Hi from my little Irish haven on the coast of southern Brittany, While we are on the subject of LiveCode and the way in which the Scots attempt to make themselves understood, and knowing well the chances of ruffling a few of Richmonds feathers, I would like to add my "2 punts" worth.
We all can accept the basic rule that languages change over time, often due to external influence. The French spoken in Quebec has been likened to the 17th century French spoken in France, but which has been partially "frozen" because of its isolation from its original roots. We may hesitate to say that Canadian French is "backwards" with reference to the modern "dynamic" language used in France today, surrounded as it is by so many influences. Should we hesitate to liken the Scottish "dialect" to a mixture of 17th century English, rounded off by an atrocious way of of pronouncing (and spelling) every word, washed down with liberal quantities of Scotch whisky (that we all know originated with St. Patrick, in Ireland), and possibly associating all this with an influx of Irish into Scotland during the sixth century). I can't imagine todays Scottish dialects having many roots in Germany (there is probably more Danish influence than anything else) We may then study the way in which several European languages have a different way of pronouncing their "r"s (The Spanish somewhere far down in the epiglottis, the French somewhere at the back of the throat, the English on the tip of their tongue, and finally, the Scots, who pronounce their "r"s about 30 inches in front of their face. All this makes it even more difficult to understand a Scot, unless of course you have the same intake of whisky as he does, when it becomes perfectly understandable. Finally, if you use absolutely normal English words in a sentence (and English IS the official language of a much abused Scotland), and shift the "rr"s backwards 30 inches, "In y'rrrr Tarrrrtan Brrrrreeks" becomes "In your trousers", a totally useless but oft used Scots comment, closely allied to the popular "Piss Off" used in England. I shudder at the thought of a Scot saying out loud "Round the ruggd rock, the ragged rascal ran". John Cleese can say this so much better ! Dear Richmond, from a Celt to a Celt, hoping that I have stirred the cauldron enough, and hoping that you please make an effort to beat the shit out of the French Rugby team on Saturday…. Best Regards -Francis _______________________________________________ use-livecode mailing list use-livecode@lists.runrev.com Please visit this url to subscribe, unsubscribe and manage your subscription preferences: http://lists.runrev.com/mailman/listinfo/use-livecode
