LL-L: "Language conflicts" LOWLANDS-L, 31.JUL.2000 (02) [E]

[Lowlands-L]

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  L O W L A N D S - L * 31.JUL.2000 (02) * ISSN 189-5582 * LCSN 96-4226
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From: Colin Wilson [lcwilson at iee.org]
Subject: LL-L: "Language conflicts" LOWLANDS-L, 30.JUL.2000 (04) [E]

t 17:11 30/07/00 -0700, Ian James Parsley wrote:
>Yes, I was also under the impression that the SLS had less money than the
>USLS - and I know the USLS has no money!!

I'm not so sure about the SLS, and I'll check. As I understand it,
although its regular income is small, it has had a bank balance in
the (low) tens of thousands for some years, due to one-off contributions
(such as legacies) that it received. However, I accept that I may
be misinformed so I'll say no more until I've checked.

However, if I'm right, that may be enough to pay for a modest study
into attitudes to the promotion of Scots, involving a small-scale sample
of the public.

>Ulster-Scots language and culture in Ireland (as a whole) is due, under
the
>Belfast Agreement, to receive funding in the region of one million pounds
>sterling. However, add up the fees of the eight-member board, the salaries

>of 3-6 people including the Chief Executive, the unbelievable amounts
spent
>on "fact-finding missions" and "working lunches", and actually you have
>very little left.

After all the money's been spent, there won't be any left. I suppose that
*is* a logical conclusion.

Can we take it, though, that the people concerned will actually work in
return for their salaries, and the fact-finding missions will actually find

some facts? The assumption above seems to be that the money will be
squandered, and I'd be interested to know why.

>An agreement was reached on spending something in the region of a quarter
>of a million on funding an attitudinal survey to find out how many people
>in Ulster speak Scots and what they think of it. This, however, is a
>complete non-starter. Firstly, how do you define Scots as opposed to
>English?

During the campaign to have a question on Scots in next year's Census,
which ran from 1995 until this year, one of the responses of the British
government (and then its puppet in Edinburgh) was always that the question
of
whether a particular person speaks Scots, isn't a question that's really
amenable to a simple answer of "yes" or "no".

Personally, I can concede that there's a good deal of truth in that, and
that what's really needed is a more detailed investigation into the
degree to which Scots language-forms have been retained, and how widely,
and in which areas.

However, I'm not suggesting that the SLS could mount, or even pay for,
such a study. All I'm suggesting is a study into public *attitudes* toward
the promotion of Scots, based on a sample of the population.

Without evidence that a certain proportion of the public is broadly in
favour (I'd put the lower limit at 15%, in at least one council area),
then it may well be that Scots-language activists are simply pissing
into the wind.

Colin Wilson.

*********************************************************************
                               the graip wis tint, the besom wis duin
Colin Wilson                   the barra wadna row its lane
writin fae Aiberdein           an sicna soss it nivver wis seen
                               lik the muckin o Geordie's byre
**********************************************************************

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From: john feather [johnfeather at sceptic1.freeserve.co.uk]
Subject: Language Conflicts

The article by Poulsen is "The Faroese Language Situation" in "Minority
Languages Today" edited by Einar Haugen, J Derrick McClure and Derrick
Thomson, "A Selection from the Papers read at the First International
Conference on Minority Languages held at Glasgow University 8-13 September
1980". Now perhaps you can see why I didn't give the reference!

There are a couple of interesting (at least to an outsider) articles about
Scots.

If anyone's interested in the contents list I can put it on my website.

John Feather johnfeather at sceptic1.freeserve.co.uk

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