Document 1724
Scots Tung Wittins 73
Author(s): Robert Fairnie
Copyright holder(s): Name withheld
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Nummer 73
Dec. 1999
Keepin a guid Scots tung in yer heid's nae guid! Lat it oot an uise it!
Scots Tung WITTINS
Eydentlie uphaudin the Scots Leid Campaine
e-screive: [CENSORED: emailaddress] Ph.[CENSORED: phonenumber]
Hae a Richt Hertie Yule an Fair Faw Ye tae 2000!!!
WHAN the bells o Hogmanay 1999 feinish dingin oot, an we wish oorsels an awbodie else a richt GUID NEW YEAR, we step ower the door-stane intae, no juist anither new year, but intae anither century an anither millennium an aw. For aw the'r fowk, learit in nummers, that threaps the new millennium is anither year awa, in maist fowks' heids, whan the calendar chynges tae 2000, thay'll aw leuk back on 1999 as the hinnermaist year o last century. Sae, gin we'r aw spared tae see it intae the 21t. century, we maun aw be unco thankrif tae be takin wir ain language intae it wi us an aw. The fack that we still hae it wi us tae wish a guid new year an sing Auld Lang Syne is nae thanks tae onie o wir governments, TV or press but in spite o thaim aw. An in spite o thaim aw, the leid will bide strang in the new century an aw as lang's it bides strang in oor herts an as lang's it bides nae stranger tae oor mooths. Learn the bairns weel sae thay can see it ower tae thair ain bairns an whan the time comes, some o thaim micht weel hae a sate in Holyrood wi nae hint o the creenge tae conter thaim uisin the words thair herts kens best.
Here's tae you an here's tae us! May the best ye'v iver seen be the warst ye'll iver see in 2000!
~~~ooo~~~
Jynt Gaelic/Scots Campaine Conters P&J Language Policy.
HERE an owersettin intae Scots o pairt o Bruce Mac Maelcon's Gaelic column in the Scots Independent.
"Gaelic an Scots upsteerers is workin thegither on an important campaine the noo. In the Hielands, readers o the Press & Journal gits a Gaelic column ilka Monday. In the Nor-aist, readers gits a Scots column. In the mids o Scotland, the'r nae Gaelic nor Scots column in the P&J at aw. On that foond, leid upsteerers haes been screivin tae the editor o the paper, speirin him tae prent baith the Gaelic an Scots columns in ilka edeetion o the paper naitional-like. Gin ye'r o a mind tae jyne in an tak pairt in this campaine, screive tae: Derek Tucker, Editoro the Press an Journal, Lang Stracht, Aiberdeen, AB15 6DF, an speir him tae pit a Gaelic column an a Scots column in aw the edeetions o the paper iverie week."
We unnerstaun that twa o the leadin lichts o this campaine is Alasdair MacCaluim, Gaelic Development Officer wi Perth & Kinross Cooncil's Eddication Depairtment an David Wilson o Pitmedden, a lang-staunin maimber o Scots Tung. It daesna seem aw that wicelike for the P&J tae pit oot three different edeetions tae the Hielands, Nor-aist an Mids o Scotland. Shuirlie it wad mak mair sense tae hae thaim aw the same. In a raicent survey cairried oot bi Maister MacCaluim for his PhD, he threaps that the feck o Gaelic lairners, aboot twa thirds, bides in the Lallans. Gaelic medium lairnin is weel foondit in the Lallans schuils as weel. Anent thair Scots column, it's aither heich-heiditness or ignorance o the Scots language that gars the P&J's Editor tae jalouse that fowk that traivels the Lang Whang winna unnerstaun the language o the fowk that bides in the Lang Stracht. We dinna care whit by-leid o Scots it's screivit in, as lang's it's Scots. It's juist as daft an aw tae jalouse that fowk in the Hielands juist speak aither Gaelic or English an dinna unnerstaun Scots.
If ye want tae jyne in wi the campaine, juist screive the Editor a wee line an sen it tae the abuin backin.
Scots Tung WITTINS
on the wab.
The Scots Tung Wittins can be vizzied or doon-loadit an prentit (noo in HTML format forbye) frae the wab-steid o :-
The Scots Speikers Curn, Glesca.
Wab-steid backin :-
http://www.mlove.free-online.co.uk/
A hard copie o STW is sent free o chairge tae aw maimbers o Scots Tung.
Maimbership subscreivins is £4 peyed ilka September. (£5 furth o United Kinrik)
~~~ooo~~~
2001 Census.
IRENE McGugan, MSP for Nor-aist Scotland, is keen tae forder the uiss o Scots an tae see its oncome in eddication. Tae dae this, it's her consait that the first thing that shuid be duin shuid be tae hae a quaisten on the Scots leid speirt in the incomin Census o 2001. She haes speirt the Scottish Executive gin thay haed onie ettles tae chynge the format o the 2001 Census sae a quaisten aboot Scots can be eikit in. The screivit repone frae Jim Wallace is gien ablow, an syne he is sayin naither ay nor naw, it gies us the inlat tae speir him an the Scottish Executive aw the same quaistens we speirt baith the Conservative an Labour Scottish Offices. Mistress McGugan cuid weel be daein wi as muckle uphaud as we can gie her sae git screivin.
[NOTE: a photograph here of IRENE McGuganin original]
~~oo~~
SCOTTISH PARLIAMENT
WRITTEN ANSWER
20 October 1999
index heading: Justice Department
lrene McGugan (North-East Scotland) (SNP).. To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has plans to amend the census format to include a question on the Scots language in order to assist in the promotion and provision of Scots in education and other areas.
Mr Jim Wallace:
The topics proposed by the UK Government for the 2001 Census of Population were announced in the White Paper (Cm 4253) published on 4 March 1999. The White Paper did not contain a proposal to include a question on Scots language in the Census in Scotland. The Scottish Executive are now responsible for the Census in Scotland and will be making proposals about the content of the 2001 Census to the Scottish Parliament later this year.
SCOTTISH EXECUTIVE
~~~ooo~~~
Scots in the Pairliament.
THE Procedures Comatee o the pairliament haed a debate anent the Scots
language on Tuesday 16t. November whaur thay greed tae recommend that the sweirin-in aith for new MSP's shuid be provided an allooed in Scots. David Purves, in a letter tae the pairliament, eikit the follaein possible aith for MSP's proponed bi the Saltire Associe:-
"A sweir bi Almichtie God that A wul be leal an true an gie true allegiance til hir Majestie (or Her Grace) Queen Elizabeth, hir heirs an successors, conform til law. Sae help me God."
The Comatee wis couthie o the quaisten anent Scots signage in the pairliament biggins an, tho it wisna athin its ain owerance, the Convener sayed he haed nae difficulty wi pittin forrit the suggestion tae the Scottish Pairliamentary Corporate Body that it shuid conseeder Scots signage in the new biggin. The comatee greed tae dae that. The third pint, that wis greed on, wis that maimbers shuid be allooed tae speak Scots if thay wantit tae, an it shuid be recordit in Scots in the Official Report.
Some o the press coverage o thae ongauns wis naethin but ignorance o the existence o Scots, bias an even juist blatant lees. Elizabeth Quigley, screivin in the Daily Mail, wis aboot the warst wi a heid-line that read, "A tongue-lashing for MSP's over language that has Scots baffled." She refers tae "...the Scots tongue – a dialect now rarely spoken in Scotland." Somebodie shuid gie her a copie o the GRO(S) Scots Language Report (1996). Thare agane, facks is no cheils Mistress Quigley taks onie tent o an she feinishes on a brammer bi pittin the follaein words intae the mooth o Janis Hughes MSP whan she wis referrin tae the recordin o speeches in Scots, "Nobody else will understand it."
A ful copie o the Official Report is eikit tae the end o this wittins-blat sae ye can see for yersel exacklie whit the wumman sayed. The comatee seems tae hae acceppit oor consaits anent the aith an the speakin an recordin o Scots but wi the quaisten o signage haein tae gaun tae the Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body an the maitter o Scots language leaflets no bein brocht up at aw, aiblins we shuid be keepin the pat bilin an giein thaim a screive or twa. The fowk tae screive tae on the abuin Corporate Body is:-
Sir David Steel KBE MSP, (Convener)
Robert Brown MSP
Des McNulty MSP
Andrew Welsh MSP
John Young MSP.
Neist Forgaitherin Mon. 17t. Januar 2000 7.30pm tae 9.00pm Comatee Room C. Brunton Ha, Musselburgh.
~~~ooo~~~
!!!! HET KAIL !!!!
IT'S aye the same. Ye nae suiner git the STW feinished an ready tae stert prentin whan a piece o het wittins comes in that juist canna wait anither month tae tell. Sic wis the wittins o Irene McGugan's motion in Scots tae the Scots Pairliament anent a quaisten on the Scots leid in the 2001 Census an the muckle stushie it caused.
The motion wis that:-
"The Scottish Parliament gies a heize tae the demands o the Scots Leid Associe, academic bodies an ithers for a question anent Scots on the National Census o 2001 an hauds at sic a question is the ae wey o finnin oot the information necessar for tae forder the plannin o a national policie for Scots i the scuils, braidcastin an ither pairts o the public life o Scotland."
For aw that she pit forrit the Motion, speirin in parteeclar that it shuid be screivit in Scots as weel as English, an that wis greed on, she wis later telt that Standing Orders threapit that aw Motions haed tae be screivit in English. In the hinneren, she haed tae pit forrit the Motion screivit in juist English tae alloo the maitter tae mak heidwey.
The'r shuirlie sumhin no richt whan an MSP is allooed tae hae a debate in Scots, wi the permeeshion o the Presiding Officer, an this will kythe in the Official Report screivit in Scots, but the oreeginal pittin forrit o the maitter for discussion CANNA be duin in Scots. Standing Orders like that, that juist cairie on the auld farrant cultural discreemination we thocht we haed gotten redd o, canna be allooed tae gaun unchallenged an Irene is gaun tae tak it up wi the Procedures Comatee on behauf o baith the Scots an Gaelic languages.
Oniebodie ettlin tae gie a heize shuid screive tae onie o the follaein Procedures Comatee maimbers – Murray Tosh MSP (Convener), Donald Gorrie MSP (auldest Maimber), Janis Hughes MSP, Gordon Jackson MSP, Andy Kerr MSP, Gil Paterson MSP or Mike Russell MSP.
~~~ooo~~~
Sendin Smoked Haddies Tae Arbroath.
ON Monday 9t. o November, the Scots Tung Convener an Secretar wis invitit alang tae a forgaitherin o the Cockenzie an Port Seton Local History Society tae gie a wee crack anent the Scots leid an the ongauns o Scots Tung. The forgaitherin, hauden in the Port Seton Community Centre, wis awfu weel tendit wi aboot 40 fowk thare an ye cuid feel frae the souch o the place that the intrest in the Scots language wis the rael McKay. Hauf wey through, quaistens wis invitit frae the bodie o the kirk an it wis plain as the neb on yer face that the Scots comin frae the flair wis ilka bit as guid as the Scots comin frae the pletform. It wis lik sendin smoked haddies tae Arbroath but in a guid, hert-warmin kinna wey. The'r no monie forgaitherins we'v been tae whaur English wis nae whaur tae be fund but this ane wis the nearest ye cuid git. Forbye that, we selt aboot £32.00 worth o Yule cairds aw thegither thon nicht, for aw that we juist haed seeven o wir new cairds left.
~~~ooo~~~
Guid Friday Greement Set Tae Gie Ulster Scots A Muckle Heize.
WI raicent ongauns anent the Guid Friday Greement it leuks like peace micht weel hae a chance noo in Northern Ireland an aw the monie greements atween the Irish an UK Governments can noo be pit in place includin the ane tae tak on haund settin up cross-border bodies tae dale wi maitters hauden dear tae baith pairts o Ireland.
Ane o thae greements is tae dae awa wi the Irish Language Board, that haes owerance ower awthin tae dae wi Irish Gaelic athin the Irish Republic, an pit in its place a new cross-border bodie wi owerance for baith Irish Gaelic an Ulster Scots. This new bodie is tae be sindert intae twa pairts, ane for Irish Gaelic wi its heid office in Belfast (NI) an ane for Ulster Scots wi its heid office in Donegal (Irish Rep.)
We unnerstaun that fundin for the twa languages is tae be aboot £10m, or thereby, for Irish Gaelic (75% frae the Republic Government an 25% frae the UK Government) an anither £1m for Ulster Scots forbye (75% frae the UK Government an 25% frae the Rep. Govt.) This means that forbye the £750,000 that the UK Govt. is gaun tae gie Ulster Scots, the Irish Republic is gaun tae gie it £250,000 an aw, twice as muckle siller nor the UK Govt. haes gien tae the leid's mither tung, (Scottish) Scots.
It's aye guid tae see a wee bairn weel fendit for but whit kinna fowk wad juist gaun by an leave its mither tae sterve?
~~~ooo~~~
Scots Language Poster In Pairliament Shop.
IT haes noo been confirmed that the follaein Scots Tung's poster haes been pit up inside the Pairliament Shop. Or noo, the onlie signage or posters tae be seen on the pairliament premises, haes been screivit onlie in aither English or Gaelic. Tho this is juist a temporary ane tae help tae sell wir Yule cairds, some poster haed tae be the first tae be screivit in Scots an Scots Tung is unco prood that it turned oot tae be ane o wir ain. We wunner whit'll be saicont.
[NOTE: image here of a poster saying 'Scots Language Christmas Cairds Selt Here' in original]
~~~ooo~~~
Juist Gaunae No!
THON new tellie program, Chewin The Fat that's bein pit oot on BBC1 thae days haes shuirlie peened on tae a new "catch phrase". It gauns sumhin lik this:- "Gaunae no dae that!" "How no?" "Juist gaunae no!" Pure dead brilliant is it no?
Makars' Neuk
An sae this day brings fowk content,
Blithesome, hertie merriment.
Aw thanks tae a bairn born lang syne
An mindit noo in breid an wine.
J.C. Cousin.
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