The Skraich

Word o Mou

2008-05-23T22:00:00.002+01:00

Get yersel alang tae the wabpages for Radio 4's "Word of Mouth" and hae a listen tae this week's programme afore it vanishes on Tuesday: it's aw aboot Scots, and there's braw conversations wi the guid fowk fae Scottish Language Dictionaries (whase siller, like that o the Scots Language Centre has been taen awa); Bill Wilson MSP; poet, critic and academic Robert Crawford; and poet, screiver, educator, upsteerer, upheezer and general grand gallus uphauder o the rauchle tung, Matthew Fitt.

Warkshops

2008-03-07T21:35:00.003Z

The Aye Write! festival is daein three linked warkshops anent writin in Scots the morn. I cannae get, but it's a braw-lookin event. Jim McGonigal will talk aboot yaisin Scots and Scottish texts wi the bairns o immigrants and asylum seekers, and Chris Robinson will talk aboot the dictionaries that we hae for the langage. The wabsite aye says that the thrid session will be wi Liz Niven on the yiss o Scots in schuils, but I hae heard that Rab Wilson is daein it on Burns insteid.

SLC's Activism and Politics Pages

2008-03-03T13:19:00.002Z

The Activism and Politics pages on the Scots Language Centre's wabsite has been rejiggit a bittie. There a page o links tae orra documents and organisations and, on sindry ither pages, ye can keep up whit wir MSPs is sayin and speirin anent Scots.

The link abuin will tak ye tae the pages in English; tae see them in Scots, ye hae tae click on the reid "Show content as Scots" button in the tap richt o yer browser (let's cry it a "stravaiger") and navigate back throu the "Promoting Scots" tab tae the Activism and Politics section.

Doric Film has a Wabsite

2008-03-03T13:03:00.005Z

A whilie syne, I blogged aboot The Scotsman's report o a Doric film, "One Day Removals", bein shot. Weil, there nou a wabsite for the film, wi picters, a synopsis and links tae reviews. There no a trailer yet, but hit's comin soon. The feinishin date is this month and, gin ye believe the Daily Record (there a quaistion for ye!), "One Day Removals" will brak aa records for the yiss o the F word in a Scottish film.

Looks like the film is a black comedy. There naething wrang wi that avaa, but it'd be guid tae hae some serious film drama that's aa in Scots nou and then. Comedy is braw an aa. We seem tae be guid at it in Scotland, but the feck o Scots ower aften thinks on their ain langage as bein funny in itsel, whit isnae richt. Fowk needs tae hear it in ither settins tae see whit it can dae.

Is Chynge A-Comin?

2008-03-02T15:09:00.006Z

Weil is it no a whilie sin I postit here! There a fair bittie gaun on in the Scots warld for us tae catch up on. The Scots Govrenment has decidit tae haud an audit o provision for the language. There no muckle information at the link, but the maist encouragin bit for onybody that's interestit in Scots is this:

Research is therefore required to ... identify potential opportunities to expand provision, either as part of, or in addition to, the manifesto commitments the Scottish Government has given for Scots.

We'll hae tae wait an see whit comes o yon. Hit will be the first Govrenmental research intae the state o Scots that I ken o, and it comes efter the Meinister for Schuils and Skeels, Maureen Watt, telt a meetin o the Cross-Pairty Group on Scots that there nae siller for a Macpherson report for Scots.

Forby the audit, whit comes fae the office o the Meinister for Europe, External Affairs and Culture, the Maureen Watt, wis writin in the Sunday Herald a week or twa syne that schuilbairns shuid hae the chance tae learn Scots: It is important that Scots is considered no less valuable than other languages.

Through the Curriculum for Excellence, we want to ensure pupils are exposed to the literature and languages of Scotland by teachers using relevant, real-life and enjoyable resources. ...
the Scottish government is committed to promoting and developing the use of the Scots language - where better to start than in our schools?
Now is the time for the children of Scotland to rediscover Scots.

Shairly aabody that cares aboot Scots will welcome thae words.

The Poetry o Ma Ain, Ma Native Land

2007-07-23T11:57:00.000+01:00

I hae juist the nou pitten ma entry for the McCash Poetry Competition in an envelope. I dinnae normally get ma competition entries in that aheid o time, but I'm awa neist week ower the deidline. It juist happenit that I had ae-twae ideas in ma heid that fittit in wi the competition's theme when I seen the announcement in The Herald a whilie syne. Yon wis a piece o guid fortune I hivnae had afore wi this competition. The last time it happenit wis wi the poetry postcaird competition for national poetry day in 2002, an I wis yin o the winners yon time. I'm pretty cantie wi the poems I'm sendin in, but we'll see whether they get onywhaur!

The theme is "This is my own, my native land," a line fae Walter Scott's lang narrative poem, "The Lay of the Last Minstrel". It seems a bittie queer-like that a Scots poetry competition shuid tak a quotation in English for its theme, whaiver wrote it, but it's a guid subject tae get fowk screivin aboot at a sic time o muckle political chynge.

Speakin o the political chynge, there nae dout in ma mind that hit has led tae a shift in the atmosphere o Scotland. Ither fowk's sayin the yae thing and I hae anecdotal evidence: I wis bletherin wi a frein that wirks in the Pairlament's education service a day or twa syne, an she tellt me that, since the election, there aye queues for tickets for tae get in and see the Pairlament in action, even for debates ither nor First Meinister's quaistions. It's a hale ither quaistion gif this confidence, interest an momentum will bide or dwine and dee, but wi The Herald gettin a forum anent the constitutional future o the nation roadit and giein it's poetry competition ower tae discussion whaur we are the nou as a kintrae, I'm hopefu it'll bide a bittie.

Doric Film

2007-06-07T14:03:00.001+01:00

The Scotsman reports the day that a new feature film that's aa in Doric, "One Day Removals", has feinishit shootin. There no muckle detail in the airticle, but I funt the production company's wabsite. Looks like there'll be a wabsite for the film afore lang. Here howpin it's a braw piece o wark that dis weil.

Inform Yersel!

2007-04-27T11:19:00.000+01:00

It's gettin a bittie near the Scottish Pairlament elections tae be postin sic a link as this yin, but a Scottish voter (or onybody, for that maitter) that's interestit in culture cuid dae waur nor look at the Scots Language Centre's election pages. They contain details no juist o the pairties'* policies anent the Scots language, but o whit they hae proponit anent cultural policy. The information is tae haun in English and Scots.

* Namely, the Scottish Labour Pairty, the Scottish National Pairty, the Scottish Conservative and Unionist Pairty, the Scottish Liberal Democrats, the Scottish Green Pairty, the Scottish Socialist Pairty, the Scottish Senior Citizens Unity Pairty and Solidarity Scotland.

Spreidin the Words

2007-03-31T11:39:00.000+01:00

Souns like ma Scots is infectin ma (English) wife! I cam doun the stair the ither day tae fin her singin "Three Craws" tae the bairn. Anither time, I heard her singin the chorus fae "The Miner's Lullaby". Forby, she's been talkin aboot bein in a fankle and giein the bairn a shoogle. Braw stuff!

Seasonal Wishes

2006-12-22T12:48:00.000Z

Blythe Yule an a Guid New Year tae yese aw!

Wikipaedia in Scots

2006-12-22T12:47:00.000Z

I didnae ken there a Scots version o Wikipaedia afore I funt it this forenuin, but here it's for aw them that wants it. For aw I'm no ower canty wi ae-twae pynts o the spellin they yaise, I'm fair taen wi the fack it exists. Forby, tae judge fae the wee tait I hae read the day, the writin is caller enough an yon's the maist important hing.

Draft Culture (Scotland) Bill

2006-12-15T12:41:00.000Z

The Scottish Executive has publishit its draft Culture (Scotland) Bill for consultation. This merks an important juncture for airts and culture policy in Scotland, but The Scotsman reports that James Boyle, the heid o the Cultural Commission that the Executive set up tae draw up a vision for Scotland's cultural policy, is no at aw canty with the draft bill. Likewise, The Herald's report and editorial willnae be canty readin for them at Victoria Quay. A wee tait o a contrast wi the warm words on the Executive's ain site.

SLC's Yule Pages

2006-12-11T09:20:00.000Z

The Scots Language Centre wabsite has a wheen new pages anent Yule and New Year. There sangs, stories and even a wee animation. It's a braw addition tae the site.

Scots Language Centre

2006-11-06T12:44:00.000Z

The Scots Language Centre's new wabsite is nou online. It's a braw-lookin steid wi news, info anent the Scots leid an Scots-relatit ongauns, forby about the SLC itsel. Yin o the best pairts o the site is the "Scots roon the country" section, whaur a bodie can no juist fin out about Scots but hear the soun o it forby. Yon's aye gettin biggit, airt by airt, but there braw stuff tae hear aaready.

Awa back in August, The Herald haed an airticle anent Scots wi an interview wi the SLC's director, Michael Hance, an Matthew Fitt fae Itchy Coo. It's a guid read.

A Guid Scots Tung in the Shore Poets Heid

2006-09-25T11:20:00.000+01:00

A braw readin yestreen at Shore Poets, wi a fair bit Scots an aw. The readers wis Mandy Maxwell, Christine De Luca an Jackie Kay; the music cam fae thae bonnie sangsters the Linties.

It wis nae surprise that Mandy had ae-twae poems in Glesgwegian an less surprise that Christine read a hantle poems in Shetlandic, but I was cantily surprised at the nummer o poems Jackie read that yaised some degree o Scots. The Linties an aw gied us a guid mixter o bawdy, bonnie an blythe sangs wi differnin degrees o Scots.

Christine aye tellt us gin she wis gaunnae read wark in Shetlandic and wid gloss a wheen words but, forby yon, nane o the performers said ocht tae tent us til their Scots; it wis juist there or it wisnae. That isnae aye the case; I mind o Don Paterson yince speirin o the audience "Can I read a poem in Scots?" and sayin, "Only in Scotland would you have to ask that," but mibbe that's mair tae dae wi him nor the fowk that wis there.

Onywey, it wis refreshin tae feel there wisnae ony spoor o the kenspeckle Scots cringe.

Pod Poetry

2006-09-24T08:19:00.000+01:00

The answer tae the quaistions in Friday's post drappit throu ma door on Saiturday forenuin when the Scottish Poetry Library's annual report arrivit. Unner the headin "The Collection" wis the follaein:

Some of the dupilcate items from the core collection have found happy homes in our new outreach - or smaller "pod" collections. June saw the launch of a pod comprising twenty titles in or neighbouring Starbucks. This poetry bookshelf is accompanied by poem excerpts painted on walls and a poem of the month, and is proving popular with customers looking for some inspiration with their espressos.

It maun be the fowk at the SPL that wailit the excerpts on the wa. They aye hae been gey creative wi whit wey they gie a hame tae aw the books in their ingaitherin. Yon pod idea is jist anither step in the yae airt.

Braid Claith an Ilkaday Duds

2006-09-22T19:43:00.000+01:00

On the road hame the day, A noticed thir twa lines fae Robert Fergusson's poem "Auld Reekie" pentit on the wa ben the Canongate branch o Starbucks:

To Holy-rood-house let me stray,
And gie to musing a' the Day

Wha'd 'ae thocht it: Rab Fergusson gettin yaised tae sell coffee and hap yin o the mucklest symbols o globalisation in local claes! It's no exactly "guid braid claith"; mair gettin a splash o local dye tae yer furrin duds. A hae nae objection at aw tae seein a swatch o Ferguson on a cafe wa. Still, A'm wonderin whit gart them chaise yon? There no that mony ordinar punters kens wha he is. Mibbe it's a nod tae the Scottish Poetry Library roon the corner. Mibbe it's a nod tae the braw statue o him ower the road. But there maun be a nod tae the Pairlament doun the road, mibbe wi a tait irony. Whitanever wis in the mind o the Starbucks management, there maun be a literary buddie amang them tae be tentin tae Fergusson's presence and poem at aw.

The Eejits

2006-09-12T12:40:00.000+01:00

The Herald has a report the day anent Itchy Coo's newest book: an owersettin o Roald Dahl's The Twits intil Scots cried The Eejits. A hae seen a wee bittie o the book, and it's fell braw, I can tell ye.

Scottish National Diction

2006-09-08T19:42:00.000+01:00

The British Cooncil Scotland wabsite has a wheen pages wi new Scottish poetry. It's a guid wailin o poets, if a short yin: John Burnside, Matthew Fitt, Ann Frater, Rody Gorman, Alan Jamieson and Jackie Kay. There poems in Scots, English and Gaelic. Matthew Fitt's "Scottish National Diction" is a stoater o a poem wi mair nor a hint o Eddie Morgan aboot it. There a braw Gaelic repone, "Errata", fae Rody Gorman (the site cries hit a translation, but it isnae at aw). Hae a keek at Burnside in Shetlandic! Fell braw, this trilingualism business.

Stairtin tae Skraich

2006-09-08T19:35:00.000+01:00

A'm stairtin this new blog acause ma ither yin is aw in English and, although A'm wantin tae write aboot Scots-relatit stuff, A dinnae want tae faw intae the trap o daein it in English and never in Scots. Ma plan is that a wheen posts fae this blog will kythe on Tonguefire an aw in English tranlation. Forby, it's guid tae gie masel a place tae practice yaisin Scots in something ither nor creative writin.