After reading an article from the 4 July edition of Unity, the journal of the Communist Party of Ireland, I came to the conclusion that they were not exactly impressed by my appointment earlier that week as Minister for Culture, Arts and Leisure. In fact the writer of the article said that my appointment was 'probably akin to putting King Herod in charge of Mothercare'.
However I ignored the Marxist venom and as I read on one sentence in particular drew my attention.
He has served as director of the Ulster-Scots Heritage Council and fervently believes Ulster-Scots is a language, on a par with Irish, rather than a dialect that in the main is made up as you go along.
The Communist Party is very supportive of the Irish language but clearly takes a disparaging view of Ulster-Scots. Perhaps that explains why some folk, whose background is in the Communist Party but who today hold influential positions in society, have been both unsympathetic and unhelpful towards the Ulster-Scots language.
Compared to the difference between Irish and English, Ulster Scots may seem to some as a dialectal difference, but when one looks at Slav languages the difference between Czech and Polish is less than standard English and Scots.
ReplyDeleteWhether Ulster Scots is independent of Scots proper is open to debate, in its modern official form it seems to be a degalicised version, though in its vernacular form its still akin to the mithirtang in Scotland, Gaelic influence and all.
Skots - Ullstir Skots kinbi ia ting inn itt en rit, bit ye nidt tae indirstawn itt is jist is muuch a ting as itt is a sibting.
ReplyDeleteEnglish - Ulster-Scots can be a language in its own right, but you have to comprehend, it is also a dialect.