Edinburgh born Dr Clive Young is a scriever noo bidin in Glesga. A Head of Programme Development at University College London, he wis for ten year an Associate Lecturer at the Open University. As a university lecturer he haes for the maist pairt wirkit in education, lairnin design, educational technology an wi fowk an universities in mony ither pairts o the warld.
Wi a dedicatit interest in the Scots leid he sits on the Board o The Scots Language Centre. He scrievit the buik ‘Unlocking Scots’ (Luath Press) an haes anither ain on the go aboot whit cams neist fur Scots aifter the Scottish Languages Act.
He makit ane o the first websites dedicatit tae the Scots leid back in 1996 — coinin the wird “wabsteid” alang the wey — an, while studyin language an linguistics at the Open University, stertit the wark that became scotslanguage.info, a searchable archive o Scots news frae press an social media.
Takin tent o the fact that sae mony o us yaise the Scots tongue whiles no thinkin o oorsels as Scots spikkers, he jalousit we mair nor like, hae lairnt we maun haud it back in mony situations. The mair he lookit intae it the mair he kent thair wis a muckle tale tae tell no juist aboot the leid itsel, but aboot class, education, confidence an the wey we think aboot oorsels an oor ain speech.
For Dr Young, a leid needs tae be yaised ilka day tae thrive. Legal recognition is a muckle step forrit, but its no eneugh— we need tae hear it an see it at hame, at the schuil, at wark, online an in public life. It’s aboot practice, he says, an giein awbodie the confidence tae yaise the Scots they already hae.