For some reason there seems to be a thing going on about Scots, the language, and why we should embrace it. Which is at least an improvement on wanting to reclaim Gaelic, given that we as a majority do speak a form of Scots.
The first I've seen of this new revival is with my children. In consecutive years, the twins have been selected to recite at the Burns' day hoo-ha. The poems were in Scots and I had the boys telling me things such as "flair is Scottish for floor" and other things that, I'm sorry, grated. On the first year, twin one gained first place and received a certificate in English commemorating this. Year two and twin two was third, with a certificate in Scots. "Weel done" and "oor schuil" both irked me.
A week or so ago I saw the end of a programme (presumably only for the delight of BBC2 Scotland viewers) called Scots Schuil, and this caught my eye. To be precise it screamed out "incorrect!!!" in the same manner as the certificate. But I turned over anyway.
This programme made me think. It featured some pleasantly spoken children going to learn Scots, learning about the language and how it has been left behind. At one point they performed a sketch where one of the children was talking about "hunners" and the headmistress was saying "it's hundreds!" (as I would). The parents afterwards were discussing whether we should embrace the Scots language and encourage the use of such words.
I'm not sure how I feel about this. I don't want to stamp out my heritage, but at the same time it doesn't sound nice to me. Pronouncing anything with the "ow" sound - our, town, house - as "oo" instead sounds kind of rough, as does dropping the consonants.
I live in Fife, although I'm originally from Edinburgh, and I genuinely can't pronounce some of the Fife words. While I'd be happy to refer to potatoes as "tatties", I can't form the local pronunciation, which is more or less "toi'ees".
Having placed myself in a dilemma as to whether I should celebrate my heritage and stop correcting "ma" to "my" in my sons, I watched another programme tonight about Scots words and their brilliance.
For all my worries about pronunciation, there is many's a word that I consider absolutely normal that are Scots words:
Blether.
Glaikit.
Scunnered.
Guddle
Jiggered.
Shoogle.
Muckle.
Jiggered and blether haven't been underlined by the phone. Maybe they're not uniquely Scottish?
They're just everyday words as far as I'm concerned. Or not. I only found out relatively recently that you don't get tablet anywhere else, unless it's made by/for a Scot.
There's a way of speaking and a turn of phrase which is pure Scots. Some of which I use and don't even notice, much I find offensive to my pedantic ears.
I conclude that I have my own rules. They work for me. There's no lingual difference in how and when you use an apostrophe though.
Finally, I feel the need to irrelevantly point out that the first line of Auld Lyne Syne is not a question.
Showing posts with label Scots. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Scots. Show all posts
Wednesday, 7 March 2012
Thursday, 27 November 2008
Things you probably wouldn't want to do #825,321.75
People that like to have a rant: the Scots
Subject they like to rant about: the Union, whatever their stance on it
So would anyone in their right mind have an open comments site for Scots (or indeed anyone else that cared, ie noone) to comment on a proposed referendum for independence?
Yup.
The National Conversation.
We are only 3 months behind here, which is quite good as yesterday we were in 2006.
I've read something like 6 comments and I'm itching to say something. Itching. Itching. I shall refrain, because "oh my god get me away from these cretins, I quite like England and I LOVE Wales" probably wouldn't be all that helpful. I don't believe that's representative of what I actually think about independence anyway. I want to be (properly) part of Europe. Or we could form an alliance with Norway and Switzerland and go completely in the other direction. Hmm. I don't know what I think. I need someone to understand politics for me and explain it s-l-o-w-l-y. Or I might become a politician.
Scarily, this looks like they want the people of Scotland to think up their own constitution. 24 hour compulsory drinking, free fags and regular stoning of the English does not a constitution make.
Fla fla fla. Roads and stuff.
Subject they like to rant about: the Union, whatever their stance on it
So would anyone in their right mind have an open comments site for Scots (or indeed anyone else that cared, ie noone) to comment on a proposed referendum for independence?
Yup.
The National Conversation.
We are only 3 months behind here, which is quite good as yesterday we were in 2006.
I've read something like 6 comments and I'm itching to say something. Itching. Itching. I shall refrain, because "oh my god get me away from these cretins, I quite like England and I LOVE Wales" probably wouldn't be all that helpful. I don't believe that's representative of what I actually think about independence anyway. I want to be (properly) part of Europe. Or we could form an alliance with Norway and Switzerland and go completely in the other direction. Hmm. I don't know what I think. I need someone to understand politics for me and explain it s-l-o-w-l-y. Or I might become a politician.
Scarily, this looks like they want the people of Scotland to think up their own constitution. 24 hour compulsory drinking, free fags and regular stoning of the English does not a constitution make.
Fla fla fla. Roads and stuff.
Friday, 29 August 2008
Scots
I received this list by email today:
You know you're from Scotland when...
1. 'Scattered showers with outbreaks of sunshine and a cold northerly wind' is good weather!
2. The only sausage you like is 'square'.
3. You have been forced to do Scottish country dancing every year at high school.
4. You know a wide vocabulary of random Scottish words -
an idiot is 'a numpty'.
'Aye'- yes.
'Aye Right'-not likely.
'Auldjin'- someone over 40.
'Baltic'-freezing.
'Dry yer eyes'- aww..diddums.
'Dry Boak'- sickened. etc
5. You have an irrational need to eat anything fried with your
supper from the chippy: haggis, pizza, white pudding, sausage, fish,
chicken (but not mars bars) etc...
6. You used to love destroying your teeth when you were young;
Buchanan's toffees, wham bars, tablet, Irn-Bru bars, Cola Cubes, etc
7. You have an enormous feeling of dread whenever the Scotland national football team play a 'diddy' team that we will lose to.
8.You happily engage in a conversation about the weather. 'Dreich day eh? Aye at least the wind has died down'
9.Even if you normally hate the Proclaimers, Runrig, Caledonia ,
Deacon Blue, Big Country etc. you still LOVE it when you're in a club
abroad and they play something Scottish. (you'll probably even ask the
DJ to play it…)
10. You take a perverse level of pride by the fact that Scotland has
the highest number of alcohol and smoking related deaths in Europe . At
least we know how to party, 'Yer a lang time deed'.
11. You used to get up really early on a Saturday/Sunday to watch
cartoons when you were a kid. You watched Glen Michael's Cartoon
Cavalcade on a Sunday afternoon with his sidekick oil lamp called
Paladin. You remember Glen giving Paladin a good hard stroke!.
12. You were given an Oor Wullie or Broons Annual at Christmas.
13. You have come in from the pub pi**ed with flatmates and watched an episode of Weirs Way engrossed by a little guy with a bobbly hat walking around Scotland .
14. You can tell where another Scot is from by their accent. E.g.
Glaswegian: 'Awright pal, gonnae gies a wee swatch oa yur Record, cheers, magic
pal'
Fifer: 'Aye, that wifie is getting it oan wi a laddie fae the butchers'
Dundonian: 'Twa bridies, a plen ane in an ingin ane an a'
Aberdonian: 'Fit ya bin up tae, fair few quines in the night eh?'
Invernesian: 'Ah-ee, Right Enufff! 'How's you keeeeeepeeeen?'.
15. You see police and hear someone shout 'Errrapolis'
16. You have participated in or witnessed people having a 'square go'.
17. You know that when someone asks you which school you went to, they
actually want to know if you're a protestant or a catholic.
18. You have eaten lots of random Scottish food like Bridies, Aberdeen
Rowies(butteries), Mince & Tatties, Haggis, Cullen Skink, Stovies,
Tunnock's Teacakes/Snowballs, Scott's Porridge Oats, Macaroon Bars,
Baxters Soup, Scotch Pies, Scotch Eggs, Oatcakes, Shortbread, Arbroath
Smokies etc.
19. A jakey has asked you for money: 'Got any spare change hen?'
20. You wait expectantly for your 1p change from the shopkeeper.
21.You know the right response to 'yoo dancin' is 'yoo askin', followed by 'am askin' and finally 'then am dancin!!'
22. You know that whenever you see sawdust it reminds you of pools of
vomit because that's what the 'jannies' used to chuck on it.
23. You lose all respect for a groom that doesn't wear a kilt to his wedding.
24. You don't do the groceries or shopping, you do the 'messages'.
25.You've been sitting quietly on the train/bus and then a drunk man
sits beside ye..telling ye a 'joke' ..and saying 'I'm no annoying ye am
a hen/pal?' You: 'Not at all...yer fine...'a think this is ma stop!!'
26.You know a Scottish male can have a telephone conversation using only the words 'Awright', 'Aye' and 'Naw'.
27. You have experienced the peer pressure to have an alcoholic drink
after you've ordered something non-alcoholic. 'Mon, have a drink,
whit's wrang, ye driving? Naw. Are you no well? Naw. Get yersel a
drink, (other folk-Wahey!)
28.You know ye cannae fling pieces oot a twenty storey flat, seven
hundred hungry weans'll testify, to that. If it's butter, cheese or
jeely, if the breid is plain or pan, the odds against it reaching earth
are ninety-nine tae wan.
29. You know that going to a party at a friends house means bring your own drinks
30.Your holiday abroad is ruined if you hear there is a 'heatwave' in Scotland while you're away.
With the exception of 28 that has me scratching my head a bit, these are all really really normal things. Aren't they????
You know you're from Scotland when...
1. 'Scattered showers with outbreaks of sunshine and a cold northerly wind' is good weather!
2. The only sausage you like is 'square'.
3. You have been forced to do Scottish country dancing every year at high school.
4. You know a wide vocabulary of random Scottish words -
an idiot is 'a numpty'.
'Aye'- yes.
'Aye Right'-not likely.
'Auldjin'- someone over 40.
'Baltic'-freezing.
'Dry yer eyes'- aww..diddums.
'Dry Boak'- sickened. etc
5. You have an irrational need to eat anything fried with your
supper from the chippy: haggis, pizza, white pudding, sausage, fish,
chicken (but not mars bars) etc...
6. You used to love destroying your teeth when you were young;
Buchanan's toffees, wham bars, tablet, Irn-Bru bars, Cola Cubes, etc
7. You have an enormous feeling of dread whenever the Scotland national football team play a 'diddy' team that we will lose to.
8.You happily engage in a conversation about the weather. 'Dreich day eh? Aye at least the wind has died down'
9.Even if you normally hate the Proclaimers, Runrig, Caledonia ,
Deacon Blue, Big Country etc. you still LOVE it when you're in a club
abroad and they play something Scottish. (you'll probably even ask the
DJ to play it…)
10. You take a perverse level of pride by the fact that Scotland has
the highest number of alcohol and smoking related deaths in Europe . At
least we know how to party, 'Yer a lang time deed'.
11. You used to get up really early on a Saturday/Sunday to watch
cartoons when you were a kid. You watched Glen Michael's Cartoon
Cavalcade on a Sunday afternoon with his sidekick oil lamp called
Paladin. You remember Glen giving Paladin a good hard stroke!.
12. You were given an Oor Wullie or Broons Annual at Christmas.
13. You have come in from the pub pi**ed with flatmates and watched an episode of Weirs Way engrossed by a little guy with a bobbly hat walking around Scotland .
14. You can tell where another Scot is from by their accent. E.g.
Glaswegian: 'Awright pal, gonnae gies a wee swatch oa yur Record, cheers, magic
pal'
Fifer: 'Aye, that wifie is getting it oan wi a laddie fae the butchers'
Dundonian: 'Twa bridies, a plen ane in an ingin ane an a'
Aberdonian: 'Fit ya bin up tae, fair few quines in the night eh?'
Invernesian: 'Ah-ee, Right Enufff! 'How's you keeeeeepeeeen?'.
15. You see police and hear someone shout 'Errrapolis'
16. You have participated in or witnessed people having a 'square go'.
17. You know that when someone asks you which school you went to, they
actually want to know if you're a protestant or a catholic.
18. You have eaten lots of random Scottish food like Bridies, Aberdeen
Rowies(butteries), Mince & Tatties, Haggis, Cullen Skink, Stovies,
Tunnock's Teacakes/Snowballs, Scott's Porridge Oats, Macaroon Bars,
Baxters Soup, Scotch Pies, Scotch Eggs, Oatcakes, Shortbread, Arbroath
Smokies etc.
19. A jakey has asked you for money: 'Got any spare change hen?'
20. You wait expectantly for your 1p change from the shopkeeper.
21.You know the right response to 'yoo dancin' is 'yoo askin', followed by 'am askin' and finally 'then am dancin!!'
22. You know that whenever you see sawdust it reminds you of pools of
vomit because that's what the 'jannies' used to chuck on it.
23. You lose all respect for a groom that doesn't wear a kilt to his wedding.
24. You don't do the groceries or shopping, you do the 'messages'.
25.You've been sitting quietly on the train/bus and then a drunk man
sits beside ye..telling ye a 'joke' ..and saying 'I'm no annoying ye am
a hen/pal?' You: 'Not at all...yer fine...'a think this is ma stop!!'
26.You know a Scottish male can have a telephone conversation using only the words 'Awright', 'Aye' and 'Naw'.
27. You have experienced the peer pressure to have an alcoholic drink
after you've ordered something non-alcoholic. 'Mon, have a drink,
whit's wrang, ye driving? Naw. Are you no well? Naw. Get yersel a
drink, (other folk-Wahey!)
28.You know ye cannae fling pieces oot a twenty storey flat, seven
hundred hungry weans'll testify, to that. If it's butter, cheese or
jeely, if the breid is plain or pan, the odds against it reaching earth
are ninety-nine tae wan.
29. You know that going to a party at a friends house means bring your own drinks
30.Your holiday abroad is ruined if you hear there is a 'heatwave' in Scotland while you're away.
With the exception of 28 that has me scratching my head a bit, these are all really really normal things. Aren't they????
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