LL-L: "Orthography" LOWLANDS-L, 24.MAY.2001 (01) [S]

[Lowlands-L]

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From: Andy.Eagle at t-online.de (Andy Eagle)
Subject: LL-L: "Orthography" [S]

Sandy Fleemin wrate:

> A'd say Burns gets the feck o his style aff o Fergusson,
> an tae leuk at a swatch o Fergusson's poetry:

<sned>

Ay. Its weel kent that Burns wis a fan o Fergusson.

> On the question o grammar, Fergusson wis writin at the end o
> the Alexandrian era (he wis born no lang efter the daith o
> Alexander Pope, an mind that he dee'd juist twinty-three year
> efter), an the Alexandrians wis bad for ettlin at "betterin"
> their English bi uisin artifeecial grammar. This is ae thing
> whan it's duin in English - wi a guid writer ye haurly notice
> it - but whan it's duin in Scots _wi English writers as the
> model_ it can be a bit o a disaster.

A hae Hallow-Fair in ma Reader. A wis wantin tae uise Auld Reekie an aa but

akis he uised sae mucke Inglis for tae mak the rhymes an siclike  A thocht
chyngin it wad dae mair skaith nor guid.

<sned>

> An syne whan this style's taen up bi Burns, that haes smaa
> eductation bi the likes o Fergusson, we git the muckle
> inconsistencies in grammar, spellin, an even chyce o langage.
>
> This, A think, is whaur Burns's idea o "literary style" comes
> fae. Burns, need A say, is a international cless o poet wi a
> strang vyce whan he writes in Scots, but thir kin o things can
> tae scomfish it an scunner native spaekers forby.
>
> For a peety, the "tu" form o "thou" still haes a limited
> currency wi ma folk, sae A finnd this gey hard tae thole in
> the likes o the verse abuin.
>
> It's gey haurd tae see hou faur tae gae wi a verse like this.
> A'd chainge "mouth" tae "mooth", nae bather, but what aboot
> "thou'rt" an the English uised tae git the rhyme wi "hole"?
> An it war aa up tae me, A'd hae (gien that A'd raither see
> hauf-rhymes than bad grammar - an yet couldna gae as faur as
> chaingin "roll" tae "rowe"!):
>
> Auld Reekie! thoo's the canty hole,
> A bield for mony a cauldrife sowel,
> That snugly at thine ingle lolls,
>         Baith warm and couth;
> While roond they gar the bicker roll,
>         Tae weet their mooth.
>
> Bit in practice A think it wad hae tae be:
>
> Auld Reikie! thou'rt the canty hole,
> A bield for mony a cauldrife soul,
> Wha snugly at thine ingle loll,
>         Baith warm and couth;
> While roond they gar the bicker roll,
>         To weet their mooth.

That's creative writin for ye. Airtistic license thrawin in a bittie
Suddron
or fantoush gremmar. Mibbie juist chynge whit ye can sae faur as spellin
gaes an whit ye dinna redd akis its fantoush gremmar or Inglis pit it in
eetalics or siclike tae shaw its no richt Scots an the owthor wis indulgin
in a bittie airtisic license.

<sned>

> The'r nae rhymin help wi prose, tho! The'r the question an aa
> o whether the rhymes is ful rhymes or juist assonances - a
> poet could rhyme [Tru:] wi [hVu] or [hid] wi [le:d], or even
> faa throu intae anither dialeck juist tae git the rhyme.

Airtisic license again:

> It's no aesy even tae recognise Aiberdeen-awa dialecks in
> writin - mony sic writers writes "guid" for [gwi:d], an
> some even writes "no" for "nae".

Ay yer richt gin its wrutten in a mair general Scots but thair's aft a
puckle clues as tae whaur the bodie hails fae.

<sned>

> Thanks - your stuff's grand for reference but aye ower
> advanced for what A hae in mind for Scotstext. ScotsteXt's
> for readers an the'r nae pynt in makkin it harder on fowk
> bi explainin aathing! A think ae wee page apiece for
> spaekers o ilk dialeck an ane for folk that disna spaek
> it'll dae for showin fowk hou tae read it richt.

A wisna meanin tae hae sic a lang screed - juist thae things that differs
fae Inglis - or that whit's aften pronounced wrang for want o ken.

Andy Eagle

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