FOCKLE AYNS DTY CHLEAYSH
A Millenium of Viking Speach?

For more than a thousand years most Cumbrians have spoken a dialect which could be traced back to the plundering of the medieval Norsemen. The tongue known as Oor Mak O'tawk is dying, says expert Jean Scott-Smith and phrases such as Yon yat's bust (That gate is broken) and Yon larl chore (The boy over there) - in use since the 9th Century - are rarely heard. The dwindling band who still understand them fear they will be the last generation to do so.

Mrs Scott-Smith, secretary of the Lakeland Dialect Society, which protects traditional Cumbrian tongues, said yesterday: 'About 100 years ago most of the population in Cumbria used this dialect. Now, only around a third use it, which shows it is dying out. It is a shame because it is a wonderful link back to our forefathers.'

Over the last 100 years an increasingly mobile population, plus huge numbers of visitors to the Lakes, have contributed to Oor Mak O'tawk (Our type of speech) falling into disuse.

"Web-Of-Words - the European languages that few people speak about."

More than forty minority languages of the European Union are presented on the new "web of words" site. Did you know that Russian is one of the minority languages of the European Union - in Finland! That Cornish, a Celtic language, which disappeared in the 19th century, is reviving in Cornwall and on the web? That Judeo-Spanish (Ladino) today spoken by numerous European Jews, is very similar to the Spanish spoken in the 15th century? The "Web-Of-Words" - site www.eblul.org/wow presents about forty languages, so called regional or minority languages, which are spoken in the European Union.

"One of the goals of the European Bureau for Lesser Used Languages is to call the attention of every European citizen on the diversity and richness of all the languages spoken in the European Union" explains Markus Warasin, the Bureau's Secretary General "this web site has been voluntarily created to answer questions asked by the public about the European language reality, often very different from one Member-State to another."

The site describes in a simple way the situation of each minority language of the European Union, its status, its history and the reality of its use. But "a language is also about its sound and its accents. Therefore, it seemed extremely important to us, to complete the presentation, by adding poems read by native speakers." says Julia Turkina, in charge of the documentation for "Web-Of-Words".

Created within the framework of the European Year of Languages with the financial support of the European Commission (DG Education and Culture), the web site of Web-of-Words will be further developed and enriched: an original and multilingual screen saver is already downloadable from the site; a quiz will soon be online, with numerous books to win; further useful linguistic explanations; more poems and photos will be online before the end of the European Year of Languages.

Culture Still Alive in Arbory School

Following the last column I wrote I was contacted by the Head of Arbory who strongly reassured me that Manx dancing and music were still very much part of school life and further that the school was very much committed to continuing its involvement with the Laa Columb Killey. I would like to apologise for my misleading remarks in the column about this matter and look forward to working with the school on Manx cultural matters in the future. The Whiteboys play, however, has been dropped as the Head believes it is no longer relevant to the modern age and it contravenes the school's equal opportunities policy.


Thousane Blein dy Wiggynish?

Son ny smoo na thousane blein ta ny Cumbrianee er ve loayrt blass dy Vaarle va currit daue liorish ny Loghlynnee spooilleydagh veih'n vean-eash. Ta'n chengey oc, t'enmyssit Oor Mak O'tawk, geddyn baase nish coardail rish Jean Scott-Smith as s'goan ny keayrt t'ou clashtyn raaghyn gollrish Yon yat's bust (ta'n yiat brisht) as Yon larl chore (Ta'n guilley aynshid) as ad er ve ayn er dyn nuyoo keead. Ta aggle er y phossan beg ta foast toiggal ny raaghyn shoh nagh jean y nah sheeloghe dy Cumbrianee toiggal yn shenn ghlare.

Ta Bnr Scott-Smith ny scrudeyr jeh Sheshaght Abbyrt Thalloo ny Loghey (Sheshaght ta cummal seose blassyn Cumbrianagh) T'ee lhag-chreeagh mychione faasid y vlass as dooyrt ee shoh "Mysh 100 blein er dy henney va'n chooid smoo dy chumaltee Cumbria jannoo ymmyd jeh'n vlass. Nish, cha nel agh yn trass ayrn jeu toiggal eh. S'bastagh shen er y fa dy vel ny blassyn ain kiangley shin dy lajer rish nyn ayraghyn roin."

Car yn keead shoh chaie ta cummaltee er ve ny sloo as ny sloo soiet er cummal ayns un voayl as ta earroo vooar dy cheayrtee er chur shilley er ny loghyn, as t'ad shoh, currit ry-cheilley, bunnys er chur baase da Oor Mak O'tawk (Yn sorch dy haggloo ain).

"Eggey-dy-ocklyn - Chengaghyn Oarpagh nagh vel agh beggan dy pheccee loayrt mychione."

Ta ny smoo na 40 myn-chengaghyn jeh'n Oarpey Unnaneyssit OU soilshit dooin er yn ynnyd noa "eggey dy ocklyn". Row fys ayd dy vel Rooshish nane jeh ny myn-chengaghyn 'syn OU - ayns Fynlann! Ta aavioghey Kernewek, chengey Celtiagh veih'n Chorn va cailt 'sy nuyoo keead jeig, fo raad 'sy Chorn as ta'n chengey hene ry-akin er yn eddyr voggyl. Ta Judeo-Spaanish (Ladino) chengey jeh earroo vooar dy Hewnyn Oarpagh jiu, kiart gollrish yn Spaanish va goll er loayrt 'sy wheigoo keead jeig. Ta'n ynnyd ec www.eblul.org/wow soilshaghey dooin 40 chengaghyn, enmyssit mynchengaghyn ny chengaghyn ardjynagh, ta goll er loayrt 'syn OU.

"Ta nane jeh ny deanyn jeh Oik Oarpagh ny Chengaghyn Sloo Ymmydit dy chur fys da cummaltee yn Oarpey er anchaslys as berchys ny chengaghyn loayrit syn OU" dooyrt Markus Warasin, Scrudeyr Cadjin yn Oik. "Ta'n ynnyd shoh er ve crooit dy arryltagh dy chur freggyrt da feshtyn yn theay mychione chengaghyn Oarpagh as adsyn dy mennick anchasley ayns dagh cheer."

Ta'n ynnyd soilshaghey ayns aght feer aashagh yn stayd jeh dagh myn-chengey 'syn OU goaill stiagh stadys, shennaghys as yn aght firrinagh t'eh ymmydit. Agh "ta chengey mychione sheeanyn as blassyn. Myr shen t'eh feer scanshoil dy yannoo soilshaghys kiart dy ghoaill stiagh draneyn lhaiht liorish loayrtee dooghysagh" dooyrt Julia Turkina, as ish freayll arrey er yn ynnyd.

Crooit ayns Blein Oarpagh ny Chengaghyn lesh cooney argidoil yn Commishoon Oarpagh (Ynsagh as Cultoor), bee yn ynnyd eggey bishit as lhiasit ny sodjey. Ta 'screen saver' yl-chengagh ry-gheddyn hannah veih'n ynnyd, bee keishtaghan ayn dy gerrid lesh ram lioaryn ry-chosney, bee tooilley fys currit mychione chengaghyn as bee tooilley draneyn as jallooghyn currit er yn ynnyd roish jerrey Blein Oarpagh ny Chengaghyn.

Cultoor Foast Bio ec Scoill Chairbre

Lurg yn colloo shoh chaie ren ard-er ynsee scoill Chairbre loayrt rhym as dinsh dy row daunse as kiaull yn theay foast lajer as sauchey ayns y scoill echey as ny smoo na shen va'n scoill son freayll bio ny kianglaghyn eddyr ish as y laa Colum Killey. Myr shen ta mee geearree cur my leshtalyn son screeu reddyn veagh cur er ny lhaihderyn dy smooinaghtyn nagh row cultoor bio ayns Cairbre. Cha bee ny Guillyn Baney ayn arragh er y fa dy vel yn ard-er ynsee smooinaghtyn nagh neeu veg y cloie shoh 'sy lhing ain as t'ee noi polasee y scoill son cur cairys da dy chooilley pheiagh. T'eh jeeaghyn nagh vel yn polasee shoh goaill stiagh cultoor ny Manninee.

Phil Gawne