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<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center; font-family: arial,helvetica,sans-serif;" align="center"><span style="font-size: 11pt;" lang="PT-BR">===========================================<br>
L O W L A N D S - L - 12 April 2009 - Volume 01<br>
===========================================</span></p>
<p style="font-family: arial,helvetica,sans-serif;" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><br>
From: <span class="gd"><span style="color: rgb(121, 6, 25);">Andy Eagle</span></span></span><span class="gi"> </span><span class="go"><<a href="mailto:andy@scots-online.org">andy@scots-online.org</a>></span><br>
Subject: <span class="gi">LL-L "Language varieties" 2009.04.01 (01) [E]</span><br>
<br>
John wrote:</p>
<p style="font-family: arial,helvetica,sans-serif; margin-left: 40px;" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 153);">I think the
main point is - what do the people who speak it think it is?</span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial;"><br>
I think it is probably safe to say that the majority of Scots speakers will
consider themselves speakers of a dialect of English.<br>
<br>
As you say, there are many who talk about the Scots language but their actions
seems to indicate what they really mean is Scottish dialects (of English).
Standard English being the roof variety under which the Scottish dialects are
to found. In that scheme of things dialects have their place and should stay
there. Exactly the kind of marginalisation that leads to dialect decay in the
first place. Decay you may say. "Language has always evolved and
changed". Yes, but replacing Scots dialects with standard English is
something different. More akin to language death. Though I suspect that some
are of the belief that if standard English is  spoken with a Scottish
accent and the Scots word of the day is used then they consider it to be a
variety of the Scots language. So now with my best Highland
accent, and my Gaelic word of the day, I am proud to announce that I am a glay
vah Gaelic speaker. Now don't come at me about spelling glay vah wrong. This
Gaelic thing is a developing language there's no 'standard spelling', I'm going
for the authentic voice.<br>
<br style="">
</span></p>
<p style="margin-left: 40px; color: rgb(0, 0, 153);" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial;">Shetland
Fudge Advert:</span></p>
<p style="margin-left: 40px; color: rgb(0, 0, 153);" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial;"><br style="">
</span></p>
<p style="margin-left: 40px; color: rgb(0, 0, 153);" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial;"><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w_1lCZaPWHM" target="_blank">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w_1lCZaPWHM</a></span></p>
<p style="margin-left: 40px; color: rgb(0, 0, 153);" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial;"><br style="">
</span></p>
<div style="margin-left: 40px;"><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial;"><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 153);">This one
shows how the word 'Shaetlan' is pronounced.</span></span><br><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial;"></span></div><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial;">
<br>
I just heard a little Scots speaking girl saying 'Shetland' in a Shetland
accent. What does that <ae> in 'Shaetlan' represent that I can't hear to
be adequately represented by <e>. Simplification of <nd> to /d/ is
fairly common in many varieties of Scots.<br style="">
<br style="">
</span></p>
<p style="margin-left: 40px;" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial;"><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 153);">Lowrie
sells his oo:</span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial;"><br>
That was a gem.<br>
<br style="">
</span></p>
<p style="margin-left: 40px;" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial;"><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 153);">If you regard</span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial;"><br>
your speech as a dialect, you don't need a policy, because dialect is almost<br>
<br>
by definition just whatever you happen to speak.<br>
<br>
Some countries have dialect policies. For example Bavaria <a href="http://www.isb.bayern.de/isb/download.aspx?DownloadFileID=75639926d839284f848ae3084c6d5bd4" target="_blank">http://www.isb.bayern.de/isb/download.aspx?DownloadFileID=75639926d839284f848ae3084c6d5bd4</a>
(In German) I haven't read the whole thing but apparently: "Ihr Ziel ist
es, den bayerischen Mundarten den ihnen gebührenden Stellenwert einzuräumen und
die Verbundenheit der Schülerinnen und Schüler mit ihrer bayerischen Heimat zu
stärken gemäß Artikel 131 der Bayerischen Verfassung." which translates
roughly as "The aim is to give the Bavarian dialects their due weight and
to strengthen the pupils' bond with their Bavarian homeland according to
article 131 of the Bavarian constitution."<br>
<br>
I'm not sure if there's a policy for Swiss German dialects but Wikipedia tells
us "The reason "Swiss German" dialects constitute a special
group is their almost unrestricted use as a spoken language in practically all
situations of daily life, whereas the use of the Alemannic dialects in the
other countries is restricted or even endangered.<br>
<br>
The dialects of Swiss German must not be confused with Swiss Standard German,
the variety of Standard German used in Switzerland."<br>
<br>
Roger wrote:<br style="">
<br style="">
</span></p>
<p style="margin-left: 40px; color: rgb(0, 0, 153);" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial;">The point
is, I think, that many people believe that, because there are</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial;"><br></span></p><div style="margin-left: 40px;"><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial;">
<span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 153);">regional variants, it is impossible that a standard form emerges. For</span></span><br style="color: rgb(0, 0, 153);"><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; color: rgb(0, 0, 153);">
</span><br style="color: rgb(0, 0, 153);"><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; color: rgb(0, 0, 153);">
proving it to be wrong one just has to look at the history of French and</span><br style="color: rgb(0, 0, 153);"><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; color: rgb(0, 0, 153);">
</span><br style="color: rgb(0, 0, 153);"><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; color: rgb(0, 0, 153);">
English.</span><br><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial;"></span></div><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial;">
<br>
A 'standard' form need not be as prescriptive as those of English or French. As
far as Scots goes a regularised spelling would suffice. Where particular
pronunciations cannot be predicted from the graphemic representations of the
underlying phonemes variants can be accepted. Â People should follow their
native grammar. The grammatical differences between Scots dialects are not
marked enough to hinder comprehension. The oft made claim that Scots speakers
from different places speak markedly different is bogus. The problem, if there
is one at all, is unfamiliarity not unintelligibility. When I first heard
Shetland I had difficulty. I am now much more familiar with it and only Norn
words prove a problem. But even then context makes fairly accurate guessing
possible.<br>
<span style="color: rgb(136, 136, 136);"><br>
Andy</span></span></p>
•
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