As A'm fain o sayin, Scots wurds is richt wurds, an the maks is richt maks - no slang, an no corrupted Inglis maks. For ensample, gang. Fowk micht be tempit tae threap at gang is obviously juist the Inglis going spelt wrang. An aiblins that leuks raisonable eneuch.
Hooanever, gang is a gey auld mak - mony hunneryear auld - gangin back til afore the Anglic leids iver yaised -ing or -in for tae indicate a present tense verb. Sae hit coudna com frea going, syne going haedna yit kythed. Gang juist means gae. Sae, we see, lik sae mony ither miscaa'd Scots maks, gang is no a puir wey o spellin a Inglis wurd, bit a lang attested mak that was aince fund in Inglis an aa, bit haes syne been tyned i that leid. Thon's juist anither ensample o hoo glaikit fowk threaps wrangously at Scots wurds is slang, or puir Inglis, whan thay'r trulins richt maks o a doonhauden leid. Whit's mair, 'gang' is aye current i the Icelandic leid, that gangs back at least til the Auld Norse tung, that was gey influential on the Scots leid, an that wes gey sib tae Auld Inglis. It's no a bad wurd ava.
Monday, July 27, 2009
Monday, July 20, 2009
Foo is du?
The day A'm gaun tae blether a bittie aboot grammar. The feck o fowk thinks that grammar is something that ye dae richt or ye dae wrang. Bit it isna juist like thon. Modren Inglis haes its ain rules, and mony o thae rules is skared wi Scots, bit no aa. The'r fowk that threip that Scots is no a richt leid, or no a leid ava acause it disna luek an soond juist lik Inglis.
Bit it's no that Inglis haes it richt an Scots haes it wrang. Grammar is no a mathematical thing - hit's bi convention. Sae Inglis grammar haes gaun throu muckle changes ower the years, an it's no mair nor less richt nor it ivver wis. Inglis uissed tae uise the dooble negative, for ensample.
An we can luek at modren Scots for ensamples, forbye. In Shetlan, we see maks like, "Foo is du?" A wurd for wurd translate intil Inglis woud be, "How is you?" In Inglis, we say "How are you?" We think are gaes wi you, bit is can gae wi you gin thon's the convention.
The pynt is no ainly at Scots is no inferior til Inglis acause thai differ in grammar, bit forbye that Inglis disnae hae tae follae the strict model for tae be 'legitimate'. It's aboot convention, an it's a pity tae see fowk doonpittan spikkin langage acause it disnae fit intae the narra confines o the wrutten standart. The'r mony constructions bidin in modren speach that ye'll no see wrutten, an that's lang attested, aa the wey back til Auld Inglis, that gets doonpittan for no conformin til the wrutten tongue. Wis writin no first duin wi the ettle o capturin the tongue, that trulins bides in the moo? An noo fowk tells ither at thai maunna spik thon wey, acause hit's no tae be fund in a buik, nivver kennin that thon kenspeckles bides aye in buiks, juist railly auld buiks...
Bit it's no that Inglis haes it richt an Scots haes it wrang. Grammar is no a mathematical thing - hit's bi convention. Sae Inglis grammar haes gaun throu muckle changes ower the years, an it's no mair nor less richt nor it ivver wis. Inglis uissed tae uise the dooble negative, for ensample.
An we can luek at modren Scots for ensamples, forbye. In Shetlan, we see maks like, "Foo is du?" A wurd for wurd translate intil Inglis woud be, "How is you?" In Inglis, we say "How are you?" We think are gaes wi you, bit is can gae wi you gin thon's the convention.
The pynt is no ainly at Scots is no inferior til Inglis acause thai differ in grammar, bit forbye that Inglis disnae hae tae follae the strict model for tae be 'legitimate'. It's aboot convention, an it's a pity tae see fowk doonpittan spikkin langage acause it disnae fit intae the narra confines o the wrutten standart. The'r mony constructions bidin in modren speach that ye'll no see wrutten, an that's lang attested, aa the wey back til Auld Inglis, that gets doonpittan for no conformin til the wrutten tongue. Wis writin no first duin wi the ettle o capturin the tongue, that trulins bides in the moo? An noo fowk tells ither at thai maunna spik thon wey, acause hit's no tae be fund in a buik, nivver kennin that thon kenspeckles bides aye in buiks, juist railly auld buiks...
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