A widna be creetical o onie individual’s Scots, we’r aw lairners aifter aw. But “offeecial” documents peyed wi by public siller is anither maitter.
Cud the scriever(s) o Creative Scotlan(d)’s new “Scots Leid Policie” – a “offeecial” document mind – no hae taen tent o the wark o the twa ither Scottish public bodies peyed tae develop Scots?
- Did they no ken aboot the Scottish Language Dictionaries’ “Essential Scots Dictionary” (ESD), near 20 year auld an that ye can noo get as a app for yer iPad?
- Or ivver read the Scots Language Centre’s (SLC) ootstaunin an (kinna important-like) consistent wabsteid, o mair nor 15,000 wirds?
- Or e’en checked spellins on the respectit Online Scots Dictionary (OSD), like we aw dae?
See, by no daein that ye jist strenthen the wickit myth that Scots is a nae-stannerts, nae-consistent guddle.
Haein a swatch o jist the first page o the document ye see richt awa twa-three “problems” wi Creative Scotlan(d)’s auld-farrant “jist-mak-it-up-as-ye-gang-alang” scuil o Scots writin. A’m no seyin the examples on the leet is “wrang” an A’m “richt” but … weel…
1. “Creative” – SLC caws it “Scotland Makkin”, soons gey mair cuil!
2. “Scotlan” – A like it but “Scotland” SLC, ESD (no listit), OSD
3. “values” – OK but “vailyies” OSD
4. “appreciates” – English; hoo aboot “unnerstauns”, “taks tent o”, “apprises” OSD
5. “language’ – “langage” in SLC, ESD, OSD
6. “has” – English; “haes” SLC OSD , “hes/his” ESD
7. “gans” – OK jist possible (OSD,ESD) but “gaes” faur mair cowmon SLC, OSD, ESD
8. “oan” – Glesca dialect; “on” SLC, OSD
9. “scrievin” – the past participle “written” is “scrievit” is it no? “Scrieve” isna richt onieweys.
10. “ur” – Possible (ESD), no in SLC at aw, is it no Glesca?; “are” OSD an maist grammars or singular “is”.
11. “theday” – “the day” SLC, ESD, OSD. Awbodie kens that.
12. “standin” – “staunin” SLC, “staund” is the ruit gien in ESD and OSD (or “staun” ESD)
13. “wan” – Glesca dialect; “ane” SLC, ESD, OSD, tho “ae” wid be faur better here
14. “hamewart” – “hamelt” gey better in context (SLC, OSD, ESD “hamit”)
15. “yuiss” – “yiss” ESD or “uise” OSD, SLC haes baith. Naebodie haes “yuiss”
16. “wurkin” – Glesca dialect, “wirk” verb, “wark” noun in ESD, OSD, SLC. The SG quote haes “netwark” in the paragraph jist afore!
17. “closely” – A like fine the yiss o “-ie” in wirds like “policie” and “historie” an e’en “livelie” but hoo no “closelie” an (later) “sindrie” (the spellin ESD gies onieweys)? Consistencie, fowks, consistencie!
18. “livelie” – OK but “leevin”, “cantie” mibbies reads better
19. “wurld” – Glesca dialect, “warld” SLC, ESD, OSD.
20. “ambition” – “tradeetion” airlier sae hoo no “ambeetion”?
21. “fir” – consistent wi SG quote but “for” SLC, OSD an “fur” ESD
22. “native” – “hamelt” as before
23. “folk” – English; “fowk” SLC, ESD, OSD
24. “mair kent” – whit’s wrang wi “unnerstuid”?
25. “modrin” – “modren” SLC, ESD, OSD an the buik “Modren Scots Grammar” (2012)
26. “statutory” – “statutorie” for consistencie
27. “push forrit” – “forder” SLC, OSD, ESD is mair elegant
28. “hame” – “hamelt” still better
29. “innermaist” – mibbies; cud be “creetical” or A’d sey “at the hert o”
30. “howanivver” – at last, a rael chyce; “hooanever” SLC, “howanever” or “hooivver” ESD, “hou(an)iver” OSD… or ye cud aye jist mak up yer ain spellin as here. An hoo no? CS thinks there nae stannerts onieweys..
31. “thir is” – “there” ESD, SLC, “thare” OSD
32. “ o Scots language” – bad English as weel as bad Scots – “the” missin in baith
33. “committit” – OK but “thirlt” SLC, OSD wid wirk weel
34. “the taen up” – “the uptak” soons better
35. “weel seen” disna mean “visible”; “veesible” OSD, ruit “veesion” ESD