Document 613

Dipper: 01 - Authors' Preface

Author(s): Dr James A Begg, John Reid

Copyright holder(s): Dr James A Begg, John Reid

It was a mutual enthusiasm for fishing which, ten or eleven years ago, first drew us together as Secretaries of our respective Angling Associations.

Not long afterwards, we discovered that we shared a similar interest in writing Scots Verse, which subsequently led to a friendly rivalry, and an annual appearance by either or both of us in the Prize List of the Scottish National Open Poetry Competition, every year since 1982.

The consistency of these poetic successes eventually gave us enough confidence to consider publication of a joint volume of Scots verse and short stories, but it was only last year, when we finally sat down and assembled our collection of poems, that we realised just how well our separate styles would blend into what we hope folk will enjoy as a light-hearted and humorous read.

Water has always had a hypnotic attraction for most children, and it seems only natural that bairns, especially those like ourselves with a country upbringing, should carry this early fascination with them into adult life.

That's our excuse, and we make no apologies, therefore, for the extensive influence of 'watter' on our respective muses, whether it be fished, sailed on, douked in, curled upon, or simply diluted with whisky!

We make no apologies either for the use throughout of our native Ayrshire Scots tongue. The vast bulk of the Scots words which appear in the glossary were being used in everyday speech during our generation-apart childhoods, but sadly many have vanished as a result of the pervasive influence of Television and the passive neglect and active discouragement by School Authorities and the media.

It has always been a source of wonder and annoyance that Gaelic, with thirty thousand speakers, should be given at least some regular radio and T.V. coverage, while two or three million Scots speakers of varying degrees of ability are ignored, or even worse, caricatured.

We hope therefore, that this wee book, as well as entertaining, will stimulate readers to recall those dormant words 'their grannies used', enrich their own vocabulary, and re-establish a pride in their Scots heritage and in the daily usage of their native tongue.

Information about Document 613

Dipper: 01 - Authors' Preface