It is accepted as implicit that there are many dialects which from the Scots Language and that the school will , choose to adopt that dialect which is geographically indigenous to the area in which the school is situated, in this case the language of Burns - lallans . It may also decide to make a "Linguistic Atlas of Scotland"1 .

In the interests of clarity , included at Appendix 1, is a definition of some of the words used, this will provide a common frame of reference.

Included in this package is an outline of a staff developmental plan and a possible scenario for presentation to parents. Both groups will have legitimate concerns about the promotion of 'the vulgar tongue'2 and their perceived concerns may well over lap. This document will refer to each issue only once, if an issue is not in the discussion paper it will be addressed elsewhere in the package.

Conservation of Language

"...the very stuff of history. It is through written documentation that we mainly perceive our past ....to forget the language is to court disaster."3

The way we were will affect what we will become. This is true not only for individuals but for a nation too. Our past is recorded in the Scots tongue, to gain access to that past we must maintain the tools to unlock our history, i.e. we must have the language with which to interpret the writings.

In 1405 The Earl of Douglas wrote a letter to Henry the IV of England declaring that Berwick was part of Scotland. This is one of the first official letter recorded in Scots. It gives us a fairly accurate picture of the state of affairs at the Scottish border. This tells us that the marriage of Robert II to and English princess did not lead to improved relations between Scotland and England.3

By 1424 The Scots language was the official language of government and official documents ( those papers most likely to survive) were in this language. One act of parliament from 1457 includes a decree that 'fut ball ande the golf' be stopped so that the business of war can be under taken. This tells us some things never change.4

Around 1470 Blin Harry's poem about William Wallace was at last set on paper. Scots enjoy being reminded of their past hence the success of films like 'Rob Roy' and 'Braveheart'.

According to Murison in SCOLA (1980) (p8) approximately one third of the vocabulary is lost from one generation to the next. He claims (and this claim is backed up by Aitken 1973 p58) that the language will extinct by the turn of the century. This is more particularly true for urban areas than rural.

National Identity

"Is there not something to be gained educationally from helping a child to walk in a world that speaks to him of a past that he has inherited. We walk in such a world why should children not do the same ?" 5

When the Hammer of the Scots fell, it did not break the material but rather it forged a nation, 500 years before such countries as Germany and Italy. What makes a nation? Dr. James Mitchell (senior lecturer in politics at Strathclyde University) describes a nation as a geographical area, with it's own establishments e.g. church, legal, a common language and history. By that definition the Scots are a nation, but not a nation state. Scots is the language that we learn to speak first. Standard English comes mainly after an introduction to a an institution e.g. school. Scots is the language of the Scots and not a corruption of English. It is part of what binds us as a nation.

One of the first signs of an identity is language. The French speak French, the Germans speak German, the Scots speak English but surely they should speak Scots too. When watching Tony Roper's "The Steamy" and others of its ilk, a large part of what we are laughing at, and enjoying, is our language.

Scottish literature is amongst the best in the world, consider how many countries celebrate Burns night ! If Scotland can not value her own culture then why should other countries value it ?6

Children's Own Language

" ...to have something as central to you as your language criticised or ignored must have some psychological effect. Certainly the media's role in this dismissal will have led, ...... to feelings of inferiority."7

When children talk to each other they say "Aye" and "Naw", not "Yes" and "No". In every aspect of teaching, we as teachers, are taught to value what the children bring to school. We are trained to teach them skills with in a context. Why should we not then teach them to write poetry in Scots, or the names of parts of the body ? It is just another aspect of valuing the children and not teaching in a vacuum. It is their language, they own it should they not then be taught to use it.

If children come to school and find that.... their own language has been given inferior status. Is this healthy ?" 8

Teaching poetry in Scots may even be better than in English because of the onomatopoeic quality of Scots.

"But it is undeniable that Scots exploits the possibilities of phonoaesthetic expression.... to an extent that has no parallelled in Western European Languages." 9

For some children Scots will not be the language of the home. They may even be struggling with standard English. Some may argue that a child fitting this description should have all the time available to language spent on English. The counter argument would be that it is far more vital to teach that child Scots than it is to teach those who already have it. The non Scots speaking child has to survive in the playground, and children are very intolerant. It is not unknown for English children, who live in Scotland, to speak with an English accent at home and a Scots one at school.

Diversity of Language

There are various modes of speech, we use one to speak to our peers, another to talk to our superiors and each varies according to the setting. Flitting between each mode is a skill in itself. Children require to practice in each of the modes so that they can use them all with confidence. Mostly this type of teaching is hidden, but teaching Scots in the classroom would allow the teacher to plan such lessons and give children extra practice in selecting and using the correct degree of formality of speech.

At the time when Scots was developing as a separate language Scotland had a lot of mainland European trading connections and consequently much of the vocabulary is still recognisably European...e.g. advocate, ashet (French) etc. In standard English it is often necessary to check a dictionary but it is also necessary to know the root word. In studying Scots, etymology is not as subtle as it would be in say finding a connection between 'feminine' and 'female'. It would be a way to practice finding the roots of words without the formality of a dictionary.

Counteract Media Influence

"The chief enemies of the dialect are, without doubt, the press, the pulpit and above all the public school, that systematic suppression of any thing with a local flavour."10

In days gone by children learned their language locally. In our increasingly technological age children are bombarded with English, American, Australian ..... dialects, accents, and slang expressions. While it has been proven that children do not learn to speak by listening to television or radio11 what is not recorded is how much influence the broadcasts have on children who have acquired language. This essay suggests it is quite strong. Children, even in nursery, are mimicking their heroes in both voice and deed. Mr. Motivater is always warning children not to copy what they see. There is no warning for language. It could be argued that when play ends so does the play dialect. Dieth, in his study of the Buchan dialect, asks if the return is complete?12 The increasing use of words lie 'crap' 'cop' and 'mega' would seem to offer proof that it is not.

Conclusion

Over the years our language has been eroded. There is no doubt where Dieth laid the blame for the erosion. As an educational establishment it is our duty to consider and formulate and answer to the questions raised above. We should take reassurance from the English language 5-14 (p68)

"Far from diminishing the significance of English, an understanding of the operations of dialects will enrich awareness of the need for a standard form of language which enables communication across linguistic and cultural boundaries."

It is hoped that this document aids the reader to see the worth in preserving and valuing Scots, not only for the Scots but for the rest of the world. It is argued that establishment and media influence are combining to cause the disappearance of Scots, and that the Scots language should be a living breathing part of the lowland Scots.