Triglossia

Posted by Iain Mcgregor

Weel A’m back agane. The sun’s glentin doon an the speerits blithe.

A wad thenk Duncan for his lest blog an say A likit his comments anent formal an different dialect leids, thou hainin yin fae tither micht gar tribble for screivers.  

Whae IS in chairge o thur chynges?  Daes oniebody ken?

 

A hiv a guid few freens whaur yin pairtner is fae Scotland an the ither is fae Austrik / Fraunce / Norroway / Swaden, an aw the bairns ir diglotic. Naw, its no sum furrin inter-racial disease, its whaur the bairns ir bilingual in baith pawrents hamel leids, excepin whaur oo yaise Scots oo maist ordinar shuid write English.

 

Noo maist Scots-born fowk that hiv Scots pawrents will ken a guid wheen o Scots etymology thay cuid yaise, bit dinnae! Gin thay war tae yaise thair Scots etymology on a marrow wi English an the ither furrin leids, the bairns wad bi triglotic. Sae whit is it that maks the Scots leid jouk awa an bi jaloused as baud English an no modren Scots?

It’s the Scot’s creenge! Oor deleebrit hainin o whan its yaised. Oor saicret Hottentotism!  Oo keep it in the hoose tae enterteen grannie an gab tae kin an freens. Oo yaise it like a auld pair o bauchelt shin wi hert-likin bit in private! Oo nivver write it doon cause oo cannae! Thare’s no kenspeckle kenning o the morphology an naethin tae correct oor solecisms.

Bit whan oo gaun oot socially or gaun tae oor wirk oo lave it ahint. Whan oo chynge intae oor Sunday claes oo pit it awa in the press. Whan a strynger chaps the door oo answer it in English. Whan oo answer the phone oo answer in English, till oo ken whae’s on the ither end. Oo send oor wanes awa tae the schuil tae lairn English an oo tak the Scots o thair bairnheid  back fae thaim. Oo gie thaim newspapers an buiks tae read, bit jist wrutten in English. Thay listen tae the radio an gowp the TV – aw in English!

 

Is it onie wunner bairns noo-a-days dinnae think on Scots as a Heid-Leid. Thay ae yaise it in saicret or yaise it whan ither fowk dinnae think thaim glaikit. Maist times it’s jist yaised as a baur, a lauch or tae jamph maiks.

 

Sae it’s the same auld sang? Thare’s naethin new in whit A’ve said, it’s bin gaun ower an ower monie times afore. Jist pyntin oot the symptoms an sayin whits wrang wi the Scots leid is the easy pairt. Giein up a remede an prescribing the peels is a hail wey harder.

 

I will go now and answer the telephone, it’s fair dirlin ma heid, ken!

 

Ta – ta the noo.

 

Iain.

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