No lang syne we haed the dowie wittins o the deith o Professor Manfred Görlach, in his echty-saxt year. Manfred wis born in Berlin, Germany, in 1937, an gaed tae the Free Versity o Berlin for tae tak coorses in the Soothron leid. In 1961 at the biggin o the Berlin Waw Manfred got liftit wi the East German Secret Polis for helpin ither students flee ower tae the Wast, an wis gien fower year in the jyle. Aince lowsed, he gaed back til his academic lare an got his PhD oot the Versity o Heidelberg in 1970. Syne, Manfred wis professor in the langage o the Soothron leid, an in lare anent the Middle Ages, steidit at the Versity o Cullen (Cologne / Köln) fae 1984 until his retiral in 2002.

At a time whan the Scots leid wisna quotit in its hame kintra, Manfred ran coorses anent the langage an history o Scots for his students ower in Germany. He wis tentie tae the growth o intress in Scots, in Scotland, throu the 1990’s, an wis kittled at the uiss o the leid in academic confeerences whaur afore he’d jaloused that naebody in modren times cared muckle for it. His mony airticles, buiks an ither warks, baith anent langage as a hail, an the Scots leid in parteeclar, will aye be treasured wi onybody wi an intress in this field, an sae his wa-gauin a dowie loss.

Photie: Manfred Görlach (richt) wi J. Derrick McClure an Dauvit Horsbroch in 2001.

The'r a soond file o this story in Scots ablow.