STARN: Scots Teaching and Resource Network
Burns and Welsh
© - Stuart McHardy, Perthshire Advertiser, 28th January 1997
In the eftermath o Burns' suppers aa ower the warld on the 25th Januar, it's an interestin pynt aboot Scots that the maist translatit poet o aa time (apairt fae King David in the Chtristian Bible) is the Lad fae Kyle, especially whan the best-sellin author in Scotland ower the past few year is anither mannie writin in Scots - Irvine Welsh. Jist as Burns appealed tae a wide reenge o fowk in his ain time so Welsh his a big followin the day tho A think he'll mebbe no stand the test o time as weel as oor Rabbie. It's warth thinkin on the fack that Scots arenae jist kennt aroon the warld as inventors an engineers an A've aye thocht that Burns wis able tae write whit he did because o the wey he thocht which wis direckly affectit bi the wey he spoke - an the pouer o the language hisnae dwined awa whan Welsh an ithers yaise it tae sic effeck the day. A dinnae think thon fine anthem for aa o humanity,A Man's a Man cuid hae been written in ony ither language - whan fowk tell ye Scots is only fit fer the byre or the bar they ignore the response Rabbie's warks hae had in aa the airts o this wee planet. An these days there's no no jist Welsh, there's a mannie in Embra cried Glenn Telfer wha his written books in Scots aboot Wallace an Bruce - the first time thair stories hae been tellt in Scots prose - an poets like Matthew Fitt writin aboot fitba an Harvey Holton wi his modern Ballads are addressin concerns an interests o young fowk. Telfer's next book is aboot Jock Stein, a different kin o hero mebbe bit a hero nanetheless. Jist as Rabbie wrote aboot subjecks that were o interest tae the fowk o his time, it's encouragin tae see that writers are dealin wi modern relevant themes in Scots the day. Mind you sometimes things kin get a bit oot o haund - jist the ither year some numpty rang me fae London tae ask "I say, what is the Scots for BSE?". A had tae tell him it wis Bovine Spongiform Encepalopathy, like mony scientificterms based on Latin or Greek - ye cuid hae heard a preen drap - a clear case o a cratur wi his gas at a wee peep.