Poet, 21, whose rhymes in the Scots language went viral reveals she’s been accused of ‘making Scottish people sound stupid’ and being a ‘propagandist’ for independence
- Lennie Pennie, 21, from Fife, has attracted thousands of fans with recitals of her poetry on social media
- But some have accused her of being a Scottish independence ‘propagandist’
- She has said she’s determined to keep up an active role in teaching Scots
A Scottish poet has been accused of ‘making Scottish people sound stupid’ and being a ‘propagandist for independence’ after her rhymes in Scots went viral.
Lennie Pennie, 21, from Fife, has attracted thousands of fans who watch her recite poems from her bedroom in what she says is a bid to keep the minority language alive.
Her poem ‘I’m no havin children’ has been watched nearly 500,000 times and her ‘Scots word of the day’ posts feature English translations of obscure Scottish words.
However the student has also attracted some criticism with one social media user accusing her of being a ‘propagandist for Scottish independence’.
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Lennie Pennie, (pictured) 21, from Fife has been accused of ‘making Scottish people sound stupid’ and being a ‘propagandist for Independence’ after her rhymes in Scots went viral
Another accused her of ‘perpetuating a faux identity and culture in order to assert Scottish exceptionalism’.
She replied on Twitter saying: ‘It’s so demoralisin’ tae be a lassie oan here, some ae yous need tae shut the mooth and open the lugs mair.’
Others have been more positive, hailing her for highlighting an important part of Scottish identity.
Speaking about the abuse she has received online she told The Scotsman: ‘Most messages have been heartwarming, but a few have been pretty nasty.
‘I’ve been shocked to find most of the haters are Scottish people who say ‘Scots is just English spelt wrong’, or ‘you make Scottish people sound stupid, it’s fake Scottishness.’
She has attracted thousands of fans who watch her recite poems from her bedroom in what she says is a bid to keep the minority language alive
‘If you speak Scots, you’re apparently a hardcore nationalist, which isn’t the case. People enjoy it for cultural, sentimental and heritage reasons. It’s been spoken through generations.’
She is fluent in a language which some on social media have dismissed as ‘a dialect at most’.
However, the student has also attracted some criticism for the videos and poems she has posted online
She responded to the abuse on Twitter saying that it was ‘demoralising’ to receive so much criticism
In response to the abuse Welsh actor Michael Sheen offered her some support (pictured)
To this she said: ‘You’re more than welcome to think that. I happen to think it’s a language, as it’s been classed as such by impartial lingustic experts, both Scottish and international governments and much of the Scottish population.’
In response to the abuse, Welsh actor Michael Sheen offered her some support online.
He tweeted: ‘I think Lennie is brilliant. She’s getting some idiotic abuse. She has such talent and passion and joy.
‘The people responsible are just an absence. Anyone who isn’t following her should listen to her stuff and send her some love.’
She has now vowed not to let a few negative comments put her off, and has said she’s determined to keep up an active role in teaching Scots.
