[BITList] WordczaRus

[John Feltham]

October 2002
1.6 million Scots speakers – for starters

back to features
German philosopher Martin Heidegger said that when a language dies a  
map of the world disappears. The loss is inestimable as every map  
contains unique revelations. Luckily Scots, a tongue that was once  
sidelined if not suppressed, is – in all its richness of idiom and  
vocabulary – making a concerted comeback.

Nae sleekit, cow'rin, tim'rous beastie

A recent Scottish Executive survey jalouses that there are 1.6 million  
active Scots speakers in Scotland the day, an Scots Leid inkenners  
jalouse that there are muckle mair folk that yaise the leid  
'passively'. Thon latter group unnerstaun Scots an likely yaise a  
puckle o Scots words on an ilka-day basis. Furth o Scotland, whaur  
there is a skailin o rochlie forty million sowels awnin Scottish  
originale, it's sairer tae jalouse linguistic tholability. Sweirly  
speakin, Scots – forenent the Gaelic – is the spikk o the Lawlanders.  
Yet, even although the feck o the Scottish diaspora wid awn Hieland  
descent, it isna unco for the default leid atween brither an sister  
Scots abroad – as cleekit in the hunners o clishmaclaver rooms on the  
internet – tae be Gleswegian. Which, as awbody kens, is Scots. It's  
eneuch tae say: the leid o Burns, the warld's second maist blethered- 
aboot poet, is vieve an is weel. An has a muckle an growthie audience.


ooroo

If you don't hear the knock of opportunity - build a door.

Anon.



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