Document 67

Letter: 02

Author(s): Robert Fairnie

Copyright holder(s): Robert Fairnie

SCOTS TUNG
The Scots Leid Quorum

[CENSORED: address]

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

Customer Services,
[CENSORED: companyname]
[CENSORED: address],

10t. Oct. 2001.


Guid Sir,

Scots Tung is a cultural group that's dedicatit tae the conservation o the Scots language. Scots is unnerstuid bi maist Scottish educated Scots an spoken bi the majority. Ye juist hiv tae keep yer lugs cockit gaun roond yer store tae ken that. The Scots Executive's "Scots Language Factsheet" threaps that "It appreciates that Scots is the language many children bring to school and advocates the inclusion of Scots in the school curriculum." Howanever, the generations that went afore wisnae sae fortunate an tho they war fluent an articulate in the language, they war never leeterate in it, never hivin been learnt hou tae read an write it.

Ane o the ongauns o Scots Tung is tae expose Scots speakers tae the written form o the language. That's the wey this letter is written in Scots an no English. For this reason an aw, we furthset at least ae new Christmas caird ilka year, aw written in Scots, an ower the last twa year, wir sales haes averaged aboot five thousand. Oor tap sellin shop thae last twa year wis [CENSORED: companyname] Post Office wi sales o ower five hunner cairds. They didnae pit wir cairds up on thair ordinar caird rack, but pit thaim in an auld shae-box happit in Christmas paper at the end o the P.O. coonter wi ane o wir wee posters hingin frae the box an anither ane sayin "Scots language Christmas cairds selt here!" in the door windae.

Profits frae the cairds gauns tae subsidise oor monthly newsletter, Scots Tung Wittins, an the yearlie Scots Tung Quaich Scots writin competeetion hauden in the primary an secondary schuils o East Lothian. The SNDA donated copies o the Scots School Dictionary tae aw the schuils that taen pairt but the'r still aye a muckle want o Scots buiks, an ither Scots learnin graith in maist schuils an onie extrae siller we mak frae the sale o cairds, we wad howp tae pit tae the easin o sic a want.

Oor cairds is selt tae or bi maimbers an bi a nummer o sma shops, the likes o [CENSORED: company name] PO an the Scots Pairlament shop, but we hinna been able tae git onie muckle-mercat like yersels on buird sae faur. We wad be gey behauden if ye wad gie some conseederation tae sellin the twa cairds we hae on offer this year. Samples o the cairds, posters an newsletters is inclosit inower. We aye offer oor cairds on a "sale or return" basis sae ye juist hae tae pey for the anes ye sell. If ye needit tae be re-plenisht, we wad submit an invoice tae cover the anes ye'v gotten areddies.

Tae feenish aff wi, we shuid pint oot that the written form o the Scots language haes been fund tae be ee-grippin cause fowk isna expeckin tae see oniethin ither than English an, when they dae see Scots an then recognize it as the wey they speak, it gies thaim a guid feelin like they haed juist met up wi an auld freend they haedna seen for years. The cairds is weel socht efter aboot noo sae fowk can send thaim bi surface mail tae freends in Australia, New Zealand an Canada an gie thaim a taste o the soond o hame.

Wi couthie thochts,
SCOTS TUNG,



R. Fairnie (Secretar).

Information about Document 67

Letter: 02