LL-L "Orthography" 2002.03.05 (02) [E/S]

[Lowlands-L]

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 L O W L A N D S - L * 05.MAR.2002 (02) * ISSN 189-5582 * LCSN 96-4226
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From: Sandy Fleming [sandy at scotstext.org]
Subject: "Orthography"

Lowlanders,

I've expressed my intention of using this new orthography
I've derived for the alternative texts on ScotsteXt, but
it'll be a while before they start appearing yet. So for
anyone who may be interested, I'm submitting one short
story in this orthography (which has been described in
recent emails in this thread). This may be of interest
either in itself or to anyone who's interested in studying
Scots pronunciation without learning the IPA alphabet, or
as a one-to-one representation which might be a useful
reference for anyone who may be interested in developing
other orthographies.

Opinions and suggestions would be much appreciated.

The orginal story in a traditional Scots orthography can
be found at:


http://scotstext.org/pages/resultspage.asp?text=59&pagetype=text&style=stand
ard&switches=g

Here are a few further notes on the orthography:

1. I've decided to use <û> for /Vu/ (written <ow> in
   traditional Scots orthographies).

2. A characteristic of the orthography is the large
   number of occurrences of <i> representing reduced
   syllables. This makes it easier to write without
   having to think morphologically, and also makes it
   easier for learners to deduce where the stress lies
   (ie, it's not normally on any of the syllables with
   the short <i> vowel).

3. In words beginning with <wr> and <kn>, the first
   letters (<w> and <k> respectively) are not pronounced
   in most dialects. When they are pronounced they're more
   usually pronounced /v/ and /t/ rather than /w/ and /k/!
   For most of us it's best just to leave them silent!

4. This orthography provides two ways of accomodating
   different dialects:

4.1 By diaphonemics. A diaphonemic is easily spotted in
    this orthography, since they're always marked with
    an umlaut-style diacritic. If you're familiar with
    particular native dialects, you'll probably be able
    to see how best to pronounce them for yourself.
    Otherwise, you could aim for a simple conservative
    pronounciation as follows:

    <ü> /y/ (as in German "Mütter" &c).
    <ë> /i(:)/ (as in English "seen", "seal" &c)
    <ä> /e(:)/ (as in English "sane", "sail" &c)

4.2 By diacritics. You can drop a diacritic if it makes
    the pronunciation match your dialect better, eg you
    can choose between "rid" and "ríd", "king" and "kíng",
    "twå" and "twa" &c. The basic shape of the word remains
    the same.

So here's the story...

Pépirin ði Rúm

Ðér's u teim o ði yír for ivriþiñ, Nétir maks ðat plén inüx
tü us å. An pépirin u rúm, leik ði wreitin o poitri, šüd bí
dün in ði Spriñ o ði yír, qen u man'z inspaird tü dü hiz best.

But ði iðir Setirdé mornin, qen ðér wiz u win blåin fé ði äst
ðat wad hé frozin ði noz af u cínæ dug, an u snå-storm brúin,
Magi, u wumin o sudin an ditermind nošins, weips hir múþ eftir
hivin hir brakfist, raiziz tü hir fít, an séz, "Wí'l pépir ðis
kicin ði dé".

"But ðis iz Setirdé," séz A, "an it's no veræ Kriscin tü bí
mesin ubút wi pépir on ði Sabiþ".

"Ði Sabiþ!" séz še, "Hu! yú'l hé ði job fíništ bifor supir teim
ði nixt, Tam, or A'l no bí veræ plízd".

Ðér's né güd in érgiin wi Magi, sé A jüst séd, "Veræ wíl, ðen,
git ði pépir an A'l slap it on".

"Yú'l dü ði job propirli," séd še, "an né slapin ubút it!" An
út še went tü ði pentir's in u trimendis huri.  e must hé boxt
ði pépir in u trimendis huri, tü, for A nivir så sik u kumplikétit
patirin å ma born dés. A lükit at it ðis wei, ðen ðat wei, an küdnæ
mak up ma meind qen it wiz upseidz dún or dúnseidz up. Húivir, A
didnæ sé u wird, for A kent fé past ikspíriins ðat wí'd hé plenti
o wirdz bifor ði job wiz fíništ. Sé A jüst pat ma peip on ði
mantilpís, tük af ma jékit, an rûd up ma širt slívz.

Eftir ði nesisiri priliminiriz--šiftin ði dresir tü ði midil o ði
flür, takin dún ði piktirz, an gitin rid o ði kobwebz--A sat dún
on ði stül wi u pér o blunt šírz tü kut af ði selvij. A wiz håf
wei þrú ði bolt qen Magi lüks ûr ma šúðir an séz, "Hír! yú'r kutin
ði wrañ seid o ðat!" A kent ðat wiz kumin for wí hé u rû ûr it ivri
teim. Sé A jüst kept ma tempir, roz sloli tü ma fít, tük ði bolt tü
ði wå an held it on. "Qå's rixt an qå's wrañ?" séd A. But å še küd
sé wiz, "Iz it no upseidz dún?" A jüst ignord hir, went kamli bak
tü ma sét an kérit on. But né wunder A qeilz tak tü ði dram.

Nú pépirin u rúm iz u job for kumbeind opiréšinz, né métir hú
ekspert u man iz at ði job.  e méd ði pést, qic o kúrs, wiz ûr
þin, ðen séd še wiz gån tü ði šop but wad bí bak bifor A wiz
redi tü start. Húivir, še wiznæ bak bifor A wiz redi tü pit ði
first bit on, but ikspektin hir bak oni mínit, for ði šop iz
jüst nikst dor, A got up on ði tébil, got ði tap o ði pépir at
ði propir añil, ðen šûtit út, "Magi! A níd u hand hír!" But ðér
wiz né Magi ðér. An ðér A wiz, strect leik u pís o ilestik,
hådin up ðat pépir wi ma twå þúmz, an ði rúmatiks in ma elbæz
šútin leik ði tüþik. An tü mak þiñz wår, had še no left u pun
o sasij on ði dresir, an ðér wiz ði kat hivin ði fíd o its leif
An qeil A wiz düin ma best vokuli an fizikuli tü pit ði fír o
terir in ði brüt, did ði pépir no brak uwå lívin mí wi twå wí
bits leik postij stamps stikin tü ma þúmz. An ðat wiz qen Magi
kam bak, séin, "Izn't it teribil, Mrs Dunlap, rún' in Minigaf,
haz þrí wénz dún wi ði mízilz."

"An diz mízilz in Minigaf kum ufor pépirin ðis rúm!" séz A,
spíkin þrú ma tíþ. Ðen še séz, "Qat's ðat pépir laiin on ði
flür for?" A jumpt dún fé ði tébil wi u teribil noiz, but
bifor A küd sé u wird še så hir mañlt sasij on ði dresir.
"Ma güdnis," še yeld út, "ma sasij. Did yú dü ðat!" "Nå,"
séz A, "A'm no u kanibil--yit! It wiz yúr biluvit posumz kat."
An A séd it wi satisfakšin for še þiñks u dašt sixt mér o wí
púšumz-wúšumz dan še diz o mí qeilz. A wétit til še had pit
ði sasij inseid ði dresir ðen A séd, kweit kamli, "Magi, if
ðis rúm haz tü bí pépird ði dé A must hé konsintrétit help."
Sé še taid an éprin rún' hir midil, girnin qen še taid ði knot,
an rûd up ði slívz o hir blús, wi grim diterminéšin. "A'm redi!"
séz še.

"But A'm no," séz A, "for A'v got tü pést ðis ûr ugén." Sé A
tük ma teim an did it þurili, ði qeil še kept tapin ði flür
az if še wiz gitin in trim for ði sword dans. Sé A got up on
ði tébil ugén an got it fikst az bifor, ðen A séd "Pú it u wí
bit tü ði left--at ði botum." O kúrs še had tü pú it ði wrañ
wei; an qen še did pú it tü ði left še pú'd it ûr far, ðen še
pú'd it bak, ûr far ugén, an bi ði teim it wiz rixt ði pést
wiz ðat drai ðat it wadnæ stik. An yi tåk ubút ði pén in ma bak.

Húivir, wí got it rixt ði sékind trai. Ðen, eftir twinti mínits
o sílins A got up tü pit on uniðir bit. Wí did ðat yin u bit
betir, but qen it wiz fikst še séz, "Ðat's no mact, did yi no sí
ðat!" A pat on ma speks an A went furit for u propir igzaminéšin
an, trú inüx, it wiznæ. "An qat wei did yi no tel mí ðat bifor
it wiz stuk?" séd A. "Bicåz," séz še, "yú'r ði man ðat diz néþiñ
wrañ." D'yi ken, A küd hé murdirt hir, but instíd o düin ðat A
lûpt, ai, A lûpt up on ði tébil an A tor ðat pépir dún wi å ði
strenþ an tempir A had.

"Qat did yi dü ðat for?" séz še. "it wad hé dün wíl inüx!" Ðér
wiz néþiñ els for it, A ixplodit on hir an rékd up hir fémli'z
past fé ði dés o hir grét-grét grandféðir.  e startit tü grít,
ðen še tor af hir éprin, pit on hir kot, an séd še wiz gån dún
tü hir sistir Lízi'z an wad nivir kum bak tü mí ugén. Tü qic A
séd, "Mei ði Lord bí þañkit."  e went út ði hús an gé ði dor sik
u bañ ðat še méd ma fås tíþ klatir in ma múþ.

But az A had ði rest o ma leifteim nú tü pit ðat pépir on ðér
wiz né huri. Sé A jüst pat on ma jékit an såntirt dún ði strít
tü hé u dram in pís an kwaiit. Wí Jimi Galbréþ wiz in ði bar,
pentir Jimi, sé A telt him qat had bín hapinin. He'z u veræ
oblíjin wí cap sé he séz, "A'm düin néþiñ ðis mornin, Tam, A'l
kum an pit it on for yi if yi leik." Sé A ukseptit hiz ofir, but
bifor wí did git uwå wí'd had u qín o dramz, an A küd sí ðat he
wiz in fein fetil.

Wíl, Jimi went rún' ðat rúm jüst leik lixtnin an å A had tü dü
wiz tü stand bak an sé, "Fein, Jimi, fein man, yú'r u fér értist
at ði job." Ðér's néþiñ leik u wí þiñ o inñkurijmint for gitin
ði best út o u man. Wiþin ði úr wí had ði dresir bak in its plés,
an ði piktirz bak on ði wå'z az wíl. Ðen Jimi séd, "Wí'v teim for
uniðir dram if wí huri up." Qic wí did.

Ði first þiñ A did qen A got bak hém wiz tü start fraiin ði sasij,
for pépirin u rúm iz huñri wark. Ðen qå šüd kum bak but Magi.  e
got ði surpraiz o hir leif qen še så ði rúm fíništ.

"Yú'v bín veræ kwik, Tam," séd še, az neis az küd bí.

"Jüst prüf," séd A, "ðat qen u man kenz hú u job šüd bí dün he kan
dü it qen he gits pís."

Wí nivir opind úr múþs tü íc iðir til eftir wí'd had úr tí, ðen tü
ma grét surpraiz še went tü hir purs an handit mí twå håf krúnz.
"Ðér, Tam," séz še, "an A'm sori for intirfírin." An, wad yi bilív
it. A kist hir, ði first teim for moni u dé. An še startit tü grít
ugén.

But še'l no hé moni tírz tü šed qen še hírz ðat wí Jimi did ði job.
But bi ðat teim ðér'l no bí muc left o hir twå håf krúnz.

--Jo Kori

Såni Flímin
http://scotstext.org
A dinna dout him, for he says that he
On nae accoont wad ever tell a lee.
                          - C.W.Wade,
                    'The Adventures o McNab'
----------

From: R. F. Hahn <sassisch at yahoo.com>
Subject: Orthography

Interesting output, Sandy!

For what it's worth, let me explain my experience while reading it.  It ought
to be obvious, but I guess it wasn't to me and may not be to some others.

While reading Scots in English-based orthographies I "fudge" in my mind: I
read a type of "weird English," even though intellectually I fully support the
separate language status of Scots.  My guess is that this is how most or all
speakers of English do it that understand Scots to certain degrees.  The
English-type orthography helps recognize most words fairly quickly, but it
also makes non-Scots speakers *think* English and making merely allowances for
Scots "distortions" while reading.

While reading your transliteration I found myself actually *pronouncing* Scots
"in my head" ... Well, I guess you know what I mean.  Even though my knowledge
of English still helps me understand it (the closely related language that it
is), while reading this orthography I deal with Scots more on its own terms.
I suppose it is closer to listening to Scots, slowly spoken Scots of course.
For me personally it is a somewhat more pleasurable, albeit slower, process
and discovery.  Novices that are less linguistically inclined may find it
difficult and annoying rather than pleasurable.  I wonder how my experience
compares with that of others.

Regards,
Reinhard/Ron

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