Articles categorised as Activism

Thousands visit site

Statistics from internet search engine Google show that the new Scots Language Centre web site has attracted thousands of visitors since it was launched last October. Reacting to the news, Michael...

Scots campaigners blast 'nonsense'

Scots language campaigners have criticised recent comments by the TaxPayers’ Alliance as “ignorant nonsense”. Rod Lovie, convener of Strathisla Scots Spickers, condemned recent attacks on...

Network for Multilingualism in Europe Established

The Federal Union of European Nationalities (FUEN) has decided to set up a network to promote European multilingualism, with a particular focus on Europe’s regional and minority languages. Many...

Scots isn't alone

In April 2008, four students in Iceland paid a visit to the Education Ministry in Reykjavik in order to inform the government that they had founded an Association for Icelandic-speaking Youth,...

Kay calls on SNP to support Scots culture

Scots broadcaster and writer, Billy Kay, has urged the Scottish government to find ways to support Scots culture. In a letter to Culture Minister, Linda Fabiani, Kay, the author of Scots, the...

Happy Birthday Scots Language Society

It was 36 years ago this year that the Scots Language Society was formed. At an open meeting held in May 1972 in the Wee Windaes Restaurant, High Street, Edinburgh (which is still there today), a...

Ulster Scots set up speakers group

Scots speakers in Ballymoney, Northern Ireland have set up a group for people interested in speaking Scots. Charlie Reynolds from the group is reported to have said, "Some yins taak aboot it...

Network to Promote Linguistic Diversity launched in Brussels

On 11th June, the new Network to Promote Linguistic Diversity (NPLD) was launched in Brussels. The NPLD has been established to work for the promotion and development of Europe’s less widely used...

New Chair at Shetland ForWirds

The dialect promotion group, Shetland ForWirds, has a new convener and vice-convener following its recent AGM. Writer and former teacher, Laureen Johnson is now leading SFW, with Eileen...

Aboot the Ainu

Whit d'ye mak o this? - http://www.iht.com/articles/2008/07/03/asia/03ainu.php Thir's ae braw line, juist at the end, that gar me lauch out loud: "It's not healthy to keep blaming...

Purves outlines the Way Forward for Scots

In the following article, veteran Scots campaigner, David Purves, outlines his views on the ways in which Scots could be encouarged and supported. The article first appeared in the Scots...

Scots Tung

Scots Tung was founded in 1994 as a forum for campaigning for rights for Scots speakers and as a place for members to practice speaking the language in an informal setting. It began with 8 or 9...

Homecoming Scotland Shames Scottish Arts Council, Says MSP

Dr Bill Wilson, SNP MSP for the West of Scotland, says that the Homecoming Scotland Events Guide shows that EventScotland and VisitScotland "value indigenous Scottish culture and language, but the...

European Charter

The European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages is a Council of Europe treaty. You can find out about it here and through the links below. Latest News The committee of experts third...

Euro Charter information added

Information on the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages and the ways in which it effects Scots is now available in the politics and activism section of the site. Click here to read...

Bill Wilson MSP Demands Support for Scots Language and Music

West of Scotland MSP Dr Bill Wilson has called for Scotland to follow Ireland in supporting indigenous culture. Dr Wilson is a longstanding critic of the Scottish Arts Council’s cuts in...

Places still available at Scots debate

Places are still available at a debate to be held this evening (23 September) at the National Library of Scotland. A panel including Professor John Corbett, poet Rab Wilson, and Scots and Gaelic...

Scots activists celebrate

Scots activists are celebrating after nearly one third of the Scottish parliament’s members signed a motion from Liberal Democrat leader, Tavish Scott, calling on the Scottish Arts Council to...

Ulster Scots post highlights funding imbalance

Scots Language Centre Director, Michael Hance, has said that an advert for a new post at the Ulster Scots Agency demonstrates how large the gap is in funding for language support in the two...

NLS debate report

A debate about Scots held last month at the National Library of Scotland brought in an audience of over 100 people. Here David Purves gives his impression of the evening's events. At the moment...

SNP Conference Calls for "fair treatment" for Scots

On 16 October the SNP conference voted unanimously for a motion that calls on the Scottish Government to "guarantee fair treatment for Scotland’s unique cultural inheritance". The motion...

MSP Writes on Wedding Row

Dr Bill Wilson, SNP MSP for the West of Scotland, has written to Linda Fabiani, the Scottish Government Minister for Europe, External Affairs and Culture, asking her to inform all Scotland’s...

“Aw human sowels is born free and equal in dignity and richts.”

Amnesty International Scotland is celebrating the 60th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) by presenting the First Minister, Alex Salmond, with a framed copy of a Scots...

Scots Translation of UDHR Accepted by UN

The Scots translation of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) has been accepted by the United Nations and will be added to its list of more than 300 languages in which the document is...

David Ogston

On a cauld Januar mornin in 1980, a wee curn o fowk frae St. John’s Kirk set oot for Balerno in sairch o a new meinister. As we herkent til a delichtfu an eimaginative sermon, we war awaur that...

MSP Spreads Scots from Aberdeen to Argentina!

Dr Bill Wilson, SNP MSP for the West of Scotland, shared his love of the Scots language with primary school pupils aboard The Reading Bus on Friday 16th January. Dr. Wilson read two Scots poems...

The Audit & Rabbie Burns, Inglis speaker?

Weil weil, that's the audit out the nou, an am blythe it is. I ralley dinna hae mair tae eik ayont whit the main story on the site says, jist tae say that I howp this'll gie a heize tae the fowk...

New Scots web site

Bob Fairnie, a long standing campaigner for the Scots language and former editor of the monthly newsletter, Scots Tung Wittins, has set up a new Scots language web site. Here he tells what he...

Study shows dialect change in Lerwick

The results of a recent survey of dialect use in Lerwick were discussed at a meeting held in the Shetland capital last week. Dr Jennifer Smith of Glasgow University who carried out the study...

Homecoming Blog Brands Scots as Slang

Highlands MSP Rob Gibson has forced a Homecoming Scotland blog to change references to Scots as “slang”. Mr Gibson, convener of the cross-parity group on Scots, took witnesses from VisitScotland...

Scots language on 2011 census

The General Register Office for Scotland has revealed in its report 'Scotland's Census 2011 Recommendations on Content' that the Scots language will be included on a census of Scotland for the...

Scottish Government Considering Research into Scots in Schools

Last Thursday, the Minister for Schools and Skills, Keith Brown MSP, revealed that the Government is thinking about comissioning research into Scots language provision in our schools. Responding...

Parochial smarochial...

I jalouse like maist o ye I wis mair nor a wee bittie bemused by David Starkey's comments on the telly a couple o days syne. Offendit? Na, no ralley, jist a bit dumfounerit. Mainly I wis...

Third European Charter Report Released

The Third periodical report relating to the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages has been released in accordance with Article 15 of the Charter. This Report, which relates to...

MSP's controversy in the aisles

Dr Bill Wilson, MSP for West of Scotland, has proposed that supermarkets and other shops in Scotland should label produce with their Scots names as well as the English equivalents. In response to...

A Sober Student Looks at MacDiarmid

Weil, first aff I maun say "weil duin" tae Billy Kay on gettin his honorary degree frae the University of the West of Scotland (read about it i the news section o the site). He ralley deserrs...

SLS Annual Collogue

The Annual Collogue of the Scots Language Society will take place on Saturday 10 October 2009 at the A.K. Bell Library, York Place, Perth. This year’s theme is ‘The Interaction between Scots and...

Facebook

I wis about tae pit up a link tae the campaign tae get Facebook i Scots, but I jist saw the story on the hame page afore I did! Oniewey, here's the link, alang wi twa-thrie ithirs for onie o ye...

Cash machines could soon speak Scots

Cash machines could soon be dispensing money in the Scots language following the introduction of Cockney ATMs in London, reports Deadline Press Agency. Manufacturer Bank Machine is considering...

More from the Markets

Once again Dr Bill Wilson, MSP for West of Scotland, had laid down a challenge to the Scottish Retail Consortium regarding the campaign to make use of the Scots language in public life. Dr Wilson...

Northern Ireland Census and the Scots Language

The proposals for the Northern Ireland census – which will be tested on 11 October 2009 – have been published online. It is currently the intention of the Northern Irish census office to ask...

Moray author launches census petition

A Moray author is campaigning for the Scots language to be given equal status with Gaelic by having it included in the 2011 national census, reports the Press and Journal. Marguerite...

Census 2011

Here you will find information and links about the inclusion of Scots in the questions for the 2011 census. Written Questions S3W-33470 Bill Wilson: To ask the Scottish Executive how it intends...

SLC best language site say Friesians

Meindert Tjerkstra, the head of online development for Friesian language organisation, Ried fan de Fryske Beweging, has described the Scots Language Centre’s web site as, ‘the best language site I...

Question in Scots Makes Parliament History

History was made in the Scottish Parliament on Thursday 7 January when an SNP MSP became the first person to ask a parliamentary question and a follow-up question in Scots. Western Isles MSP...

Research on Public Attitudes to the Scots Language

The results of a government funded survey show a huge level of support for the Scots language along with widespread usage. Launched at the 2010 Celtic Connections festival in Glasgow the survey...

Scots language fowk pey tribute tae John Law

John Law, ane o the best kent Scots language steerers o raicent times, deed aa a sudden on Seturday. Cllr Law wis ane o the bodies that set up the Scots Language Resource Centre in 1993  - SLRC...

Cross-Party Group on the Scots Language

The Scottish Parliament cross-party group on the Scots language exist to promote the cause of Scots, inform members of the culture and heritage of the language and highlight the need for action to...

Shetland web site launched

A new web site dedicated to Shetland dialect and culture was launched in Lerwick on Saturday. Folk from the community joined members of the dialect campaigning group, Shetland Forwirds, at an...

Shetland web site

This is a link to a webside dedicated to Shetland dialect and culture. Created by the Shetland dialect campaign group Shetland ForWirds, it contains education resources for all levels, information...

Census - nou the wark ralley stairts

Weil, first I’d lik tae say walcome tae Margaret Tong – I’m ralley luikin forrit tae readi mair o yer blogs, Margaret.   The muckle news for Scots raicently haes been the 2011 Census.  Efter a...