The Doric Tongue: My Challenge

I am starting to settle in and put things in place. But before me is one challenge that will occu-
py my attention for years to come: the Doric tongue. Doric is a dialect of Scots that is spoken
in the North East of Scotland. People I have met who grew up speaking Doric do not refer to
it  as a dialect, but as the Doric tongue. Several people speak of it as a language, with a vocab-
ulary and way of saying things all its own. Whether I am talking with friends from St Andrews
and Cupar or new acquaintances from northeast (also called Aberdeenshire) Scotland, the con-
versation always seems to come to how I am handling the Doric tongue. I usually answer in the
little Doric I've mastered: nae bad, 'not bad.'

I take every opportunity I can find to listen to Doric speakers. I have to pay close attention to
what is said and the context in which something is said. Sometimes I can follow along; other
times I feel completely lost. Fortunately many of the people whom I visit slow down their talk-
ing and teach me words I hadn't known before. It would be helpful if I were a child who is learn-
ing to speak Doric. Children are willing to talk, make mistakes, and be corrected. But I find that
my pride gets in the way. It is difficult for me to talk knowing I will make mistakes. It is hard for
me to accept correction. It is challenging for me.

But still, I take seriously learning the language and settling into this culture of the North East. I
do so because God takes language and culture seriously. Jesus Christ is the eternal Word who
took on human flesh. Jesus centered his ministry in Galilee and spoke Greek, Hebrew, and Ara-
maic with a Galilean accent. He lived out his life in the manner and customs of his community.
He was not the universal man who was a reflection of everybody. He was truly human, but he
was also a Galilean. When we are redeemed and saved, God does not throw away our own lang-
uage, social mores, and customs. Rather, God brings us into the Kingdom with our distinctive
language and customs. However, we are not saved by Jesus being a Galilean; we are saved by
Jesus, the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world. Christ died, Christ is risen, and
Christ will come again. As a result, people from every tribe and language and nation and peo-
ple worship him as Lord of lords and King of kings.

I take seriously the society in which God has placed and the people with whom I live. I am
making every effort to speak and understand the Doric tongue. As I do this, I can only ask for
your prayers.

Blessings to you and yours,