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<h1 class="">Holyrood launches drive to promote Scots language</h1>
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<img class="" alt="Minister for Learning, Science and Scotland's Languages Alasdair Allan launched the policy document today. Picture: Greg Macvean" src="http://www.scotsman.com/webimage/1.3883224.1441916514%21/image/3392323757.jpg_gen/derivatives/landscape_620/3392323757.jpg" title="Minister for Learning, Science and Scotland's Languages Alasdair Allan launched the policy document today. Picture: Greg Macvean">
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Minister for Learning, Science and Scotland's Languages Alasdair
Allan launched the policy document today. Picture: Greg Macvean
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<div class="" title="by TOM PETERKIN" rel="author">
<h4 class="">TOM PETERKIN</h4>
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</div></div></div><span class="">21:23</span><span class="">Thursday 10 September 2015</span><div class=""><div class=""><div class="">
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<h3 class=""><strong><p>A DRIVE to promote the Scots
language has been launched by the Scottish Government “tae encourage ye
aw te recognise the valuable heritage we hae in the Scots leid”.</p></strong></h3>
<p>A series of steps to raise the language’s profile has been
announced, including the quango Education Scotland adopting trilingual
corporate signage so that messages are written in English, Gaelic and
Scots. </p>
<blockquote class="" id="pullquote-0">
<h2 class="">It is a predictable stunt from the government</h2>
<cite class="">Alex Johnstone</cite>
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<p>A national Scots Language Policy sets out a range of actions, which
will be taken forward by Education Scotland’s Scots language
co-ordinators.</p>
<p>According to a policy document launched by languages minister
Alasdair Allan at Education Scotland’s “Scots in Schools” conference in
Stirling, the co-ordinators will provide templates and suggestions for
the quango’s staff who wish to sign off emails in Scots or include
appropriate Scots greetings. </p>
<p>They will develop resources to enable teachers to “confidently and
creatively engage” with Scots, working with such partners as Historic
Environment Scotland, the National Library of Scotland and Glasgow
University.</p><p>Education Scotland will inform parents about the place
of Scots in the Curriculum for Excellence through its e-bulletins and
face-to-face presentations.</p><p>The quango has also said it will
develop a Scots language ambassadors scheme, which sees well known
people such as the author James Robertson and the children’s group
Singing Kettle sign up to become champions of Scots.</p><p>The
ambassadors scheme is to be linked to a new Scots scriever residency at
the National Library of Scotland, which has been filled by the poet and
playwright Hamish MacDonald.</p> <div id="adTag_6" class=""><div style="border:0pt none" id="google_ads_iframe_3948/scotsman.jp/top-stories_4__container__"><div id="prw7A1F05001D1E5D390311B6802B790101" class="" style="width:300px;min-height:250px;margin:0px auto"><div id="primage7A1F05001D1E5D390311B6802B790101" name="primage7A1F05001D1E5D390311B6802B790101" style="width:0px;height:0px" align="left"><img name="prti" style="width: 1px; height: 1px; float: none;" height="1" width="1"></div><div id="prtrans" style="background-color:transparent"><img id="pradi7A1F05001D1E5D390311B6802B790101" name="pradi7A1F05001D1E5D390311B6802B790101" style="width: 1px; height: 1px; float: none;" src="http://speed.pointroll.com/PointRoll/Media/banners/trans.gif?PRAd=2080108&PRCID=2080108&PRplcmt=2613143&PRPID=2613143" height="1" border="0" width="1"></div><table height="250" border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" width="300"><tbody><tr><td> </td></tr></tbody></table><map name="prmap7A1F05001D1E5D390311B6802B790101"></map></div></div></div>
<p>Currently, the Scottish Government spends a total of £270,000 on
funding Scottish language dictionaries (SLD) and the Scots Language
Centre (SLC). </p><p>The government said the latest Scots language push would not require extra cash. </p><p>But
the plans were criticised by the Scottish Tory MSP Alex Johnstone said:
“This a predictable stunt from a Scottish Government more interested in
pandering to patriots than improving education.</p><p>“When it could be
trying to push Scotland’s schools up global league tables, or closing
the attainment gap, it’s actually trying to stir up the constitution in
any way it can.</p>
<p>“It’s been well proven that our school children would benefit far
more from learning international languages which could open all kinds of
doors for them.</p><p>“That should be the focus of Scottish Government resources, not this.”</p><p>A Scottish Government spokeswoman said: “There was no increase in funding for these plans.</p><p>“The
Scottish Government takes the preservation and promotion of all three
of Scotland’s historical indigenous languages seriously and this new
policy underpins the Scottish Government’s commitment to Scots.” </p><div style="overflow:hidden;color:rgb(0,0,0);background-color:rgb(255,255,255);text-align:left;text-decoration:none;border:medium none"><br>Read more: <a style="color:rgb(0,51,153)" href="http://www.scotsman.com/news/politics/top-stories/holyrood-launches-drive-to-promote-scots-language-1-3883171#ixzz3lRXbG5fX">http://www.scotsman.com/news/politics/top-stories/holyrood-launches-drive-to-promote-scots-language-1-3883171#ixzz3lRXbG5fX</a><br></div><br clear="all"><br>-- <br><div class="gmail_signature">**************************************<br>N.b.: Listing on the lgpolicy-list is merely intended as a service to its members<br>and implies neither approval, confirmation nor agreement by the owner or sponsor of the list as to the veracity of a message's contents. Members who disagree with a message are encouraged to post a rebuttal, and to write directly to the original sender of any offensive message. A copy of this may be forwarded to this list as well. (H. Schiffman, Moderator)<br><br>For more information about the lgpolicy-list, go to <a href="https://groups.sas.upenn.edu/mailman/" target="_blank">https://groups.sas.upenn.edu/mailman/</a><br>listinfo/lgpolicy-list<br>*******************************************</div>
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