Articles categorised as West central

New Centre for Robert Burns Studies

The University of Glasgow has recently launched a new Centre for Robert Burns Studies devoted to the many facets of the bard's life an intended to act as a 'hub' for research and study on an...

First Foot

Discussion of many subjects of particular Scottish interest. Contributors are forthright in expressing their views, often using robust language. There is a bias in the language used towards west...

Oor Hamlet

Shakespeare as you haven't heard him before. The whole Hamlet story told in inimitable Adam McNaughton style. Buy the CD from Greentrax. Thanks to Adam McNaughton and Greentrax for permission to...

Writing from West Central Scotland

Bhudda Da Written in Scots in a Glaswegian dialect, Anne Marie's Da, a painter and decorator, has always been game for a laugh. So when he first takes up meditation at the Buddhist Centre, no one...

From Scots Speak

Nan & Jackie talk about elocution lessons one of them had as a child

Aye write in Glesca

As pairt o Glesca's Aye Write fest the will be a day gien ower tae the Scots leid, cryed 'Writing in Scots: A series of three linked workshops', sponsored bi the Langage Comatee o the Associe for...

Glesca brainch o the Scots Leid Associe

Dr Maggie Scott will be speakin tae the Glesca brainch o the Scots Leid Associe (Scots Language Society) anent her wark wi ‘Word of the Week’ that is set furth in the Herald (an can be fund online...

Scots language web page for Ulster kids

Teachers (an parents too) might like to take notice of the online Ulster Scots for children located at the Ulster-Scots Agency website. Though the target audience of the pages is Ulster, there is...

East Central dialect

East Central Scots is one of the most geographically widespread of the Scots dialects: you’ll hear it spoken from the farms of East Lothian to the fishing villages of Fife, from the mining...

Burns An' A' That Festival

Between the 17 and 24 May the ‘Burns An’ A’ That’ festival, billed as a showcase for the best of talent in Scotland, will be taking place. Recent press reports have been critical of the fact that...

Burns flights cancelled

A campaign to have the name of Glasgow Prestwick airport changed to Robert Burns International - to honour the Scots bard on the 250 anniversary of his birth - has foundered. Airport chief...

YA DANCER

YA DANCER! Ther's monie wurds in Scots that we aw luve, that's mair expressive (tae us) nor their Inglis equeivalents - dreich, snell, braw, crabbit; awbodie's got their favourites, an ther's...

Tam O Shanter

Scotland’s most popular poem – a tale of what can happen when you spend too much time in the pub. This modern version of the poem is acted by a group of drama students from Glasgow. The poem is...

Tam O Shanter Overture

Tam O Shanter has inspired artists from across Europe. Here the Deutsches Filmorchester Babelsberg under the direction of Scott Lawton perform Malcolm Arnold’s Tam O Shanter overture at the...

Paolo Nutini A Man's A Man

Paisley born Paolo Nutini often sings Burns’ internationalist anthem, A Man’s A Man for Aa That at his concerts. Here he performs the song at the Glasgow Carling Academy.

Scunnered...

Been a wee while syne I wis last able tae blog on here (hou maun Uni wark get i the wey o whit I'm wantin tae dae?), but a story I saw a week or sae back fair got me thrawn an I thocht I'd let ye...

The Invisible Language

The Auld Scotch, Glaswegian, Glesca Scots, The Patter. These are the names by which the native language of the city of Glasgow – and surrounding region – have been known in modern times, and which...

Glasgow Beginnings

The place name ‘Glasgow’ derives from a Gaelic description of a ‘green place’ on the banks of the river Clyde. In Older Scots this was variously written as Glasgu, Glasgow and even Glaskow. In the...

Breaking the mould

After the Union with England in 1707, it was the language of that country that increasingly came to be the language of formality and officialdom, in spite of the fact that most people spoke Scots....

Debased or Evolved?

From the end of the 19th century onwards the speech of Glasgow came increasingly under attack by the authorities. The Scots language was generally being discouraged and punished, initially through...

The Patter Strikes back?

In the 20th and early 21st centuries the dialect of Glasgow has been the subject of several research projects and popular books. Research into the health of the language (of which work by Dr...

River City’s Scarlett wants to write Scots

Popular River City character, Scarlett Adams, has told small screen friend, university professor Michael Learmonth, that she’d like to learn to write in her own dialect. Scarlett has only recently...

The Bleacher Lassie o Kelvinhaugh

This month's song from TMSA  is The Bleacher Lassie o Kelvinhaugh. Its about the practice of laying clothes and sheets out in the sun to bleach them. At the time of the song the Kelvinhaugh area...

Remembering Wee Willie Winkie

On 2 September a new memorial was unveiled on the wall of Tennents’ Brewery, Duke Street, Glasgow, to Scots language writer William Miller (1810-72) and his most famous composition ‘Wee Willie...

Scots language classes start in September

CLASSES in Scots language will be launched in Ayrshire at the end of September 2009. The short course of weekly classes will be led by Margery Strattan, who sits on the national committee of...

Scots Language Classes

Registration for Scots language classes, taught by Margery Strattan, will be at 6.45pm in the Community Centre, Caerlaverock Road, Prestwick, KA9 1HR. Registration is £40 though there is also a...

Wishaw film from 1950

The Scottish Screen Archive have a new film available called 'Chick's Day'. Directed by Enrico Cocozza in 1950 it is a portrayal of young gang members in Wishaw. Originally a silent movie, sound...

Teaching Scots in Falkirk

A network of teachers in Falkirk has been set up to help support the use of Scots language in education. The experiences of one teacher involved in setting up this group has been outlined in an...

Scots used in adult literacy work.

Here's an article about Scots langauge used in adult literacy work, published recently in the Hamilton Advertiser.Sign up for the Barras story

A project using film and oral history to uncover the social and cultural history of the Barras - Glasgow's famous market - is being developed by Diversity Films. To find out more and to sign up...

Tannahill Weavers

Inspired by the poet Robert Tannahill, the Paisley band Tannahill Weavers have used many of Robert Tannahill's songs in performance. Here we can watch their version of the song 'The Ploo'boy...

New Scots song CD

Greentrax has released another fine CD of Scots language song. 'Jeelie Jars n Coalie Backies' is the latest release from the Prestonpans folk singer Alex Hodgson. Twice a finalist in the...