THIS while ah’d bin giein a heize tae the wark o the Scots Language Centre, but this week it’s the turn o a sib organisation, the Scots Language Society (SLS), or Scots Leid Associe. The Scots Leid Associe wis foondit in 1972 an aye ettles tae pit forrit a feckfu case fir the Scots language in formal, informal an ilka day uiss.
Scots wis aince the state language o Scotland an is aye a grace til oor national leeterature. It lies at the hairt o Scotland’s heirskep as ane o wir three indigenous leids alang wi Gaelic an Scottish Inglis. The main instrument o the SLS is its bi-annual magazine Lallans, whit hus bin rinnin syne 1972, an is a treasuir trove o Scots language an leir. Read mair anent Lallans, an the ongauns o the SLS at http://www.lallans.co.uk/ In twa weeks’ time the SLS wull be haudin its annual Collogue in Perth. Scots speikers (an aiblins mair sae, scrievers!) frae aa ower the kintra wull gaither up tae hear some byordnar speikers an papers anent developments an relatit ongauns in the Scots speikin warld. The Collogue is aye-an-oan a verra interestin, entertainin an educational event that’s gey friendly an walcumin tae existin memmers an new faces frae the public alike. Ah’d urge ony o wir readers, an Scots leid aficionados, tae gang alang tae St Matthew’s Church, Tay Street, Perth PH1 5TF, fir 09:30am oan Setterday, June 3, whaur ye’ll meet a richt frienly crood! Tickets fir can be pre-buiked/ordered, at a price o £20 (that includes coffee and lunch) bi contactin the Society either bi e-mail on lallans@hotmail.co.uk or bi post tae 4 Ancrum Drive, Dundee, DD2 2JB.
The theme this year is The Scots Leid In Europe an a stellar cast o speikers is lined up. Joy Hendry wull be speikin oan Scots Brekks it!! Scots “cuil” in a new Europe.
They’re no feart tae grasp topical thorny subjects in the SLS! Joy, as a wheen o ye’se wull ken, hus bin fir a while syne the editor o the great literary magazine Chapman, an made an retained its status as ane o the main outlets for Scottish writin in aa three leids o Scotland. She’s a braw singer an performer, expert in the field o Scottish folksang, an alsae an authority oan Scottish leeterature wi a perteecular interest in the 20th century Scottish Renaissance period, especially Perth’s ain William Soutar, wha ah wrote aboot a week or sae syne. Tae unnerscore the Europe-wide theme o the Collogue we hae Zsuzsanna Varga (frae Hungary) wha is a lecturer in Central an East European Studies at Glesga University, an alsae a researcher wi the National Library. As a memmer o the BOSLIT (Bibliography of Scottish Literature in Translation) commattee, Zsuzsanna’s paper wull be anent An Adopted Migrant: Edwin Morgan in Translation.
Scots language is becomin a much studied subject in universities aa ower the warld. Lest week The National reportit the giftin o mair as 8000 buiks that wull be uised tae support the study o Scottish leeterature at the University of Bankura, India, the first university in India tae rin a course in Scottish Studies at masters level.
Then we hae that faur-i-the-buik chiel, an lad o pairts, Dr Tam Hubbard, wha’ll be deliverin his paper Makars, Magyars, Und So Weiter: Transcreation Of World Poetry Into Scots, With Examples. This paper is connectit wi the SLS /SLA bringin oot CDs (Scotsoun label) that wull encompass juist thon! Tam wull be airguin that translatin – or as he prefers tae cry it, transcreation – o European poetry in perteecular, is a vital pairt o reconnectin oor Scottish culture wi its sister cultures oan whit is oor continent, an thon shairly hus tae be heich up there oan the agenda as we wark oot sic relationships post-Brexit.
Tam ettles that while transcreation is necessar til thon, it’s no eneuch; we hae tae mak oorsels as knowledgeable aboot oor sister cultures as they are aboot oors – and wow! In oor time we hae met a loat o non-Scots whase familiarity wi Scottish language, leeterature an culture can pit us tae shame. The SLS/SLA can mak itsel weill-placed ti combat insularity. Tam wull alsae be readin exaumpils frae his owersettins oan Hungarian poetry that wull mak up a pamphlet tae be brocht oot bi Tapsalteerie Press. The gleg Tam alsae hus a new buik juist oot, cried Slavonic Dances (Grace Note Publications). It is a series o three linked novellas dealin wi comic an tragic aspects o its Scottish characters encoonters wi Eastern and east-central Europe. Ane o the buik’s stories hus a Scottish makar an singer wha luves tae perform sangs bi Mussorgsky, an comes tae realise that thir deep ruits in Russian folklore hae a strang parallel wi Scottish poetry’s basis in folk sang.
The title o thon tale is The Carrying Stream, quotin a weill-kent poem bi Hamish Henderson. It’s aboot an aefauld-speeritit sharin o cultures, a solidarity o thaim, an in the praisent Brexit shenanigans thon’s somethin that’s sairly, sairly needit the nou.
The kenspeckle Maureen Sangster wull speik anent The Caerlaverock Cat. Maureen, frae the “Lang Toun” o Kirkcaldy, wull be furthsettin this new audio-buik fir bairns. A braw diversion fir listeners that maks the important pynt that Scots wull anely strengthen gin we encourage wir weans til read it!
Aa in aa, it wull be a braw day at Perth! A cosmopolitan celebration o aathing Scots, an the strang links that Scots hus yet wi Europe – an wull conteenue tae hae! Get yersel alang – an ah’ll aiblins see ye there!
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