Huv a wee look...
A jist watched a video on youtube by Dr Michael Dempster aboot the Scots language. An it's gey impressive.
Michael gies a pretty good account o the different dialects o Scots - an aw the attempts tae drive it oot o Scotland efter 1707. A nivver knew maist o this, although Scots is ma language! He said there's a million speakers o Scots in Scotland - but a think he nivver tellt the truth: that Scots is dyin oot, thanks tae a mix o education policy an snobbery (my opinion - no Michael's) - an it'll take a lot tae help it tae survive.
So here's a few questions:
- Dae ye speak Scots?
- Dae ye speak it every day?
- Who dae ye speak it tae?
- When wiz the last time ye hud a hale conversation wi sombdy in Scots?
- Wid it maitter tae ye if Scots died oot?
If it disnae maitter tae ye, fine. It's your choice.
Noo huv a think aboot Gaelic: it used tae be cawed Erse - Irish. If ye think Scots is precious (an a dae) ye huv to see it offers a hale lot o useful vocabulary like dreich, scunner, fankle, glaikit, shoogle, dwam - an nothin can replace these words. Gaelic hiz tae be jist as valuable. How else cin ye express burach and stramash? How will ye find yer way roon Scotland without words like loch, cairn, bothy, ben?
The wan thing Dr Demposter didny say wiz this: it's jist great tae live in a country that hiz 3 languages on the go.
Comments
Post a Comment