At last poor doric I have learned to spik 'proper'

It Suddenly dawned on me that I have now lived in the North-eastfor more than a decade.

This realisation came about when I became incensed at thenonsensical idea of teaching our police officers to speak "properEnglish" instead of Doric.

"How dare they interfere with the way we talk, how dare this PC(pardon the pun) brigade tamper with our linguistic culture.

"Calling Doric slang, why you little ..."

Changed days from when I first arrived in this quiet corner ofScotland and couldn't understand a word some folk said to me.

I used to smile and nod, hoping I was laughing at the right bit when someone was telling me a joke in what sounded like Klingon.

Those of you who spoken to me will know that I have an Edinburghaccent that's a touch of Morningside, blended with a hint of SeanConnery.

But that hasn't stopped me starting to call people quine and loonand even, heaven forfend, saying "fit like" and "chavin' awa'" onoccasion.

I think I'm starting to alarm my family and loved ones down theroad.

But here I am, embracing the Doric - if not actually going asfar as speaking it - and enjoying its richness and variety.

I read and quite like the odd bit of Doric poetry - and thinkthe Flying Pigs are hilarious.

Robbie Shepherd is still a bit beyond me, but I'm working on it.Because living and working here has changed my perception about notjust the North-east, but the whole of Scotland.

The Edinburgh snob who arrived a decade ago was firmly of thebelief that the universe turned around the Capital, that Glasgow wasgood only for shopping and everywhere else was the darkhinterland of teuchterdom.

I now know that one of our country's greatest strengths is that itis made up of individual and unique strands, with each bit of theland bringing something to the party that makes us all the richer,stronger and better.

We'd be a poorer place without Doric, an inferior place if weaccept the belief that the way one part of country speaks is betterthan the other.

We have to protect our heritage and our culture, no matter whichpart of Scotland it is from.

We don't need to speak with the same accent as long as we arespeaking with the one voice.