‘Nae misfortune’: Glasgow migrants uncover Scottish dialect

Glasgow, Scotland – In a corner of Glasgow, on a gray day, students are studying the artwork of conversation. But these have to now not any regular students, and the direction isn’t very any regular English lesson.

« Fitba », « Glasgae », « braw », « nae misfortune » and « aff yer label » are beautiful some of the words and phrases swirling all the contrivance thru the diminutive classroom as refugees and migrants strive to master Scots and Glaswegian in Scotland’s largest metropolis.

While you were wondering, that is « football », « generous having a uncover », « Glasgow », « now not a order », and « you are crazy » in English.

Worn journalist Maggie Lennon location up The Bridges Programmes charity in 2005, in an strive to acknowledge to Glasgow’s burgeoning speak as a metropolis to re-resolve asylum seekers.

Her vision began as a humanitarian initiative to present refugees and asylum seekers abet their dignity and confidence.

But the project has recently developed exact into a tutorial and coaching-basically based fully fully project that has seen heaps of Bridges’ students rep work.

« Abilities have to now not being gentle and of us are final unemployed and underemployed – and that is the reason tedious for the metropolis, » she told Al Jazeera.

« It is in total tedious for the economy and tedious for of us’s psychological health and dignity, and that is the reason specifically vital if you happen to might per chance very wisely be a pressured migrant and contain already had a series of extraordinarily downhearted things happen to you. »

In my place of enterprise, I just like the arrangement they keep up a correspondence the Scots and Glaswegian language, however while I understand what they are asserting, I will’t keep up a correspondence it myself.

Bidemi, a mother and student of language from Nigeria

A total employability lesson on the college encompasses Scottish customs and language, and is taught by lecturer Helen Jackson from the City of Glasgow Faculty.

Students embody Ted from Malawi, Rahma from Somalia, Nigerian Bidemi, and Nancy from China, who settled in Glasgow after marrying a man from Scotland.

« I soundless can’t understand my spouse’s mother, » Nancy told Al Jazeera with a smile. « And if I keep up a correspondence to my spouse’s mother I always speak my husband to translate. »

Married mother-of-three Bidemi acknowledged her English and Glaswegian contain improved since she first arrived within the metropolis 14 years within the past. Nonetheless, she soundless struggles with some functions of the native dialect.

« In my place of enterprise, I just like the arrangement they keep up a correspondence the [Scots and Glaswegian] language, however while I understand what they are asserting, I will’t keep up a correspondence it myself, » she acknowledged.

Pedestrians whisk past stores in Glasgow East, in Glasgow [File: Russell Cheyne/Reuters]

One component of Bridges, which receives Scottish Govt and EU funding, offers refugee clinical doctors who work for NHS Scotland with the abilities to turn into UK registered medics.

Iraqi Laeth al-Sadi first came to Glasgow to uncover prosthetics in 2010, with a behold to returning to his house country.

But the extinct doctor for the Iraqi military used to be granted leave to preserve after his lifestyles used to be threatened following the upward push of the Islamic Whisper of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL, sometimes called ISIS).

« I confronted some difficulties in looking to scheme shut the Glaswegian accent, » acknowledged the married father-of-two. « Phrases admire ‘I didnae ken’ and ‘swally’ – however with listening and speaking to of us you secure gentle to them and of us are very priceless. »

And that’s the reason « didn’t understand » and « gulp ».

« There is one thing constructing which I’m in actuality angry about, » Sadi acknowledged. « And that’s to work with [Glasgow’s] Partick Thistle football membership’s amputee group, with the background I in actuality contain in amputation and of us which contain misplaced a limb. I used to be told by Bridges about it and used to be requested whether or now not I would contain to secure it, and I acknowledged ‘I would contain to’. »

Countering ‘aggressive anti-refugee emotions’

Scotland, a country of 5.three million, has much less experience with immigration in comparison to its bigger English neighbour, with 10 instances the inhabitants.

Mild, Glasgow, a metropolis of contrasts with tremendous swathes of artwork and tradition existing beside pockets of deprivation, has been the port of demand past waves of Irish, Italians, Pakistanis and latterly Syrians fleeing their warfare-torn hometown. 

Lennon acknowledged that she has at instances near up against « rather aggressive anti-refugee emotions » from aspects of the total public touching on a few of Bridges’ initiatives, with critics declaring that funds « might per chance soundless all be spent on getting British of us jobs ».

But since 2013, Glasgow has been officially branded with the welcoming slogan: « Folk Contain Glasgow », and has largely embraced its migrants, refugees and asylum seekers.

Certainly, for the likes of Ted, Rahma, Bidemi and Nancy, they would even bid that their lifestyles in Glasgow has, to this level as a minimum, been « nae tedious ».

Follow Alasdair Soussi on Twitter: @AlasdairSoussi