TV / Radio

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Lead being read

An audio piece telling the story of one man’s life and experiences using drama, poetry and narrative. This piece lasts for 30 minutes and 26 seconds

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Lives in a Landscape

Wi' Ma Hands Full o' Nothin: Poets From the Dundee Schemes

Wednesday 16 August 2006 11:00-11:30 (Radio 4 FM)

A documentary series telling original stories about real lives in Britain today - stories that reveal people in a context.

Gary works nights in a factory, Kevin used to box and Mark was a building labourer. They come from Dundee's 'hoosin' schemes', the large estates on the edge of the city. Each of their lives has been transformed - and in one case saved - by writing poetry. They tell stories about the town of jute, jam and journalism in its own language and perform to its people in the pubs and clubs. Now a world beyond their own is beginning to prick up its ears.

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Your Word Against Mine

BBC Scotland

The teams are vying for a stoater of a prize: Cameron's quaich. But they'll have to work hard to get it! In order to win their heats, sides are required to demonstrate a broad understanding of the Scots language over five rounds: Let's Get Yokit; Diction or Fiction; the Mystery Themed Round; Where am I? and Dialect-able.

It's not just about local words and phrases - team members may have a thorough understanding of their own region's dialect but what about other areas of the country? Most of us would recognise a Glasgow voice but would you know a Wigtown accent? And, which team will reveal themselves to be the country's top culture vultures? Their knowledge of Scotland's artistic heritage will also be put to the test.

Join Cameron each week to discover which teams are heid bummers and which teams are just plain glaikit.

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Muriel Gray's Trip off the Tongue

BBC Scotland Muriel journeys across Scotland sampling the richness of our dialects, accents and languages.

In this brand new series Muriel explores the language of our regions through themes such as comedy, immigration and food, revealing what the way we speak says about our identity in 2005.

Among those Muriel meets on her travels are:

Poet Mark Thomson. Former labourer Mark feels his identity is completely wrapped up in his Dundonian dialect. However he's afraid that this traditional way of speaking is being lost because Dundonians are ashamed of their perceived rough and raw tongue. It's affecting all age groups too; Mark used to love listening to his granny talk but even she's far more polite these days!

Join Cameron each week to discover which teams are heid bummers and which teams are just plain glaikit.

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The Big Scots Road Trip

BBC Scotland "It's as absurd to call Scots a dialect of English as it is to call English a dialect of Scots". Norman McCaig

In The Big Scots Road Trip Carl MacDougall tours Scotland in search of the rich diversity of contemporary Scots language. From the border homelands of Lallans to the most northerly reaches of the British Isles in Shetland Carl meets up with local people using and promoting the dialect and discovers the distinct dialects of the country.

Carl's first stop is the Borders where he meets up with Hawick folk band Scocha. Scocha tell Carl how important music, ballads and songs are in keeping the Borders dialect alive and sing a rendition of the Proclaimers I'm Gonna Be (500 Miles) in broad Hawick dialect. Only 12 miles along the road Carl stops off in Selkirk where celebrations are well under way for the Common Ridings. The Ridings date back to the thirteenth century guerrilla fighting against the English in attempt to protecting their boundaries. Carl leaves the borders in doubt that the dialect is alive and well.

Next stop is Dundee, city of jute, jam and journalism. Carl discovers that Dundee has a long tradition of immigrants from Ireland who came to work in the mills and a unique dialect has developed. Hiltoon poets Mark Thomson, Gary Robertson and Kevin McCabe perform their poetry in Dundonese taking their inspiration from the housing schemes where they were brought up in:

But that's not all that Dundonese is good for - Carl also meets up with rapper Saint Andrew who sings 'It's Rare T-be Alehv.'

Carl heads on up to the north-east to the land of the Doric, loons and quines. The language is very much intertwined with the traditional ways of life, fishing and agriculture. At the fish market in Peterhead Carl meets fisherman James Stevens and hears the wonderfully descriptive Doric words for varieties of fish. But with the fishing industry dying out Carl wonders what the future of the language is. In Aberdeen, comedian Scot Ironside is using Doric to its full seeing it as a fantastic vehicle for comedy.

Leaving his campervan behind Carl heads for Orkney and Shetland. Five hundred years ago these islands belonged to Denmark and their language was norn. They became Scottish in 1468 when the Danish King pledged them as a dowry for his daughter. Carl gets to grips with the Orkney twang with 83-year old Maggie Harcus who has lived in Papay Westray all her life. But with the oil industry Shetland has seen a huge change and dialect classes have sprung up in Lerwick to help new-comers adjust to the dialect. After a quick introduction to the dialect Carl goes up to Yell to meet Euan Henderson one of a dwindling number of people living a traditional crofting way of life.

'I'd like to think it'll be my way of living and I'd like to think it will be my way of living until the day I go in my box.' (Euan Henderson)

Back to the central belt to the urban sprawl of Glasgow, home to the glottal stop. Generations of Glaswegians have been judged for their language, the language of the gutter. Since the industrial revolution Glasgow has been a melting pot of people and dialects. Like any big city Glasgow is open to all the threats of an international market but down at the Barras Carl discovers the dialect is still in use.

'A Glaswegian accent spoke with proper diction is fantastic… it's like poetry in motion…it's unique.' (Jimmy Meegan, Barras)

Carl comes to the end of his trip and despite the threat of an increasingly globalised world he has collected a wealth of new Scots vocabulary such drookit, aurie, loons and quines, peerie and peedie.

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The Verb

Friday 29 February 2008 21:45-22:30 (Radio 3)

Ian McMillan talks to young writer Junot Diaz, who is taking the American literary scene by storm and who has written a new story specially for the programme. Plus a performance from poet and spoken word artist George Pringle.

Duration:

45 minutes

Playlist

On The Verb this week Ian McMillan talks to Junot Diaz, whose first novel, The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao is getting the kind of reviews that every writer dreams of.

He talks to Ian about his love of playing with different languages, why his readers should expect to be learning as well as enjoying the story and the unreliable footnotes he's included in his book.

Also on the programme, poets Mark Thomson and Gary Robertson celebrate the Dundee dialect, read their poetry and correct Ian's attempts at the Dundee accent and The Verb uncovers another lost Nobel Laureate, this time it's the turn of Sardinian writer Grazia Deledda to be rediscovered. Professor Sharon Wood from Leicester University tells Ian why she's worth reading.

And there's performance from George Pringle with her unique combination of beats and poetry.

The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao by Junot Diaz is published by Faber.

Bard Fae Thi Buildin Site by Mark Thomson and Pure Dundee by Gary Robertson are both published by Luath Press.

The Challenge of Modernity: Essays on Grazia Deledda edited by Sharon Wood is published by Troubadour Press.

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