But'n'ben a-go-go is a science fiction work by Scots writer Matthew Fitt, notable for being entirely in the Scots language. Matthew Fitt is a Lowland Scots/Lallans Poet and Novelist. He was born in 1968 in Dundee, Scotland. Scots ( The Scots leid) refers to Anglic varieties derived from early northern Middle English spoken in parts of Scotland and Northern The novel was first published in 2000.
According to the author as many of the different varieties of Scots as possible were used, including many neologisms - imagining how Scots might develop by 2090. A neologism (from Greek neo = "new" + logos = "word" is a word that although devised relatively recently in a specific time period has been The lack of a glossary might be seen as a barrier, but the most of the words should be accessible to most Scottish readers. The reviewer Stephen Naysmith describes the dialect used in the book as "a hybrid of Lallans, peppered with words from Dundee, Aberdeen and elsewhere". A dialect (from the Greek word διάλεκτος dialektos) is a variety of a Language that is characteristic of a particular group of Lallans ('lɑlən(dz a variant of the Scots word lawlands meaning the lowlands of Scotland, was also traditionally used to refer to the Scots language Dundee (Dùn Dèagh is the fourth-largest city in Scotland and fully named as Dundee City, one of Scotland's 32 local government council Aberdeen ( pronounced; Aiberdeen Obar Dheathain is Scotland 's third most populous city and one of Scotland's 32 local government council [1]
Contents |
Plot
Set in the year 2090, the book depicts a future world where global warming has caused sea level to rise considerably. Global warming is the increase in the average measured temperature of the The Highlands of Scotland are the only unsubmerged part of Britain - the Highlands now being known as the Drylands. The Scottish Highlands ( Scottish Gaelic: A' Ghàidhealtachd, Scots: Hielans) include the rugged and Mountainous See also Kingdom of Great Britain Great Britain (Breatainn Mhòr Prydain Fawr Breten Veur Graet Breetain is the larger of the two main islands Damage to the ozone layer has resulted in much higher levels of UV light and so sunburn and skin cancer are serious issues - most people do not venture outside unless entirely necessary, and carry high factor suncream and anti-cancer kits. Most of the world's population were wiped out in "God's flood"; the survivors live in collections of floating oil-platform-like city structures, known as parishes. An oil platform or oil rig is a large structure used to house workers and machinery needed to drill and/or extract oil and Natural gas through wells A parish is a Local church; it is an administrative unit typically found in episcopal or presbyterian churches The story takes place around the seas and drylands that were once Scotland - initially Port, a collection of parishes (named after towns around Scotland) attached to what was once Greenock by underwater cables.
The Population of Port are watched constantly by a totalitarian government; there are class divides in the parishes (there is an underclass of Danish refugees living in many of the lower levels); the climate of Earth is now inhospitable. Totalitarianism (or totalitarian rule) is a concept used to describe Political systems where a State regulates nearly every aspect of public and private In addition to these problems, Senga, a new strain of HIV infects much of the population. Human immunodeficiency virus ( HIV) is a Lentivirus (a member of the Retrovirus family that can lead to acquired immunodeficiency syndrome There is no cure, and the entire population is infected with the Mowdy virus (similar to HIV) and are dependent on government issued medication to suppress Senga. Senga also becomes active if individuals engage in sex - reproduction is performed using laboratory techniques, and only virtual sex is possible.
Anyone who develops Senga is put into isolation for the virus to run its course - these people are kistit - entombed in capules in huge hospitals. Victim's thoughts are visualised by thoctscreens on each kist.
Critical reception
The book has received a fair amount of attention, as much for its inventive use of Scots as for its plot. The following illustrate:
"Fitt creates a prose that crackles with energy and invention…. But n Ben A-Go-Go shows us that the Scots language can describe worlds as various and exotic as the imaginations of those who use it. " Niall O'Gallagher, The List, 100 Best Scottish Books of all Time, 2005
"The plot has much of the imaginative power of Iain M Banks. " Douglas Gifford, The Scotsman, November 2000
"While But n Ben A-Go-Go does have comic moments, the novel is far from a joke. The Scotsman is a Scottish national Newspaper, published in Edinburgh. . . confronting relevant issues such as global warming, epidemics, and social division. " Stephen Naysmith, Sunday Herald, August 2000
"Matthew Fitt has nearly accomplished something splendid: a novel composed in tough, readable Scots; more, a science fiction novel which projects this perennially 'dying' language into a future it is not supposed to possess. The Sunday Herald is an award winning Scottish Sunday Newspaper launched on 7 February 1999 " WN Herbert, Scotland on Sunday, October 2000
Other settlements
- Other floating settlements like Port are mentioned: Europort and Berlinhaven are mentioned directly; there are references to habitation in South America and "New Appalachia" in North America. Scotland on Sunday is a Scottish Sunday Newspaper, published in Edinburgh by The Scotsman Publications Ltd and consequently assuming
References
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