Document 1721

Scots Tung Wittins 70

Author(s): Robert Fairnie

Copyright holder(s): Name withheld

Nummer 70
Sept. 1999

Keepin a guid Scots tung in yer heid's nae guid! Lat it oot an uise it!

Scots Tung WITTINS

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

Celebratin Scotland -A Naitional CulturalStrategy.
[NOTE: image here of the front cover]
THE Scottish Executive's new consultative document haed its hamecomin in Inverness on 10t. August. It's a bonnie glaizie wee beukie an, lik aw the ither government furthsettins in the bygane, ye can git copies o't in baith English an Gaelic but no in Scots. Ae walcome difference frae thae bygane furthsettins tho is the uiss o Scots in some o the quotes at the heid o gey near ilka blat. The'r nine o thae quotes aw thegither wi three screivit in English, ane in Gaelic an three in Scots tho it haes tae be sayed that twa o the Scots anes kivvers the heids o twa blats for ilka ane. We'll leave ye tae read the English an Gaelic anes yersels but thocht ye micht lik a wee keek at the Scots anes.

'Well, everybody likes tae
huv a good time, a bit ay
enjiyment, ken?
That's leisure tae me man,
likesay. Ah like tae see punters
enjoy themselves, ken?' (Irvine Welsh – Trainspotting)
'He canna Scotland see wha yet
Canna see the infinite,
And Scotland in true scale to it'
(Hugh MacDairmid – A Drunk Man Looks at the Thistle)
'We'll speak wi a voice that is
common but smert
Gaelic and Scots and English
- the lot!'
We'll ken whaur we cam frae
an whaur we ur gan
We'll aw hae a say
each wumman an man' (Liz Niven – A Drunk Wumman Sittin oan a Thistle)
Anent language, the document gies a screid on Gaelic an follaes it wi this wee bit on Scots:-

"The Scots language is spoken by many more people (than Gaelic) though there are no precise figures. (That's the wey we aye speir for it tae be pit intae the Census)

Scots has been disparaged as a language for many years, but there has been a growing recognition that it is part of the richness of Scottish culture and that it is important for the expressive potential of children. There is general agreement that children in Scottish schools should have the opportunity to study and take examinations in Scottish literature, but there is less agreement about the extent to which Scots should be developed for this."

Thae doots threapit in the hinnermaist sentence maun shuirlie noo be pit tae richts an the'r nane but oorsels can dae this. This chance micht niver be gien tae us agane sae speir a copy o the abuin document bi ringin [CENSORED: phonenumber] an pit forrit yer ain consaits on the case for Scots.

The chyce for the Scottish Executive is a semple ane. Aither thay dinna really want tae see the Scots language survive but are feart tae awn up tae it sae thay juist cairie on the wey thay'v been daein, sayin thay want tae uphaud it but at the same time, keepin it invisible an thrawin a haundfu o sweeties at it but daein naethin positive tae help or, if thay really an aefauldlie dinna want tae see the leid deein oot an bein wede awa, than thay hiv tae dae somethin positive, an be seen tae be daein somethin positive, tae forder the language an gie it back the respectability an prestige that wis taen awa frae it bi the Scottish Eddication Act o 1872.

Juist as charity aye sterts at hame, uphaud for the Scots language shuid stert in the hame o the Scottish Executive, the Scottish pairliament biggin. Whaur signage is shawn in English an Gaelic, it shuid be shawn in Scots an aw. Onie offeecial leaflet or bulletins furthset in ither leids forbye English shuid be furthset in Scots an aw. The uiss o spoken Scots in the chaumer shuid be gien a lift an no sneegert at. A maucht shuid be makit tae gie Scots a lift tae Pairt III o the European Chairter wi the same media braidcastin time as Gaelic. Whit wad be wrang wi dedicated Scottish TV an wireless channels shared atween Scots an Gaelic? Scots medium lairnin in the schuils shuid be gien some thochts an aw, parteeclar wi Scots language an leeterature an Scottish history forbye. Uphaudin o the spoken language is mair necessar than the uphaudin o the screivit leid. See hou Latin ended up.

Scots Tung WITTINS
on the wab.
The Scots Tung Wittins can be vizzied or doon-loadit an prentit (noo in HTML format forbye) frae the wab-steid o :-
The Scots Speikers Curn, Glesca.
Wab-steid backin :-
http://www.mlove.free-online.co.uk/

~~~ooo~~~
Guid News aboot Wee Alickie.
[NOTE: A Wee Alickie cartoon here in original]
WHAN Aiberdeen's Green Final cam back aff its holidays on 31t. Julie, it haed some braw guid wittins anent Wee Alickie. We hear tell that he's sortit awthin oot atween hissel an the Dons mascot, Angus the Bull, an signed a new dale tae parade roond the pitch afore this saison's gemms. He's weel mendit noo efter his stey in Priory Clinic, tho fans is tellt no tae cry him nems or mak a fuil o his muckle heid for thon cuid pit him back months.

Alickie wis reportit sayin, "A'm fechtin fit efter a guid brek an A canna wait tae get back till Pittodrie. A'v even haed ma breeks dry cleaned! Bit if onie cheeky scamp gies me abuse A'll stick ma muckle heid on him!"

Sae, noo ye'v been tellt an ye can be shuir the'r nae wey onie Scots Tung upsteerer is gaun tae speir whit wey onie Aiberdeen supporter can end up wi a big heid.

~~~ooo~~~
The Gaels Hae a Word For It.
Neist Forgaitherin. Mon. 27t. Sept. 1999 7.30pm tae 9.00pm Comatee Room C. Brunton Ha, Musselburgh
THE September edeetion o the Scots Magazine daesna hae aw that muckle Scots in it but the'r ane or twa wee bits. Anne Gordon's "The Town Criers" gies a guid accoont o some o the auld street cries uised bi vendors an sellers parteeclar in Auld Reekie. She gies aw the weel kent anes sic as "Caller herrin!" an some o the no sae weel kent, the likes o "Call-er Ou!" but the'r nae mint o a weel kent cry frae the paper sellers o the 1950's that selt the Edinburgh Evening News an the Dispatch – "Spatch-e-Noos!"

I.A.N Henderson's "Borgue's Famous Five" anent an auld oligarchy that haed owerance ower the toun o Borgue awa doon Gallowa wey, sterts aff in English an then keeps on panderin in an oot o Scots.

A photie, bi Douglas Laidlaw, shaws an intrestin notice that kythes at the smoke-hoose at Clachan, North Uist, in the hert o Gaeldom:-

.....Ring Door Bell
& Haud On
A Minute.

Nae doot for the guid o the tourists. Ay, thae Gaels cuid learn the Scottish Tourist Board an the Scottish Pairliament a thing or twa.

~~~ooo~~~
The Sauce o't!
[NOTE: image here of Broon Sauce in original]
THE new Scottish Pairliament is shuirlie gaun tae be the mither o monie bairns.Forbye giein us the subjeck for the picter on oor new Yule cairds for 1999, the Scotsman gies wittins o a new sauce bein mercatit bi Flavour o Scotland unner the brand nem o Scottish Parliament an descrived as BROON SAUCE.

The Scots leid gies scowth for monie mair flavours o Scotland tae be mercatit wi guid Scots nems. The likes o Soor Dook (yoghurt), Potted Heid, Potted Hoch, Sea Saut, Soused Herrin, Mealie Pudden, Hinnie, Kail (soup or broth), Partan Bree, Black Bun, Howtowdie an monie ithers.

~~~ooo~~~
New Nicht Schuil Cless For The Scots Language.
FOR fowk bidin athin traivellin distance o Auld Reekie, Leith Academy is bodin a new subjeck this year athin its lang leet o nicht schuil subjecks. Ay, it haed tae come, an noo, forbye haein the inlat tae lairn the likes o English, German, French, Spanish, Italian, Japanese an Gaelic, ye can lairn the Scots Language an aw. This cless will be hauden on Tuesday nichts frae 7pm tae 9pm. Enrolment dates is 14, 15, 16 & 21, 22, 23 September 1999 frae 6pm tae 8pm at :-

Leith Academy, 20 Academy Park,
Edinburgh, EH6 8JQ.
[CENSORED: phonenumber] or [CENSORED: phonenumber]

Telephone beukin service for fowk wi switch or credit cairds up till 13t. September 1999
Mon. tae Fri. 10am tae 5pm:
Ticketline [CENSORED: phonenumber].

~~~ooo~~~
The Biggar Museum.
THE abuin museum at Gladstone Court, Biggar gies oot a sax-blat questionnaire tae aw the veesitin schuil-bairns. It's aw screivit in Scots an the bairns is expeckit tae gie thair repone in Scots. Here a copie o the first blat:-

THINGS TAE DAE.
Yer dominie will pit ye intae teams o five or sax. There are sax things tae dae:
1. The Jenny aa things shoap
2. The Airnmongers
3. Street signs
4. Things in the street
5. The Scuil
6. The Dressmakar

Ye can dae thaim in ony oarder ye want. If ye need ony help, ask!

1. The Jenny aa things Shoap : WILLIAM INGLIS
a. In the windae, a wee boy is gittin his neck washed. Pick twa-three words oot o this list tae say whit his face luiks lik.

clarty: cheery: braw: gurly: crabbit: sonsy

The words I wad pick are..........................
a. Gae in.. Luik at the things in the shoap tae fun the answers tae thae questions.
1. Whit gits rid o creish?........................
2. Whaur does pure caller cream come frae?....................................................
3. Whit product is Siller Staur?.............
4. Whit kin o soap disna wash yer claes?...
...........................................................
5. Wha maks Gowden Candy?................
b. Here's a wheen o Scots words an a wheen o Inglis words aa tapsalteerie. Fun the richt Inglis words tae match the Scots anes. Draw lines tae jeyn thaim up richt.

Scots Words Inglis Words
ginger washing powder
jeely jaur weight
jube-jubes fruit pastilles
poke paper bag
taiblet potted meat
washin pouther jam jar
wecht lemonade
pottit haugh fudge

(Gin ye git thaim aa richt, the wumman ahint the coonter will gie ye a sweetie!)

This is anither exemplar taen frae the fit o the neist page:-
This is hou ye play wi a gird an cleik. Mebbe, gin ye ask, someane'll let ye hae a shoat. (But only gin ye ask in Scots, mind!)
[NOTE: illustration of a child playing gird and cleek in original]

It leuks a richt wicelik projeck tae gie the bairns some richt necessar inlat tae practise readin, screivin an speakin in thair ain leid.

Better ower yer Thrapple
IT haedna been an awfu guid week for Geordie Jooks. He'd haed the maist awfu sair heid for twa-three days an efter it liftit, it haed left him wi an orra feelin in his heid. It wisna exacklie sair – mair liker the feelin ye got whan ye swallied a hard sweetie an it haed gotten stuck haufweys doon but, insteid o it bein in the thrapple, he felt it richt inside the front o his heid. If he cuid juist git his fingers intae it, he wad pou it oot in a meinit. He aye went oot for a pint tae the Hauf Hangit Meg wi his twa pals a Thursday nicht an this parteeclar nicht he haed swithered. But in the hinneren he haed decidit it micht tak his mind aff things sae thare he wis, sittin at the table wi Eddie while Angus wis up at the bar gittin the first roond in. The place wisna aw that busy thon nicht an, in the backgrund, the kistit music crooned saftlie oot the twa bleck soond speakers hingin on the wa ahint the bar.

"I left my hearrrrt ....... in San...Fran...cis coooo ..." thay warbelt, juist lood eneuch tae be heard abuin the gibble-gabble o the ither fowk in the bar, as Angus cairiet the three pints ower tae the table. He laid the drinks tray doon on the table an set ae pint doon afore Eddie an the saicont ane afore Geordie but he maunna been leukin whit he wis daein for, as he taen his haund awa frae Geordie's gless, a finger nudged the tap o't, the gless cowped an the beer went aw ower Geordie's trousers. Geordie juist aboot fell ower the back o the chyre tryin tae lowp oot the wey but it wis ower late. He wis drookit richt throu an the ither twa juist gawped at the sicht. An aith got stuck in his thrapple an he felt the sweetie in his heid gittin sair. He juist shut his een ticht an squeezed the thing as hard as he cuid an, aw o a suddentie, it exploded intae a shooer o starns an awthin went quiet. Geordie opened his een an cuidna believe whit thay seen. Angus wis cairiein the tray frae the bar tae the table, but in slow motion an the singer on the tape wis still giein San Francisco big licks but wi a slower an deeper vice. He set Eddie's pint doon an then Geordie's but this time, Geordie wis ready an wrappit his fingers roond the fit o the gless afore Angus haed time tae let go. "Ye maun be deein for that pint, Geordie!" sayed Eddie but Geordie kep his thochts tae hissel an juist sayed, "Ay, better ower yer thrapple nor yer claes!"

Makars' Neuk
Aye, she minds o a simmer's nicht
Afore the waning o the licht –
Bairnies chantin in Lover's Lane
The sang that comes ower an ower again,
And a young lass stealin awa to the hill,
In the sma, sma rain.

Oh! lass, your lips were flamin reid,
An cauld mist drops lay on yer heid,
Ye didna gaither yon rose yer lane
An yer hert was singin a sang o its ain,
As ye slippit hameward, ower the hill,
In the sma, sma rain.

Marion Angus

Information about Document 1721

Scots Tung Wittins 70