A Word of Ulster Scots 6

Liam Logan offers some insightful character assessments after recent election campaigns.

This month, in the aftermath of the recent elections, I thought I'd like to consider character assessment in the Tongue, given that there has been so much of it at the doorsteps and on our radios and televisions. Or was it character assassination?

The Tongue tends to have a slightly (in fact, a considerably) larger vocabulary which can be applied for uncharitable purposes, there being many more words employable in the service of criticism rather than praise. I would emphasise that this is not meant necessarily as a comment on the quality of our prospective tribunes of the people.

Candidates who might be expected to defend their various points of view vigorously or loudly may be said to have a tendency to "argy doon yer throat".

And if an individual presents themselves on the hustings while not completely sharing the prevalent social mores of the constituency or ward, they might draw the remark "it's a wunther thon boy's allooed oot at a".

Occasionally, the granite bulwarks of the democratic process allow through an individual who might charitably be characterised as less than a rock of dependability, "He'll let ye doon, as sure as gun's iron".

There are a rare instances where a not wholly trustworthy individual has a hand in political matters "He'll niver say ocht tae yer face, but he'll wheetle an tak ahintbaks", but luckily, we have none of these scallywags anywhere within our processes.

The political life isn't one that allows for the long quiet evenings by "yir ane fire". The prospective politician is "Aye awa wae himsel (or hersel) tae a nighber hoose ivery nicht".  It might be thought that the activity of the politician was making little contribution to the further advancement of the human race particularly when they are perceived to be "stannin wae the twa airms the yin length".

The obverse to the elector's perspective is that of the candidate. The campaign not only allows the candidate to press his or her case to the citizen for elective office, it also affords the citizen a rare opportunity to directly interrogate those who would rule the jurisdiction. I have it on good authority from an independent and, obviously, unnamed political source that, following a rather heated contretemps on the campaign trail an individual voter who had been dissatisfied with their candidate's policies was described by the candidate, albeit, sotto voce, as being "as akward a man as iver chowed cheese".

A cruel and mischievous untruth has been perpetrated on the public giving rise to accusations that politicians are selfish individuals, only interested in "linin' their ane poakets"

"Aye takkin frae an niver putting tae".

Putative politicians should bear in mind the Ulster-Scots rendition of the old saw "life is tough and then you die";

"It's al uphill an agane the wun".

As usual, I'd like to thank poet and lexicographer James Fenton for his help and support as well as his invaluable reference work 'The Hamely Tongue' (available from the Ulster Scots Academic Press) on which I rely heavily.