Document 1780

Scots Tung Wittins 129

Author(s): Robert Fairnie

Copyright holder(s): Name withheld

Nummer 129
Aug 2004

A guid Scots Tung in yer heid's nae guid if yer mooth's ower blate tae uise it!

Scots Tung WITTINS

Eydently Campaignin for the Scots Leid
Ph. [CENSORED: phonenumber] Scots Tung Wabsteid: http://uk.geocities.com/rfairnie@btinternet.com/ Stravaiger Ph. [CENSORED: phonenumber]

Copyricht
© Copyricht for awthin written in this wittins blat bides wi R. Fairnie. The Scots Tung Wittins can be fotie-copied in hail or in pairt athoot limit o nummers an this hauds guid an aw for ony pairt o the wittins blat that’s furthset in ony ither publication.

Teachin Scots Language in the Scuils
[NOTE: a photograph of Euan Robson here in original]
ON the 24 Juin this year, the Convener o the Cross Pairty Group on the Scots Leid, Rob Gibson MSP (SNP), speirt the Scots Executive whit innovative meisures it wis takin in the scuils anent the teachin o the Scots language.
The follaein repone wis gien bi the Depute Meinister for Education an Young Folk, Euan Robson MSP (SLD), inset:-
"The Scots meinisters haes owerance for the hail strategic direction o Scots education. Owerance for the particularities o management an delivery o the curriculum bides wi the education authorities an the scuils. Learnin an Teachin Scotland an ither sic bodies fends advice on curriculum maitters. A braid reinge o innovative meisures is uised in Scots scuils tae teach the Scots language."

Rob Gibson:- "The meinister maun be weel awaur that forspeakers on the European Chairter for Regional or Minority Languages haes threapit that the Scots Executive shuid:- create conditions for the uiss o Scots...throu the adoption o a language policy an positive meisures efter complouterin wi the speakers o the language. Haes he met wi bodies that represents Scots language groups? Is he takin ony steps wi the education authorities tae forder thon important threap frae Europe?"

Euan Robson:- "A recognise the maimber's intrest in the subject an thank him for his question. He will ken that the chairter haes nae legal staundin. For aw that, as the ootcome o the report o Mairch 2004 bi the Comatee o Experts on the chairter, officials haes stertit oot on discussions wi the academic community on the production o a Scots language strategy. A unnerstaund that the Scottish Centre for Information on Language Teachin an research (SCILT) at Stirling Univairsity is in active discussion wi the Executive officials anent thon maitter.

We howp tae fetch oot a strategy at the hinneren o this year at the airliest but mair nor likely, it'll no be till airly nixt year. The maitter is o muckle intrest tae the Executive an we will follae it up. As A said, A'm gratefu tae the maimber for highlichtin this maitter."

Scots Tung Consaits
THAE words o the Depute Meinister is encouragin on the surface an, if throu pairsonal experience in the bygane, we micht hae grunds for haein oor doots, we maun warsle wi thaim tae gie him the benefit o the doot till we see the ootcome. The fact that it's the Scottish CILT at Stirling Uni that the Executive's officials is speakin tae is hertenin in itsel seein the lang staundin links it haes haed in the bygane wi the Scots language an in particlar, the SLRC. There nae doot that it will hae the best intrests o the leid at hert. Whit daes gar the alairm bells ring tho is the memories o bygane promises o the Executive that hisnae been kept sic as the ane tae hae a question on the Scots language

Comatee o Regions Uphauds Cooncillor
[NOTE: a photograph of Keith Brown here in original]
IN its plenary session aboot whit pairt on-line administration (eGovernment) wis tae tak in the Europe o the future, the Comatee o the Regions acceptit an taen up the Consait (Opinion) o Cooncillor Keith Brown (SNP) frae Clackmannanshire (see fotie). The ootcome o aw this wis the CoR cryin on the Commission tae "gie local bodies a haund tae fend eGovernment services in different languages, an in particlar, regional an lesser uised languages."

When speirt bi Eurolang on hou he sees sic a ploy giein a haund tae the development o Europe's threatened an minoritised languages, Cooncillor Brown said, "The ideas ahint this wis sib tae equality, diversity an accessibility. The subject o the Consait is really e-government (includin e-governance) an ma raisons for addin in this proponement wis cause A believed that folk will only ken the guid o increased electronic access tae government services if we tak guid tent o the need tae talk tae folk, literally an metaphorically, in the language that they speak thirsels an the ane that they're maist comfortable wi. Bi recognisin the sindry wants o different folk,we'll hae mair chance o thaim takin up the inlats providit bi e-government. The saicont element wis tae provide recognition o oor rich cultural diversity baith cause that's a guid thing in itsel an cause it represents a conter trend tae the view o the EU as monolithic an no relevant tae citizens, particlar thaim in farawa or peripheral regions an thaim whaur lesser uised languages is in the majority."

Cooncillor Brown qualified the CoR Consait a wee bit addin that, "There no muckle in the Consait anent strategies aboot lesser-uised an minority languages juist cause the strategic level inpit, an the Consait itsel wis mair aboot e-government per se. Howanever, for whit it's wirth, A think we cuid egg on the Commission tae leuk intae an pey for saftware an infrastructure programs that provides an inlat tae an the provision o information frae e-government services in aw the recognised lesser uised languages."

Nixt Forgaitherin
Tae be decidit efter the summer breck

Scots Tung WITTINS
On the wab.
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This Craig Sall Bide Unsclimmed
bi Irene Broon owerset intae Scots bi STW Editor
ROBERT Henryson, noo regairdit as ane o Scotland's brawest poets, bid in Dunfermline in the late 15t century. He wis a Univairsity graduate, in holy orders an a kirk lawyer. O the 15 poems haundit doon tae us, three is regairdit as his bettermaist wark: Testament of Cressaid, Orpheus and Eurydice an The Morall Fabillis.

On Seturday 8 Mey 2004, ablow the bossed an timmert ruif o the Dunfermline Provost's Chaumers, The Merchants o Renoun, a group estaiblisht bi the late Neil McCallum, cairriet oot readins o three Tales from the Fox Fables as pairt o the Robert Henryson Associe's 11t Collogue.

The ettles o the Robert Henryson Associe is "...tae forder a braider appreciation o his wark amang the public as a hail." Tae cairry oot this ettle, the language that Robert Henryson's wark is written in, Middle Scots, wad hae tae be makit mair accessible. The 3 fables, The Tod, The Wolff and The Cadgear, Schir Chanticlear and The Foxe and The Tod, The Wolff and The Husband, that wis performed bi the cast o six wis duin maistlins in Middle Scots. This wis weel read wi some enterteenin actin, but muckle o whit wis read wad be tint tae a listener that wisnae familiar wi the original text. In sayin that, the Merchants' cast performance alloued the rhythm, poetic soonds an alliteration tae come throu, giein a preein o whit wey Henryson is sae weel loved bi his aficionados. Wi the performance no bein duin in costume alang wi the language no bein familiar, misfortunately makit the experience an esoteric ane.

A modernised edition o The Thirteen Moral Fables o Robert Henryson haes been written bi R W Smith. He accepps in his innin, the kinches that the ordinar reader haes wi the ancient language an pynts oot the need tae hae muckle glossaries but constant reference tae thaim he says is shuir tae meddle wi the naitural an easy enjoyment o his poetry.

In the collogue efter the performance, it wis howped that the wark cuid be taen tae the scuils. Sae that new readers comin tae Henryson can be encouraged tae appreciate the airt o this story-teller, humourist an creetic, the original language shuid be chynged. Nae doot, the pairtly academic audience vailyed the wark an research that gaed intae the performance, but for this listener, the metaphor o Dunfermline's slogan, esto rupes inaccessa, - (This craig sall bide unsclimmed), says it aw.
The Robert Henryson Associe can be gotten at:- The Secretar, The Robert Henryson Associe, [CENSORED: postaladdress]

Signs o Doric
THE Inland Revenue Office in Aiberdeen haes officially recognised that the feck o the local population disnae speak English for ordinar but is mair like tae uise the Doric an they hiv pitten up a notice tae tell the public that this is aw richt an if they want tae speak Doric, it'll be weel unnerstuid bi the staff.

This is a walcome chynge an a muckle impruivement on some Stirling coort sheriffs. Howanever, there still aye a want o basic education here on the difference atween language an accent whan thair forspeaker threaps that whaur ither dialects juist chynge the vowel soonds, Doric uises different words. Puir sowel, if he's no yin o oo he'll hae nae kennin o the words ither fowk uises.

Breton Poindin Thrawn oot o Coort
OWER in Brittany, a 32 year auld journalist cried Erwan Chartier, haes refuisit tae pey his TV licence syne the year 2000 in a plaint agin the want o a public TV service in the Breton leid, the ilkaday language uised bi him an his faimly in the faimly hame. He telt Eurolang that he wis ettlin tae hae a plaint an aw agin the want o ony richt regional TV public service in Brittany, in compare wi the lave o Europe.

Efter umpteen mindins, the French tax office haed speirt an advocate tae guide the poindin o furnitur at the hoose o Erwan Chartier. A traditional Breton wardrobe an bink haed been walit oot for poindin.

The case bi the French tax office agin the journalist wis thrawn oot o the coort bi the judge an, tho the ettle o the plaint wis cultural an politcal, the action wis thrawn oot ower the French administration no haudin tae thair ain official procedure for winnin back peyments o siller.

The French tax office haed sent a wheen o letters ower a lang while but nane o thaim haed been signed sae they didnae cairry ony legal wecht. Howanever, durin the coort hearins, the defence advocate haed pyntit oot that his client haed refuisit tae pey the licence in a plaint ower the want of ony Breton on the television. The coort haes laid doon that the French tax office haes tae pey aw M. Chartier's legal expenses an legal fees for the case.
Whan speirt bi Eurolang whither this win wis like tae see the stert o a wide reingin campaign tae haud aff peyin TV licence siller, M. Chartier telt o twa ither sic like cases that haed been won in raicent months.
In Wales an Ireland in the 70s an 80s, some advocates wis gien the jyle for refuisin tae pey thair TV licences. This wis contered wi gret big muckle boycott campaigns that endit up wi the estaiblishment o ful scale television services in baith Welsh an Irish.

Aboot
E U R O L A N G
♦ Dae ye e'er feel that yer kivverage o Europe eiks tae aw thae stereotypes aboot dreich, gray institutions in Brussels an Strasbourg?
♦ Dae ye fund yersel warstlin wi 'Eurospeak' whan ettlin tae mak European maitters relevant tae yer audience?
♦ Hiv ye e'er wunnert hou ye cuid mak European maitters leuk mair interestin, mair humanairtit?
♦ Are ye wunnerin hou ye can refleck the concairns o communities athoot hivin tae wide throu Directives an Accession Criteria?
♦ Dae ye wunner hou ye can report on Europe whan no mony o yer readers, listeners or viewers taks the bother tae vote in European elections.

Eurolang, the new wey o leukin at Europe, can help yer media ootlat

We fend kivverage o the concairns felt in regions frae the Basque kintrae tae Brussels, frae Greece tae Galwey.

Thae airts that considers thirsels culturally sindry, aft feels that thair vyce is scantlins heard at naitional, lat alane European level.
For aw that, it's thae regional identities that maks a necessar contribution tae the linguistic an cultural diversity o Europe an maks siccar that it's sic a glamour like an varrit place tae kivver.

Frae its offices in Brussels, an wi uphaud frae a wab o local pairt-time journalists athort Europe, Eurolang fends an ilkaday on-line news an information service aboot thae minority communities an the affeirs that maitters tae thaim.
Frae the minority pynt o view, we fend a braid reinge o stories sitable for mony different pairts o a newspaper or news program: political, economic, cultural an social.
Heid Editor:- Davyth Hicks
E-mail: [CENSORED: emailaddress]
Wab: http://www.eurolang.net
The stories pitten oot bi Eurolang is fendit for the free uiss o ony or aw media ootlats. The story at the fit o this page is a guid exemplar.

Makar;s Neuk
Ane doolie seasoun to ane carefull dyte
Suld correspond, and be equivalent.
Richt sae it wes when I began to wryte
This tragedie, the weader richt fervent,
When Aries, in middis of the Lent,
Shouris of haill can frae the north discend,
That scantlie frae the cauld I micht defend.
Yet nevertheless within mine orature
Istude, when Titan had his beamis bricht
Withdrawin doun, and sylit under cure
And fair Venus, the bewtie of the nicht,
Upraise, and set unto the west full richt
Hir goldin face in oppositioun
Of God Phebus, direct descending doun.
Throu out the glass hir beamis brast sae fair
That I micht see, on everie side me by,
The Northin wind had purifyit the Air
And shed the mistie cloudis frae the sky;
The frost freesit, the blastis bitterly
Frae Pole Artick come whisling loud and shill
And causit me remuve againis my will.

Frae The Testament of Cresseid
bi Robert Henrysoun c. 1420-1490

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Information about Document 1780

Scots Tung Wittins 129