Amang the Scots; How do the Scots really talk?, part 2

In Glasgow Scotland. Mining stocks. Today in our 10th report from Scotland. We continue our consideration of Scottish dialect and language in the last programme we listen to some of the dialects current in today's Scotland. The day will turn back the years to examine some of the early Scottish dialects in an effort to discover their roots and some of the reasons for the dialects the Scots now use. Let's begin with a sample of what is known as early Scots. Here is a brief excerpt from the records of the borough of Aberdeen in the 14th century. Let's see how much of it we can understand. It's out of date with the Hale consent of the culminates that don't

mind Ellen in the bottom of what if this condition that he be of shall stand and without that woman and the Baileys of the tune and fifth to keep the common traffic of the dune and the freedom of it that reading from the old records of the borough of Aberdeen in Scotland was by Dr. Alexander gatherer who is my guest authority on the programme on Scottish language for today. Dr gather as a present an officer of the Scottish Education Department. He was Martin and brought up in the northeast corner of Scotland in Aberdeenshire. This is the part of Scotland where the early Scots dialects have been most nearly preserved. He took his first degree at Aberdeen University in Scottish history and literature and later received a doctorate at Edinburgh University. There he continued to study and research in this field. I'm not going to resent comments and readings

by Dr gatherer selected from a more extended recording session with him on this subject. Among the many interests which he pursues as an educator in this field is that of the problem created by the continued existence of older dialects and their relation to modern English. As he explained it to me it is the problem of the kind of English that many Scottish children learn at their mother's knee and the kind of English they have to learn when they go to school. Here is his comment on this problem. When children come to school in Scotland speaking. A very distinctive natural dialect of the room. Traditionally they've been rather shocked by discovering

that in the classroom the teacher speaks in a quite different way. The teacher may of course and probably will be herself a Scot but will have adopted. No dialect. Shannon S. ations. Unfortunately most Scots including educated people like teachers. Have Ever since the 18th century. Regarded the sconce dialect as an inferior brand of English rather than as we would now like them to regard it and just as different but in itself perfectly acceptable variety of English. And this means that the child speaking a dialect is confronted with the notion in school that the way he's

been taught to speak the way of speech habits which have become natural to him are somehow inferior. This is a kind of. Accusation levelled the perfect way. Unconsciously and certainly without malice by the teacher. I like the story of the little boy who was newly at school and was asked by the teacher to stand up and tell the rest of the class something that he saw on the way to school that morning. So we Johnny stood up and said please miss I see not cool. And the teacher said no move Johnny. You song. Oh and Johnny's hand and a chest full of them. And

seven minutes later the teacher saw that Johnny was looking very distressed. So she said Now Johnny Come on tell me what's worrying you. And Jodi stood up and said But Miss it was a cool scene. Dr. gather stressed the fact that for many children entering school it was almost like learning a foreign language. He reiterated the view of most well educated Scots that this dialect should not be considered an inferior language even though in one sense it is a dying one. Considerable effort is being made to preserve it and to change the attitude of many people with regard to it. Doctor gatherer suggested that one of the best sources for study of the early Scots dialect is in the literature of the 13th and 14th centuries. Well you know comments on one of the important writers of that period and reads briefly from one of his longer poems the name of the poet is John Barber

who lived in the 14th century and whose greatest work was titled Robert the Bruce a narrative about Scotland's national hero Bruce united the Scots against the tyranny of a bird the king of England but of those truths was I say a very long chronicle in the US. It does not contain very much that can be found it is genuine poetry in the modern sense you have to remember that of this chronicle did not set a time to be a great way to literature but there are some passages in it. Ditto of being adopted for a very long time and this and that is fine. Typical Annalise college and I'd like to read a few lines of bonobos through SF they described how

after the death of Alexander the better an age of Scotland the noble leading nobles gathered together to choose another ping from all those whose ancestry were royal enough to occupy a position on the throne. When Alexander the king was deed that Scotland had to steer and lead the line sacks here and near the late desolate after his day. Tell it about an age at the last assemble them and famed it fast Dick Cheeser King deadline to Stieg the telephone sister come in with that off Doctor Radio TV and maced headrest asking to be but a movie that is safe alone made among them great. Just same children.

Blind folks full of ol folly had Yeah I'm both o n clearly but peddle to yo p. You had no draw down that money. That was an example of early Scots dialect in the poetry of the 14th century and now let's hear a bit more of this dialect in prose. By continuing the excerpt you heard at the beginning of this program from the early records of the borough of Aberdeen I took it so Dayton with a hail consent of the common its that oak mandolin in the bottom of what diverse state or condition the TBO of shall stand. And without that men and the Baileys of the tune and first to keep the common profit of the tune and the freedom of it and to suppose meant day in the offices of the tune in that office doing and our

neighbors are us for a shade insists splice under the pain of banishing and induna of his hoops and gifts he has neither hoofs under the pain of banishing and the good sister. House at the rest of the ringing of the common bail and to bidding of the offices of the tomb and given a sudden a free comes that they be a Grady under the same pain and get phony keep the saves on Ish out that beat into the do or only at dwells in it that they might cool under the sayd pain else that name has NO LO chip other another king. The joke the analemma. But his aldermen and his Baileys under the same pain. I'll see what Sim ever has to know what his weapons ready and bears them know first so I'll tell you. With the drum machine and prison oil it

BP it all says that name who said header but I only do Alan Mayne and that who says. But who am I. They will stand for or else while in the offices ouse Fost of the common undead bane of life and tinsel of goods. Let's now consider what is known as middle Scots. That is the language as spoken mainly in the 15th and 16th centuries. This is the dialect which greatly influenced the writing of Robert Burns. And in fact which he did much to help preserve. Dr. GA there are no comments on this dialect and I think you will especially enjoy his reading of a parable from the Bible in the middle Scots dialect middle Scots dates roughly from the end of the 15th century to roughly the end of the sixteenth century. This rose the

great period of the Scots language because during this time some of our greatest early poets were writing poets like Henderson and. And Lindsay and Montgomery and writers historians like John Major and George Buchanan and King James himself James the sixt of Scotland and the first of the United Kingdom. This then is golden Scots as it's sometimes known only at Scots Scots enriched by vocabulary taken from Southern English from strange from Latin from German Scots made into our language to carry

poetry in the literary scums the Scots of the first Scottish Bible. For example the Scots loaned haltingly by Mary Queen of Scots and the Scots spoken and written so powerfully by Mary's son James. I like to read you a few lines. First of all from the middle Scots. Written by Robert Henderson Henderson. Wrote fables taken from each sump and rendered into Scots. But it has to be recognised that although he was drawing upon Aesop's Fables he made the

characters into Scottish characters and the poetry of the fables of Henderson just as Scottish as the classical. Here is an extract from Henderson's fable. The cock and the jewel. In cock some with Pedram Thracian gay elected Hampton close albeit he was but two flew fast upon a dunghill song by a day to get his dinner say it was are all his cue scraping among the ash bin adventure he found a jolly house wrecked precious West Kassa Newton swapping of the hoops as damsels wanton and insolent that fain would play in the street we see this weapon

of the hoof so they attack me. Then what they hadn't be why that the flu would be clean. Joe Wilson didn't as often as has been seen up on the floor and swapped it for a known better adventure. So was this a moment still so Ahmed a villain upon the still could he. Bowed gentle Yes poor rich a noble thing. So high the fine no games no hope for me. To Joel for our love. KING It was a pity those showed in this mid in the bury it past among this much mud and those who fear and west some little good that is pretty should be fined for why my great virtue not to get any color clear hit me now that extolled not to magnify and though to me may mak that little cheer oh great large stuff Toby how did India

I live far better thing of Lesterville as did our corn to fill my time in trail I had liever go scrape here with my meals among their smile and look my lyfe is fed as coral drowned small ravenous snails are only meat would do him a stomach good. Not half Yast Mickle multitude and gaining upon the semen rise for dying of a new me me has no despise thou has an acorn and they are found to have need dye color dust but comfort to the sect and that is nocht I know why I waited to feed for when I first see it is that looking west coast. I would some meat house get it get I'm a hungry man ne We'll leave on looks Dari Dr breed I know of many cooks. SEE Henderson.

Jack saw a lot of homely wisdom in Scotland we would call kill your wisdom into the morality of the original Aesop's fable middle stops then as I was saying or as the. Rebuilding period of Scots. And again I'll try to balance the Scots poetry with the Scots of prose. This is an extract from deafness a bit sad a translation of the New Testament made in the sixteenth century late in the 15th century. This is a piece of the parable of the prodigal son.

And he said a man had twelve sons and the younger of them said to the father Friday give me the potion a substance that falls to me. And he departed to them the substance and knocked many days if to when all things were good at it to get to the youngest son went forth on pilgrimage into a fair country and there he wasted his goods in living with a slave and after that he had ended all things a stock hungover was made in that country and he began to huff and heed and he went through him and other citizens of that country and he sent them into his tomb to feed swiping. And he coveted to fill his way most of the cards that the hogs ate a name and gave it to him and he done it again

and to himself and said Oh money hired men and my Fed does hosts plenty of leaves. And I perish Hiers through hunger. I shall rise up and gave to my fight and I shall say to him I have sent it into heaven and before thee and no I am no one of the to be colored by something mark me as a man of the I hired it mean and he raise up and come to his father. And when he was yet on his father so on. And was move it but messy and he had Ron and Dale on his knee and that's it. And one writer of the 19th century who tried to preserve the Scots language through his stories was William Alexander. Dr gatherer now reads from one of these stories in which the dialogue

only is in the older Buchan accent which is quite close to the speech heard today in some rural areas and in a more corrupted form in the larger cities of this country. In fact the dialogue sounds very much like the speech I have heard at times here in Glasgow. This is an extract from John the good of gush at a new chapter called Sandy. Peter can school I'm going to read the tanks too but I shall attempt a late and occasional explanation while I read. You'll notice that the author William Alexander uses English for connecting passages of description narrative and uses Scots only for unusual and of course for dialogue.

He is really concerned to display the Scottish characters and Scottish dialect. Sandy Peter Can school be OK sion of a Michael scholar coming to this maybe wode school was an event of some importance and that's when the milk presented himself on a Monday morning to meet the scrutiny of the 30 odd actions under Sandy's challenge. There was a good deal of commotion and whispering. He will appear out of my skin leggings which extended up to the very thin tops and wear this suspended by a little tag of the same cloth to the side button of his trousers. When he took off his bonnet his head was seen to be had three. That's to say untidy noticeably how dreary for such a civilised place as the inside of a school. He had been to Andrew Lang

chaffed shop at the time and had their finest himself with us Clate and scaly. That's a slate and the slate pencil a pennyworth of language sheet paper and two quills for panes. These with an old copy of the Gray the gray and arithmetic book for land measuring these with an old copy of the gray where the furnishings for the ensuing scholastic campaign that was to fit him for entering on the practical study of mole can change. We all said the new scholar only endowed his equipment some of the side of the minister's desk. We'll learn just gon to be the Wraith and I would like to win us far through so I could continue meaning the schoolmaster. Oh I am frank about it can I we all He looked at or near it. The fact progress he made in arithmetic.

Sandeep you too can the mole catcher scratched his head for a little and then wetting his thumb proceeded to turn over the dog eared leaves of his gray jacket in a just Maine where it's half a dozen a years when I was a squeal. It was we may step dollars and I Darsie you are why I want to be the same as his With didn't know me another the things you've been through this simple rules lead to any rate suggested Sandy. She was without no doubt I think it was he had a boot. And the multi-touch pointed to the place on the book. Compound division said the minister looking at the page. I said the scholar with a sort of chuckle but I'm Niecy in it could work at it. Knew. We'd better begin nearer the beginning. Oh well maybe a reduction in that would be fine.

It's NL to work with rule and overt honesty detract we missed DAWs. I want to have been a good witness far for those would my code to measure if I'm not good on our cast up there waif do I he sue. That'll depend on your own diligence said the schoolmaster with a smile. We all said the mole catcher. I was new first we had a chap could Ed do you know that as exactly alike and he not Neil Eames don't know didn't but just damn Masons Dave Blane a tude had a look at who was cast. It's quite possible to do. Mark Klein once of the Domini I said they will catch it. Its rest is for the like of that and Buddy's gonna boot like me would I be getting ted d new and they could hardly 48 There was a. New Mr Downer's would move around a lot

to try and Nathan know that so if we had fast going through a great heap muckle rules and Disney do you have the right to his her TOS no lying to men to squeal to their lessons would you like to talk to the school master. Will ye kin based only to us for the continued attack and lead him into my codes maybe. Well we'll have a grammar class and who would you try the hunt I went to fashion with Art said with a decisive shake of the head. It's nice for common folk of are that good Emma. Well said the schoolmaster maybe geography then we chanced on the wall here. You could get a sconce of the principal countries of print very shortly I will but it is only Easter like to me that geography when I likely began to fall in pairs that is.

The dialect of BACK FROM THE LEAD Scots spoken in the north of Scotland as it was preserved by William Alexander early in the 19th century. Very few people can. Write Scots nowadays. As I say some. Few scholars attempt to do it and occasionally someone. Makes an attempt to bring out some authentic Scots writing. By and large however Scots is fast dying. It is curiously similar in this respect to the language the other language spoken in Scotland in the dark ages. That is Galilee both Gallic

and bleed Scots are on the way. Principally because as I was saying Scots can no longer carry a educated discourse. The language of education in Scotland is standard English and children have to learn it. This concludes our 10th report from Glasgow Scotland and our guest today has been Dr. William gatherer an officer in the Scottish education department and an authority on Scottish dialect and language. This is what you're hearing among the Scots.

This has been a production of The Ohio State University telecommunications center. This program was distributed by national educational radio. This is the national educational radio network.