"The real significance for the Academy was the bringing together of native speakers who are involved in local language activities and various academics who are involved in language development for the first time," he said.
Language conference attracts native speakers
Native Ulster-Scots speakers and leading academics were brought together for the first time last month at the 'Language, Community and Churches' conference held in Newtownards.
Dr Philip Robinson, chairman of the Ulster-Scots Academy Implementation Group, said that he felt that the conference would help lead the way in determining the future structure of the Academy.
"The real significance for the Academy was the bringing together of native speakers who are involved in local language activities and various academics who are involved in language development for the first time," he said.
"The Academy needs the involvement of both in order to lead the way of its development and the conference has helped us see that there will be a need for regional centres while the main Academy will probably be based in Belfast.
(L-R) Richard McMaster, University of Florida, Dr Philip Robinson, Ulster-Scots Academy, George Patton, Ulster-Scots Agency, Mayor Cllr Terrence Williams.
"The siting of a local base in Newtownards itself is one of the possibilities for a number of regional offices in the future."
For new chairman of the Ulster-Scots Agency, Mark Thompson, the conference helped to illustrate that there were common problems and strengths to be shared between Scots and Ulster-Scots language development.
"On listening to the Scottish Language Dictionary speaker Chris Robinson, it struck me how alike our problems were in that many Scots did not realise that they used Scots words in their everyday speech, much like local people here.
"It's not surprising that we can learn a lot from the Scots experience and I think that the down-to-earth approach of all the speakers was really appreciated by the audience of up to 100 people."
Newtownards Borough Council and the Ulster-Scots Agency supported the conference, which was opened by the Mayor, Councillor Terence Williams, and chaired by Jim Murdock, the Council's good relations officer.
The lively and informal day featured talks from the following speakers -
- Ulster-Scots - the American Perspective - by Richard McMaster, University of Florida and past President of the Scotch-Irish Society of the USA.
- The Scots Language and Ulster by Dr Christine Robinson and Pauline Cairns, Scottish Language Dictionaries Limited.
- The Scots Language and the Reformation by Dr Ivan Herbison, Queen's University & Ulster-Scots Academy Implementation Group.
- The Covenanters - a Scots-Ulster Connection by Dr Trevor McCavery, author, historian and vice-principal of Regent House Grammar School, Newtownards.
- Language Translations and the Bible by Philip and Heather Saunders, Wycliffe Bible Translators.
- Implementing the Ulster-Scots Academy by Dr Philip Robinson, chairman, Ulster-Scots Academy Implementation Group.