SCOTS Project - www.scottishcorpus.ac.uk Document : 1809 Title : Scots Tung Wittins 158 Author(s): Robert Fairnie Copyright holder(s): Name withheld Text Nummer 158 Jan 2007 Keep a guid Scots Tung in yer heid, hert an mooth!! [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] A Guid New Year tae yin an aw! May the best ye've ever seen Be the warst ye'll ever see May a moose ne'er leave yer girnal Wi a tear drap in its ee May ye aye keep hale an herty Till ye're auld eneuch tae dee May ye aye be juist as happy As we wish ye aye tae be. End o Days for the Scottish "O"? THE Saltire Society haes been gaun its dinger this last month aboot the sair want in this country o a new Scottish braidcastin authority that taks tent o Scottish culture an yin that leuks tae Edinburgh for guidance raither nor London. Scots Tung uphauds the Saltire Society's threap that it's no wyce when the main ootlet for popular culture in this country is television, that braidcastin bides a reserved maitter for London while culture itsel is devolved tae Edinburgh. The term "this country" haes been yaised twa times areddies in this airticle an there shuid be nae doot in the minds o Scottish readers whit country is bein referred tae here. But comin frae a wifie on oor tele screens, an it's yaised aw the time on the news programs, the expression disnae mean the same in Edinburgh as it daes tae her in London particlar if she's gaun on aboot "education in this country" or somethin o that ilk. The pouers that be juist disnae unnerstaund the swither it pits intae fowks' heids, no juist noo an agane but aw the time. Wad an e-petition tae Holyrood no be worth a shot? Haes onybody else taen tent o the coordinated conspiracy tae redd oot the Scottish vowel "O" in the braidcastin media includin the BBC, STV an SKY? The Firth o Forth (pronounced Foarth) haes chynged tae the Firth of Fawrth an haes onybody ever seen a "Fawrth Estuary" on ony map o Scotland or ony "Fawrd" motor drivin alang the road? Announcers noo crosses rivers an burns at a "fawrd" insteid o a "foard" an if onythin's ower dear, ye juist cannae "afawrd" it. Faimly names the likes o Gorrie haes been chynged frae "Goarrie" tae "Gawrrie" an Dobbie haes chynged frae "Doabbie" tae "Dawbbie". Last month Sky Movies shawed the picter cried "The Legend of Zorro" an aw the wey throu the film, the characters referred tae "Zoarroa" but at the introduction tae the picter, the British announcer kept speakin aboot "Zawrro". Coorse we aw ken aboot hou thae fowk aye chynges "Hoalyrood" intae "Hawlyrood". Wha e'er heard o a Holly Bible? Aiblins a new Scottish braidcastin authority micht can redd oot aw thae foreign cockapentie pronunciations sae we can keep oor ain hamelt Scottish vowels afore they aw disappear like snaw aff a dyke. "Tellin Tales" bi Stuart McHardy IN Scotland we're gey lucky that oor storytellin tradeetion is pairt o a continuum o culture that, like our sang tradeetion haes nivver dee'd. In ither launs there a tendency tae see storytellin as bein juist anither "performance" airt, but here it's plain tae see that the threid o storytellin mang the fowk haes ne'er been broken. An it's no juist amang the traivellin fowk, or the remnants o rural society eithir. A uise tales that A learnt in Duindee pubs alangside stories that hae been aboot the place for mair nor a thousan year. The truith o the maitter is that story is as auld as human culture, is at the ruit o maist o whit we think o as airt, an is central tae human communication.. Maist o us first heard stories at our mithers' knees – it's hou humans learn tae be human, lang afore thay get near the schuil. Maist storytellers daes a lot o wark in schuils, an whanivver the chance arises some o wi like tae tailor wir tales tae whit the bairns are gettin tellt aboot Scottish history an culture (which isnae a lot mind!). This means A can tak the opportunity tae tell bairns aboot thair ain ancestors the Picts an Scots, while the curriculum fills thair heids wi stuffrie anent the Romans an Vikings. Nou naebody but a numptie wuid deny the Vikings is gey important in our historie, but the Romans – fegs thay wurnae here mair nor thirty year, an that wis juist the aince! It's ane o the anomalies o bein in a kin o colonial seetiation in wir ain laun that we get aw this guff anent the Romans simply due tae the fack that England wis pairt o the Roman Empire fur fower hunner year. But the storytellin helps tae restore a bit o balance fur anither raisoun. A tell aw ma tales in Scots and ye shuid see hou that effecks the bairns. Despite the braw wark o sae monie committit teachers – an ther's nae better fowk on the planet – it's still rare for the bairns tae hear adults speakin tae thaim in thair ain leid. It's ma opeenion that the benefit o this cannae be ower-statit an alangside the wark that's bein done bi the Itchy-Coo boys A reckon storytellin can help in bringin the leid tae the fore. Ther's a lang wey tae gang yet but wi the commitment o the Scottish Arts Council (an it's new manifestation that's aboot tae come intae bein) tae supportin storytellin, we can be shair that ther's ongoin opportunities for the leid in eddication. © Stuart McHardy Dialects o Scots MSPs haes been speirt tae uphaud thair ain Scots backgrunds bi jynin in the singin o Auld Lang Syne this Hogmanay. Director o the Scots Language Centre, Michael Hance, cried on MSPs tae recognise the cultural worth o Scotland's traditional dialects o Scots and tae mind that, at this time o year, when the hail warld wis jynin in wi the singin o this Scots language anthem, it's gey important the MSPs shuid think aboot the words an whaur they come frae. Convener o the Cross Pairty Group on Scots, Rob Gibson MSP, uphaudit the appeal an cried on the Executive tae shaw thair official uphaud bi furthsettin thair languages strategy. He howps that, when MSPs sings Auld Lang Syne this Hogmanay, they'll stop an think aboot the sair want o official uphaud they gie tae the language an speirs for Scots speakers tae be gien an airly Christmas wi the furthsettin o this lang promised language strategy. 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) "Aggie's Wish" Bi Jamie Stuart AGGIE wis famous. Well, in her ain wee community she regarded hersel as kinna famous. And why not? She wis the lady champion at the boolin club - three years on the trot! She raised five hundred quid for charity, joggin the Glasgow half-marathon. She brought the hoose doon as the star o the drama club's panto. Her poems wir published in the Glendale Bulletin. Her paintin o the kirk wis hung in the village hall. Aggie had talent, nae doot aboot that. Still an aw, her main claim tae fame wis her success as a baker o potato scones. There wisnae a kirk coffee mornin, fund-raisin lunch or village fete withoot Aggie's potato scones. Everywan kent Aggie's scones. They were gey tasty. So there we hiv it. Aggie wis famous - in her ain mind. Her qualifications: champ booler, athlete, actor, published poet, artist and baker extraordinaire. However Aggie wisnae a conceited wumman. She wis a popular soul and kept the heid despite aw the compliments she earned. Now here's the nub o the tale. Aggie liked tae read the gossip in the Glendale Bulletin. The editor, Charlie Fairlie, aye mentioned her when she'd done something special. "By jings," she whispered, "when ah kick the bucket Ah'll bet Charlie will flatter me wi his urology . . . naw, that's no right. Where's ma dictionary? Aye - eulogy - sounds mair like an operation!" She smiled tae hersel an wis deep in thought as she daundered hame frae the boolin club. Crossin the road she didnae look left or right . . . . . It wisnae the faut o the bus driver, poor man. Saint Peter gave Aggie a nice welcome intae the hereafter. "Ah've heard aw aboot ye, ma wee Scottish treasure. Mak yersel at hame." Aggie wis gobsmacked. "Michty me! Listen tae the patter," she thought. In due course she got the chance tae hiv a wee tête-à-tête wi the big man: "Sir Peter, Ah've settled doon jist fine here in the hereafter, but there's jist wan thing that's oan ma mind. Ye see, yer honour, Ah've often dreamed aboot whit Charlie Fairlie wid write for ma urology - for ma yool . . . . ye ken whit ah mean." "Fret nae mair, ma wee Glaswegian angel. Joseph'll fly doon right noo an get a photiecopy frae the paper." There wi a whoosh o wings an before ye could say "hereafter" or "doon-under", Joe returned wi the copy. Sure enough Charlie gave her a half page. Aggie wis chuffed tae see her photie haudin the silver cup frae the boolin club, and devoured the article praisin aw her achievements. Comin tae the end o the piece, her mooth gaped an she sterted greetin. "Dearie me. Whit's yer problem hen?" says Peter Aggie blew her nose. "He didnae mention ma tattie scones!" © Jamie Stuart Tak Tent - This is Jamie's first shot at a short story. He's mair famous for his kenspeckle "Glasgow Gospel", "Old Testament Tales" an "A Glasgow Bible". Charlie Fairlie, editor o the Glendale Bulletin A Taste o Things Tae Come WHA'D a thocht that gey near 300 year efter the Act o Union that Scotland wad be celebratin St Andrew's Day wi a public holiday? That'll be the wey o it frae noo on, thanks tae a Bill pitten forrit bi Independent MSP Denis Canavan that wis votit for unanimously on 29 November 2006 bi fellae MSPs. It's a sma step alang the gate tae Scots haein a greater sense o nationheid an coorse wad ne'er hiv kythed athoot devolution! On St Andrew's Day 2006, I juist happened tae be in the Edinburgh bar cried 80 Queen Street. They haed taen it on thirsels tae offer aw thair customers a free dram o Bowmore maut tae celebrate St Andrew's Day. Naturally, ma fere am masel taen awthin that wis gaun! The waitress brocht the drinks roond on a siller server, alang wi the greetin "Happy St Andrew's Day!" I wad howp that gestures the likes o this is pynters tae mair positive things tae come when we jyne in the „new sang' o celebratin livin in Scotland an bein pairt o its culture an history. © the Stravaigin Reporter Scots Back Intae Europe FOR aw that the Scots language is the biggest spoken language in the British Isles efter English, for mair nor a year noo it wis the only minority language in the UK that didnae kythe in aither the linguistic map or leet o European languages in the Language Data page o Eurolang's wabsite. See http://www.eurolang.net/ Howanever, juist in time for the New Year, Eurolang haes gotten itsel a split new map (see richt) as weel as a leet an they baith shaw Scots takin its richtfu place amang aw the ither European languages, pittin richt a muckle wrang that's lestit faur ower lang. Sae noo oor sair hauden doon language can haud its heid up agane wi the lave o thae European languages an celebrate gettin its New Year twa weeks airly. Scots Tung howps this is the sign o a guid weird for the language in 2007 an that mony mair guid things will kythe for it as the incomin year growes auld. But we ken an aw that maist o the guid things that haes kythed for it up tae noo haes kythed in spite o the Scots government an estaiblishment raither nor because o thaim sae Scots speakers shuid resolve tae dae mair tae forder the language thirsels in 2007 an they can dae this best bi yaisin thair mooths mair tae lat the leid be heard. Makar's Neuk Bridges They thocht he was jokin when he flung doon some leaves an said this wis whit it should look like; Miralles' vision. An seen frae abuin the grund it does! Lyin at the fit o the Crags wi wyse words set in silver, stane an steel this bit o Barcelona blands nature wi biggins jines urban wi rustic bridges the bygane wi the future echoin aa the elements o Scotland frae its castles wi fleein butterages tae auld toon closes or tapsilteerie boats - whitever ye want. Like ony guid hame, it's secure an open aa at wance. St Andrew's Cross is aa ower the place oan doors an the low vaultit ruifs that bield oor symbolic honours o croon, sceptre an sword; alang wi handsels frae ither lands. There's an auld stane that wis pairt o wir auld Pairlament afore 1707. In the time atween, this stane wis pairt o a brig. Noo, a different stream moves unner this lintel frae Arniston; it's a stream o MSPs enterin the chaumer tae debate unner cantilever beams reminiscent o the auld Forth Brig. Oor braw new biggin is noo weel anchored at Holyrood, so, lik the Reverand Walker oan Duddingston Loch, we should be breastin it steady like in tae the future In these early days o wir new auld nation only a parcel o rogues would put a negative spin on this. © Irene Broon [NOTE: image of a map of Europe here in original] This work is protected by copyright. All rights reserved. The SCOTS Project and the University of Glasgow do not necessarily endorse, support or recommend the views expressed in this document. Information about document and author: Text Text audience Audience size: N/A Text details Method of composition: N/A Word count: 2396 General description: monthly newsletter Text medium Leaflet/brochure (prospectus): Text publication details Published: Publisher: Scots Tung Publication year: 2007 Part of a longer series of texts: Name of series: Scots Tung Wittins Text type Article: Prose: nonfiction: Other: mixed text type Author Author details Author id: 95 Forenames: Robert Surname: Fairnie Gender: Male Decade of birth: 1930 Educational attainment: College Age left school: 16 Upbringing/religious beliefs: Protestantism Occupation: Consultant Marine Structural Engineer (Retired) Place of birth: Musselburgh Region of birth: Midlothian Birthplace CSD dialect area: midLoth Country of birth: Scotland Place of residence: Musselburgh Region of residence: Midlothian Residence CSD dialect area: midLoth Country of residence: Scotland Father's occupation: Fisherman Father's place of birth: Musselburgh Father's region of birth: Midlothian Father's birthplace CSD dialect area: midLoth Father's country of birth: Scotland Mother's occupation: Fishwife Mother's place of birth: Musselburgh Mother's region of birth: Midlothian Mother's birthplace CSD dialect area: midLoth Mother's country of birth: Scotland Languages: Language: English Speak: Yes Read: Yes Write: Yes Understand: Yes Circumstances: At work Language: German Speak: Yes Read: Yes Write: Yes Understand: Yes Circumstances: In Germany to communicate with two grandsons Language: Scots Speak: Yes Read: Yes Write: Yes Understand: Yes Circumstances: Wherever Scots is understood