SQA

Wee Windaes

The National Library of Scotland has launched a major new website which aims to raise awareness of the richness and depth of the Scots language.

The Wee Windaes project was developed by the National Library of Scotland and the Scots Scriever,    Hamish MacDonald, as a showcase of the use of Scots language in many different forms including song, folk tale, …

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Braw Scots Words

Last week, The Daily Record published an article featuring their 10 most beautiful Scots words – these things are always subjective, but it’s a good selection.

This got me thinking – what’s your favourite Scots word? There are so many uniquely descriptive and wonderful words to choose from, but obviously we have to keep the blog clean so nothing naughty please!

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#DaurTaeDream on Thursday 27 October

The Scottish International Storytelling Festival’s Dare to Dream campaign runs from 1 September till 30 November 2016, inviting the public to take part in a collective act of dreaming, storytelling and imagination. This is a contribution to the 2016 Year of Innovation, Architecture and Design.
A social media campaign will run for the duration of the main international festival, with a #DareToDream Day on …

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Scots Language – Oor Wullie’s Bucket Trail

Hello…a’m pleased tae meet ye!
I’m the new Qualifications Officer responsible for Scots language, with the very difficult task of following the one and only Malcolm Wilson in blogging about all things Scots.

I thought I’d begin with a light hearted story – one which you may already be aware of, but worthy I felt of a post.

Sunday …

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Scots Language – Staffing Update

I’m moving to a new job in SQA tomorrow; this will be my final day working with Scots Language.

It’s been a pleasure to work with the Scots Language development, and to make contact with such knowledgeable and enthusiastic teachers. I’ve got every confidence Scots teaching will go from strength to strength, and this is down to the dedication of practitioners.

SQA will appoint a new officer working with Scots Language. In …

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Scots Language – Gifting Every Child

Traditional Arts and Culture Scotland (TRACS) aims to promote the traditional arts of storytelling, music, song, and dance. It recently launched the Gifting Every Child initiative, which provides an introduction to these areas. There are a wealth of resources available, and it’s worth taking some time to look through these.

Some stories are written in both Scots and English, which …

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Scots Language – Language Show Live

The Language Show Live is coming up on Friday the 11th and Saturday the 12th of March. This is an annual event which is usually held in London, and attracts a exhibitors from all over the world. Tickets are free, and there are still some available.

There will be taster language classes, seminars, performances, and much more. It’s an excellent …

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Scots Language – Scottish Government Scots Activity

The Scottish Government recently launched a Scots Language Twitter account. This account follows the launch of their Scots Language Policy in September, and features both tweets in Scots, and about Scots issues.

As a follow up to the Scots Language Policy, there is an Action Plan being developed which builds on the commitments in the Policy. You can read about …

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Scots Language – Understanding Standards Materials

Last week we held Understanding Standards events at Glasgow’s Crowne Plaza. It was a pleasure to meet with delegates from schools all over the country, and hear people’s experiences of delivering the Scots Language Award.

During these events we looked at candidate evidence from the first year of delivery.

We were also joined by colleagues from Education Scotland, …

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Scots Language – Scots and Twitter Usage

Researchers at McMaster University have produced an interactive map recording word usage on Twitter. The map shows how often various words were used, from Northern England up to the Central Belt. You can sort for dozens of different words, and it gives a clear picture of where these are used, along with a rating for how well-defined the split is between Scotland and England.

While the map is intended to show differences between Scotland and England, you can also see marked differences internally in Scotland, with words from different varieties of Scots. For example, the difference …

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