Sir, - I am writing in response to Pol O Muiri's comments (An Irishman's Diary, October 6th) about the motivations of the Ulster-Scots language revival.
Mr O Muiri characterises the Ulster-Scots language movement as being engaged, on behalf of Unionism, in a game of linguistic quid quod pro. Unfortunately, this view arises from a restricted analysis which ignores the development of the Scots language movement in Scotland over the last 20 years. It is to the Scots language movement that the Ulster-Scots language movement traces its origins.
Pol O Muiri makes mention of the opening of the New Northern Ireland Assembly. He points to the use of the Irish language by Sinn Fein representatives in their speeches and claims that the distribution of an Ulster-Scots language leaflet to Assembly members was an attempted counter-balance to such use of Irish. What he fails to point out is that the list of Ulster-Scot phrases was provided to all assembly members and a pronunciation service was offered to non-speakers.
In the accompanying press statement the Ulster-Scots Language Society (USLS) made it clear it wanted to see a cross-section of Assembly members using the language in the Assembly chamber. The language was made available to all, speakers and non-speakers, Unionist and Republican.
We in the USLS are very conscious of the danger of developing a "theirs and ours" mentality about language issues and with its very limited resources (approximately £10,000 a year) we do everything in our power to avoid it. As regards "never the twain shall meet", Gaelic and Ulster-Scots groups do meet and work together regularly through the Northern Ireland sub-committee of the European Bureau for Lesser Used Languages (EBLUL). The fruits of this co-operation will be seen in a pioneering minority languages conference, "Our Language Heritage in Europe", in Belfast City Hall this week organised by EBLUL, USLS and the Ultach Trust.
Furthermore, the Gaelic language movement had no real role model when it began. The experience and behaviour of the Gaelic language movement provides the Ulster-Scots language movement with a role model. We intend to avoid their mistakes and learn from their successes. Unfortunately, Mr O Muiri presumes that we are condemned to, and that we want to, repeat the mistake of the Gaelic language movement of politicising the language. - Yours, etc.,
Lee Reynolds,
Executive Committee Member,
Ulster-Scots Language Society,
York Street,
Belfast 15.