LL-L "Language varieties" 2010.04.03 (03) [EN]

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*L O W L A N D S - L - 03 April 2010 - Volume 03*
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From: Andy Eagle <andy at scots-online.org>
 Subject: LL-L "Language varieties"

 John wrote:

 Andy Wrote:

Nevertheless, Itchy Coo seem to be very successful at what they are doing
and have likely done more to get young people interested in Scots than
anybody else recently. No mean feat considering the objections that are
often raised when the words Scots, school and classroom occur in the same
sentence.

Well, maybe. I have come across anecdotal tales of how Itchy Coo personnel
can 'engage a class' of primary kids. But you could engage a class of
primary kids by taking them outside to throw snowballs. Is there any
evidence that the influence lasts beyond the 'engagement' stage?

The acid test is first what happens when they reach the teenage stage, and
second, whether they pass it on to their own kids. As far as I can see, at
the teenage stage, Scots forms in speech are 'tribal,' identified with that
particular tribe known as 'neds' and eschewed by others who do not belong to
that tribe. In the high school here, speaking Doric - although anyone might
have done so - seemed to be particularly associated with 'footballers', the
point being that if you weren't a 'footballer' you were more likely to have
English-speaking friends and speak more English. My kids are now in their
early twenties, and although most of their friends are from the North East -
often from the small towns and villages which were until recently the
bedrock of Doric - they always speak English to each other because that's
what their social group does. Secondly, parents in general are not going to
pass on something which is regarded as disreputable.


Perhaps teenagers wish to identify more with popular Anglo-American culture
such as rock music in general, popular television and cinema etc. and
speaking English allies them with that. Something which is particularly easy
to do since the education system is geared to do exactly that.

Scots, or what's left of it, certainly in urban areas, now tends to be
spoken by the 'working class'. As you say, referring some young 'working
class' people as 'neds' is now common. They are more likely to express their
youth culture through the use of what Scots they still have. Perhaps because
their culture is thought to be less sophisticated than the 'alternative' or
'indie' influenced rock and goth etc. culture of middle class, more
academically orientated youth which is generally expressed through English.
Perhaps as a consequence the more Scots speech of the 'neds' is then
considered unsophisticated too, and then referred to as 'ned speak'
http://www.bbc.co.uk/scotland/tv/chewinthefat/neds/neducation.shtml,
something then to be avoided if one does not want to be associated with the
'unsophisticated', further fueling the cycle that marginalises the use of
Scots in general. Will 'sophisticated' teenagers who prefer English in the
in-group, but grew up speaking Scots revert back to it once they have passed
their teenage years when they no longer feel it necessary to identify with
what they see as the sophisticated in-group? Or will they remain English
speakers who've put their unsophisticated past behind them?

That perhaps depends on changing such perceptions of Scots as being somehow
less sophisticated. Something that's not likely to happen soon since some
involved in promoting Scots, as you say, seem to think that the language
should stay at a less than disreputable level.

most Scots don't have a concept of 'Scots' at all, and simply react against
people speaking in a down-town or inappropriate manner. This view has been
reinforced by the postmodern era in education where the traditional teaching
of Scots verse - usually Burns -
all but disappeared in the 60s or 70s, with the result that the succeeding
generations are mostly completely unaware of it.


Perhaps that's the result of most educational decision makers no longer
being Scots speakers themselves. Scots verse or literature of any kind is no
longer part of their culture so its not something that would occur to them
to teach.

Another example of the same process may be the 'Dunna Chuck Bruck' sign,
which was once common in Shetland, but is now gone. This obviously reflected
a desire to assert local identity which has since been superseded. On
Shetlink, the following exchange took place (posted by Ghostrider).

Public displays of Scots are perhaps only acceptable if they fulfil at least
one of the following requirements.

1. It has to be humourous
2. It has to rhyme
3. Best if both 1 and 2

'Dunna Chuck Bruck' is a perfect example, it fulfils 1 by fulfilling 2. I
bet if a purely transactional and wholly Shetland phrase for 'Please don't
litter' was used it would have met with derision. Non Shetland and non
standard English or informal chuck likely having been chosen because of its
humourous connotations and because it rhymes with bruck.

Andy



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