Editing Doric dialect (Scotland) (section)

==Literature==
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North East Scots has an extensive body of literature, mostly poetry, ballads and songs. During the [[Middle Scots]] period writing from the North East of Scotland adhered to the literary conventions of the time; indications of particular "Doric" pronunciations were very rare. The 18th-century literary revival also brought forth writers from the North East but, again, local dialect features were rare, the extant literary Scots conventions being preferred. In later times, a more deliberately regional literature began to emerge.

In contemporary prose writing, Doric occurs usually as quoted speech, although this is less and less often the case. As is usually the case with marginalised languages, local loyalties prevail in the written form, showing how the variety "deviates" from standard ("British") English as opposed to a general literary Scots "norm". This shows itself in the local media presentation of the language, e.g., [[Grampian Television]] & [[Press and Journal (Scotland)|The Aberdeen Press and Journal]]. These local loyalties, waning knowledge of the older literary tradition and relative distance from the Central Lowlands ensure that the Doric scene has a degree of semi-autonomy.

Doric dialogue was used in a lot of so-called [[Kailyard school|Kailyard literature]], a genre that paints a sentimental, melodramatic picture of the old rural life, and is currently unfashionable. This negative association still plagues Doric literature to a degree, as well as Scottish literature in general.

Poets who wrote in the Doric dialect include [[John M. Caie]] of Banffshire (1879–1949), [[Helen B. Cruickshank]] of Angus (1886–1975), [[Alexander Fenton]] (1929–2012), [[Flora Garry]] (1900–2000), [[Sir Alexander Gray]] (1882–1968), [[Violet Jacob]] of Angus (1863–1946), [[Charles Murray (poet)|Charles Murray]] (1864–1941) and [[J. C. Milne]] (1897–1962).<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.electricscotland.com/poetry/doric.htm |work=Electric Scotland |title=Doric Dialects and Doric Poets of North-East Scotland |last=Henderson|first=John |year=1996 |access-date=2012-07-26}}</ref>

[[George MacDonald]] from [[Huntly]] used Doric in his novels. A friend of [[Mark Twain]], he is commonly considered one of the fathers of the [[fantasy]] genre and an influence on [[C. S. Lewis]] and [[J. R. R. Tolkien]].

[[Lewis Grassic Gibbon]]'s ''Scots Quair'' trilogy is set in the [[Kincardineshire|Mearns]] and has been the basis of a successful play and television series. It is very popular throughout Scotland and tells the story of Chris, an independent-minded woman, mainly in a form of English strongly influenced by the rhythms of local speech.

A version of [[Aesop's Fables]] has been published in Doric, as well as some sections of the Bible.

The North East has been claimed as the "real home of the ballad"<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.abdn.ac.uk/elphinstone/kist/search/display.php?lwee37.dat |title=Display KIST Information Example |publisher=Abdn.ac.uk |access-date=2010-11-08 |archive-date=1 March 2007 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070301190621/http://www.abdn.ac.uk/elphinstone/kist/search/display.php?lwee37.dat |url-status=dead }}</ref> and, according to Les Wheeler, "91 out of a grand total of (Child's) [[Child Ballads|305 ballads]] came from the North East – in fact from Aberdeenshire", which makes the usual name of "Border Ballad" a misnomer put about by [[Sir Walter Scott]].

Contemporary writers in Doric include [[Sheena Blackhall]], a poet who writes in Doric, and Mo Simpson, who writes in the ''Aberdeen Evening Express'' and peppers her humour column with "Doricisms" and Doric words. Doric has also featured in stage, radio and television, notably in the sketches and songs of the Aberdeen-based comedy groups [[Scotland the What?]] and the [[Flying Pig Productions|Flying Pigs]].

===Sample text===
''Gin I was God'' by [[Charles Murray (poet)|Charles Murray]] (1864–1941) <ref>Charles Murray (1920) ''In the Country Places'', Constable & Company Limited, p.11.</ref>
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'''Doric'''
:{{lang|sco|italic=no|GIN I was God, sittin' up there abeen,}}
:{{lang|sco|italic=no|Weariet nae doot noo a' my darg was deen,}}
:{{lang|sco|italic=no|Deaved wi' the harps an' hymns oonendin' ringin',}}
:{{lang|sco|italic=no|Tired o' the flockin' angels hairse wi' singin',}}
:{{lang|sco|italic=no|To some clood-edge I'd daunder furth an', feth,}}
:{{lang|sco|italic=no|Look ower an' watch hoo things were gyaun aneth.}}
:{{lang|sco|italic=no|Syne, gin I saw hoo men I'd made mysel'}}
:{{lang|sco|italic=no|Had startit in to pooshan, sheet an' fell,}}
:{{lang|sco|italic=no|To reive an' rape, an' fairly mak' a hell}}
:{{lang|sco|italic=no|O' my braw birlin' Earth,—a hale week's wark—}}
:{{lang|sco|italic=no|I'd cast my coat again, rowe up my sark,}}
:{{lang|sco|italic=no|An' or they'd time to lench a second ark,}}
:{{lang|sco|italic=no|Tak' back my word an' sen' anither spate,}}
:{{lang|sco|italic=no|Droon oot the hale hypothec, dicht the sklate,}}
:{{lang|sco|italic=no|Own my mistak', an, aince I cleared the brod,}}
:{{lang|sco|italic=no|Start a'thing ower again, gin I was God.}}
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'''Translation'''
:IF I were God, sitting up there above,
:Wearied no doubt, now all my work was done,
:Deafened by the harps and hymns unending ringing,
:Tired of the flocking angels hoarse with singing,
:To some cloud edge I'd saunter forth and, faith,
:Look over and watch how things were going beneath.
:Then if I saw how men I'd made myself
:Had started out to poison, shoot and kill [fell],
:To steal and rape and fairly make a hell
:Of my fine spinning Earth—a whole week's work—
:I'd drop my coat again, roll up my shirt,
:And, ere they'd time to launch a second ark,
:Take back my word and send another flood [spate],
:Drown out the whole shebang, wipe the slate,
:Admit my mistake, and once I'd cleared the board,
:Start everything ["all-thing"] over again, if I were God.
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