Re: "Walcome tae the Scottish Pairlament wabsite: The internet guide to Holyrood translated into 'Rab C Nesbitt' dialect"


"Allan" <allan@xxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote in message
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"Josiah Jenkins" <josiah-jenkins@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote in message
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On Mon, 16 Nov 2009 07:00:59 -0000, "Allan" <allan@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
wrote:
"Josiah Jenkins" <josiah-jenkins@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote in message
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Billy Connolly, Robbie Coltrain and (most of) the cast of Taggart ?
(OK, the Big Yin has been known to add the odd expletive !)

To tell you the truth even at that I'm thinking back to Bob's point about
the difference between Scots and speaking English with a Scottish accent.

There's a total difference.

I'd suggest it's more of an East / West split though.
Take an Ayrshire, Dumfries or Wigtonshire accent . . .
it doesn't sound (to my ears) anything like what's commonly
called 'Braid Scots' which, to be honest, is often totally
incomprehensible to this particular Scot.

It's as hard to understand as the Doric !
Or are they almost the same ?

I think there has been a tendency, because of general suppression of
Scots, for many people to think that it is unique to their area. Hence
you'll get people in Hawick say "oh that's a right Hawick word" when
actually the word would more than likely be pretty general throughout the
Scots speaking areas. Likewise Aberdonians will often suggest words are
Doric words when they are much more general. There will be some localised
vocab but I think the vast bulk is shared and what seperates the dialects
is, as Bob suggested, more often than not just accent. The more pronounced
and individual being the "yow an mey" dialect of western Roxburghshire,
which used to be mopre prevalent throughout the Borders; the "fit like"
dialect of the Aberdeen area; an da dialect o' da Shetland Isles :-)

Allan

I think some confusion comes from not understanding the difference between
dialect and accent.

Here is the COD explanations

dialect / n.
1 a form of speech peculiar to a particular region.
2 a subordinate variety of a language with non-standard vocabulary,
pronunciation, or grammar.

And

accent n. & v.
n. /
1 a particular mode of pronunciation, esp. one associated with a particular
region or group (Liverpool accent; German accent; upper-class accent).

As I understand it the difference is that a dialect is actual differenent
words, grammer or way of constructing the sentences.While a local accent is
the standard language with just different accents or stress at different
places.

Take the place name Corstorphine and listen to an Edinburger say it then a
Glaswegian and the Weegie version comes out Cor-stor-fine and in Edinburgh
Cor-storfin
Same word different accent or pronunciation.

However here is a standard Scots phrase, "Ah gaed ben the vennel", (I went
through the ally), and that is most certainly not English.

Then there is, "Ah gaed ben the wynd", that also translates to English as,
(! went through the ally", yet I know the difference between a wynd and a
vennel but would find it hard to explain it in English. A very well known
Scots word is, "Dreich", and there are quite a few English words that come
close but none that get it quite right.

Then how would someone translate this, "Ah gaed ben the yett an ower the
gait". To means, (I went through the gate and over the road).
However as Standard Scots English it comes out, "Ah went through the gate an
ower the road".

I don't know if some of that explains it better but at least I am trying.

Noo Ah'm awa til ma lair iz Ah'm fair forfochen, (Now I'm away to my bed as
I'm quite worn-out).
--

Auld Bob


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