 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
A. Memmership issues & benefits
1. Whit dae I get oot o jynin the Scots Language Society?
Ye get thon feelin a guid dram gies ye, o a hairy worm gaun roun aboot yer hert, sen ye'v duin the richt thing an peyed the bit stent ti gie a heize til ane o the maist important things that maks Scotland Scotland. Ye get a vote at the Annual General Meetin o the associe ti elect yer representatives an tell them whit wey the siller maun be spent. Ye hae wan hunners o freins that mak up ane o the lairgest free commonties o creative fowk in Scotland. Ye get twa issues o Lallans magazine complimentary. Ye get regular wittins o new furthsettins, ploys an campaigns, an special offers til memmers on beuks an Scotsoun CDs. Aa for a price that winna wilt yer plastic.
2. Sae whit dis it cost ti jyne, an get ma twa issues o Lallans ?
£12 for individuals bydin in the UK. £15 for twa fowk jynin at ae address, or individuals bydin owerseas. Institutions lik schuils an leibrars £15 subscreivin for Lallans alane, or (gin thay want a vote an aa forbye) £20 for corporate memmership in the UK, £30 owreseas.
3. Can I juist subscreive til Lallans an no fash jynin?
Ye can, but the cost is the same. We assume bi defaut that libraries, schuils an the like isna jynin the Society, but that individuals ar. You lat us ken whit ye want an we'll accommodate ye.
4. Dis Lallans magazine furthset wark in Inglis?
Forordnar, no. Dinna send unsolicitit wark in Inglis. We'r delytit ti get unsolicitit wark in Scots, houiver. Email is favourite.
B. The status & present condeition o the Scots leid
1. Is Scots a language?
Ay. It's gey sib til Inglis, aften spoken melled or guddelt up wi Inglis, maist aften weel eneuch unnerstuid bi speakers o Inglis, but Inglis it isna.
2. Hou monie fowk speaks it the day, an is it deein oot or whit?
Aabodie in Scotland onie lenth o time aye comes ti speak a wee bit Scots, but monie fowk in Scotland haurdly iver speak onie Scots avaa. Maist fowk unnerstaun mair nor thay'r aesie able ti speak, an monie fowk ar blate ti speak it for fear o takkin a dry or gettin tongue-tackit. The state o research is gey puir, but a muckle study pitten on bi the General Register Office in 1996 suggestit thare wis aiblins 1.5 million speakers the day. This maun mean the tongue is deein oot, hou fast we canna ken for want o research or collection o Census data.
3. Is thare a staundart wrutten form?
Ay, but no the same wey Inglis haes, wi its American an Inglis staundarts, ilkane conseistent an strict. Scots is wrutten inconseistent an swack. Pairt o this is ti accomodate leivin by-leids, an pairt o it is disagreement anent the richt wey forrit til mair conseistent pratticks: a complex ongaun debate. (See Lallans 56 & 57.) But thare is sic a thing as writin Scots ill-letterit - ye canna juist set doun whitiver ye like an expect fowk ti read it wioot scunnerin at it - an in fact the language is for the maist pairt gey weel-documentit in its twa muckle dictionars, that ye can access free online at www.dsl.ac.uk
Gin ye'r in Scotland, an ye dinna hae claith lugs, ye canna help frae lairnin Scots gin ye hae the inlat o Inglis til it. Fowk that it wis tawsed or affrontit oot them at the schuil aye lairn it back ti some greater or lesser extent gin thay'r in company wi Scots speakers lang eneuch. That isna ti say that the Scots thay can lairn back syne winna be dwaiblie - it likely will.
Whit ye can dae is leuk an lairn, an listen an lairn; an this wabsteid, an the ithers we gie airtin til, ar aa ettelt ti help ye oot.
