Imagine a country that is happy to teach just about every language in addition to English, except the one native to the land and spoken by many? Imagine a country where some are embarrassed of their own language, where it is mocked by certain members of parliament, and given little credit in mainstream media.
Welcome tae Scotland!
The decline of Scots
Scots and English share a common root, but split in the last millennium. However with the Reformation and then the Union in 1707, the Scots language was increasingly marginalised – particularly by the middle and upper classes.
The Scots’ way of speaking was often ridiculed by their English counterparts. However the real problem was the reaction from the Scots, who quickly abandoned their native tongue to appeal to London. There was an aggressive attack on Scots – elocution languages were held in Edinburgh to teach the Scots how to speak properly. Properly, as in English.
All better now?
Sadly, this viewpoint still exists today. The Scots language is viewed by many as a mere dialect, or ‘bad English’. I can count myself among the wealth of ignorant Scots who inexcusably neglect their mother tongue, and who give little thought to its preservation. Here, in Scotland, children are taught French, German, Spanish, Italian… but not Scots.
Scots is belittled for sounding funny – close to English but different. Look at the funny wee folk with their funny wee words. It’s a disgraceful treatment of a national language, and highly offensive. The sad fact is we have no one to blame but ourselves – no one is going to save Scots and Gaelic but the people in Scotland.
The problem is that in Scotland, mere mention of preserving Scots provokes cries of ‘Nationalist!’ and ‘Anti-English!’ If you read any article on the topic, scroll to the comments and you’ll see that anyone who wants to preserve Scots is perceived as a backwards loony.
And that’s nonsense. Absolute bloody nonsense. Encouraging Scots does not mean turning our backs on English. Of course all Scots will speak English, but why can’t we speak fluent Scots as well? Gaelic is finally being preserved (likely through guilt) after centuries of being squeezed out of Scottish society. Gaelic, once the predominant language, was pushed to the edges, much like Scots has been in the last three hundred years. Gaelic can be comfortably funded because so few speak it – no chance of it overthrowing the state.
However there’s this fear that if we dare teach the Scots language, we’ll somehow reverse the country to the Dark Ages. By preserving Scots we’ll all abandon English, therefore cutting off trade with the rest of the world, leaving us to huddle in oor crannogs, reading Burns and eating porridge.
Bilingual? What a crazy idea
In this part of the world, English is the dominant language, and I think it’s important to establish a common form of communication as many problems are solved if we can understand each other.
But that doesn’t mean all other languages should be left to wither and die. Languages should be preserved; each is unique, with its own idioms and expressions.
It’s not a case of ‘one or the other’. Humans can speak multiple languages and switch between them when necessary. We’re a bright bunch – our brains can cope!
Flying the flag
I’m from Edinburgh, least Scottish city of them all, and while Scots thrives in many rural areas, the same can’t be said for my home town. I never thought about this subject until doing research for my book, but the more I learn, the more I’m outraged (outraged, I tell ye!)
Scots didn’t die out naturally. It was pushed and flattened, and to this day so many Scots are still embarrassed or ashamed to use their own words. One commenter on an article wasn’t happy about the translation of Fantastic Mr. Fox into Scots. So this individual is against the translation of any book into another language? I doubt it somehow. They were against Scots.
I was taught English at school (except obligatory Burns lesson every 25th of January) and speak Scottish English; therefore I will continue to write most prose in English. However, since doing research for my book, I’ve discovered a whole world of thriving Scots literature, and am looking forward to trying a bit of Scots myself, possibly poetry. Certainly, it should help writer’s block if I have two languages to choose from (or so goes the theory!)
‘Why does it matter?’
This question makes me sad. It’s like asking ‘why bother being individual?’ Languages are part of the wonderful cultural diversity we have. Some don’t see the value. I read one comment on a Guardian article that said ‘I’d rather we all learned Chinese’. Yes, let’s pick one language and we all learn that, and not bother about anything else. Just think – no more foreign films, no more music in a different language, no more diversity in literature. Easy peasy. We won’t need to bother translating anything.
As for all that old waffle written in the funny words, well, we’ll just forget it ever existed.
Different languages should be preserved, not abandoned, and no one should ever be ashamed of speaking one. I’d hate to think we’re all moving to a single, homogenous language. I think so much would be lost.
As for Scots, it’s very much an uphill battle against shocking ignorance and well-established racism. There’s a rotten attitude here regarding our language, and many believe it should be consigned to the history books.
I believe otherwise; I believe it’s a language worth saving, capable of great expression. Even if it were a shoddy language, it still shouldn’t be squashed by prejudice. I believe I have the right to learn and converse in my own tongue, in my own country, without issue.
*climbs down from soap box*
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