Document 1803

Scots Tung Wittins 152

Author(s): Robert Fairnie

Copyright holder(s): Name withheld

Nummer 152
July 2006

Keep a guid Scots Tung in yer heid an in yer hert!

[NOTE: logo here of the dot Sco in original]
Scots Tung WITTINS

Eydently Campaignin tae Uphaud the Scots Language
Ph. [CENSORED: phonenumber] Scots Tung wabsite: http://uk.geocities.com/rfairnie@btinternet.com/ Stravaiger Ph. [CENSORED: phonenumber]

Scots Tung WITTINs
On the wab.
Mair raicent copies o the Scots Tung Wittins can be gotten in pdf format frae Scots Tung's wabsite at:-
http://uk.geocities.com/rfairnie@btinternet.com
A hard copy o STW is sent free o chairge tae aw maimbers o Scots Tung ilka month.
Maimbership subscreivins is £5 (Scotland/UK)
Peyed ilka September.
€9 (Ireland/EU) $14 (Americae)

Scots Tung Quaich 2006
[NOTE: a photograph here of award of Scots tung Quaich in original]
SCOTS Tung Quaich 2006, the Scots language writin competition hauden in the primary schuils o East Lothian bi Scots Tung, wis won bi Campie Primary Schuil, in the Honest Toun o Musselburgh. Wi haein entries frae three P7 clesses an twa frae P6, Campie haed a strang advantage ower ithers that haed juist entered the ae cless. The mair entries a scuil pits forrit, the mair chance it haes o comin oot wi a winner an that wis juist whit Campie did for the fowerth time in six years an will haud on tae the Quaich for anither towmond.The winner for 2006 wis P7C pupil, Beth Chapman, wi her braw wee poem Bammy Sally. The rinner up wis James Johnstone a P7B pupil frae the same schuil. James pit forrit the competition's only short story cried The Bangster an its only faut wis that it wis ower short but it shawed sic an imaginative yuiss o Scots that it wis weel wordy o bein awardit a "WEEL RECOMMENDIT".

Beth wis awardit a miniature quaich tae keep alang wi a copy o the Itchy Coo buik,
"Hercules, Bampots and Heroes" an a copy o the "Scots School Dictionary". The dictionary wis wi the kind courtesy o Scottish Language Dictionaries.

James wis awardit a copy o the same twa buiks an ae copy o the Scots School Dictionary wis postit on tae Tranent Primary Schuil's P7B bi the Scottish Language Dictionaries.

For the first time in six year Maister Alan Blackie, Director o Education for East Lothian wisnae able tae mak the praisentations sae this wis duin bi his colleague Maister Don Ledingham.

Forbye the winner's an rinner-up's awards, the three best entries frae ilka cless wis gien a lamintatit certificate written aw in Scots alang wi a copy o the Scots Tung Quaich that haed eichteen o the entries prentit in it. Copies o the Scots Tung Quaich wis sent tae aw the primary schuils o East Lothian as weel as tae aw the libraries in East Lothian. It is published as weel on the Scots Tung wabsite at:-
http://uk.geocities.com/rfairnie@btinternet.com/

Scots Disnae Mak the Cut
LIET-LAVLUT, the minority leid sang contest tae be hauden in Östersund, Sweden in October, haed 60 sangs entered includin the first Scots yin, "Icker In A Thrave". Juist eleeven entries wis walit tae gaun throu tae the finals in October but unfortunately, the Scots entry didnae mak the cut this time. The languages that won tae the finals wis:- Frisian, Friulan, Gaelic, Basque, Swedish/Finnish, Saami, Meankieli, Romani, Manx, Galician an Votian.

Yin entry qualified cause they war the winners o thair ain commonty's sang contest sae the Scots entry micht cairry mair wecht if some kinna Scots language sang contest wis hauden first an the winner pit forrit tae Liet. Ony sponsors?

A New Projeck Tae Forder Lesser Yaised Languages
[NOTE: logo here of Mona Lisa Project in original]
FORDERIN the yuiss o lesser yaised languages in the business environs is yin o the ettles o the European Projeck "MONALISA" led bi INK Catalunya in Barcelona, wi pairtners in Estonia, Finland, Ireland, Latvia an Wales. The projeck, peyed for wi siller frae the European Commission, athin the framewark o the Leonardo da Vinci program, is fetchin oot graith for businesses tae eik tae thair customer services bi yaisin lesser yaised languages.

Yin o the projeck high heid yins, Florence Nava, threapit thair ettle is tae share guid practice an mak businesses see the sense o yaisin the local language. Aw the pairtners kens o the mercatin successes gotten bi yaisin minority languages in thair ain kintraes an this projeck will gie thaim an inlat tae lairn mair aboot experiences in ither airts o Europe.

The particlar ettle o the MONA LISA projeck is the fetchin oot o an e-lairnin tool that fowk can get throu the warld wide wab tae learn the minority language in the warkplace. At this pynt o the projeck, efter gaun intae the linguistic situation in ilka pairtner kintrae, the pairtnership is warkin on the particlar intimmers for the different pairts o the e-lairnin tool. It will be tried oot in twa gey different languages: Catalan an Latvian.

The MONA LISA e-lairnin tool is airtit at staff in sma an medium sized businesses. In Catalan, it will be tried oot on insurance companies an in Latvian, on security companies. Frae thair warkplace, staff will hae the inlat tae forder thair knawledge in the minority language bi follaein a language coorse an bi speirin at linguistic resources, for exemplar,leukin up spaicialised vocabular for seekin oot templates for documents.

Mistress Nava said that ower the last 20 year, consaits aboot minority languages haes chynged, an mony responsible companies haes kent the guid o yaisin minority language as a successfu business tool.

She eikit that language is an integral pairt o oor culture an heritage, somethin that bigs up interest in oor different kintraes, an in whit oor kintraes haes tae gie us. Thaim o us that can speak a minority language haes a richt tae yaise it in oor ilka-day lives. Thaim o us that manages private businesses an aw, haes responsibility tae fend inlats for thair customers tae yaise it an for thair employees tae lairn it.

Owerset frae Davyth Hicks' Eurolang report, 22 Juin 2006.

Wad Some Power The Giftie Gie Us
See it at the Edinburgh Fringe 2006
IF ye're stravaigin roond aboot the Launmercat at Festival time, mind an hae a dander in tae Diverse Attractions (There aye a muckle banner abuin the close mooth!) The 16th century panelled chaumer in Riddles Coort at nummer 322 Lawnmercat helps tae mak an ambience for performances hauden there. Chameleon Theatre Company is pittin on the warld premiere o a show cried Wad some power the giftie gie us. Actor, Ben Igoe, plays the pairt o Robert Burns, whaes music is played bi Alison Reeves. In amang this, contemporary writers, Stephen Barnaby an Irene Broon will read some o thair ain wark that's been written wi the philosophy, life, times an wark o Burns in mind. Ye'll find full particlars on page 213 o the Fringe program, but tae save ye the bother, here's aw the dates. The show rins frae 7-12 August, stertin at 7.30pm an lestin an oor. The tickets'll no brek yer pooch as they're juist £5, wi £4 for concessions. The program cries it "A light hearted celebration of Scottish culture in words and music" sae whit wey no come alang an jyne in this particlar celebration? If ye like whit ye hear, Stephen an Irene will be reading mair o thair stuff in Diverse Attractions' Postscript show that rins frae 21 tae 26 August at the same venue (see page 199 o the Fringe program). Particlar dates is still aye tae be decidit.

Here a bit backgrund aboot the company:
Diverse Attractions is a non profit-makin organisation wi charitable staundin that rins a Fringe venue enablin locally airtit arts groups tae perform thair work at affordable prices. Durin the Fringe they employ an train young fowk, some o thaim haein this as thair first work experience, as box office an front o the hoose assistants.

Diverse Attractions organises a program o new work bi local writers cried Postscript. This is praisentit on the Fringe as rehearsed readins. The ootcome o new writin workshops led bi a facilitator wis praisentit an aw on the Fringe. For the 2006 Fringe, they're furthsettin a buik o new writin bi thaim takin pairt in Postscript.

As suin as yin Fringe feinishes, plannin sterts for the next year. The City o Edinburgh Cooncil gies a grant that peys for the pairt time coordinator an ither rinnin costs. The lave o the work is duin bi the Management Comatee on a voluntary basis.

Diverse Attractions haes been gaun noo for aboot 17 year. This will maist like be the last year it will can perform at Riddles Coort, for that location will suin stop bein yaised as a community venue.

Chameleon is a community group that stertit ower 10 year syne. It performs cutty vairsions o the classics as weel as new work bi local writers on the Fringe.

Kailyairds Wi Nae Kail
THE European Buroo For Lesser-Yaised Languages (EBLUL) wis set tae haud its kenspeckle Partnership for Diversity Conference at Sabhal Mór Ostaig, the Gaelic medium College on the Isle o Skye frae the 29-30 Juin.

EBLUL threaps this conference tae be sae that thae regional authorities that haes owerance for the forderin o lesser yaised an minority leids, can complouter thegither tae exchynge information an big pairtnerships tae steer the forderin o regional an minority languages in the oncome. Howanever, for aw that this Partnership for Diversity is bein hauden in Scotland an there nae want o experts comin frae aw Europe's language commonties, there winnae be onybody speakin up for the Scots language itsel. Scots is no pairt o this Partnership it seems. A kailyaird wi nae kail richt enouch! But then, if EBLUL can turn a blinn ee tae Scots bein yin o the UK's minority languages in aw its wabsites, then thon's juist consistency for ye. It's consistency tae frae the Scots language upsteerers an organisations. Faur ower aften the darg is left tae juist the ae man or tae naebody at aw an the Scots language bides invisible tae the likes o EBLUL, tae Europe, tae the Scots government, the media an maist important o aw, tae the Scots speakin population.

Howanever, waur than Scots bein an invisible language baith in an furth o Scotland, is the maitter o Scots bein a silent language at hame amang maist o the fowk that shouts loodest for it, but aye in English. Whit wey shuid thae fowk wi pooches sae fu o kail seeds be sae embarrassed at the thocht o growein kail in thair ain kailyairds? Dae they think thirsels ower guid tae be heard yaisin the Scots language an refuse tae yaise it for fear o tynin thair ain staundin in the commonty or that fowk will think they're no that weel educated or e'en donnert? Gin that's the wey o't, then whit wey are they campaignin for Scots in the first place an whae dae they think is gaun tae speak it if no thaim? If the Scots language is as guid as they mak it oot tae be then shuirly the pruif o the puddin is in the speakin o it, is it no?

Scots Language Christmas Cairds
[NOTE: images of three Christmas cards here in original]
WHEN Scots Tung brocht oot its first Scots language Christmas caird for Christmas 1994, it wis cause Scots Tung didnae see whit wey aw Christmas cairds selt in Scotland shuid be prentit in juist English an it wisnae lang or it wis haein five thoosand new cairds prentit ilka year (ten thoosand the year it brocht oot the twa cairds) wi sales in the hinnerend switherin atween five an six thoosand a year. Scots Tung wis pruivin tae itsel an tae ithers that there wis a commercial mercat for Scots language cairds. Its lang socht ettle wis for some commercial Scottish caird prenter wi its ain professional distribution set-up tae recognise an become awaur o the potential mercat o sic cairds an stert tae furthset an sell Scots cairds o its ain. Whitholme o Dundee wis speirt yin or twa times an Scots Tung bodit tae fend help an advice on the language but tho they swithered aboot it for a wee bit, they taen cauld feet in the hinnerend an gied it a wide berth. Sae noo there nae Whitholme left ony mair wi the business shuttin doon in raicent years. Howanever, an English caird prenter that haed estaiblisht a mercat for itsel wi special cairds sic as "Christmas Greetings from Montrose" an mony ither toun names, stertit thinkin o daein the yins for Scottish touns in Scots or Gaelic. His speirins intae the Gaelic airts wisnae encouragin at aw but he got richt guid encouragement frae the Scots airts an is stertin tae get hissel set for sellin Scots language cairds for Christmas 2006.

This company is cried Cardmarque Ltd, rin bi Sam McMurran an can be contactit at [CENSORED: phonenumber] or bi e-mail at [CENSORED: emailaddress]
Sales o thae Scots language cairds athort Scotland is bein haunnelt bi:-
Jim Young, [CENSORED: postaladdress] (ph: [CENSORED: phonenumber])
The three Scots Tung cairds pictered can be gotten frae Jim as weel.

Scots Tung will be takin nae pairt in the sellin o cairds frae Christmas 2006 on apairt frae complouterin wi Cardmarque anent maitters tae dae wi the Scots language.

Makar's Neuk
THE IMAGE O GOD

Crawlin aboot like a snail in the mud,
Covered wi clammy blae,
ME, made after the image o God -
Jings! but it's laughable, tae.

Howkin awa neath a mountain o stane,
Gaspin for want o air,
The sweat makin streams doon my bare back-bane
An my knees aw hauckit and sair.

Strainin and cursin the hale shift through,
Half-starved, half-blin, half-mad;
And the gaffer he says, ‘Less dirt in that coal
Or ye go up the pit, my lad!'

So I gie my life to the Nimmo squad
For eicht and fower a day;
Me! made in the image o God -
Jings! but it's laughable, tae.

Joe Gorrie (1894 - 1968)

Information about Document 1803

Scots Tung Wittins 152