SCOTS Project - www.scottishcorpus.ac.uk Document : 1694 Title : Scots Tung Wittins 43 Author(s): Robert Fairnie Copyright holder(s): Name withheld Text Nummer 43 October 1997 Scots Tung WITTINS Eydentlie uphaudin the Scots Leid Campaine E-mail: [CENSORED: emailaddress] Ph. [CENSORED: phonenumber] Airlie Scots. Thae exemplars o airlie scrievit Scots is taen fae "Extracts Taen Fae The Estates o Scotlan" that his in turn been liftit fae AUSLQ's wabsteid on the Warld Wide Wab. 1397, The Airliest Act Scrievit in Scots:- It is statutit and ordanyt with assent of the thre comunatez that beande that ilke schiref sal publy ger crye that na man rydand or gangand in the contre lede ma persons with hym bot thai that he wil mak ful payment for. Ande that na man use sik destruccons slachtir reif na bryning in tyme tocum under payn of tynsale of life and guds. 1436, Act Anent the Shires:- Item. It is staute and ordanit that for vii zeiris tocum the kingis justice of baith sydes of the watter of Forth an als the schireffis for trespas done outwith Regalities and Burrowis the said justice and schireffis sall hald the law quhair the trespas was done and nouther defer to Burrowis na Regalities thairin…………… Tak tent o the yoch in zeiris(years) bein replaced wi a "z". The yoch here wad nae doot hae haen a "y" soon. 1496, Scuilin Act (fower year efter Columbus set fuit in the New Warld):- It is staute and ordanit throw all the realme that al barronis and frehaldaris that ar of substance put thair eldest sonnis and airis to the sculis fra thai be aucht or nyne yeiris of age…..And quhat baroune or frehalder of substance that haldis nocht his sone at the sculis as said is haifand na lauchfull essoyne bot failyeis heirin fra knawledge may be gotten thairof he sall pay to the king the soume of xx pounds. The neist twa exemplars, yin Scots an yin English, wis baith scrievit athin days o yin anither an baith anent the onkivverin o Roman biggins in Inveresk, Musselburgh. The Scots text is taen fae the recordit accounts o the Thesaurer tae Mary Queen o Scots. The English exemplar is taen fae the "History of the Regality of Musselburgh" bi James Paterson, furthset in 1857. Thae twa exemplars gie a guid compare atween the Scots an English leids o the time. Fae the Queen's Thesaurer's Accounts:- Aprile 1565:- Item. To one boy passend of Edinburgh, with ane charge of the Queenis grace, direct to the baillies of Mussilburgh, charging thame to tak diligent heid and attendance that the monument of grit antiquitie now fundin be nocht demolishit nor broken doun, xii.D. Fae Randolph, English Ambassador, scrievin tae the Earl o Bedford:- Edenburgh, 7th April 1565. For certayne ther is founde a cave besyds Muskelbourge, stonding upon a number of pillers, made of tyle stones curieuslye wroughte, sygnefyinge great antiquetie, and straynge monuments found in the same. Thys comyethe to my knowledge, besyds the comon reporte, by th'assurance of Alexander Clerke, who was ther to see yt, wch I wyll do myself wthin these three or four dayes, and wryte unto yor Ldship the more certayntie thereof, for I wyll leave nothynge of it unseen. SNDA an the Electronic Scots Spell-checker. Airlie December is whan the SNDA is howpin tae hae thair new Scots Spell-checker on the mercat. Kythin as a CD sitable for yiss wi maist computer wird-sorter programs, A unnerstaun it micht be sellin for aroon twal pun. A unnerstaun an aw that the spellins is foondit on an updatit vairsion o the Scuil Dictionar an that it'll no be haudin eydentlie tae the ae spellin for ilka wird but will offer a limitit chyce. For exemplar, Toon an Toun are inclusit. A wee burdie his been whusperin in ma lugs that the Owerband Comatee on spellins his greed tae accep it for the noo but micht be keepin thair poother dry for the days tae come. A think the Scots Spell-checker wull tak the leid a guid lang wey on the gait tae a Scots orthographie an A'm luikin forrit tae its hamecomin. An electronic vairsion o the Scots Scuil Dictionar is weel on its wey noo an A've nae doot it'll suin be fundin its wey intae the scuils alang wi the Scots Spell-checker. Neist Forgaitherin:- Mon. 27t October 7.30pm tae 9.00pm Comatee Rm C, Brunton Ha, Musselburgh. End o the Gait for Scots in the 2001 Census. Weel, the new Labour goverment or Scottish Office or baith is makin a guid job o fullin the shuin o the auld Tory yin. Wittins his jist reached me that thare's no tae be a quaisten on the Scots leid in the 2001 Census. Aw thae fine wirds afore the election noo blawn awa lik reek in the wund. A howp oor pairliament disna tak the same gait. Weel, bannocks is aye better nor nae breid an thai'v sayed that thare micht be a quaisten on Scots in the neist "Household Survey". That's a kinna meeni census that kythes yince or twice atween censuses but his mair tae dae wi ither quaistens no in the offeecial census. Forby, a quaisten on Scots is liklie tae kythe in a "Social Linguistic Survey" wi backin fae the EU. A hae tae threap an aw that the EU Buroo for Lesser Yaised European Leids is set tae tak Scots oot o the leet o recogneesed minority leids. This is tae be duin efter some gey strang lobbyin bi the Celtic leids (Gaelic an Welsh inclusit) an the Catalan leid. For historical/political raisons, thai aw see onie strengthenin o the Scots case as a tak doon tae thair ain. Dinna Gie Up the Fecht. Stap the Scots Leid Doon the Thrapples o the Estaiblishment. The stey brae we'v aw been traivellin his jist taen a wee turn for the waur but dinna gie up; it's no aw sair wittins. The "Social Linguistic Survey" an its EU siller his grippit the tent o the local Cooncils an COSLA an that's shair tae bring the Cooncils closer tae the Scots leid. A'v been telt Brian Wilson is coolin doon tae the Gaelic leid an warmin up tae Scots. Scots isna gaun tae dee kis politeetians an the estaiblishment, British or European, disna want it aroon. Scots wull anelie dee gif the Scots fowk thirsels stap yaisin it. Gin we aw keep on yaisin oor ain mither tung, baith moothit an scrievit, parteeclar tae the estaiblishment, thai''ll hae tae accep it in the hinneren jist tae communicate. Thai canna force oniebodie noo tae yaise English. Tak Guid Tent!!! Het Kail Strecht Fae The Pat. Scots on the Census no Deid Yet. AUSLQ Conters S.O. an Keeps Up The Fecht. AUSLQ threaps that the Scottish Office deceesion tae no hae a Scots quaisten in the 2001 Census is no sae cut an dried as A wis led tae believe an, tho the SO his lat it be kent thai ettle tae kythe a deceesion agin sic a quaisten, thai hinna duin it yet an thir muckle speik o switherin gaun on at St. Andrae's Hoose. AUSLQ is gaun tae keep up the fecht an is fleetchin awbodie tae uphaud thair maucht wi keepin on scrievin tae the SO. A copie o thair scrieve tae Scots Tung alang wi a copie o thair Press Release, that says it aw, is gien in the columns ablow. AUSLQ Letter tae Scots Tung. Guid freins, Juist a cuttie screive tae awbodie anent the Census fecht. The AUSLQ comatee is seekin tae speir youse gin ye wuid keep the cauldron jawin ower anent the campain. Henry McLeish at the Office o Scotlan is supposed tae be gaunae say na but the Office o Scotlan in Embro haes shawn itsel tae be switherin. The Quorum haes Sayd as muckle as this in a storie we juist lowsed tae the papers (keik at copie inby). We're challengin thame on thair laik o onie Scots policie, whit criteria thay uise for a leid gauin on the census or no, an hou thay expeck tae ken onie siller thay pit oot is haein an effeck gin thay daena hae onie figures o thame at haes Scots. Forby we've hintit at a 'legal challenge' tae thame ower this hail cairrie on. Gin youse cuid see yer wey tae pittin aff screives the nou tae Galbraith or McLeish makin the lyke pynts than thon wuid haud gauin wi the brizz. The folk tae screive tae is either Mr Henry McLeish MP, Meinister for the Census or Mr Sam Galbraith MP, Meinister for Scots, baith at Scottish Office, St Andrews House, Regent Road, Edinburgh, EH1 3DG. Thay wull tak screives in Scots forby Inglish. We're fleitchin fowk at sees this screive tae gang aff an get haud o faimlie, freins, fowk in the ken, MP's, cooncilors an onie bodie at aw at haes an interest in oor mither leid tae screive in tae Embro. The mair we keep screivin an fashin thame the better. Fairfaw an muckle thanks, Dauvit Horsbroch, Preses, on behauf o AUSLQ. AUSLQ Press Release. SUBJECT:- CLARIFICATION CALLED FOR SCOTS LANGUAGE ON THE CENSUS. For the last two months conflicting reports have been given by the Scottish Office in relation to the inclusion of Scots in the 2001 census. First no decision had been made then a spokesperson from the Scottish Office said a decision had been made in June. Later the AUSLQ was contacted with a report that Sam Galbraith MP said he had so far made no decision however the next day (Wednesday 8th October) a report came out that Henry McLeish MP had rejected the proposal. The AUSLQ is concerned about this apparent conflict in the Scottish Office and has written to the Scottish Office for clarification. If a decision has been taken and it rejects the proposal we are demanding minutes of the meeting where the decision was taken. This is seen as the first step in any future legal action through the Scottish and hopefully European courts. At an executive meeting of the Aiberdeen Univairsitie Scots Leid Quorum the Preses, Davie Horsburgh, said:- "Since 1994 many groups and individuals from across the social and political spectrum have campaigned in recognition of the fact that figures on the number of Scots speakers are urgently needed if the language is to survive. Without such a census count we have no way of knowing how effective government fundin or language planning will be. There appears to be no government policy within the Scottish Office regarding Scots and perhaps this latest confusion is due to that fact. We are now calling on the Scottish Office to place Scots on the census as the first step towards constructing a coherent policy on the language. We have asked for the minutes concerning the decision on Scots in an attempt to clarify the criteria on which a language is included on the census. We believe this will enable us to make a legal challenge against any decision to have Scots excluded from the next census." Additional Information:- The campaign to get Scots on the Census has been running since 1994. It was started by the AUSLQ and has the support of many academics, major Scots language bodies, the Scottish Tourist Board, the Scottish Arts Council, most councils and Education Departments, six out of eight Scottish MEP's and over thirty Scottish MP's. The AUSLQ is a student society and was founded to act as a focal point for the Scots speaking community both in and outside Aberdeen Unicersity. It aims to increase the standing, speaking and writing of Scots, and to give all interested people a basic knowledge of the language and its history. Scots is the current and indigenous language of lowland Scotland. It was the official language of Scotland and was used to write the Acts of Parliament, along with charters, letters, poetry, prose etc. It was replaced by English as the official language of Scotland in 1707 with the Treaty of Union. Scots was effectively excluded from Schools by the 1872 Education (Scotland) Act, but his was changed in 1991 and since then children can be taught Scots in School. The Kist, Educational material on Scots, was released early last year. Last year the General Register Office (Scotland) tested questions on some three thousand individuals, from Shetland to the Borders, to discover the best wording of the proposed qhestion. It was recommended to be in the same form as the currently proposed question on gaelic. The 1996 GRO (Scotland) report on Scots gave an estimate of 1.5 million speakers of Scots in Scotland. For further details contact Davie Horsburgh on [CENSORED: phonenumber]. 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: 2132 General description: monthly newsletter Text medium Leaflet/brochure (prospectus): Text publication details Published: Publisher: Scots Tung Publication year: 1997 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