Chamber and committees

In response to Ruth Maguire, you suggested that there are already areas of linguistic significance—they are just not capitalised, as it were. If that is right, and if, as you were discussing with Willie Rennie, there are not many things that the bill demands be done in relation to an area that is designated as an area of linguistic significance, does the bill give any meaningful new powers to the local authorities over what they can already do in a—non-capitalised—area of linguistic significance?

It has been noted.

I have a brief question based on what Bill Kidd asked about. The 2005 act set up Bòrd na Gàidhlig and gave it responsibility for promoting Gaelic. It seems clear that the bòrd has done that with a great deal of passion and commitment. However, 20 years on from that, the situation has been described as a “crisis”, as the policy has not been matched by funding and, perhaps, Government support. Scots does not even get a board. What will be the impact of that if establishing a Gaelic board still leads to a crisis 20 years on?

I understand. Forgive me for pressing the point. You have just mentioned people wanting to learn Scots and to teach it. My initial question was based on the anecdote that you gave earlier, when you said that you had been reading, on the train, about a teacher who had learned what we might call Glaswegian Scots, but who was now teaching and responding to Doric, which the teacher reported would be rather different. How does a provider—whether it be the OU or anyone else—structure a course in Scots, when what Scots means in one part of Scotland is arguably completely different from what it means in another?

Sure.

This is specifically on the same line of questioning, so I will stick with Dr Warnecke, if I may.

Dr Warnecke, your submission discusses how the Scottish languages strategy needs to provide a

“detailed description of what Scots is”,

and of the dialects that are spoken and where. Do you have any indication of whether that is happening, or would it be better to include that in the bill, such that there is clarity about what is being taught and what resources might be needed?

I was interested in your earlier anecdote about the teacher with a knowledge of Scots. Earlier, you spoke about the course that is being run by the Open University. You said that 150 people are enrolled on it: 120 are on it just now, and 30 are already signed up for the future.

I am very grateful for that.

We have heard about local authorities, which are, no doubt, not flush with resources and cash at the moment, for whatever reason. When discussing Gaelic earlier, Donald Macleod said that one of the issues with Gaelic is that teachers are not confident. He talked about confidence in spelling, and Seonaidh Charity talked about teachers having to create resources.

Joan Esson, are there existing resources for the Scots language in grammar, spelling and accepted words for each dialect that we have just heard about, or will those require to be produced for each? If so, who will do it and at what cost?

Is there any way of defining exhaustively what those dialects are, or is there a certain level at which a pattern of speech—if I can call it that—requires to become a dialect?

What Scots is being taught on that course? How is it standardised—or is it bespoke to each individual learner, or teacher, for their area?

Yes.