|
Over the years, there has been a history of prejudice against the use of Scots Language in the classroom : generations of children using Scots in their everyday speech have been censured by their teacher or their parents for "speaking improperly". This question and answer sheet should dispel this misconception and show that Scots Language is the key to an enrichment of cultural identity for our children. |
|
|
|
|
Q. What is Scots?
A. Scots is the language spoken by the population of Lowland Scotland. It has common roots in the Germanic family of languages with English and Danish and a history and literature going back to the 14th century.
Q. In what form does Scots exist in the present day?
A. It exists in a multiplicity of dialect forms but without a Standard Scots to correspond to Standard English. Gaelic is also in this position. There is nothing linguistically wrong with the forms of Scots we have, but for political and social reasons our children have been discouraged from using them for nearly three hundred years, on the grounds that they are incorrect, inferior or corrupt forms of English.
Q. Where can information about differences of dialect be found?
A. Fuller information about differences of dialect can be found in the Concise Scots Dictionary introduction, but a few could be mentioned here. 1. North-East "f" sound in words with "wh" (e.g. fa, foo, fite). 2. North-East "ee" sound in words with "oo" (e.g. meen, speen, beets). 3. South-West "aw" sound where North and East has "aa" (e.g. aw, waw, naw). 4. Southern "yow" "throw" and "mei" "sei" for "you" "through" and "me" "see".
There are many words used in particular parts of the country that are distinctive and relate to the history of the language in that area, so they should not be written off as aberrations or incorrect forms. For example: gadgie - a man, from Romany, in parts of the country where there have been many tinker travellers; peerie, peedie - small, in the Northern Isles, where "wee" is used elsewhere; gallus (from gallows) used in the South-West to mean bold, loud or coarse, and in the East and North to mean something more admirable. The Concise Scots Dictionary gives lots of information about the distribution and meaning of words and can be used to check examples that come up in the classroom. Dialectal differences should not be seen as a difficulty but something that contributes to the interest of language study and to the richness of the language.
Local pronunciation and usage are important features of language and by recognising them, teachers can reinforce children's self-confidence, instead of destroying it, by telling them they aren't speaking properly.
|
Q. Is Scots related to English?
A. Yes of course it is : the two languages have common roots in the Anglian of Northumbria, but since the 14th century, they have developed along different lines and been subjected to different influences. This also applies to the Scandinavian languages and to German and Dutch, all of which exist in their own right. Only Scots is required to justify its existence, mainly because this is not an independent country.
Q. Is Scots related to other languages?
A. Yes, it has links with Danish, Dutch, French and Gaelic. There are words from all these languages in Scots, which are not in English, as the comparative lists contained in this pack will demonstrate.
Q. Was there ever a Standard Scots?
A. Standard literary Scots was undermined by the Authorised Version of the Bible in 1611, the Union of the Crowns in 1603 and the Union of the Parliaments in 1707, and since the 18th century has tended to be replaced by English. But Scots continued to be spoken and sung in its various forms and used for poetry, and writers in the 20th century have made efforts to work towards a standard literary form.
Q. What sort of practice has been recommended by modern Scots writers?
A. In 1947, a group of writers drew up the Scots Style Sheet, and more recently, the Scots Language Society has published their own Recommendations for Writers in Scots. Q. Have we any authority to which we can appeal for guidance in vocabulary, spelling and grammar?
A. Yes we do. The Concise Scots Dictionary and the English-Scots Dictionary provide guidance in these matters. Every language looks to its dictionaries to authorise its forms and we should do the same.
Q. Isn't Scots just a form of slang?
A. Absolutely not. It has a history and a literature behind it and its forms have an etymology. Slang is universal and subject to fashion. Language is local and evolving. When teaching Scots, one of your first tasks will be to show children the difference between Scots and slang.
|
|
Q. What is the best way to teach Scots in the classroom?
A. The best way is to start with what you have : the children themselves hear Scots every day and many of them actually speak it without realising it. Start by recognising this and allowing its use in the classroom, making sure that it is spoken clearly and with the right emphasis; slovenly and careless speech is no part of speaking a language we want children to be proud of.
Q. How can children be taught to write in Scots?
A. Start with how they speak, then try to write it down as it sounds, consulting a dictionary for help with spelling consistency. Get rid of apostrophes for "missed out" letters and try to capture the Scottish idiom, rather than stick in Scots words here and there on an ad hoc basis.
Q. Is there any good Scots writing in the present day?
A. Yes, there is the poetry of the Renaissance initiated by McDiarmid, and a number of other poets, like William Soutar, Alexander Scott, Robert Garioch; plays by a variety of playwrights, such as Robert MacLellan, Donald Campbell and Billy Kay; novels and short stories that are at least part written in Scots. There are also local writers, like Sheena Blackhall, Liz Niven, Rhoda Bulter, Bill Rae, David Ogston, Ellie McDonald, Willie Neill and many others.
Q. As literature in the past has had a language of its own, is there not still a distinction between written and spoken Scots?
A. There is nothing against using spoken Scots in literature as the old divisions between spoken and literary language have largely disappeared in the modern world, where radio, television,film and video play as important a part as books in our lives. |
Q. How can we persuade parents that we are not teaching their children an outdated and useless form of language?
A. This can be done by pointing to the fact that we have three languages at our disposal in Scotland, which means that the children will have access to three cultures, instead of only one. To teach our children any one of these languages to the exclusion of the other two would impoverish them.
Q. What can we best use in school to teach both spoken and written Scots?
A. We can use existing literature, audio or video tape recordings in the Scots tongue, storytelling and singing, resource material from the Scots Language Resource Centre in Perth and any other approved published material.
Q. What does every school need in order to promote Scots?
A. Every school requires a positive attitude towards the language, good Scots speakers, copies of the Concise Scots Dictionary and the Concise English-Scots Dictionary, a poetry anthology and song books in Scots and the work of modern Scots writers, supplemented by visits from Scots writers, storytellers and singers. These visits can be arranged through the Scottish Storytelling Centre, or the Scottish Arts Council. Visits from singers can be arranged through the Traditional Music and Song Association. There is a list of useful addresses and telephone numbers included in this pack
ANY MORE QUERIES?
It is possible that you may have particular queries which have not been covered above. If so, please do not hesitate to get in touch with us. The Merlin Press has access to numerous language experts and will be only too happy to forward your queries to them.
THE MERLIN PRESS 12 Mansfield Road Scone, Perthshire PH2 6SA Telephone/Fax : 01738 553954 Email merlinpress@sol.co.uk. |
SCOTS IN THE 5 -14 COURSES
