I WIS surprised an flumoxed tae raed the letter by Mary Clark (Letters, February 7) in repone tae Margaret Marenich’s bonnie support for the Scots Leid (Letters, February 6).
I thocht this kin o narrae-minded attitude tae Scots wis dinosauric but apperently naw. I jalouse Margaret Marenich bein American wis ower muckle for yer correspondent tae thole.
Micht I pynt oot Miss Marenich is nae straunger tae Scots an is kenspecklet tae raeders o ‘Lallans’ the journal o the Scots Language Society, whaur she haes contributed twa bonnie cutty tales an a maist interstin airticle owersettin Red Indian wurds o wisdom.
Mz Clark micht be horrified tae ken Lallans is published twice ae year an is 128 pages aa in Scots. In an eidition o The National that featurs Tasmina Ahmed-Sheikh’s hert-strang fecht agin racism an intolerance (I faced racism and death threats as an MP..., The National, February 7), the mair apen-minded we Scots can be the better. Thare is nae excuse for intolerance, be it agin leid, religion, nationality, colour or gender.
George T Watt
Dundee
THE wes a geyan couthie pistil frae Margaret Marenich o Michigan explenin hir pouster anent the Scotch langage at wes fair at odds wi thon frae Mary Clark. Mith A propone at the setivautioun o the leid, an the hale kintra, notes mair nir mensefu wrytes. We maun leir ti spak wir mynds, pit forrit wir ain faks clairlie an dae’t wi our ain speik. Ti explene whitlik A mene, ye maun gang ti pege fowre o the abune mentiounit blad whaur it ettils ti prein doun “custume uinioun” as uised bi the Bret gouvernament in the Brexit negotiautiouns. Whitna lagamachie is thon. Bot mith A retour til the lettir pege o The National.
Ma erest wryte wes ti speir whedder the Abertay reserss intil the Scotch leid decernit at Scots wes a leid ir a daialek. A dinna ken yit frae this correspondanss. Ma ain vyow steidit on expairience an commoun sinse wes at it wes a langage. Anither pistil frae Dr Alexia Grosjean nemmit aw the poleiticall bodies at wes in agriement wi thon these (Letters, February 4). Bot shae med anither guid pynt at the Abertay Univairsitie mithna bene uisin verra correk furms o the wirds at wuid makkit the prie-ers o the wirds hover a blink. Fir exempil, “trews” is the marra o “trousers” an breiks o “breeches”, an “inyin” wuid o garred me staun in a studie fur a saicont. We note mair faks anent the reserss, tho A wuid raither the univairsities uised thair mukkil skeills ti heize the fuither o Scotland’s tungs.
Fur the Scotch leid maun be redd up an randert intil a styall at wul mak hit plain at the fowk o Scotland dinna wiss ti pey fur Trydent whyle bairns ar in aye in puirtith; dinna wiss ti sei aw the profeits frae the Nor Sie gaun ti Lunnon insteid o intil a menodge fur wir fuither; an arna gaun ti thole onie mair o the Wastmeinster Perlaments up-makkin daft gemms wi wirds an pleyin pliskies on wir freins in Europ. We maun thump up wi wir ain thinkin, an leir ti speik out.
Iain WD Forde
Scotlandwell
THE letter frae our frein frae “athort”/ower the watter in the day’s National wes maist lichtsome. Hir twal year studyin Scots haes been maist tentie an weil grundit in the Leitratur. Margaret, our hertie thanks an congratulations!
The skreid the Michigan lass haes gien us is in a staundart Scots that apairt frae Matthew Fitt an Derrick McClure we hinna finnd in Yer Ither National Language. Whit we get is maistly Westlin Demotic wi a smytrie o Burns frae Rab Wilson.
Back tae the Leitratur for thaim!
Reid Moffat
Fawkirk
IT saddens me that Mary Clark has to translate letters written in the Scottis Leid. Whit fer daes she no jist read thaim lyke the feck o’ us?
English is undoubtedly useful, it is also an intrusive, aggressive and destructive language and all users of other languages should be wary of it. In Scotland we have allowed English to damage and in the case of Gaidhlig almost destroy our country’s language.
R Mill Irving
Gifford
CONTRARY to Mary Clark who finds it “tedious and time-consuming” having to translate letters written in Scots, I find them a pleasure to read and refreshingly different. There is no need for translation on my part and they hardly proliferate.
Mary Linton
Musselburgh
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