LL-L: "Orthography" LOWLANDS-L, 09.OCT.2001 (02) [S]

[Lowlands-L]

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 L O W L A N D S - L * 09.OCT.2001 (02) * ISSN 189-5582 * LCSN 96-4226
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From: Andy.Eagle at t-online.de (Andy Eagle)
Subject: "Orthography" [E/S]

Sandy Fleming wrate:

<sned>

>This kin o trouble is caused wi writers uizin English spellins insteed o
>Scots tae mak their style leuk mair literary or educate or something ower
in
>that airt. Houanever, A'm come on the opposite an aa, writers that wants
tae
>soond humorous uizin spellins that's mair Scots-like than need be. Here a
>example fae "Mrs Goudie's Tea-Pairty", a novella bi a chile as caad hissel
>"Uncle Tom", whaur a effort haes been made tae lat fowk hear the short,
>closed Scots "o" (tt that this is a redd up vairsion the like o A mentioned
>abuin, hence the want o apostrophes &c):
>
><quote>
>
>"Folks that keep a shope maun hae a winderfu lot o patience, do you no
>think?" remarked Mr Goudie to Mrs Blane, wha sat beside him at the table.
>
>"Patience, did ye say, Mr Goudie?--patience! The trials o Job wid be
>naething to whit puir hard-wrocht shopkeepers has tae staund nooadays. I
>could tell ye something aboot that, Mr Goudie."
>
>"Jist go on then, Mrs Blane. I'm shair the compny wid like tae hear
>something aboot your experiences in a worl' where everybody expects tae get
>everythin for naething an something thrown in for a luckspenny."
>
>"Weel," says Mrs Blane, "the War hadna lang been on the road when wan o oor
>customers, a Mrs Porter--her that ran awa tae America because she forgot
tae
>pey the rent--she cam intae oor shope, an she says: 'I wid like some bit
toy
>for Toammy. Whit wid ye recommend? The moarn's Toammy's birthday, an I
never
>like to forget Toammy's birthday. Something aboot a penny for a laddie o
>seven I wis thinkin. Whit are the jumpin jakes at?' 'Oh,' I says, 'there's
a
>big rise in jumpin jakes; they are up to threepence-happny, an them in the
>kilts is fowerpence. Kilts is very poplar since the War begoud; I hiv twa
>nephews in the Glesca' Heelanders masel.
>
></quote>
>
>Ye'll A noticed the spellins "shope", "Toammy", "maorn" bein uized, an yet
>the likes o "shopkeeper", "no", "Job" an "wrocht" is left tae theirsels.
A'm
>no richt shuir o the warth o this - gin it's meant tae be humorous, A'd say
>the writin's gey funny itslane, athoot wantin help fae silly orthography.
>
>The question's the same as in the aulder discussion - wad onybody hae ony
>objections tae this kin o thing bein redd oot?

A wadna object tae it. A jalouse that in the bygane monie 'English' spellins
warna a problem acause the tairget readership in thir days wad hae
pronounced thaim Scots oniewey acause thay for ordinar wadna hae kent onie
'better'.
The 'silly orthography' as ye say is the tither side o the coin. Whiles ye
hae Scots that's 'unnerwritten' sae that fowk micht think it shoud be
pronounced 'English' ye hae 'owerwritin' or ee-dialect an aw whaur the
'ordinar' spellins wad be pronounced richt bi native speakers oniewey. Maist
leeteratur uises ee-dialect tae pit ower the idea that a chairacter is no
weel eddicate etc. A jalouse shopkeepers wadna for ordinar be 'illeeterate'
sae whit for uise ee-dialect? Apairt fae thon it maks things mair eith tae
read acause a bodie sees the wirds athoot haein tae decipher thaim letter bi
letter.

>A should pynt oot that whatanever ye think o the spellin, this wee beukie
>haes some o the best grammar A'v seen in a while - maist o the time! The
>passage abuin disna start aff sae guid: "Folks that keep..." should likely
>be "Folks that keeps..." an "wha" should be "that", but ance Uncle Tom gits
>gaun, his grammar turns gey clessic: "they are up to threepence-happny, an
>them in the kilts is fowerpence", braw! An altho it says "an I never like
to
>forget Toammy's birthday" abuin, itherplace we come across "I never likes
>tae mak step-bairns o the neebors that's sae freendly tae us", excellent!

Ye aft see siclike. A jalouse its doun tae fowk for ordinar no bein learnt
hou tae write Scots sae thay stairt oot writin uisin the learnt 'English'
grammar an syne thair heids is thinkin Scots sae thay stairt uisin Scots
grammar an dinna notice it.

Andy Eagle

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