Lorraine McBeath grew up in the north-east of Scotland in an environment where speaking Doric could get you in serious trouble with your teacher.
The Aberdeen artist, who now lives in Nairn, vividly recalls the sniffy attitude of so many people in the educational establishment, summed up in the reproach: “You’ll never go far in life if you talk like that”.
Repeated “offending” often led to a belting.
Doric is her own gold standard
It frustrated her at the time and she recently listened to a discussion on the subject: “Is Doric dying?” That was enough to spark her creative juices and, as somebody who is always looking for ways to heighten awareness of the dialect, she got to work.
It was the catalyst for her to create something she describes as a ‘Periodoric Table of the Elements’ – a Doric version of the chemistry staple where every element is accompanied by a corresponding word from the expressive tongue which is music to Lorraine’s ears.
They are completely non-scientific, but a fun way to promote and use the Doric dialect.
The rich vocabulary of the region is demonstrated in such terms as “bourach” and “baffies” (most of us have worn the latter at some point), while there’s room for those who are cheeky (“gallus”), tired (“puggled”), dirty (mochit”) and many others.
Lorraine was further inspired on hearing that a Doric-speaking chemistry teacher at her local school was retiring and came up with the idea as a distinctive leaving gift.
It was a case of what to leave out
At first, she imagined the prospect of finding the 118 Doric words needed for the table would prove daunting, but during lockdown, had plenty of time to ponder and soon went “Doric daft”, to the stage where it was harder to decide which words to leave out.
But it was worth all the effort. As she revealed: “I’m very pleased to say that the retiring teacher was ‘fair teen’ [taken] wi the Periodoric Table.”
Lorraine passionately believes that Doric is an integral part of the heritage of the north-east and needs to be cherished. But she realises that it’s not just her generation, but youngsters who have to be encouraged to keep the torch burning.
Others agree, which is why a string of well-known books and musical works, encompassing everything from Harry Potter and The Gruffalo to Handel’s Messiah have been given new Doric translations. And, unlike the old tut-tutting from academics, Lorraine has been heartened by the official response to her labours, with her unique project promoted by the Doric Board and Aberdeen University.
She said: “It’s great to feel that I’m playing a small part in keeping Doric alive in today’s world. The Periodoric Table of Elements is a great conversation starter where speakers can share their fisher, farming or urban Doric words.”
And what’s not to (fit)like about that?
Lorraine can be found on Instagram (LOLO) and Facebook (LOLOMCB).
