SCOTS Project - www.scottishcorpus.ac.uk Document : 1711 Title : Scots Tung Wittins 60 Author(s): Robert Fairnie Copyright holder(s): Name withheld Text Nummer 60 Nov. 1998 Keepin a guid Scots tung in yer heid's nae guid! Lat oot an uise it! Scots Tung WITTINS Eydentlie uphaudin the Scots Leid Campaine E-mail: [CENSORED: emailaddress] Ph. [CENSORED: phonenumber] Moray Cooncil beirs the gree wi Moray Claik. PITTIN ither cooncils tae shame, Moray Cooncil haes pit its siller whaur its mooth is an threapit tae the warld its commitment tae uphaudin an forderin the Scots leid (Doric), bi eikin Moray Claik tae its Moray Cooncil wab-steid. Moray Claik is a Scots language based wab-steid for forderin the language an cultur o the airt an is open tae aa the schuils in the airt an ayont bi wey o the warld-wide-wab. It's a weel plenisht steid fou o stories, soonds an foties anent the local industry an cultur. Pride o place tho, maun aye gaun tae the follaein Cooncil Policy Statement :- THE MORAY COONCIL – DEPAIRTMENT O EDUCATION POLICY STATEMENT THE TEACHIN O SCOTS LANGUAGE AN SCOTTISH CULTURE. The Moray Cooncil kens, foo weel, the value o the tongue, and the byordnar culture, o fowkies o Moray. The Cooncil gies full backin t the eese o the Scots Language, an encourages the recognition o its stannin as a Language, wi an identity unique in its ain richt, an separate fae that o English. The Cooncil is one hunner per cent ahin Scottish an Language bein encouraged in aa its education establishments. In Schools The Education Depairtment, in pairtnership wi ither Depairtments o the Cooncil, is fully ahin the teachin o Scots Language an Scottish Culture, as a naitril an essential pairt o the ower-aa programme for skweel bairns – fae littlins richt throu t skweel leavers. The teachin o Scots Language an Scottish Culture shid be pairt o – raither than separate fae – a system oxterin aa cultural frameworks. The Scots Language, baith written an spoken, shid git due regaird as a valid wye o communicatin farivver sic eese is appropriate. Skweel bairns shid be learnt aa aboot the History an naitril eese o Scots. Skweel bairns shid be gien ample opportunity t experience the Cultural Heritage o Moray, an o Scotland, throu contact wi wir ain Literature, Music, Drama an Art. Skweel bairns shid be gien the chance o studying local customs, fairlies, traditions an History, within a braider cultural framework. ~~~ooo~~~ The inlat tae Moray Claik wab-steid can be fund on :- www.moray.org/ Nae doot it wad be a gey wyce-lik thing tae dae gin some or aa oor Scots language upsteerer wab-steids wis tae eik a short-cut tae the abuin steid frae thair ain steids. Gin Moray Claik wis tae hae the same kinna short-cut tae thae ither wab-steids, the schuils' inlat tae the Scots language content wad be eikit tae bi mair nor five or six hunner per cent. Scots Tung WITTINS on the wab. The Scots Tung Wittins can be vizzied or doun-loadit an prentit (nou in HTML format forbye) frae the wab-steid o :- The Scots Speikers Curn, Glesca. Wab-steid backin :-http://www.ndirect.co.uk/~love/ Caur Kist Mercat. SETURDAY 7t. November seen Scots Tung wi a table at the abuin mercat in the bounds o Musselburgh Gremmar Schuil. Mair nor echtie o wir auld Yule cairds wis selt alang wi a haundfu o caur-stickers, framed texts an that. Forbye thon, aboot ninetie copies o the Scots Tung Wittins, a hunner SNDA beuk-merks an ither SNDA publeecitie leaflets wis gied awa an the wee puckle o beuk-merks that wis left ower wis taen awa bi ane o the teachers tae pit in the schuil library. ~~~ooo~~~ STANZA, St. Andraes, 8t. Oct. Bi Anna Darmody (SLRC Volunteer). IT wis cried a poetry extravaganza wi poetry readins an open discussion aa culminatin in a nicht devotit tae recitations frae the works o oor medieval makars. A ettelt tae gaun tae aa the ongauns an didna manage bit whit A saw wis worth a word or twa. Harvey Holton, the poet frae the Borders, that bides in Fife, read some o his poetry alang wi Christine da Luca, the Shetlander that mairriet intae the da Luca ice-cream faimlie o Edinbrae. Holton read in a relaxed bit intense wey. His poetry isna the maist easily accessible bit he reads it wi conviction an sincerity. Christine da Luca,oan the ither haund, is mair the performer. She's goat aa the mainnerisms o an actress an enjoys entertainin her listeners. Her Shetlandic wis fair braw tae listen tae. She taen us back a puckle year tae tell stories o island life whan she wis a lassie an hou she mindit o the weemin sittin knittin, sae skeelie in thair darg. Thay wad sit an spaek thegither uisin words that only the knitters kent. Maist o her poems wis in Shetlandic, bit she recitit twa she haed screivit in English an thay didna hae the same effeck at aa. In fack A'd gaun as faur tae say that thay soondit lik a puir translation frae the Scots. The Shetlandic wis sae rare an rich that whan she went intae English, the leid lost that spark. It didna seem naitral somewey. It's no easy ettlin tae screive in a fremmit leid an mak a guid joab o't. Whan A speirt Harvey that nicht, "Div you screive in English?", he reponed, "A canna." Tae ma mind, Christine shuid stick tae her native Shetlandic an she'll gie monie fowk muckle pleesure. Afore the readins thare wis ae bodie goat up tae spaek an he soondit a bit oot o place. It wis a young Englishman that haed been brocht in bi the local aff-licence tae dae a wee bit talk oan three auld whiskies thay haed for preein. His wey o talkin wis formal an impersonal an cuidna convey tae the listeners the real character o the drink in the wey that Scots cuid. Efter aa, we war forgaithert tae hear Scots poetry sae whit wey did we no hae a native Scots speaker celebratin the peculiarities o oor naitional Drink? Hooaniver, some fowk thinks that English soonds mair eloquent an sophisticatit. At sic a forgaitherin the offeecial leid appears, tae some lugs, mair solid an convincin acause that's aa thay iver hear. Mibbie thon wis the reason the local tredsman uised an Englishman for promotin his product! The real eloquence that nicht tho wis in the poetry o Holton an da Luca. That wad hae shawed tae oniebodie in doot that Scots is sic a braw an expressive leid that aabodie in Scotland shuid be learnt tae read an screive in it. ~~~ooo~~~ Stellar Quines an the Deep Rising. DEEP RISING is Janet Paisley's new play, that haes been jyntlie commissioned bi Stellar Quines an the Pitlochry Festival Theatre. Setten awa back in 1745, it tells the intrestin true story o Colonel Anne Farquharson, the ae wumman Colonel in the Jacobite airmie. (Naw, we dinna ken hou monie thare wis on the Hanoverian side.) Deep Rising gauns intae aa the particularities o sex, politics, pouer an lealtie wi muckle wit, humour an virr. We hear tell frae Irene Doris, ane o wir maimbers that went alang tae a readin o the play, that the language wis a guid growthie Scots. Tho the'r mair expeckit tae be duin in 1999, ful production o this play isna expeckit tae kythe or the year 2000 an gin oniebodie ettles tae ken mair, thay shuid contack Lynn Bains, the Director, at Stellar Quines, Forth Campus, Telford College, Muirhoose Avenue, Edinburgh, EH4 4AE. Ph. [CENSORED: phonenumber]. Stellar Quines Theatre Company, is a feckfu company foondit in 1993 tae refleck the virr, expairience an pynt o view o leadin weemin in the Scottish Theatre. Its ettles is tae big uphaud tae gie weemin the inlat tae tak owerance for thair ain professional lives in the theatre bi wey o kythin unco guid wark an complouterin juist wi men that haes the same veesion as thirsels. ~~~ooo~~~ Wee Alickie that belangs Aiberdeen's Green Final. [NOTE: a cartoon boy here in original] Wee Alickie haes fund his guid Scots vice agane this week tho, hou he daesna jag his tung on thon orra apostrophe at the hinneren o the tap line, we dinna ken. For aa that, it's a sicht better nor last week whan he maun hae been tryin tae pit it on a bit,for the bool in his mooth wis garrin him uise words lik to, your, by an hour. Mind you, whan ye hae a richt leuk at him, Wee Alickie leuks the eemage o Dennis Law whan he wis a laddie wi hair on his heid an Dennis wis niver sweir tae pit it on a bit, parteeclar on the tellie, tho he wis aye better at the fitbaa nor he wis at pittin it on. We wunner gin Wee Alickie's onie kin tae him. ~~~ooo~~~ By-ordinar Scots Tung Forgaitherin. FOR ordinar, wir neist monthly forgaitherin shuid tak place on Monday 7t. December but thon wad be ower late for giein oot Yule cairds tae thae maimbers as micht be wantin thaim. A deceesion wis taen at the last ane tae hae a by-ordinar forgaitherin on Monday 23t. November for the giein oot o Yule cairds an this is a by-ordinar edeetion o the Scots Tung Wittins tae lat aa wir maimbers ken whit's gaun on. Anither deceesion wad be taen then as tae whuther we wad still hae the forgaitherin o 7t. December or tae juist mak 23t. Nov. the last ane afore we stert agane in the New Year. ~~~ooo~~~ Neist Forgaitherin. Mon. 23t. Nov. 1998 7.30pm tae 9.00pm Comatee Rm. C. Brunton Haa, Musselburgh. ~~~ooo~~~ Fareweel tae the Brunton Haa's Comatee Room C. THE abuin forgaitherin on Mon. 23t. November will be the last ane for us in wir auld fameeliar Comatee Room C. It's bein taen oot o service an chynged ower intae an office for Mistress Wilkie, the Registrar that taks oor beukins. The ae wee chaumer left for us tae uise in 1999 will be the Smaa Lounge, but thare micht weel be a guid puckle competeetion for it sae, we'll hae tae pit forrit a leet o aa the dates o wir forgaitherins up till oor simmer brek. Hae a wee think on this afore the 23t. sae we can gie a leet o wir forgaitherins tae Mistress Wilkie on the 24t. ~~~ooo~~~ Yule Cairds 1998. [NOTE: an image of a card in original] THE'R a set o fower Yule cairds this year, twa wi cartoons starrin the twa craws frae Corbie Close an the ither twa wi juist text on the foreside but duin in a gey fantoosh calligraphy lik the ane abuin. An exemplar o ane wi the craws wis gien in Nummer 59 o the Wittins. We unnerstaun the ackwal size o the new cairds is 21cm x 10cm tae fit intae a standart DL envelope (22cm x 11cm). ~~~ooo~~~ Fantoosh Flooers!!! SOME fowks haes the swick o pittin the ee grippin pouer o screivit Scots tae guid uiss an, whit a cracker o a nem Fantoosh Flooers is for a flooer shop. We hear tell frae Lorraine, wha rins the shop, that the nem itsel is a muckle draw for customers. Irene Doris, (aye her agane ) oor stravaigin sleuth, haes haed a wee crack wi Lorraine an she's bodit tae pit some o wir Yule cairds up for sale. Ye cuidna git a better partnerie nor Scots language Yule cairds sellin in a shop cried Fantoosh Flooers. The shop is at the follaein address :- [CENSORED: postaladdress]. Ph. [CENSORED: phonenumber] Keep a guid ee oot for it gin ye'r iver doun that wey, parteeclar gin ye'r on the leuk-oot for fantoosh flooers or fantoosh cairds. ~~~ooo~~~ The Ken Fine Show. THURSDAY 12t. November seen the first screenin o the new series o the Ken Fine show on STV at 11.05pm. Watch oot for it ilka Thursday (6 programs). Threapit as a celebration o the Scots language, it taen the same kinna furm as the last series an, tho the'r wis some guid serious Scots spaeken, parteeclar bi Janet Paisley, the'r wis ower muckle o Michael Marra's lood croonin (ye cuidna mak oot the words) an Ken Docherty uisin the leid the wey Ken Dodd uises his ticklin-stick. We didna unnerstaun whit he wis gaun on aboot at the stert whan he speirt hou the Picts, Celts, Scots an Angles aa managed tae spaek tae ane-anither whan thay war fechtin the Romans at Mons Graupius in 84 A.D. Tacitus the Roman didna seem tae be fashed wi the language o the Picts for he quotit thair leader, Calgacus, as sayin, "Thay mak a dessert an thay cry it peace!" Gin thare wis onie Angles at yon stour, wi thair Inglis tung (the fore-rinner o Scots), the chances is thay wad hae been fechtin on the Roman side as Anglo-Saxon mercenaries frae Germany. The Scots an Angles, Ken wis spaekin o, didna git here or anither 350 year efter the battle o Mons Graupius. Coorse, it's aa juist a muckle laugh tae him. Gin it wis tae be a siccar celebration o the Scots language, whit wey wis it no celebratit an praisentit in Scots insteid o in English? Gin a leid isna guid eneuch for praisentin wi, is thare onie pynt in celebratin it? Wad STV celebrate Gaelic in English? Whit leid wad thay celebrate English in? Scots? ~~~ooo~~~ Makars' Neuk The horsey lasses, there because They haenae onie fears O loupin cuddies owre brick waas They've practised it for years. Gin they get thrawn off at the jumps They're raised tae sic reverses Tho on their heids a routh o bumps An gey sair skin't their erses, Hard cheese, Fiona! In Yarrae at the Show. Walter Elliot. 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: 2328 General description: monthly newsletter Text medium Leaflet/brochure (prospectus): Text publication details Published: Publisher: Scots Tung Publication year: 1998 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