the leid

it's no inferior

it's no derived

it's no bad inglis

it's no the speak o
fowk at canna lair
inglis richt

it's no the wye at
celtic fowk spikk inglis

it's a leid o its ain,
comin doon tae wis
fae an unbreukin line

aa the wye fae the northren
anglo saxon langage

whaur it haes 'ch'
fur inglis 'gh', or than

's' fur 'sh', or than
'sk' fur 'sh', or than

'aa' or 'aw' fur 'al'
or than 'ck' or 'k' fur 'ch'

it's acause it's a gey auld
wye o spikkin, no acause

the richtness o inglis
wes tyned abuin the mairches

an a wee saicret - naethin's
richt whan it comes tae
leids

Thrawn Saison

Hairst, quhit wye
ar ye sae fain
tae gie owre
til wunter the noo?

Maun ye blaw
sae cauld sae suin?
A'm takkin tent o ye -
A ken ye'r unco strang.

A can see whit ye'r daein
tae the leafs, A see yer
reids an yer yallas, A hear
ye chappin at ma winnock

Bit quhit wye ar ye sae thrawn,
this year? No sae fast, noo!
We'll hae the wunter lang,
bit first the lave o ye!

wir een

aabody wes greetin

(I wes tryin no tae)

wir faces aa weet
wi the burns an strins
o thir flittin, wir nebs
hauden prood abuin

quhit wye can we thole it?
acause we maun.

hearken til me, brither -
ye maun be sauf, ayewis

wir een wes aa wattery,
wir herts breuken apen,
as

we stuid there, leukin,
as he drave awa i the
dreepin weet o the
dreich hairst efterneen.
it wes aa cloods abuin,
an mirk.

he gaed awa, an it maun be
tholit. we kent he wid dae it,
an noo he's daein it, an it maun
be tholit.

yer da wull keep yer mam,
an I'll see tae yer sister

juist be aye sauf, brither
an we'll keep wirsels sauf
fur ye, tae

bit ye maun come hame
aften

we maun dae whit we maun dae,
an ye maun dae whit ye maun,
an ye maun come hame aften

Faain

tae gang til heiven,
juist tae hae tae faa
doun til the yird again,

it's ane o ma sairest pynes.

brither, A'd lou tae come
an see ye, bit A'm feart
fur the faa

aathing's braw i that stound,
naething's wantin whan A'm wi ye

an syne hit's by ower suin
an A'm faain, fast, winnin awa
frae the lift (cried 'florida'),
quhaur ye bide

(ye ghaistie at haunts me aye)

tae A win til the yird like a
stane, an at's the wye A feel,

juist like a stane,
deid an caul an alane
again

breuken

It wes a perfit fite dou,
fite as snaa,
breuken upo the bleck gate

aa reid aa owre,
wi its ain bluid,
sae bricht an veive

bit aye mair lillier
nor ony picter

deid an shent
but sae bonnie,
maugre't

shaveled wings
raxin fur the lift

een i deith

aye perfit

Is at ye?

Hairst, is at ye?
Is it ye A hear
reeshlin throu the leafs?

Is is ye A snoke
risin i the douce reek o
late simmer ingles an bleizes?

Dae A see ye, Hairst,
aff i the distance,
comin owre the braes?

Is it ye A feel souchin i
ma auld lugs, touslin ma
dwinin hair wi cauldrif fingers?

Hairst, is at ye A pree,
crisper nor a soor green aipple,
garrin me rax fur ma jaiket?

unbiggit

och, jeems, it wis ye!
it's ye'll be leain me neist

anither brither -

i'm bein unbiggit
piece bi piece

wull i no be juist
a fadit ruin suin eneuch?
it'll be a cutty process noo

yer sister'll be the bleck corby
settin upo the bricks an
stanes that's me, unbiggit

skellochin her lane i the
mirk, waukrife nicht

bidin fur a sign o ye,
thirlt til her dule

Aa thon

Fit is aa thon?

Far did hit com fae?

Fa screivit hit?

Me?

A dinna ken, A dinna ken.

yirdit

yirdit, i'm fair
yirdit i this dule

mair flittin - juist flittin awa,
anither yin, faur awa

i'm richt cowped owre
aboot this, bit i haena
telt ye, i haena telt

onybody

sae gae - gae 'wa, an ken at I
lou ye

(an ken at gin i kent
aa the answers i widna
haud thaim frae ye)

bit dinna ken hoo hit
skaiths ma sowel
tae see ye gang

ye dinna need tae ken that

skailed

ma bluid, hit's skailed
athort a thoosan mile

ma mither, ma brither
an ma sister tae

i dinna hae the pouer
tae pit a stap til it;

i ken, thay maun aye
bide unthirlt

sae, thay gang awa
an i maun thole it
ma lane

(bit ye arna yer lane)

bit ma bluid's juist skailed
athort thae thoosan mile
an i'm aye deein, i'm sae
hertsair fur the dreein o't

sae, i'll steik ma hert
in a strang wee kist,
an plunk it up heich
quhaur hit canna be raxit

an aiblins, i micht can
sneck up the stang wi it tae

(bit wha'll be leain me neist -
no ye?)

Gang Awa

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.

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...

Scots Language Centre

The day, we'r luekin at the Scots Language Centre wabsteid. It's a gran steid, wi mony sonsie featurs. Tae stairt wi, the'r aagates newins anent Scots. The maist raicent airticles is anent the Inglis historian David Starkey miscawin Rabbie Burns an Scotland, an the Scots govrenment speirin intae aiblins giein Scots language proveision in the schuils, whilk wud be a major heeze tae the leid an its staunnin. Gin ye wint tae read the steid in the Scots, juist uiss the cleek at the tap on the richt, 'Show Content as Scots'.

The'r a 'Word of the Week' featur forby, that lats ye hear a Scots wurd spikken an whiles a bittie aboot the wurd. Forby thon, the'r a wheen o airticles adae wi the historie o the leid, lik the yin cried 'Hoo Scots Becam a Kingly Leid.'

The wabsteid his muckle mair information an airticles, bit yin o the brawest featurs is the link til audio o fowk spaekin Scots, comprehendin excerpts o Wm. Lorimer's owresettin o the New Testament intil Scots, a richt gran leeterar achievement in hits ain richt.

Sae airt yer moose til the cleek til the richt, an see whit the Scots Language Centre his tae offer.

A Kist o Wurds

A Kist o Wurds is a braw BBC Radio Ulster programme i an anent the guid hamely tungue o the Ulster-Scots fowk, an takkin in Ulster-Scots culture forby. It leuks at Ulster-Scots historie, music, poietry, an o coorse the guid leid itsel. Ye can finnd a cleek tae the richt, an gin ye follae thon, ye'll can listen til the program, an finnd mair anent Ulster-Scots, whiles cried Ullans. Juist mind the'r a bit BBC News at the innin. Gin ye'r een then wintin mair o A Kist o Wurds, ye can follae the cleek for the Ulster-Scots Agency tae the richt, then yaise the Awaur cleek, an then the Living Culture cleek, whaur ye'll find echt installments frae 2003 an 2004, whan the shaw wis hostit bi Conal Gillespie. Forby thon, ye'll finnd mair spokken wurd mateerial, includin a sonsie tale caa'd Fergus an the Stane o Destinie, that has adae wi the Ulster-Scots past an aa the flittin an ongauns that kythed anent the mony migrations atween Airlann an Scotland.

There fowk, specially in Ulster, threaps at Ulster-Scots is no a dialeck o Scots an is its ain langage an aa. Hooaniver, the feck o fowk seems tae think o Ulster-Scots as yin o the mony dialecks o Scots. Whitiver Ulster-Scots is, it's a valuable heirskip. Sae apen up a Kist o Wurds an see whit traisurs is inbye.

Weir

Sae, it luiks as tho the Weir has finally taen til hit's wark. Burds, bogs, and sunsheen are finndin thay'r maist walcome. It hed begoud tae luik lik Wunter wasnae gaun til gie it up! Cauld it was, owre lang.

Bit noo it's bonnie an aa. Lat is be sae. An whan the Simmer comes, we'll hae a het twa three month, bit the noo we've the Weir tae enjoy. Tho, A canna bit say, A'm luikin forrit tae the hairst! Whit can A say? I luve it.

Whit Wey Dae A Wint Tae Lairn Scots?

Strecht awa frae A first came forenent Scots, A winted to git tae ken it. A wis richt ferliet bi hit. A kent immedentlie at thir wis something kin tae masel, at thir wis a tungue at wis kin til mine ain. A hae aagates haen a muckle luve o Inglis, an i Scots A finn something A canna bit luve forby. A wint tae ken whit fowk is sayin an writin in hit.

Forby, wi Scots bein an Anglic leid, an bein the gaird an heir o the Anglo-Saxon wurd-hoard, muckle mair nor Inglis is the day, Scots is a gate fur tae git in titch wi the spring-heid common til baith Scots an Inglis. Scots is whaur sae mony o the hamelt wurds at is mine ain heirskip, as weill as Scots fowk's - an ilka bodie's at spaeks an Anglic leid - is keepit an proteckit - wurds at Inglis haes tyned, an at is leevin yit in the Scots mou.

Mairatowre, it gies me gey muckle pleisur tae look on the differin oncomes o the Auld Inglis tungue efter thae mony hunneryears. I Scots A fin something sae sib, an whyles sae ootlan, at A kent A juist maun git tae ken hit.

Anither raison at A hae sic a fainness o Scots is at it haes sae lang bin onrichtly doonhauden an negleckit. Scots haes no bin gien its richt regaird, an it haes tyned the heicher poseetion , at it aince an aucht yit haud. Scots wis aince the langage o state an aa! It's no a modren consait o Scots fowk that's juist ettlin tae write hoo thay spaek; it's a gey auld leid, an aathou Scots is maistly a spokken leid the day, at's acause it haes tyned its richtful status an haes bin negleckit fur writin wi tae its ain skaith. Scots is no juist Inglis wi northren slang. It's a richt leid, wi hit's ain grammar, rules, maks an historie.

A'm lairin Scots acause A canna see ony wey o leevin gin A dinna. It drives ma waukin an ma draims, an whan it's no the first thing on ma mind, hit's the seicont. It's for luve A'm daein this wark.

Weet Thuirsday

The day's a draich, weet Thuirsday. The morra'll see the Ware comin ben. Bit the day, the lift's mirk an the cloods is hingin thrang abuin. A ken the sin's heich abuin een thaim, bit it isna giein hus hit's fu meisur the noo.

The grun is saft an fowk's maistly inbye. Outbye's no owre walcomin, ye ken! A bonnie day'll aye hae fowk oot an aboot an gey an blythe an aa, bit thir's no sic a day.

Och, A wiss A yit haen ma auld windae, for tae hae the braw vizzy A aince haed. Hit luiked oot on a bit wuid, wi a wee strin. The noo, ma windae luiks maistly on ugsome thingies, an it gies me nae muckle pleisur.

Bit A dinnae finn the weet sae ugsome an aa. The'r sumhin richt canty aboot hit. An the flours it caas furth, A'll aye caa thaim walcome.

Wunter gien wey til Ware

Hit's a braw Tysday the hinnereyn o the Wunter. Efter ainly twa mair day, the Ware'll stert offeecially, wi her flours in thair blume an aa, an mony beasties skailed aboot the yird, ilkane efter it's ain kinn, an ilka kinn wi its ain wey o daein things. The mirk an cauld o the Wunter s' be bainisht for a twa-three saisons, an the sin sall heave an leam i the lift, an ilka day growe stranger and sheen langer nor the day afore. Whyles, the wun micht bla cauld an we micht wull git a drap or a spate o weet, bit the flours'll be flourishin an the burds'll be whustlin.

Syne, in its ain time, the Ware wull growe intil the Simmer, an the yird sall be het, an the grun birselt in some airts. Een sae, the grun wull ken at it is braw, an it wull gie furth frute an tick. The lift wull be sae bew an bricth at ye wull be mirky tae luek on hit, an tae wauk ablow it.

Bit it is juist noo the Ware's tid tae stert, no the Simmer's, wha wull gie wey til the Hairst in its ain time.

Fur the noo, thou, we'll hae the Ware, wha we tholed the lang, keen Wunter fur. Aathing is guid i the Ware. Aathing is made noo an young aince agane, an thou aathing wull ane day dwine an dee, the leamin sin an the greene leifs is atweill braw.

Bit ye ken aa that, dae ye no? A'm juist scribin aboot it for tae impruive ma skeelies, gin A hae ony skeelies ava yit!

Whit am A daein wrang? Whit am A daein richt? Och, whit am A axin ye fur, ye'r no een hereawa!