|
Ulster Scots, also known as Ullans, are recent names for the varieties of the Scots language spoken in parts of Ulster. Native speakers traditionally called the language (Braid) Scots or Scotch.
Ulster Scots is defined in legislation (The North/South Co-operation (Implementation Bodies) Northern Ireland Order 1999)
as
- the variety of the Scots language which has traditionally been used in parts of Northern Ireland and in Donegal in
Ireland
[1] .
Furthermore The United Kingdom declares, in accordance with Article 2, paragraph 1 of the Charter that it recognises that Scots and Ulster Scots meet the
Charter's definition of a regional or minority language for the purposes of Part II of the
Charter
[2] .
The Good Friday Agreement also recognises Ulster Scots
as "part of the cultural wealth of the island of Ireland", and established the cross-border Ulster-Scots Agency whose
remit is to promote the study, conservation, development and use of Ulster Scots as a living language; to encourage and
develop the full range of its attendant culture; and to promote an understanding of the history of the Ulster-Scots
people.
Although usually treated as a variety of Scots some consider it to
be a language in its own right, while others regard it as a dialect of English. Today Ulster Scots is
estimated to be spoken by about 100,000 people from both nationalist and unionist communities and in counties on both sides of
the border.
Ullans is a neologism merging Ulster
and Lallans - the Scots for Lowlands.
In recent years a movement has been under way to change the perception of Ulster Scots. At one time it was derided as "poor
English", but many of its speakers now take pride in the way they speak and in the wider Ulster-Scots heritage of which it forms part.
Many nationalists and republicans in Northern Ireland have derided Ulster Scots as a 'DIY
language for Orangemen', arguing that it is a reaction by unionists and loyalists
to the promotion of the Irish
language in Northern Ireland, although the Belfast-based Irish language newspaper Lá, does run a column in Ulster
Scots.
(Ulster) Scots is closely related to the Germanic language
English. It is not to be confused with Scottish Gaelic, which is a Celtic language related to Irish and Manx.
Literature
In the Scots speaking areas of Ulster there was traditionally a considerable demand for the work of Scottish poets, often in
locally printed editions. Alexander Montgommerie's the The Cherrie and the Slae in 1700, shortly over a decade later
an edition of poems by Sir David Lindsay, an edition of Robert Burns' poetry in 1787, the same year as the Edinburgh edition and reprints
in 1789, 1793 and 1800. Among other Scottish poets published in Ulster were James
Hogg and Robert Tannahill.
This was complemented by Ulster rhyming weaver poetry, of which, some 60 to 70 volumes were published between 1750
and 1850 . These weaver poets looked to Scotland for their cultural and literary models and were not simple imitators but clearly
inheritors of the same literary tradition following the same poetic and orthographic practices. Among the rhyming
weavers were James Cambell
(1758-1818), James Orr (1770-1816), Thomas Beggs (1749-1847), David Herbison (1800-1880), Hugh Porter (1780-1839) and Andreew McKenzie (1780-1839).
Scots was also used in the narrative by Ulster Novelists such as W.G. Lyttle (1844-1896). Scots also regulary appeared in Ulster newspaper columns.
By the early part of the 20th century this tradition was almost extinct. The Ulster Scots revival from the 1980s
onwards has moved away from the previous tradition and Scots orthographic practice, preferring instead to develop the language as
an autonomous written variety compared to Scots, incidentally reducing the language's written comprehensibility to Scots
speakers. Current trends include: adapting the writing system to one based more on the sound values of standard English; often
mixing Ulster English and Scots forms; creating independent neologisms; misusing words, or using them in new ways, depending on
point of view; and adopting non-standard features of English. Whether this is a sign of vitality or of decay is a matter of
sometimes heated debate.
The introduction of standard educational materials in schools for the teaching of the language is likely to formalise ongoing
discussions about the future direction of language planning.
External Links
|