Scots Language Awards 2022: Tippermuir Books

Weel duin tae Tippermuir Books wha hae bin nominatit in Scots Business o the Year in the Scots Language Awards. Vote now!

The Scots Language Awards are in the Johstone Toon Ha, Johnstone on 16th September at 7pm. Tickets fir the ceremony are available tae buy here: https://handsup.link/SLA-BuyTickets.

We askit Paul S Philippou o Tippermuir Books thae speirins.

Tell us aboot yersel or yer ootfit.
Tippermuir is a Central Scotland-based publisher. It primarily publishes Scottish theme (fiction and non-fiction), Scots language and poetry. Tippermuir has published almost fifty books to date and has another ten planned. Many of its published works are in Scots some of which have achieved acclaim. A Squatter o Bairnrhymes, for example, saw Stuart Paterson, named ‘Scots Writer o the Year’ 2020 on the back of its publication. Beyond the Swelkie, a volume of poetry and short prose in English, Scots and Gaelic, dedicated to the Orcadian poet George Mackay Brown, has received great praise and review.

Tippermuir has received funding in the past from the Scottish Book Trust most recently with Guid Mornin! Guid Nicht!, Banes o the Turas and the forthcoming magnificent five-volume hardback Collected Works of William Soutar (the first two volumes out in late 2023). Tippermuir comprises three directors (Rob Hands, Matthew Mackie and Paul S Philippou), its authors, an intern and some freelancers.

Matthew Mackie’s translation into Scots of the German children’s classic, Vom kleinen Maulwurf, der wissen wolte were ihm auf den Kopf gemacht hat as The Tale o the Wee Mowdie that wantit tae ken wha keeched on his heid has been a runaway success and was shortlisted for ‘Scots Bairns Book o the Year’ 2019. In 2020, with the help of the Scottish Book Trust, Tippermuir published The Nicht Afore Christmas by Irene McFarlane which too was shortlisted for ‘Scots Bairns Book o the Year’.

Whit wis it got ye involvit wi the Scots leid?
One of Tippermuir's directors is a Scots speaker by birth, the other two by design. Matthew Mackie's love of Scots has had a major influence in the direction that Tippermuir has taken over the last few years, a trajectory that will see even more Scots language publications from the company and from him. Dr Paul Philippou, the second of the three Tippermuir directors, discovered Scots through his work as Director of the William Soutar Project, and latterly as Editor-in-Chief of The Complete Works of William Soutar (in which he is working with Professor Kirsteen McCue and Dr Philippa Osmond-Williams, both of whom are part of the University of Glasgow). Rob Hands (director number three) has lived in Scotland for many decades assimilating Scots words into his lexicon throughout this time. Rob's wife, Jean, who undertakes proof-reading for Tippermuir is a Scots speaker with a love and passion for the language and has encouraged Tippermuir in its work within the Scots leid. Tippermuir is also fortunate to work with Irene McFarlane, another Scots speaker and drama teacher, who frequently brings ideas for work in Scots to Tippermuir. Indeed, there are many other writers, poets and members of the Scots language community with which Tippermuir communicates all assisting Tippermuir to get more involved: Jim Mackintosh, Stuart Paterson, Ajay Close, Iain Mackintosh, Jim Carruthers, to name but a few.

Why dae ye feel it is important tae use Scots in everyday life?
Scots is used in everyday life. Even those folk who profess to be anti-Scots language and/or take part in the 'Scots is nae a language nonsense' ofter, ironically, use Scots words. Having worked with Scots for many years, Tippermuir no longer sees Scots as the majority language in Scotland, for when people speak Scots in everyday life, they also use English words, thus demonstrating that English is a sub-set of Scots, i.e., that Scots is the majority language and English but a minor one within it.

Additionally, Scots is such a rhythmic language. We have learned in translating books into Scots that English language translations can fail to capture the essence in the way that Scots seems destined to do. For example, when translating The Tale of the Wee Mowdie into Scots, Mathew Mackie used the original German text and not the English because the English translation lacked a vitality which existed in the German and which he birthed in the Scots.

Dae ye hae a favourite Scots phrase or saying?
Having worked so closely with the poetry of William Soutar, so many of his works have become favourites of Tippermuir.

This children's poem is a particular favourite:

The Burly Bumclock

There was a burly bumclock
Wha whudded through the mirk:
Up and owre the chimley-taps
And clean abüne the kirk:

Swuff’t by anither bumclock
And yowtit on the win’:
“Oot o’ the wey, auld hirpley,
I’m haudin for the müne!”

Of course, most important is Soutar's argument/aphorism that 'If the Doric (and here he meant Scots in general) is to come back alive, it will come first on a cock-horse'. In other words, children's writing is the key to the thriving of the Scots language and that is why Soutar wrote so much verse for children; and that is why Tippermuir has and will continue tis produce children's books in Scots.

Is there a Scots speaker who inspires you?
Tippermuir has been inspired, as we have already said by Soutar, but also by the other members of the Scottish Literary Renaissance. Today, it is the new advocates of Scots with whom Tippermuir finds inspiration, Len Pennie and Jamie Fairburn for example

Do you hear Scots spoken regularly in your local area? Have you noticed any changes over time?
All three directors of Tippermuir have experience of teaching in secondary schools in Central Scotland and have experience of Scots speaking by young people. There does seem to be a growth in Scots speaking, which in the main we would put down to the amazing work done by Scots language enthusiasts among school teaching staff – just seeing so many teachers nominated each year in the teacher's category of the Scots Language Awards is testament and evidence of this. The future belongs to Scots!

Ony particlar career heighlichts
All the books and authors that we have had shortlisted for previous Scots LAnguage Awards as well as the three nominations we have in 2023 are career highlights for Tippermuir Books. In addition, having Guid Mornin! Guid Nicht! and the Gaelic version of the Rainbow Books at the Edinburgh International Book Festival (in late August) is such a thrill. We hope, however, that are career highlights are ahead of us and are excited for the future.

Wha’s yer plans fir the days aheid?
As stated earlier, The Complete Works of William Soutar is an on-going project that will see at least five volumes published (Soutar wrote about 50:50 in Scots and English) and hopefully a new edition of Soutar's iconic book of Scots verse for bairns, Seeds in the Wind. We also plan follow-up poetry anthologies to the successful Perthshire 101 and Beyond the Swelkie (Glasgow 101 and one about women's football in Scotland are already in motion) all of which will include Scots contributions – for us going forward, we see the inclusion of works in Scots, Gaelic and English as organic and habitual.

The Scots Language Awards are in the Johnstone Toon Ha, Johnstone on 16th September at 7pm. Tickets are available to buy here: https://handsup.link/SLA-BuyTickets There wull be some grand entertainmint oan the nicht tae, includin a recital fae Renfrewshire’s poet laureate Shaun Moore,wha wis appointit as the region’s Tannahill Makar last year. talks fae weel regairdit Scots scrievers Cat Cochrane an Shane Strachan, alang wi musical performances fae celebratit multi-instumentalist brithers Euan and Lewis McLaughlin, an sangster Iona Fyfe.

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