster-Scots language and to implement the necessary measures, "said John McIntyre of the Ulster-Scots Language Society.

The Ulster-Scots Language Society is a non-sectarian and non-political organisation. The Society takes no view either for or against the Agreement.

Notes on Press Statement:-
John McIntyre is a member of the USLS Executive Committee, Convener of the Language and Literature Committee of the Ulster-Scots Heritage Council and represents the USLS on the Northern Ireland and UK Committees of the European Bureau of Lesser-Used Languages.

What the Agreement says:

Under Section – Rights, Safeguard and Equality of Opportunity: Economic, Social and Cultural Issues Paragraph three:

"All participants recognise the importance of respect, understanding and tolerance in relation to linguistic diversity, including in Northern Ireland, the Irish language, Ulster-Scots and the languages of the various ethnic communities, all of which are part of the cultural wealth of the island of Ireland.'

The Agreement makes the following commitments to the Irish language in Paragraph 4:

'In the context of active consideration currently being given to the UK signing the Council of Europe Charter for Regional and Minority Languages, the British Government will in particular in relation to the Irish language, where appropriate and where people so desire it:

* take resolute action to promote the language.

* facilitate and encourage the use of the language in speech and writing in public and private life where there is appropriate demand.

* seek to remove, where possible,restrictions which would discourage or work against the maintenance or development of the language.

* make provision for liaising with the Irish language community, representing their views to public authorities and investigating complaints.

* place a statutory duty on the Department of Education to encourage and facilitate Irish medium education in line with current provision for integrated education;

* explore urgently with the relevant British authorities, and in co-operation with the Irish broadcasting authorities, the scope for achieving more widespread availability of Teilifis na Gaeilige in Northern Ireland;

* seek more effective ways to encourage and provide financial support for Irish language film and television productionin Northern Ireland; and

* encourage the parties to secure agreement that this commitment will be sustained by a new Assembly in a way which takes account of the desires and sensitivities of the community.

It kinna leuks awfu like the British Government's consait anent the hamelt leids o Northern Ireland is a mirror o the Scottish Office's souch tae oor ain hamelt leids in Scotland. Thai gie us nae want o support wi wirds an that but it's the Gaelic that gets aw the siller an physical uphaud reengin aw the wey fae the media an braidcastin richt throu tae eddication. Whit’s the gemm?

Information about Document 1703

Scots Tung Wittins 52