Jined-up letters: a Scots metaphor

Posted by

Ma wee lassie, wha's no lang tirnt five, has jist startit lairnin tae scrieve in jined-up letters at the scaill. "En attaché", they cry it here in Fraince.

"Dad," she sayz til iz the ither day, "gonnae show iz hou tae scrieve 'Daddy' en attaché?"

Whit a scunner! I had tae tell her that Daddy, him it kens awthin in his bairn's een, cannae richt scrieve in jined-up letters. Whaun I wis wee masel, I yaist tae scrieve that bad that the dominies endit up tellin iz tae gie up ma unco, ugly shot at scrievin jined-up letters and jist scrieve ilka ane on its ain instead o pentin aw thon spiders in ma jotter. So's fowk wuid ken whit I wis sayin, they tellt iz.

Noo, gin I try tae yaise jined-up letters the day (like in ma signature), it disnae come oot richt, disnae feel natural, disnae flow like it shuid fir the simple reason I nivver lairnt hou tae dae it.

And the rest o the time? Well, thank Goad fir Microsoft Word!

blog comments powered by Disqus

The opinions expressed here are the views of the writers and commentators and do not necessarily reflect the views and opinions of the Scots Language Centre