This week's installment of the 'Ulster Scots is fun' with the DUP's Jim Shannon is a little more advanced than usual. In fact, novices amongst you may need help in figuring out the proverb at the start, but not to worry, I'll provide the answer at the end.
Setting aside the debate over whether it is a dialect or a language, fair play to Jim for introducing his speeches with a smidgen of Ulster Scots - it definitely adds a bit of life and colour to proceedings, and his delivery is easy on the ear.
Anyway, as per usual, see how you get on deciphering this week's passage taken from Jim's address to the Assembly, which was on industrial rates:
As tha oul Proaverb saes, frae mickle sterts cum muckle things.
We er startin fae tha beginnin - aa' fresh slaet efter tha years o' neglect fae oor direct rool Givermunt en yeers ' heertacke an bluidshed fae wi-in.
It micht seem aa' moanumentil erdeael - tae tak Northern Ireland tae tha place whor it shid be, tae study it baith socially an economically, tae paint aa' new warl pictur o' Nth Ireland. Moving ut fae aa' war-torn state, tae tha real pictur o' aa' bonnie kintry, rich wi cultur, fu' o' warem foulk an ready tae step oot untae tha warl stage - aa' moanumentil er dael indded - but this sterts wi' mickle things aa' beleev that yin major-er muckle step tae be takkin is that o' studing oor economy by encouraging growth fae wi in.
The proverb: From small beginnings come great things.
Purely on a grammatical point, I presume the apostrophes are there to indicate that letters have been omitted, as is the case in English. If so, is Jim speaking in informal Ulster Scots, and is there a formal variety?
If any Ulster Scots aficionados are out there, please let me know - it’s just to satisfy my own sad curiosity. Mind you, since the unionist benches are such sticklers for insisting on formal attire, it may well be feasible that they could take umbrage with Jim for speaking informal Ulster-Scots.
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1 comment:
Damian, you know and I know that Ulster Scots is nothing more than pidgeon English. I hope you will let us have a little more of Jim Shannon's hilarious comments. Since reading them I have been rolling around on the floor and holding my sides with laughter. The so-called Ulster Scots was just a sweetener for unionists to sign up to the Good Friday Agreement. Time now to get back to the real world!!!
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