[Lowlands-l] "Alice’s Adventirs in Wunnerlaun" (Alice in Glaswegian Scots) published by Evertype

[Lowlands Languages & Cultures]

Evertype would like to announce the publication of Thomas Clark's translation of “Alice's Adventures in Wonderland” into Glaswegian Scots, “Alice’s Adventirs in Wunnerlaun”. The book uses John Tenniel's classic illustrations. A page with links to Amazon.com and Amazon.co.uk is available at http://www.evertype.com/books/alice-sco-glasgow.html . Bookstores can order copies at a discount from the publisher.

From the Introduction:

Lewis Carroll wis the pen-name ae Charles Lutwidge Dodgson, a professor o mathematics at Christ Church, Oxford. His weel-kent story came aboot while he wis oan a rowin trip up the watter ae the Thames in Oxford oan 4 July 1862. Dodgson wis accompanit oan this outin bi the Rev. Robinson Duckworth an three young lassies: Alice Liddell, the ten-year-auld daughter ae the Dean ae Christ Church, an Alice’s two sisters, Lorina and Edith, who wir thirteen an eight. As ye kin tell fae the poem at the stairt, the three lassies begged Dodgson fir a story, an so he went oan tae tell them, wioot a hale loat ae enthusiasm tae begin wi, an early version ae the story that wis tae become Alice’s Adventirs in Wunnerlaun. Acause ae this, there’s a fair few refrences tae the five traivellers in the boat hauf-hidden away throo-oot the text ae the book, which wis published eventually in 1865.

Glaswegian, the dialect ae Scots spoke mainly in Glesca an the surroondin coonty ae Lanarkshire, differs mainly fae ither Scots dialect in the range an variety ae its influences. Glesca’s pairt in the 18th Century transatlantic trade o Great Britain, an its later expansion intae an industrial pooer in its ain right, saw the toon turn intae a meltin pot ae cultural differences. Linguistically, the maist important immigrants bi faur wir the Irish an the Scottish Hielanmen, who settlt in Glesca in their droves. The vowel soonds ae Glaswegian, mebbe its maist significant distinguishing merks, owe much tae the pronunciation ae the city’s Irish an Hielan incomers.

It’s wirth notin that the establishment ae a standart written Scots is still an oangawin process, specially when it comes tae regional dialects. In the Glaswegian Alice ah’ve used standart Scots spellins where sich spellins exist (“deid”, “doon”, “didnae”) bit as well as that, ah’ve used phonetic spellins an coinages fir wirds where there’s nae current con­sensus fir standart spellin, ir where Glaswegian pronun­ciation is different in important weys frae that ae Standart Scots (“coarner”, “yeez”, “jaur”). Seein as Glaswegian pro­nunciations are awfy context-sensitive, this means ye’ll oaften find two different spellins ae the same wird, likesay baith “everythin” an “everyhin” fir “every­thing”. Ah’ve bent aer backwarts tae avoid apologetic apostrophes, bit fir some Glaswegian contraction ae standart English ir Scots wirds, specially wans in the past tense or usin glottal stoaps (like “unsettl’t”), an apostrophe wis the neatest wey ae reflectin Glaswegian pronunciation.

A language mair spoke than written, Glaswegian’s goat an awfy wee functional vocabulary when it comes tae some hings. The synonyms ae “weeping” that git used aw through Alice, fir instance—“crying”, “sobbing”, “shedding tears” an aw that—hiv aw goat totally different connotations fae each ither, an could aw be translatit, mair ir less, intae direct Glaswegian equivalents. Bit in actual spoken practice the Glaswegian wird “greetin” wid jist be used fir them aw, an so it’s whit ah’ve stuck tae here. Bi the same token, awAlice’s various degrees ae “smallness” are cover’t in Glaswegian simply bi “wee” an “totey”. Oan the ither haun, there’s certain areas where Glaswegian enjoys a full an rich vocabulary—insults, expressions ae scepticism, etc.—an in thae aspects ah’ve gave it the full whack as faur as the local colour ae the dialect goes.

Ah’m hopin that this GlaswegianAlice has the meanin ae the original, but casts its subtle emphases in ither directions. The Glaswegian wey ae hings in storytellin tends tae pit the brunt oan character an dialogue, an this is suhin ah’ve tried keenly tae reflect. Glaswegian, fir wan reason ir anither, is a dialect ae Scots no mony translaters tend tae use. Where Glaswegian translations ae major wirks dae exist, but, thir a staun-oot fir thir gallusness, thir banter, an a kindae storm-damaged coammun-sense that straddles the boarder atween whimsy an practicality. It’s in reflectin this aspect ae Carroll’s original, above aw, that ah hope this GlaswegianAlice is able tae succeed.
	 
— Thomas Clark
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Michaael Everson
Evertype, http://alice-in-wonderland-books.com

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