Re: Grammar

[mn13189@WCUVAX1.WCU.EDU]

Poster: mn13189@WCUVAX1.WCU.EDU

On Tue, 18 Mar 1997, Stephanie M. Thorson wrote:

> Writes Master Malcolm in response to Eogan

Actually, I don't think this was a responcse dirtectly to me, but that's
ok ;)

> > When one refers to the Scots language, usually what is meant
> > is the language of Edinborough and the Mid-Lothian lowlands. This
> > is the language of Bobby Burns and it is an English dialect or
> > language. The language of the westen highland is called Gailic,
> > or by hostile lowlanders, Irish. 
> 
> Scots, Lallans, and Doric are all names given to the dialect of English
> spoken in Scotland.  It is specifically a northeastern Scottish dialect. 
> This Lowlands/Highlands business is all right, but not clear, in part
> because even now we hang on to the idea of a north/south division of
> Scotland, when the realities of geography make it more an east/west line. 

I hate fine line divisions like this, because they tend to be misleading,
and change over time.  I usually think of the Highland/Lowland division as
one of altitude (geographically speaking) and not latitude.  But the
division is really more important culturally than geographically, in which
case the Highland/Lowland division has changed over history, regardless of
actual geographical divisions.  I usually try to make my division sound
more cultural and less geographical by referring to it as Gaelic/Lowlands,
although there are (and have been throughout time) many different Highland
cultures, and not all of them Gaelic.  So that doesn't work, either.  ANd
this two-way division leaves out or assimilates the unique cultures of the
outer Isles and the coastal regions of Scotland.

> north/northeast as it really does.  In reality, from here in St Andrews
> (Fife, Lowlands) I can head close to straight west and end up in Perth,
> which is "highland" territory, or I can go north and eventually land
> myself in Aberdeen, which is Northeastern "lowland" territory and where
> the native speech is an absolutely impenetrable form of Lallans.  I can

I've been doing a little linguistic history research, and apparantly
modern Aberdeenshire dialect is the closest survivor of the Scots tongue
that would have been spoken in the 15th century and earlier.
	Scots is actually one of the older tongues still being spoken in
Britain.  It came about due to the 7th century immigration of the
Anglo-Saxons into the southern Lowlands of Scotland.  And during the
Norman Conquest in the 11th century, many English speaking people fled to
the Lowlands to seek refuge.  Thus Scots was not affected as much by
French as English, and was instead affected more by Gaelic.
	By the 15th century, in Scotland, Scots was the tongue of kings &
queens, much as French was the courtly tongue in England.  But when James
VI (a native Scots speaker) united the two crowns, he moved to London.
After him, most Scottish nobility soon began speaking English with a
London accent.
	Since then Scots has been largely frowned upon, and seen as not
suitable for literary or scholarly purposes.  Standard English has been
taught in Scottish schools, to the exclusion of the Scots tongue, rather
than along side it.  (Ask me to sing you the song, "Listen Tae The
Teacher" one day).  But lately it has seen some revival.  The new
testiment has now been translated into Scots, and is used in some
churches.  And there is at least one publishing company that is producing
a series of biographies for young people written completely in Scots.

> Going back to my thesis,
> Alianora
> who has a B.A. in English, an M.A. in Medieval and Byzantine Studies
> (specialization in vernacular languages and literatures), is currently
> working on a PhD in medieval Scottish history by editing a text in Middle
> Scots, and is partial to maps. 

Hey!  Sounds like you're having way too much fun!  That's not allowed at
school, is it? ;)
Aye,
Eogan
(working on his B.A. in English (specializing in Medieval Lit.), and
trying to study as much Scottish history and anthropolgy as he can (who
knows, maybe some kind institution will give me an honorary degree?!)

=======================================================================
List Archives, FAQ, FTP:  http://sca.wayfarer.org/merryrose/
            Submissions:  atlantia@atlantia.sca.org
        Admin. requests:  majordomo@atlantia.sca.org