Friday 10 July 2009

Tak pride in yer ain tongue.



Iveryboady shud bae gled tae taak an scrieve in thur ain moather tongue an bae alloed tae. Noo aff coorse thats naw tha wye it is noo-a deys. Tha Ullans tongue haes baen miscaa'd ower tha years bae aa an sundry. Yins wud try an sae its naw a language ava, maistly becaase thae niver spake it themsels ir maebae thae wud lake tae forget that thae ivir did. Noo it gets waur if ye daur tae try an scrieve a wheen o wurds o yer ain tongue. Yer toul bae tha cynics yer spellin is aa wrang ir that yer ony makin it up. Noo A wud bae tha first tae gie in aboot tha spellin for tha mair wae hae dictionaries an glossaries o soarts wae hae yit tae pit oot a standardised dictionary. Why is that A hear ye ax ? Mann tha anser is aisy an heres why. For hunners o years tha Ullans haes baen pit doon bae the hale education system, wha promoted English, full stop. Tha minute yer fit went ower tha dure step o a schuil ye wur toul tae quet taakin in yer ain tongue. Becaase o this even tha yins wha still spake Ullans maist o them dinnae see that its onything tae bae proud o an wud nearly bae ashamed o tha wye thae taak. This mann stap an tha schuils shud bae helpin tae maintain tha Ullans forbye English. What wud bae wrang wae spakin English in tha clessroom an Ullans in tha schuil yerd ? Tha media as weel hae a pairt tae plae an mann gie mair air time tae tha Ullans speakers. An tha Ulster Scots folk themsels mann mak shure that thae gie thur language its richtfa place, becaase jest taak a luk at onythin thats dane in tha name o Ulster Scots an maistly ye wud think thur culture wus aa aboot fiddles, flutes and dancin. Aff coorse tha music an dancin is pairt o wur culture, somethin that am mair nir proud o, but why dae wae naw pit wur language tae tha fore. Why dae wae naw spake it mair instead o taakin aboot it, ir indeed why dae wae naw start scrievin in it instead o scrievin aboot it. Sae come on noo, stan up for tha wye wae taak an let tha wurl see that wur ain Ullans tongue is a leevin languge an nae 'aul tongue'.