Document 1745

Scots Tung Wittins 94

Author(s): Robert Fairnie

Copyright holder(s): Name withheld

Nummer 94
Sept 2001

Keep a guid Scots Tung in yer heid an in yer hert! But mind an uise it tae!

Scots Tung WITTINS

Eydentlie uphaudin the Scots Leid Campaine
e-screive: [CENSORED: emailaddress] Ph: [CENSORED: phonenumber] Stravaiger Ph: [CENSORED: phonenumber]

Copiericht
Copiericht for awthin screivit in this wittins blat bides wi R. Fairnie. The Scots Tung Wittins can be fotie-copied in hail or in pairt athoot leemit o nummers an this hauds guid an aw for onie pairt o the wittins blat that's furth-set in onie ither publication.

Gaelic/Scots Wabsteid Gien a Heeze
"oniebodie an awbodie will hae an easy inlat tae a virtual naitional library o Gaelic an Scots oral cultur"
BT Scotland haes juist gien a muckle guid-willie heeze tae Tobar an Dualchais/Kist o Riches, bi pledgin £50,000 tae the projeck. Comin at a time whan the projeck is aboot tae pit forrit anither bid tae the Heritage Lottery Fund for £1.3m, efter haein an airlier sic like bid gien a deefie, it's juist the kinna hertenin the projeck wants. The hail projeck, jaloused tae need aboot £2.5m aw thegither, ettles tae estaiblish an big up the first naitional library on the wab o Gaelic an Scots language oral cultur. Roond aboot twal thoosan oors o historic Gaelic an Scots language soond archives is tae be taen frae recordins hauden in three muckle collections at the Schuil o Scottish Studies at Edinburgh Univairsity, BBC Scotland an on the wax ceelinders o the Campbell collections hauden on the island o Canna.

The stories, sangs, poetry an ither recordins in Scotland's twa hamelt languages will be digitised uisin aw the maist modren IT graith sae that oniebodie an awbodie will hae an easy inlat tae a virtual naitional library o Gaelic an Scots oral cultur twintie-fower oors a day an seeven days a week.

Forbye that, the projeck is expeckit tae breird aboot twintie jobs in pairts o the country whaur the want o fowk is only ootduin an makit waur bi the want o jobs.

Siller spent on sic a projeck wad shuirlie be siller weel spent an it gies the Heritage Lottery Fund a twafauld reason no tae swither.

James VI, King o Scots, Edinburgh 1580
IN 1580, James' entry intae his capital tae tak up the reins o government wis recordit at the time:-

"At the West Port of Edinburgh he was receauit be the magistrattis of the toune, under ane pompous pale of purpor veluet. That port presentit to him the wisdome of Solomon, as it is written in the first chapter of the Third Buik of Kings; that is to say, King Solomon was presentit with the twa woemen that contendit for the young child, and the servand that presentit the sword to the king with the child. And as he maid forder progress within the toune, in the street that ascends to the castell, thair in ane ancient port, at the quhilk hang a curious globe, quhilk spirit artificially as the king come by, quherein was a young boy that descendit craftelye, presenting the keyes of the toune to his majesty, that were all maid of massie siluer, and these were presentlie receauit be ane of his honourable counsal. During this, Dame Musick and hir schollers exercised hir airte with great melody. Then in his discence as he come fornent the Colledge of Justice, their shew themselues unto him four virtuous ladies, to wit, Peace, Justice, Plentie, and Pollice, and ather of thame had ane oratioun to his majestie. Thairefter as he came toward the Kirk, thair Dame Relligioun shew hersellf desyring his presence, quhilk he then obeyet, entering the kirk, quhere the cheefe preacher for that tyme maid a notable exhortatioun for the embracing of relligioun, and all her cardinal virteous. Thairefter he come furth, and went to the mercat crose, quhere he beheld Bacchus with his magnifick liberalitye and plentye, distributing of sick liquor to all persons, passengers, in sick abundance as was pleasant to behold. A littill beneth is a mercat place, quherein was erectit the geneolugie of the Kings of Scotland, and a number of trumpittis sounding melodiously, and crying with a loud voice, Weelfare to the king. At the Eist Port was erected the conjunction of the planets, as they were in thair degrees and places the tyme of his majestie's natiuity, and the same vively representit be assistance of King Ptolomie, and withall the haill streetes were spred with flowers, and the fore housses of the streettes be the quhilk the king passit, were all hung with magnifick tapestrie, with paintit histories, and with effigies of many noblemen and woemen; and thus he past out of the toune of Edinburgh to his pallice of Holyruid-hous."

SPGA Spells It Oot
THE SPGA Championship played the last week-end o August at Gleneagles wis a richt pleisure tae behaud. It wisna juist for the majesty o the scenery, the quality o the gowf or the mainners o the gallery, tho aw three o thaim wis a ferlie in thirsels, but a sense that here wis a professional organisation that wis at peace wi itsel an comfortable wi the history an cultur that breardit the gemme. Whan a player wis aboot tae play a shot, offeecials stuck up a notice sayin, "WHEESHT!"

Fur Coats an Nae Drawers
IT leuks gey like the Baxter's Wynd syndrome haes raxed ower the Firth o Forth frae St. Andrews tae thon kenspeckle "fur coats an nae drawers" airt o Auld Reekie cried Moriningside. Appearinlie, the drawerless Morningsiders that bides in "Trotter Haugh" haes peteetioned the cooncil tae hae the nem o thair street chynged because it's ower hard tae pronounce an tae spell. An this comin frae fowk that threaps "rates" isna the stent they pey tae the cooncil but lang-tail fellaes that bides in the hooses o ither fowk that daesna hae nae fur coats.

Whan the fowk o St. Andrews chynged Baxter's Wynd in the late nineteenth century, they uised a direck owersettin intae the English an sae Baxter's Wynd wis chynged intae Baker's Lane. Sae, is the guid fowk o Trotter Haugh ettlin tae owerset the nem o thair street intae Trotter Meadow? Nae fear! Thon's still ower common for fowk wi fur coats an sae they want it chynged intae Glen-isla Terrace! Historical geographic cultur, it wad seem, haes tae gie wey tae cockapentie affectation.

Gin Edinburgh City Cooncil wis glaikit eneuch tae gie in tae sic a scunnersome an pridefu peteetion, they shuid tak a leaf oot o the buik o thair brither cooncillors ower the firth an, juist like the St. Andrews street nem plate the day reads, "Baker's Lane—formerly known as Baxter's Wynd", the new ane in Morningside micht weel threap, "Glenisla Terrace—formerly kent as Trotter Haugh".

Better still, whit wey no juist conserve the Scottish cultural character o Scotland's capital toun an set up a wee eddicational centre tae learn thae cockapentie fowk hou tae pronounce an spell words like Trotter an Haugh.
It's no hard tae jalouse hou fowk the likes o thon wad fare wi a sic like peteetion if they bid in Paris. Nae doot it wad gar a muckle oot-cry tae bring back the heid-snecker.

Neist Forgaitherin
Date tae be decidit.
7.30pm tae 9.00pm
Comatee Rm. C.
Brunton Ha, Musselburgh

Ongauns o the Scots Pairlament's Cross Pairty Group on the Scots Leid
"The Inglification o Scottish place nems is anither thing that gits richt up the neb o the CPG."
THE CPG haes bent the lugs o Alastair Morrison, Wendy Alexander, visitscotland an its Pairlamentary Liaison Officer tae lat thaim ken hou fasht the CPG is ower the want o onie Scots or Scots leid cultur in the wabsteid o visitscotland. The CPG wis telt that the wabsteid's content an cleikins wis gaun throu a chynge the noo sae it bodit tae gie aw the help it cuid includin cleikins tae ither uissfu wabsteids. It's proponed the convener, Irene McGuggan, an Stuart McHardy shuid hae a forgaitherin wi visitscotland tae hae a crack anent weys that language, parteeclar Scots, an its cultur cuid forder Scotland tae veesitors.

Tho, in the bygane, the Scottish Tourist Board haes accepit the worth o uisin Scots tae forder veesitors, it haes aye pled want o siller for no pittin up street signs in Scots. Howanever, the wadna be muckle cost tae include richt lik information aboot the Scots leid an cultur in its wabsteid.

The Inglification o Scottish place nems is anither thing that gits richt up the neb o the CPG an it wis proponed for David Purves tae set oot a letter tae Scotrail anent thair airticle on the "Forth Estuary". Efter scrutiny, this wad be raxed on tae Scotrail bi the convener. Lippenin on the ootcome frae Scotrail, the micht be a want tae set up a wee group o maimbers that wad tak in haund a conter tae this process o Inglification in a strategic mainner.

The CPG wis telt bi Professor Dick Johnston that furthsettin o the report on the leids o Scotland bi Professor Jo Lo Bianco, frae Australia, haed been pit back a wee bit but maimbers o the CPG wad be telt whan it wis due an a fower page summary o the report an hou tae coff it wad be postit on the wab forbye.

A guid poster, advertisin the European Year o Languages haed been furthset in Northern Ireland an Scottish CILT at Stirling Univairsity proponed furthsettin a thoosan copies o the same poster but wi Scots an Scottish Gaelic on it insteid o Ulster Scots an Irish Gaelic.

Ane or twa groups sic as the SLS an the SLRC alang wi a puckle Gaelic organisations an the Scottish Airts Cooncil will be speirt tae pey a wee drap siller sae thair logos can be eikit intae the poster. It wis proponed an aw that the Cross Pairty Group's nem cuid be eikit on the poster an aw.

Thae posters will be gien oot free tae libraries, schuils an onie ither relevant organisations an they micht weel be advertised throu Scots leeterary magazines.

A Statement o Principles will suin be breardit an furthset bi the CPG. Tho it's no quite richt feenisht yet, the sma group that haes owerance for drawin it up is ettlin tae furthset it as a wee A5 buikie o aboot 16 tae 20 blats or thereby an for it tae be screivit as a monolin-gual document in accessible Scots. A draft copie shuid be tae haund for the neist forgaitherin o the Cross Pairty Group on the 12t September 2001. It propones tae lench the furthset document (aboot five thoosan copies) on St Andrew's nicht, jalousin that the Group wad gree tae the document bein distreebutit free. It wis proponed the wad be a braid distreebution throu buikshops, libraries an ither ootlets.

Iseabail McLeod, Sine Robertson an Andy Eagle greed tae form a sub group tae leuk intae the ins an oots o hou the distreebution shuid be guidit, the possibeelities o electronic distreebution an hou the distreebution shuid be airtit.

Michael Hance telt the group he'd haen twa repones frae maimbers.Billy Kay haed proponed that fowk on the group cuid offer free owersettin o e-screives frae a variety o different languages, includin English, intae Scots, ower the time o ae day or ae week. Publicity cuid come frae owersettin the words o ken-speckle politeetians.

Aimée Chalmers mintit the group shuid rax intae existin library an eddicational networks sic as the Association o Directors o Eddication tae speir thair uphaud in publicisin the day an organisin events an ongauns sic as exhibeetions an competeetions. For publicity, local government cooncillors or MSPs that are confident wi uisin Scots, cuid be speirt tae gie speaches in Scots tae gie wecht tae the fack that Scots can be uised for pittin ower serious pynts.

Michael proponed hissel that fowk shuid be egged on tae write e-screives or text messages in Scots. It wis taen tent o that Scots is weel suited for modren electronic communication an uisin it cleiks Scots tae life the day raither nor hanklin it tae the bygane. The medium itsel is leeberatin for Scots uisers syne it's mair sib tae the form o speech uised the day nor tradeetional letter writin is.

Gin the event wis pit forrit tae the media in sic a wey that shawed that monie fowk dae uise Scots reglar like, ithers micht weel be hertened tae uise the leid an aw an keep on
"The Inglification o Scottish place nems is anither thing that gits richt up the neb o the CPG."
uisin it. The auld English threap "Use it or lose it!" hauds juist as true for the Scots language the day nor it daes for a gemme o rugby.

A text message national competeetion for young fowk is tae be hauden in Julie, wi the winner bein lat ken in September. The entries micht weel can be uised as the foond for a buikie or leet o text messages in Scots.

It wis proponed that MSPs that cuidna come tae the CPG forgaitherins throu ither commitments, cuid still uphaud the group an the leid bi sendin thair apologies bi e-screive an e'en mair sae gin they taen the inlat tae write thair apologies in the Scots language as weel.

The Eddication Sub-group propones tae hae a wark-shop foondit collogue, uphaudit bi the CPG, for baith primary an secondary teachers at Newbattle Abbey College, Dalkeith, Midlothian on Friday the 30t o November. Gin the Statement o Principles is lenched the same day, it cuid weel eik tae the wecht o publeecitie. Wi the SAC an the Buik Trust Scotland's siller bein aw spoken for, an application for funds haes been raxed forrit in the howp the micht be a cancellation or twa. Dick Johnston greed tae speir the SLRC tae underwrite, match fund or co-fund the collogue on the unnerstaunin that onie profits wad gaun tae thaim. Contributions in kind frae the likes o Catrina McGillivray an ithers cuid be coonted as pairt o the matchin fundin. The CPG wis telt the wis nae statute tae gar naitional parks uise signs in Scots but it wis aye possible that naitional park authorities micht be intrestit in pittin up Scots signage as a wey o eikin tae cultural intrest. Stuart McHardy wad be speirt tae mak his paper on Cultural Tourism open tae the uiss o the naitional park authority.

Neist forgaitherin o CPG in Rm F1, Cannonball Hoose at 6pm on Wed. 12t Sept. 2001.

Scots Tung WITTINS
On the wab.
The Scots Tung Wittins can be vizzied or doon-haundelt an prentit (noo in HTML format forbye) frae the wabsteid o:-
The Scots Speikers Curn, Glesca.
Wabsteid backin:-
Http://www.mlove.free-online.co.uk/
A hard copie o STW is sent free o chairge tae aw maimbers o Scots Tung ilka month.
Maimbership subscreivins is £5 (Scotland/UK)
Peyed ilka September.
£6 (Ireland/EU) $14 (Americae)

Makar's Neuk
Crowdieknowe
Oh to be at Crowdieknowe
When the last trump blaws,
An see the deid come loupin owre
The auld grey wa's.

Muckle men wi tousled beards
I grat at as a bairn
'll scramble frae the croodit clay
Wi feck o swearin.

An glower at God an aw his gang
O angels i the lift
Thae trashie bleezin French-like folk
Wha gar'd them shift!

Fain the weemun-folk'll seek
To mak them haud their row
Fegs, God's no blate gin he stirs up
The men o Crowdieknowe!

Hugh MacDiarmid (1892-1978)

Information about Document 1745

Scots Tung Wittins 94