The Scots Word Book (1977) – scotslanguage.info

Next year A howp we’ll aw be celebratin the 40t anniversary o William Graham’s ootstaunin wark “The Scots Word Book” that set oot whit wis tae become the noo de facto stannert o written Scots. A muckle, groonbrakin achievement that aw Scots speakers shud be richt prood o.

Gart a richt interestin blether on Facebook, e.g.

Caroline Macafee Athoot daein doon Graham’s wird beuk an his contribution tae staundardisin the 20th c leid, the flow chart is gey misleadin. The SLD faimly o dcitionars aws nocht ava tae Graham, an aathin tae the multi-volume historical dictionars (*A Dictionary of the Older Scottish Tongue* an *The Scottish National Dictionary*, baith online thegither as Dictionary of the Scots Language). An there was mony dictionars afore Graham – in prent whan he publisht was *Chambers’ Scots Dictionary* be Warrack, based on Warrack’s ain contributions tae the 6-volume *English Dialect Dictionary* (coverin Scotland as weel’s England an N. Ireland).

Lucy Dolan there’s nae a standard…. there’s a muckle load o dialects o Scots.

Alan Edgey Weel, that us gane frae ‘de facto stannert o written Scots’ tae ‘nae a standard’ an its taen juist aicht oors this time aboot.

Jamie Fairbairn 1985 Aberdeen University Press..

Rab Wilson Agree Thair a wheen Scots dialects; an the SND taks tent o thaim aa.

Clive P L Young Naebodie’s seyin there isna dialects, naebodie’s seyin there isna a wheen o ither dictionaries, gaun back lang afore WG. Whit A’m seyin is that ye can see in TSWB the ruits o whit is nooadays a verra cowman reenge o Scots spellins an usage. The verra thing folk keep threipin on – fur rizzons a jist dinna unnerstaun – disna exist.

Alan Edgey Wha’s threapin there isna a verra common reenge o Scots spellins? Houanver, is an iver growin verra common reenge o Scots spellins the selsame as a ‘de facto stannert’?

Clive P L Young …is an iver growin verra common reenge o Scots spellins the selsame as a ‘de facto stannert’?” It is.

Alan Edgey Apparently, for example, in 2005 shoap wis added tae that iver growin verra common reenge o Scots spellins. http://www.dsl.ac.uk/entry/snd/sndns3345

Clive P L Young “Shoap” is cowmon Glesca dialect variant. Nae rizzon hoo it widna kythe in dictionaries.

Alan Edgey But is that ane the ‘defacto stannert’ or this ane? http://www.dsl.ac.uk/entry/snd/shap_n1

Clive P L Young Not at aw, an wudna claim tae be. The DSL records near onie prentit yiss o Scots oniebodie come up wi. The opposite o a stannert.

Alan Edgey Ay, an the ither wee-er dictionars juist wales a puckle o thir uisses in a ad hoc inconseetent mainer.

Clive P L Young Ay, whit wid professional lexicographers warkin eydent-like ower hauf a century ken, eh? Pages vi tae viii o the Concise English Scots Dictionary sets oot the spellin conventions they yaise, if ye’r interestit, BTW.

Alan Edgey Ay, but it disna necessar mak thaim conseestent in terms o a diaphonemic matchin o graphemes tae unnerlyin phonemes. https://sites.google.com/site/scotsthreip/systemic-spelling

Clive P L Young Mibbies, but that dinsna bother me a docken. Wha said “diaphonemic matchin o graphemes tae unnerlyin phonemes” is the maist important thing?

Alan Edgey Naebody, but if its naw diaphonemic aw that’s introduced is mair unneccesar variation that caws the feet fae unner ony thocht o the affcome bein a serviceable as a ‘stannert’. Mebbes a stairt but no really a thocht-throu ane.
[…] usually only one spelling is given, or in some cases two or more, especially where there are regional variants […] Sometimes additional variants are given at the word’s main appearance in the dictionary […] (Macleod and Cairns 1993: vi)
John isna the ae body that’s pyntit oot the inconseetancy o thae dictionars.
http://www.scots-online.org/articles/contents/AwAeWey.pdf