Spellin Scots

Anseo tha mi dìreach a' cur ceist air daoine aig a bheil Albais, a chionn 's nach eil mi a' tuigsinn gach rud san deasbad mu dheidhinn speiligeadh na cànan-sin.

Amañ n'on nemet o c'houlenn d'ar re a gaoz skotog penaos e ya en-dro an dael tro-dro da skrivadur ar yezh. N'eo ket aes din kompren. :P

Je ne fais ici que m'adresser aux locuteurs du scote afin de comprendre mieux le débat autour de l'orthographe. Celui-ci m'échappe pas mal. :P

Ah hae ae wee speir for folks hwa spakk Scots, aboot the spellin o't. As ye see here, ah dae siclike mony ae ane an scrieve wards in different weys as ah gang. For exemple ah uised for tae scrive "faa, fit, filk, faar" bit nuw it's "hwa, hwit/hwat, hwilk, hwar" acause thinkin aboot it ah decidit it wis better. Ah ken thare is ae wee war gaein atween folks on hwat wey tae scrap the leid, an ah wis wunnerin gin folks had ivver considerit uisin aen adaptit Norvegian/Swedish spellin sistem. In Norvay thay can spell mony dialects wi't juist braw, an the logic o't wad suit Scots. Ah wis thinkin o't acause ah am learin Norvegian juist nuw an it struck me huw simple an straucht the sistem is. Ah saw aat Scots is uneasy atween older Scottish spellin frae Middle Inglish an modren English spellin, an it haes mony unco things siclike Inglish's "oo" an "ee" an "y" an "eu" athoot it bein coherent aa the time, hwile it cad be easier wi the Nordic sistem. Naebody is coherent as tae hwat wey tae scrieve Scots, an ivven gin we dinna need ane unique spellin, it's frustratin hwan ye're learin it!

Exemples:

• oo = u ; abutt (aboot), athutt (athoot), abunn (aboon);

• ee = i ; si (see), sinn (seen), binn (been). Nae need tae bother wi the Inglish "i" as [ai], naebody ilk daes it an it's nae regular!

• eu/u [y] = y ; ny (nuw), byk (beuk, in some dialects);

• [ø] = ø/ö ; bøk/bök (beuk, in ither dialects);

• [ə] an [ɛ] = e an æ ; thes (this), ther (thare), næ (nae), æ/æn (ae/aen),

• keep eu for [ʌ] as in "eunco" (unco);

• [j] = j ; aj (A/I), nju (new), jir (year);

• [o] = o ; stond (staund), old (auld);

• return til hw for "wh" wards gien thay are said [f] or [hw] ; hwar, hwa, hwilk, etc.

• for the length o vowels, uise as in Norvegian an Breton ae simple rule: gin the vowel is fallaed by ae double consonant it's short, gin it's fallaed by ae single consonant it's lang: abutt (aboot), jir (year), upp (up);

• fyne ae sistem tae avoid mixin up wards aat can sound alike, siclike o ("of") an aw ("all") - ah dinna ken hwat tae dae wi aat, tho;

• settle on k or c tae represent [k]. Ye dinna need the twa o them: sikker or siccer (siccar), kann or cann (can), kenn or cenn (ken).

• pickin k for [k] wad allow tae uise c for [tʃ]; cenc (chench);

• We cad reuise the auld Scots' letter ʒ tae differentiate atween [ʤ] an [g], bit aat's nae important acause the Inglish/French sistem o gu, go, ga [g] an ge, gi [ʤ] works. Bit it wad be funny: ʒaluz (jalouze), ʒenerate. Gin it wis anely up til me, we wad reintroduce ð [ð], þ [θ] an ƿ [w], bit ah jalouse aat micht be ae wee bit tae muckle.

Obviously ah dinna spakk Scots sae guid, an ah ken mony folks hae thocht aboot it far mair na me, sae ah jalouse (naively) gin aat wis the wey tae dae it wad awready be in uise. Bit ah am wunnerin an ah wad like tae ken hwat wey sic ae sistem is nae bein uised. Conservatism o aulder Scots form? The fear it wad makk Scots oer different frae Inglish? Folks nae botherin tae muckle aboot the spellin o the leed? Ah am juist curious.

Aj ʒaluz it wadd bi eunko tæ hæ æ fer nju wej tæ skriv Skots, an it wad bi riddikles ginn wi think abutt the histori o the lidd. Efter o, ji kanne ʒist cenc the wej folk skriv æ lidd athutt lökkinn ett the owero pikter. An aj am sikker hwat aj am deinn ʒist ny is næ ower koherent ither.

Bit ʒist þink huƿ baddas Skots ƿad lökk! Ðe try ʒermanik lidd o ðe Norþ, stracht ytt o ðe misti benns o Skotland! Am aj takkin ðes ower far? Aj ʒaluz aj am.

Mair seriously, it's ae genuine speir for me. Ah am curious aboot the leid, an it's gey hard tae access it an the debates in it hwan ye're nae awready ae Scots spakker yersel.

Þank ye! Huhuhu!