LL-L: "Language maintenance" LOWLANDS-L, 13.AUG.2000 (03) [Ap/E]

[Lowlands-L]

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  L O W L A N D S - L * 13.AUG.2000 (03) * ISSN 189-5582 * LCSN 96-4226
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From: Richard L Turner [fr.andreas at juno.com]
Subject: LL-L: "Language maintenance" LOWLANDS-L, 12.AUG.2000 (04) [E]

Hey Ar!
     On Sat, 12 Aug 2000 12:28:42 -0700  john feather
[johnfeather at sceptic1.freeserve.co.uk] writ:
"Don't be too "pure". Write 'I seen' and 'I ain't not never done it' so
that the largest possible number of people can understand. If that works,
take a further step and try to be more "phonetic" if that seems a good
idea. If you lose comprehensibility, go back a step. Don't be put off
from putting your interesting thoughts down in your own language by
problems which you are inventing yourself."


     They was never a truer nor kinder word ever writ by man. Gin A had
ary sech a thang as a original thought A'd shore write hit down what ever
way A thought hit!

     They is still a raft o fowk a-tawkin this hyir Mountainy way fer
thir everday tawkin, bein as hit's th only tung they got in thir haids.
An they's some, too, as uses hit fer tae claim thir place amongst thir
people an agin th occasional stranger at comes tae pynt an grin. But ye
cain't haurdly ketch nobody a-writin thisaway sinst they larnt em guid
Inglish in school. Fittin examples o native spellin is rare tae come by
an best used only when they's others a-doin th same. They's always
ceptions tae at, too. Th Ol Lone Ranger warn't no cultur hero, jist a
loner wi a grudge.

     Th part he writ abouten not a-gittin too phonetic is important, too.
They was a while at A writ tae th List a-usin some mighty juberous
spellins, but they's no caw fer hit gin yir grammar is steady along wi
yir tawk an ye kin let fowk know when they's a wide differ atween how
fowks out yir way say a word versus how them others around ye say hit. A
have made a couple signs fer wark at says "Please Ast Fer Holp." Hain't
nobody, citizen nor ferriner, had no trouble wi em sinst they don't
haurdly read no signs o ary sort!

     Lastly, ma salute tae th fowk o Nottinam fer a-usin more negatives
in a row'n even we do down hyir in th Smokies!

Keep yuins wail,
+Fr Andreas Richard Turner.

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From: "Ian James Parsley" <parsleyij at yahoo.com>
Subject: LL-L: "Language maintenance" LOWLANDS-L, 11.AUG.2000 (04) [E]

Criostoir O Ciardha [paada_please at yahoo.co.uk] wrote

> As I've said, my second language is Irish Gaelic. I
> taught this to myself over a two-year period whilst I
> lived in Cornwall. Unfortunately, no-one I know has
> any knowledge of the language and as a result I have
> been unable to use the tongue to any great degree. A
> further consequence of isolated language learning is
> that I have a complete lack of confidence in writing
> Irish, although I can speak it fluently. I have a
> paranoid irrational fear that my Irish is terrible,
> and that the lack of everyday use has corrupted my
> knowledge. As such I am unable - or, rather, unwilling
> - to write the language.

Yes, "unwilling" most probably. I've even had people say they're
unwilling to write in Scots for fear of "getting it wrong", despite
the fact that its lack of standard means that nothing is "wrong"! In
the case of Irish there are plenty of e-mail lists and such like, and
of course when you arrive in NI you will have plenty of opportunities.

My suggestion in relation to Scots in Ulster has been to establish a
number of clubs, which would maybe meet fortnightly, where people
would go with the expressed intention of simply speaking Scots. I'm
not a drinker myself, but I daresay if you involve a few pints of the
black stuff the likelihood increases! These would be based loosely on
the 'Glesca Curn', which may still have a website - Colin would know
more than me about that.

The key is just to use the thing at every opportunity. I've been given
only 10 minutes to do a presentation tomorrow about Ulster-Scots after
the Belfast Agreement, but I have no qualms about reducing this to
five so I can do it bilingually. As Andy Eagle says, not only have you
to 'tak tent o wir leid', you've to 'uise it' as well!

Best,
----------------
Ian James Parsley

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