Ul**** Sc**s

Many of you will have seen the recent coverage on the BBC about the loss of older language from our culture. If you haven't - here's a handy link.

Have a look at it. Read through. Go on. All the way.

Now. What's missing?

Yes, that's right any mention of Ulster*****. "Hold on", you're thinking. "Surely some of the words in the actual article are fine examples of ******Scots in common usage? What gives?"

Well indeed.

What have we got instead?

Farming Words

Northern Ireland Speak

Country Words

Anything will do - just don't say Ulst** Sc**s!

Wordia

I was recently referred to Wordia by a Blogger of Note and have been having a bit of a poke round over there to see whether any Ulsterisms have yet surfaced.

Imagine my surprise when this appeared....

David Mitchell on Scots Gaelic

This was posted on Slugger and caught my attention. The question being asked over there was whether this would have application to Irish and to Ulsterscots.

Actually, I'm not sure that it would have universal acceptance in the language communities but I think the answer is "yes".

Personally, I agree that the primary purpose of language is as a communication tool and it has always seemed compelling to me that the people who speak Irish/Ulsterscots also speak English. Therefore, the existence/perpetuation of the language is not vital. Well, not for the purpose of communication anyway.

However, language also gives expression to identity - and that is where its survival is, in my view, essential. However - and this is something we tend to lose sight of - language is PART only of the tapestry of identity. Language must be viewed in its cultural context. That is where we have perhaps been weak. We have not promoted enough the fact that the Ulsterscots have a rich history and culture - true, it is shared with others in these Isles - but it is the product of our past and something we should hold on to and be proud of. That includes the language.

I have to agree that randomly sticking minority languages onto street signs and using it in the all-too-familiar "weaponised" form is neither desirable nor wise, but well placed use, study and preservation is something we should be willing to spend a modest amount of money on.

Scots in Scottish Primary Schools

I admit it.

It's clearly inspired by posts elsewhere (HT - Mark) but here is a video from You Tube about a project in schools in Scotland.



How many of the words were in common use in your own Primary School? Kids of all backgrounds seem to warm to this sort of thing - they like getting their tongues round the strange words - and Ulster Scots and Scots words just seem so expressive.

I wonder to what extent we can build this sort of thing into the Summer Schemes - or even into some of the Church run Holiday (Bible) Clubs which seem to be secularising to a large extent - probably room for another post there about the wisdom or otherwise of that!

Want to hear how to say "Aiblins"?

The Merriam Webster on-line dictionary has a feature where you can listen to the pronunciation of words and here is the entry for aiblins

Are we all in the Tartan Army?

Over on Bloggin fae the 'Burn Mark is having a look at the generic reasons (should that be excuses?) people have for not endorsing/embracing Ulster Scots.

If he will forgive me, my laziness and current inability to come up with unique thoughts have compelled me to develop the theme here myself.

His first post in the series (the page seems to be down at the minute, so excuse the lack of a link) addresses the Haggis/Tartan issues - whether people feel it is artificial to "suddenly" go all Bay City Rollers, after years of comparative drabness.

Unlike Mark, I am a member of a Pipe Band and have been for 20+ years at this point.

I have to admit that putting a kilt on for the first time was an odd experience but very quickly it becomes a fairly ordinary part of life (although not a daily one!) and is akin to the uniform that you might put on doing many other activities - Boys' Brigade, Scouts, St John's Ambulance etc..

I'm not trying to pretend I'm a Scot when I'm wearing the thing, it's just the uniform you wear when playing in a band. The reason for my attraction to the whole "pipe band thing" is the harder bit to define. I love the music - although my band is at the lower end of the talent spectrum. I do feel a "connection" to the whole tradition - which is odd, bearing in mind that you have to nip across a few generations and branches of the family to find anyone else who has ever been involved.

It has been said before that Identity is a complex and multi-layered concept. The more I think about this, the more I am driven to the conclusion that this discussion is yet another one about that very concept. I don't feel Scottish. I don't feel Irish. When I go to Dublin, I feel that I am very much in a foreign country. When I go to Glasgow, I feel comfortable and much more at home than I would in either London or Dublin. What does that make me? Confused?

The roots of both branches of my family seem to be from Scotland via East Donegal and therefore I suppose that I can claim impeccable Ulster-Scots credentials, but I doubt that my attraction to the culture (and the language, although I don't claim to be a speaker) can be attributed to ancient generations crying out to me from beyond the grave.

After all that rambling, perhaps the best response is as follows:

• You don't have to wear a kilt to be an Ulster-Scot - although it can do no harm to get a bit of air round you.
• You don't have to eat haggis to be an Ulster-Scot - although it is lovely - and my dad had it EVERY DAY (no kidding) when he was at University in Edinburgh. And he lived.
• You don't have to like porridge to be an Ulster-Scot - nor do you have to eat it with salt. Indeed, you should not as it is disgusting that way.
• At the end of the day, an Ulster-Scot is like an elephant - you know one when you see it - but we're really hard to define. Nessie the Elephant? Ulster-Scots elephant? Okay, suit yourselves.....