COMPLETE Heather and Snow by George MacDonald-mtf

HannahMary · Post by **HannahMary** » October 19th, 2021, 4:34 pm

As I re-read the great example you shared of "hairns", I have a question about another word I run across often. "aye"

In MacDonald, do you read this to mean "One" or "Always"? There are so many times it seems to mean "One" in his usage, but the Scots Online Dictionary has the following entries:

ae [eː, jeː]
adj. Before a noun: one. One of two, as opposite to the other, the same, only, a certain person or thing.

aye [əɪ, eɪ]
adv. Always, ever, continually, on all occasions. Still, all the same. Ever afterwards, henceforward.
col. ayeweys [ˈəɪ, wəz] Always.

The thing is, I don't remember MacDonald using the spelling "ae" for "one." So that seems to go with his context often seeming to mean "one" with "aye." But then there are times I'm not so sure it means "one"...

And do you personally pronounce "aye" like the name of the letter "A" or "I"?

Post by **mightyfelix** » October 19th, 2021, 8:46 pm

I take "aye," from context, to mean always. There might be exceptions, but I can't think of any off-hand. And I have often seen him use "ae" to mean one. I've been pronouncing "aye" like the letter I, though I don't actually know for sure if that's correct.

HannahMary · Post by **HannahMary** » October 20th, 2021, 8:09 am

Oops! I woke this morning to realize I had mixed together a couple of my questions...

Yes, I think I've always seen "aye" mean "always." But I was wondering about pronunciation. Thanks!

You do the first of the two pronunciations listed in the Scots Online Dictionary pronunciation guide. Both "I" and "A" are listed (aye [əɪ, eɪ]), but I'm not sure which I do most. I need to stick with one, so this has been helpful to discuss.

But the word that has really confused me in this book is a couple versions that both seem to mean "one"... "ane" and "are." (Maybe this Lowland Scotch of Aberdeen is a bit different than the areas that use primarily "ae"?) But I am now guessing the second is a typo with a similarly shaped letter.

Post by **mightyfelix** » October 20th, 2021, 10:03 am

Oh yes, I see what you mean. Yes, I think "ane" and "ae" can both mean one. I think of them as being similar to "a" and "an," but I don't think it's really the same. I'm not sure how I pronounce these. I'm probably not consistent about it.

And I also suspect that the "are" spelling is a typo. It looks like the kind of thing that would come up in an OCR text and that would be easily missed in proof reading.

HannahMary · Post by **HannahMary** » November 3rd, 2021, 1:55 pm

I finally fixed section 11 ready for spot PL.
And finally had the long editing session needed for section 12 which I recorded a couple weeks ago. It is ready for PL!
I have more recorded but am not sure when I'll get them edited.

Post by **mightyfelix** » November 7th, 2021, 6:06 pm

11 and 12 are both PL ok!

I think the earth-house is probably my favorite thing about this story. I'm much more like Kirsty than Steenie. When I was a child, I used to seek out small confined spaces to curl up in. Even now, I feel most secure when I can feel myself surrounded on all sides. I would have loved to have a little underground room, not to say a whole little house, to go into with a book!

And then the antiquity of it also adds to the charm!

HannahMary · Post by **HannahMary** » November 12th, 2021, 4:05 pm

That's so interesting... and helpful for claustrophobic me to have someone else confirm this character trait as something not just MacDonald-esque! But this prairie-girl still needs her wide open spaces. Even driving through forested areas for too long can make me squirm!

And section 13 is ready for PL.

HannahMary · Post by **HannahMary** » November 17th, 2021, 11:01 am

And 14 is ready for PL. Probably my favorite Steenie-chapter! But it tuik a heap o' extra editin' wi a' that talk.

Post by **mightyfelix** » November 21st, 2021, 4:05 pm

13 and 14 PL ok! That extra editing paid off. It sounds lovely!

I don't know how I missed the foreshadowing about Steenie here at the end of this chapter the first time I read it. Maybe I just didn't want it to be true.

HannahMary · Post by **HannahMary** » December 28th, 2021, 6:48 pm

I'm sure I missed that on my first read as well.

Finally getting back to editing of chapters recorded weeks ago, so 15 and 16 are now ready for PL.

Post by **mightyfelix** » December 30th, 2021, 12:55 pm

15 and 16 are PL ok!

HannahMary · Post by **HannahMary** » January 5th, 2022, 3:37 pm

17 is ready for PL. Whew! That file had to drop from 40 minutes to 23 with all the outtakes to delete...

Post by **mightyfelix** » January 15th, 2022, 7:52 pm

17 is PL ok!

Nice work.

HannahMary · Post by **HannahMary** » February 1st, 2022, 8:10 pm

Oops! I just skipped one file in my editing line-up, so 19 is ready for PL. But if you want the story in order, feel free to leave it until I have 18 ready too. That was a pivotal chapter!

HannahMary · Post by **HannahMary** » March 3rd, 2022, 5:54 am

Just got back to editing chapter 18 to fill in the gap!