Posts scrieved bi Jamie Smith
Animal Ferm: Chapter I
Mr Cameron, o the Kirklands Ferm, haed sneckit the hen-hooses for the nicht, but wis ower fou wi drink tae mind and steek the pop-holes. Wi the ring o licht frae his lantren jowin frae side tae side, he hytert athort the yaird, kickit aff his buits at the back door, haed ae last swallie frae the beer bowie ben the scullery, and stoitert up til his bed, whaur Mrs Cameron wis aaready snorin awa.
The dingin doun o devolution
I laith politics. The leeing, the fechting, the pyntless Twitter tulzies. It’s no for me. But pairt o bein a guid cítizen is keepin ae ee, at least some o the time, on what’s gaun on in the seat(s) o pouer. History shaws that politícians canna be trustit and needs tae be hauden tae accoont. It’s in this spírit that I’d like tae scrieve a bit anent the UK government’s …
William Playfair: faither o data visualisation
Ye could say that the Scots gied us the modren warld. The television, telephone, penicillin, logarithms, the first practical radar system and steam engine, free mercat economic theory — inventions or discoveries aw creditit tae Scots. It’s awmaist embarrassin. But maist fowk likely disna ken that the inventor o the time-series line graph, bar chairt and pie chairt wis a Scot an-aw. The graphs sae kenspeckle in economics, science and business the …
Fechts, furnication an sclander: a deek at the auld Edinburgh an Glesca burgh records
The wabsite British History Online haes setten furth in digital form extracts frae the burgh records o 16t an 17t century Edinburgh an Glesca. I haed a bit rake aboot an hae pitten a wheen walins ablo, alang wi glossars for wirds that’s no sae kenspeckle. The’r recordins an aa o me readin thaim oot (in less or mair Modren Scots cause ettlin tae uise the pronunciation o the time …
Effeirin tae the formal: Laitinate lendwirds in Scots
This is a bit follae-up tae my post frae afore, ‘Tap 10 wirds the Scots language haes gien the warld’. Ane o the wirds ben yon piece wis convene, at I notit wis no sae meikle a innovation o Scots as it wis a borraein frae either Laitin or French at appeared in Scots aroond echty year afore it did in English.