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Document 1785

Scots Tung Wittins 134

Author(s): Robert Fairnie

Copyright holder(s): Name withheld

Text

Nummer 134
Jan. 2005

A guid Scots Tung in yer heid's nae guid if yer mooth's ower blate tae uise it!

Scots Tung WITTINS

Eydently Campaignin for the Scots Leid
Ph. [CENSORED: phonenumber] Scots Tung Wabsteid: http://uk.geocities.com/rfairnie@btinternet.com/ Stravaiger Ph. [CENSORED: phonenumber]

A Guid New Year Tae Ane An Aw!
[NOTE: two photographs here 1.of Euan Robson 2. of Scottish Parliament in original]
FAREWEEL tae 2004 an walcome tae 2005. Tho in mony weys the auld year wis a richt dizzy for the Scots language, it did tak ane or twa fitless wee steps forrit. The Dictionary o the Scots Leid wis furthset on tae the wab for the first time an the Scots Executive, still aye in its auld hoose on the Mound, wis gien a richt sair pammie bi the European Chairter's Comatee o Experts for daein neist tae naethin for the Scots language in the first year efter ratification o the chairter. Ane o the heidmaist things that the Comatee pyntit oot wis the want o ony kinna Scots Language Strategy. Euan Robson o the Executive, in repone tae questions in Juin, threapit that officials haed stertit oot on discussions wi the Scottish Centre for Information on Language Teachin (SCILT) aboot the maitter o a Scots language strategy. He addit that the Executive wis howpfu o fetchin oot a strategy for Scots aboot the hinnerend o 2004 at the airliest but mair nor likely, it widnae be ready till airly 2005 but he said the maitter wis o muckle interest tae the Executive an that they wad be eydently follaein it up. It's airly 2005 the noo is it no??

The first o the kenspeckle Beatrix Potter buiks, "The Tale of Peter Rabbit" wis owerset intae Scots as "The Tale o Peter Kinnen".

The new pairlament at Holyrood wis hanselt wi the MSPs, Royal guests an visitors maistlins aw takin haunds at the hinnerend an singin Auld Lang Syne an the new Pairlament wabsteid haed ane o its pages an some o its documents owerset intae a nummer o languages includin Scots. Ither estaiblishment wabsteids sic as the Scottish Airts Cooncil an Scotland's Culture haed pages owerset intae Scots an aw an thon maun shuirly be seen as a wee bit step forrit on bygane years.
St. Andrew's Day seen the launch on the wab o the Scottish Corpus o Texts an Speech (SCOTS) wabsteid for the first time tae merk anither kenspeckle step forrit for the leid an the Itchy Coo kept on pittin oot mair Scots buiks for the bairns in the scuils wi "Blethertoun Braes" bein the hinnermaist ane tae be brocht oot.

Ongaun consultations, ane anent Scotland's Culture an anither ane anent the 2011 Census, wis stertit in the auld year an cairriet on intae the new. The Freends o Robert Fergusson pit up a braw new statue as a mindin o the poet in the Canongate an they're ettlin tae yird a time-capsule wi mony texts, some in Scots an includin a laminatit copy o the Scots Tung Wittins.

Colin Donati's Scots owersettin o the United Nations Universal Declaration o Human Richts wis gien its introduction in the new Holyrood pairlament in December an motions wis pitten forrit in the European Pairlament, the Wastminster Pairlament an the Scots Pairlament speirin tae hae a Scots owersettin o the Treaty Estaiblishin a Constitution for the European Union lodged wi the EU.

Efter the hansellin o the new Holyrood pairlament biggin, 2005 will be the first full year for oor MSPs in thair muckle new hoose an it wad be guid tae see thaim aw growin up tae fit baith the stature an dignity o thair new surroondins. The First Meinister haes telt the pairlament he wad be blithe tae see the Scottish Saltire fleein ower the Scots pairlament but says the hinnermaist say lies wi the pairlament an the MSPs thairsels. Sae let's howp oor new pairlament in 2005 disnae bide bare-heidit the wey it maistly wis in 2004. The twa centres o pouer at the fit o the Canongate is the pairlament biggin an the palace juist athort the road. Holyrood Palace, the Queen's hoose, is never athoot aither the Lion Rampant or the Queen's pairsonal royal standart.

There nae reason whit wey the Scottish people's pairlament shuid be athoot thon people's ain standart, the Scottish Saltire. This widnae be ony precedent for the Scottish Executive's ain fleet o fishery protection cruisers aye flees the Saltire at the bow insteid o the Union Flag when they're tied up in the herbour.

This new pairlament in its braw new biggin haes aw the inlats it needs tae mak 2005 the year that seen aff aw the auld cringes this nation haes haed tae dree for ower mony a year. Lat's howp it can live up tae its commitments tae the European Chairter in full an fetch oot an honest Scots Language Strategy that will shaw tae the warld the pride an confidence it haes in oor ain vernacular Scots language.

Nane the waur o a guid pardon
A propone tae haund doon a royal pardon tae the suffragettes that wis gien the jyle for thair campaign tae win the richt tae vote for weemin in the bygane, haes re-opened some auld airgiements. An early day motion haed been signed bi mony MPs in the Hoose o Commons speirin for the back-datit exoneration o Emmeline Pankhurst an her feres in the Weemin's Social Political Union, that taen pairt in civil-disobedience, hunger-strikes an e'en bomb attacks aw for the richt tae tak a proper pairt in democracy.

Howanever, the Sir Humphreys doon at the Hame Office taks the consait that the maitter wad hiv tae be referred tae the Coort o Appeal or e'en tae the Criminal Cases Review Commission. But an orra ootcome is that, for aw that men MPs the likes o the SNP's Mike Weir, uphauds the cry for a pardon, the weemin's no that shuir. Meg Munn, convener o the Pairlamentary Labour Pairty's weemin's comatee disagrees sayin, "A believe a pardon wad in some wey tak awa frae the achievement o thae suffragettes."

(Taen frae the Law Journal uisin the original title but owersettin the body o the text)

Scots Tung WITTINS
On the wab.
Mair raicent copies o the Scots Tung Wittins can be gotten in pdf format frae Scots Tung's wabsteid 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.
£6 (Ireland/EU) $14 (Americae)

Copyricht
© Copyricht for awthin written in this wittins blat bides wi R. Fairnie. The Scots Tung Wittins can be fotie-copied in hail or in pairt athoot limit o nummers an this hauds guid an aw for ony pairt o the wittins blat that's furthset in ony ither publication.

On The Record Anent The Saltire
[NOTE: a photograph here of the Saltire in original]
THE follaein is an owersettin o pairt o the Scots Pairlament's Official Report frae the 7 Oct 2004:-

Michael McMahon (Hamilton North an Bellshill) (Lab):
The First Meinister is talkin aboot the image o Scotland. He will be awaur that ane o the maist symbolic emblems that we hae is oor saltire. Whit is his consait anent the uiss o the saltire tae promote Scotland?

The First Meinister:
Ma consait anent thon maitter is weel kent. We hiv makit shuir no juist that the saltire is uised mair aften throu-oot the warld, but that it will be uised e'en mair aften bi British embassies an consulates an ither biggins furth o the country in days tae come an that we will uise it mair generally in oor ain Government biggins here in Scotland. We dae this inside thae biggins areddies an we are makin up the guidal that'll mak shuir that it's uised mair aften ootside o thaim. In ma time as First Meinister, the saltire haes been gien a mair kenspeckle presence areddies ootside Executive biggins—somethin that A think the Pairlament shuid follae.
Shona Robison (Dundee East) (SNP):
Will the First Meinister tak an intervention?

The First Meinister:
Afore Ms Robison comes in, A want tae refer tae the ootrageous, inaccurate an deceitfu chairges makit bi Bruce Crawford yisterday on this maitter. We hiv in this Pairlament a clear position that there a devolved Government, that A lead, an a Pairlament, that is rin on a corporate basis, involvin aw the pairties. The Pairlament maks its ain decisions, on an aw-pairty basis, aboot the organisation o this biggin an the rules that is enforced aroond it. A hope that the Pairlament decides tae uise the saltire mair in the new biggin, an it will hae ma support in daein that. Howanever, when Bruce Crawford—that haes mair nor likely haed mair influence ower this than A hiv, as he haes been a regular maimber o the Pairlamentary Buroo—said yisterday that it isnae the Pairlament's responsibility but oor devolved Government's responsibility tae flee the saltire mair ootside this biggin, he mislippent the Scottish public. That is wrang an he shuidnae dae it again.

Sae, noo that we ken. Whit or wha is haudin back this eicht man Pairlamentary Buroo? The results wad tell us that maist o thaim disnae hae ony pride in thair ain saltire.
A guid job oor Scots sodgers disnae agree!

Gag o the year
[NOTE: a photograph here of Rosie Kane in original]
STV's Politics Now program haes haed a Gag o the Week on its program for a guid wee while noo whaur MSPs haes competed wi ane anither at tellin the best corny bars on the program an on the 16 December, efter a public consultation, the program announced the Gag o the Year for the year 2004.
Bi public acclaim, the ane that beired the gree for 2004 wis Rosie Kane MSP wi her ain favourite bar that she tells a wee bit kinna like this:-
Prince Philip says tae the Queen, "Haw Queenie, whit are we gaun tae dae aboot this prostitution bill?" an the Queen says, "Juist pey it Philip. Juist pey it."

A Word or Twa frae the Bygane
THE follaein exemplar o Airly Scots text is taen frae The Gild Court Book of Dunfermline 1433 - 1597 furthset in 1986 bi the Scottish Record Society o Edinburgh frae the Guild's original haund written folios an editit bi Elizabeth P. D. Torrie, Ph.D.

Copyricht © Scottish Record Society
an Elizabeth P. D. Torrie 1986

The text shawn here is datit 20 Februar 1433.

The gyld court haldyn in the toulbouth of Dunfermlyn the xx day of February the yer of Our Lord jm cccc xxxiij (1433) yer the quhilk day was decretit be the gyld brethir of the accion debatibil betwyx Wil Cristison and Huchon Masoun anentis a some of lyme be the consent of bath the partis that the said Wil Cristison and Huchon suld pass to Culros on the Monown-day nyxt eftir and that Huchon on his croft sal tak twa nechbouris witht hym of this toun witht the childer that deliveryit the lyme and thar befor the Abbot of Culros to swer that Huchon and his childer deliverit that lyme that he rasavit fra Wil Cristison of his childer to the Abbot of Culros and never rasavit paiment tharfor and gif the Abbot rafos to her the ath he sal suer the ath befor sufisand witnes and quhilk of partis that falyeis this to tyne the accion.

Written juist 119 year efter the Battle o Bannockburn, the text isnae aw that hard tae read sae lang's we uise a wee bit imagination wi the mair bairn-like spellin system that's uised. The high proportion o words that's shared atween baith Scots an English maks the unnerstaundin a lot easier an in mony weys the text shaws a stranger similarity tae modern written English nor the equivalent English text o the same period, shawn ablow, daes.

It maun hae been aroond this time that the Scots taen tent o the fact that the Inglis spoken in Scotland wisnae juist the same as the English spoken in England an then stertit tae cry thair ain version Scots.

The Late Middle English text shawn here for compare is taen frae the English Privy Council Minute Book o 1424:

Thise ben certain prouisions for the good of the gouernance of this land that the lordes which ben of the kinges. counceil desireth First that my Lord of Gloucestre ne noon other man of the counsail in no suyte that shal be maad vnto hem. schal no fauour graunte neithr in billes of right. ne of office / ne of benefice. that loongeth to the counsail / but oonly to ansuere that the bille shall be seen by all the counsail and the partie suynge so to haue ansuer:
Item. that all the billes. that shull be putt vnto the counseil. shul be onys in the woke / at the lest / that is to saye on the Wednesday redd bifore the counsail/ And their ansueres endoced by the same counsail / And on the friday next folewinge to the partie suyng:

Makar's Neuk
THE CHEESE

A traiveller cam owre the hill,
Fae walkin he wis wet an weary,
He cam up tae a cottage door;
Inside a fire burnt bright an cheerie,
"Guid Sir, guid dame, can I come in an rest,
For I am achin sairly?
Gie me a bed for this yae nicht;
I'll be awa in the mornin early!"

"Come in, come in!" the guid man cried,
"Yae siller coin sall be yer lawin.
Ye sall sleep, ye sall rest,
An gang yer way when day is dawin!"
They brought him breid, they brought him ale,
And syne, a cheese; oh it tasted rarely,
The guid man beddit neist the waa,
An then his wife wha bloomed sae fairly.

"Come traiveller, an lie wi me,
Ma husband he is auld an sleepin!
Come, traiveller, an lie wi me,
Gey oft at nicht I lie here weepin!
Come, traiveller an lie wi me;
I'll gie ye onythin ye please!"
"If that be so," the young man said,
"I'll hae anither bit o cheese."

Through aa that nicht, she lay her lane,
His jaws they niver stapped their munchin.
Through aa that nicht, she lay sae fain,
An grimly thocht o his banes a-scrunchin.
Noo, aa ye sons o Adam's race,
Gin ever sic a chance befaa,
Remember whit the guid book says,
Fell greed can damn ye warst of aa!

Andra Douglas

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The SCOTS Project and the University of Glasgow do not necessarily endorse, support or recommend the views expressed in this document.

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APA Style:

Scots Tung Wittins 134. 2024. In The Scottish Corpus of Texts & Speech. Glasgow: University of Glasgow. Retrieved 28 March 2024, from http://www.scottishcorpus.ac.uk/document/?documentid=1785&highlight=scots tung wittins.

MLA Style:

"Scots Tung Wittins 134." The Scottish Corpus of Texts & Speech. Glasgow: University of Glasgow, 2024. Web. 28 March 2024. http://www.scottishcorpus.ac.uk/document/?documentid=1785&highlight=scots tung wittins.

Chicago Style

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If your style guide prefers a single bibliography entry for this resource, we recommend:

The Scottish Corpus of Texts & Speech. 2024. Glasgow: University of Glasgow. http://www.scottishcorpus.ac.uk.

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Information about Document 1785

Scots Tung Wittins 134

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Text audience

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Method of composition N/A
Word count 2456
General description monthly newsletter

Text medium

Leaflet/brochure (prospectus)

Text publication details

Published
Publisher Scots Tung
Publication year 2005
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 Speak Read Write Understand Circumstances
English Yes Yes Yes Yes At work
German Yes Yes Yes Yes In Germany to communicate with two grandsons
Scots Yes Yes Yes Yes Wherever Scots is understood

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