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Scottish Ebonics?

Celtic Dialects

An Article from Scottish Cyberspace

According to a story in our [writer's] local newspaper which reprinted an article from the Philadelphia Inquirer story, you Scots are having a problem with English as we are in nearby Oakland.

The Scots are locked into a battle (according to the article) over the use of the queen's English, as Robbie Burns spoke it: "dinnae" for don't, winnae" for won't, "ken" for know, "aye" for yes. To many Scots, the words sound like ignorant speech that will keep youngsters out of the educated mainstream when they enter the job market.

However, Davie Cunningham, a Queensferry high school teacher, is encouraging students to use such words. He and other educators are now saying the kids aren't speaking slang at all, but are talking a legitimate Scots language which deserves the same respect as standard English. Cunningham says: "Just as the US wrestles with the idea of legitimizing black English, so Scotland has been struggling with the issue of legitimizing Scots, a language and/or dialect that has been around for decades."

I will be interested in what you on the other side of the Atlantic this of this.

Connie Scott Acton

Source:
From: ConnieAct
Newsgroups: soc.culture.scottish
Subject: Scottish Ebonics?
Date: 12 Feb 1997
Organization: AOL http://www.aol.com

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