George's Mingin Medicine as theclassreader - why, exactly??

[SirChenjin]

Apart from the SNP'S obsession with all things Scoa'ish obviously . We don't speak like that, none of our friends or family do, I don't understand the majority of the words and have no idea how to pronounce them - so when I listen to him reading I haver no idea of what he's saying is correct and then have to sign his readi g record. They would have been better giving him a book written in Mandarin - far more relevant and about as understandable to 99% of his class.

Is there an audio version? Might be on Amazon Audible. It can help.......

Turning full circle, I don't know why you've been given this as a home reader at all. Are there 30 copies of the bloody book?

I don't know derxa - or whether it's just his particular reading group who has it at the moment.

Good idea Hamlet - I'll have a look. I'm just conscious that this is turning into a lesson in translation as opposed to reading which imo should be an enjoyable activity at this age.

I just wish it wasn't being thrown at them in this way. PP have talked fondly about Scots poems they learned at school many years ago - that gradual introduction to the words, sounds and rhythm is what fosters a love of language.

We started French in primary 7 (in the days when it was unusual to get another language at primary) by having a lesson once a week in which we sang songs and played games (particularly remember What's the Time Mr Wolf) in French - that kind of thing might work better, or, as others have said, doing the book in class where there will probably be a range of Scots words.

Interesting people's opinions of Dahl, I never read much of him as a child and do find him a bit hard going, although DS goes through phases of loving the books.

I agree OOAOML

In the end DH read with DS - he grew up in Ayrshire so is more familiar with Scots words (although there were words from other regions that he didn't recognise). Between them they got through a chapter, but DH did say he found the process quite odd as it's not written in a language that is spoken naturally.

Completely agree with mawbroon!

That's how I speak, as do most of my family and friends.

I don't like Roald Dahl but "The Eejits" is very funny

Fit a bunch o' crabbit, greetin faced peengers some fowk are!

Late to the party. I'm from the north east and very familiar with Doric but the passages quoted are not Doric and certainly not Scots ( which I take to mean the language of Henrysoun and Burns)

It just looks contrived- a horrible mash up of Doric , Glaswegian and Central belt slang and made up words.

"Minging" is a horrible word. Someone on the thread has said it's not an exact translation of magical - well no it isn't. It's (Glaswegian? ) for something rank , foul or unpleasant.

Fit a bunch o' crabbit, greetin faced peengers some fowk are!

What on earth are "peengers"? That looks made up too.

Peengers/Peengin is very common here and most certainly not made up, it means wringer/whimper

My post was lighthearted and just because someone hasn't' heard of a particular word doesn't't mean it's made up

My XH was English and I heard a few words I'd never known before

Where are you in Scotland? The rest of that sentence is fine, I've never heard of "peengers"

I'm in Aberdeen "Lass"

I've grown up hearing that from all the adults around me

They use it at work too

I'm from rural Aberdeenshire and lived in Aberdeen itself from 18 to 28. Is the g soft or hard?

A soft G as in Whinging

I asked a colleague if she knew what I meant by "peengin" and she said straightaway it meant whining/moaning/whinging

Peengin might not be the correct spelling though!

Yes, it's Dum eye at.

This is exactly the problem. Zukie is from Aberdeen and uses "peengers" - many of us in other parts of Scotland have never heard of it. I shared an office with a girl from Shetland who used "peerie" to mean little in the way the rest of us would use "wee". When I was growing up in Edinburgh we would refer to stealing as "choreying" and someone who stole was a "choreyer". I hear "minging" all the time in Glasgow, but am sure I used to hear something similar to "mockit" in Edinburgh.

There is NO one Scots language and this book has just taken slang words from across the country, muddled them in some of Burns style words, a bit of English and some stuff like "cannae" and "dinnae" which is just poorly spoken English. It's a total hash and as I said way upthread it's all about the SNP trying to convince those of us who live in Scotland that we are totally different from those people who live in other parts of the UK and should obviously be independent.

What Luna said. OECD results anyone?

Indeed, perhaps if the SNP stopped their obsession with "Scots" and concentrated on the BASICS of teaching the kids to read, write and add up, we wouldn't be sliding down the rankings.

That is it exactly Luna - a mash up of Doric and other local dialects and slang supposed to be "Scots" for no reason other than to push their "fa's like us" nonsense.

Oh and don't get me started on the Gaelicisation of place names. It is absurd and laughable that there are Gaelic street signs in Edinburgh. The Gaelicisation of train stations on the north east coast line is verging on cultural imposition.

Re "peengers" in 18 years in Aberdeenshire (in a farming community where Doric words were used as everyday words) and 10 in Aberdeen itself I don't recall ever hearing it.

Oh yes my favourite Gaelic station sign is Partaig - in that well known Gaelic speaking bastion of Partick.

TOTAL waste of money.