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About
the Scottish Language
Scotland's linguistic
heritage is complex. Though the vast majority now speak English,
two other languages, Gaelic and Scots, still have wide influence.
Gaelic, the Celtic language brought from Ireland by the Scots, is
now spoken by a small minority mainly in the Western Isles and western
Highlands, with pockets elsewhere, especially in Glasgow. Although
it now faces a strong possibility of extinction, interest in Gaelic
has increased in recent years, and its literature flourishes as
never before. Scots was originally a form of Old English that diverged
from southern forms of the language in the Middle Ages, becoming
a separate national tongue by the 15th century; political and other
factors, notably union with England, caused English gradually to
be adopted as the official and standard language, but Scots survives
in the dialects of the Lowland areas, in a vigorous tradition of
poetry and drama and in aspects of the English spoken by most Scots.
Both Gaelic and Scots are recorded and supported by major works
of scholarship, the Linguistic Survey of Scotland (1975-86); The
Scottish National Dictionary (1931-76); A Dictionary of the Older
Scottish Tongue (1931); and The Historical Dictionary of Scottish
Gaelic, begun in 1966.
Demographic
trends
While the land
area of Scotland makes up about a third of that of the United Kingdom,
its population constitutes only 9 percent, with the greatest concentration
in the central belt. Since the mid-1960s there has been a significant
shift in age structure, with an increase in the older age groups
(65 and over) and an even more marked decrease in the young (aged
15 and under). North Sea oil has brought many people to the northeast
and north, not only from other parts of Scotland and the United
Kingdom but also from other countries, notably the United States.
Large-scale emigration of Scots to countries such as Canada, the
United States, and Australia has dwindled.
Scots language
also called
LOWLAND SCOTTISH,or Lallans, the historic language of the people
of Lowland Scotland, and one closely related to English, of which
it can now be regarded as a dialect. Scots is directly descended
from Northern English, which displaced Scottish Gaelic in most of
Scotland in the 11th-14th century as a consequence of Anglo-Norman
rule there. By the early 14th century Northern English had become
the spoken tongue of all Scottish people east and south of the Highlands
(with Scottish Gaelic continuing to be used in the latter). After
Scotland gained its independence in 1328, its spoken language became
known as "Scottis," or Scots (as opposed to "Inglis"), and over
the next two centuries the former diverged from Northern English
in pronunciation and to a lesser extent in vocabulary. The earliest
written records in Scots date from the late 14th century, and by
the 16th century it had supplanted Latin as the principal literary
and record-keeping language in the kingdom. Scots was steadily Anglicized
from the mid-16th century onward as a result of the cultural, economic,
and political dominance of England, and by the 20th century it could
be regarded as merely a regional dialect of English. The Scottish
dialect is distinguished by the use of trilled r's, shortened vowels,
and simplified diphthongs. (Encyclopedia Britannica.com,
June 2000)
Here are some
example of Scotish Words:
| A-B |
C-D |
E-F |
G-H-I-J |
ablow
-
below aboot
-
about
actin
-
acting
agane
-
again
agin -
against
aheid
-
head
ain -
own
aipple
-
apple
airieplane
-
aeroplane
an aw
-
also, too
anent
-
about
aulder
-
older, elder
aw -
all
awa -
away
awfie
-
awful, very
aye -
always, still
bampot
-
crazy or foolish person
bollocks
(noun) -
Literally 'testicles'.
Other meaning: 'nonsense'.
Examples: What a load ay bollocks!
big scuil
-
secondary school
blame
o -
fault of
blatter
-
rattle, knock
blaw -
blow
blether
-
talk, chatter
bodie
-
person
bogle
-
ghost, spirit
braw -
good, fine
brither
-
brother
buik -
book |
cannie
-
skilful, careful cannle
-
candle
caw, cawed
-
call, called
chappit
-
mashed
clapshot
-
dish of mashed potatoes and turnip
copyricht
-
copyright
crack
-
news, gossip
cud -
could
dae -
do
the day
-
today
dinnae
-
don't
disjaskit
-
dejected, down-hearted
dook -
duck
doon -
down
drap -
drop
dreeblie
-
dribbly, runny |
editit
-
edited educatit
-
educated
ee, een
-
eye, eyes
eejit
-
idiot
efter
-
after
ettle,
ettlin -
try, trying
fae -
from
faimilie
-
family
fair awa
wi -
very pleased with
feenish,
feenisht -
finish, finished
fermer
-
farmer
fernitickle
-
freckle
fitba
-
football
fowk -
folk, people
freen
-
friend
fuil -
fool
furthcomin
-
forthcoming |
gab
-
speak, talk
gaed -
went
gaun -
going
gey -
very
granparent
-
grandparent
guid -
good
gey -
very
gang -
go
gowsterie
-
blustery, stormy
hairst
-
harvest
hey -
hay, hay harvest
hoaliday
-
holiday
hoo -
how
hame -
home
hae -
have
hoose
-
house, building
hoo -
how
hunner
-
hundred
ilka -
each, every
ingaither
-
harvest, gather (crops)
insteid
-
instead
intendit
-
intended
inventit
-
invented
isnae
-
isn''t
ither
-
other
ivver
-
ever
jine
-
join |
| K-L-M-N |
O-P-Q-R |
S-T-U
-V |
W-X-Y-Z |
keek
-
glance, peek ken
-
know
kent -
known
lang -
long
leuk -
look
lick -
pace, speed
little
skweelie -
infant school
lug -
ear
mair -
more
ma -
my
mak -
make
makkit
-
made
masel
-
myself
maun -
must
Mey -
May
mibbie
-
maybe
micht
-
might
mim -
prim, affected
miss -
avoid
monie
-
many
mou -
mouth
neb -
nose
neibour
-
neighbour
newsins
-
news
nippy-sweetie
prim,
affected
nixt -
next
numptie-
fool, idiot |
o
-
of ocht
-
anything
onie -
any
oor -
our
pairt
-
part
pan-loaf
-
prim, affected
pechin
-
puffing, wheezing
perjink
-
prim, affected
piece
-
slice of bread with butter and jam
pincil
-
pencil
pit, pittin
-
put, putting
play-piece
-
a piece to eat during a school break
ploy -
plan, project
puddock
-
frog, toad
ready
yersel -
get ready
redd -
clear
rummledethump
-
dish of
mashed potatoes, cabbage and turnip radge
wild,
crazy fool. Also spelt raj |
sassenach
-
foreigner Although "foreigner" is its literal meaning, it
is usually reserved for offensively referring to Englishmen.
scrieve,
scrievin -
write, writing
scuil
-
school
scunner
-
nuisance, something annoying
sib -
relative, related
simmer
-
summer
skoosh
-
an easy thing, a dawdle
snowk,
snook -
hunt, rummage
sodger
-
soldier
soond
-
sound
souch
-
(make) a rushing or whistling sound; puff, pant; sigh
speirins
-
information
stert,
stertit -
start, started
stravaig
-
wander, ''surf'' (the Internet)
suin -
soon
syne -
since, then, ago
tae -
to
tattie
-
potato
tattie-liftin,
tattie-howkin -
potato harvest
telt -
told
teuch
-
tough, coarse
thegither
-
together
themsels
-
themselves
thocht
-
thought
twa -
two
unnerstaun
-
understand
uplift
-
harvest, gather (crops) |
wab
-
web
wabsite
-
website
wabster
-
webmaster
wad -
would
wantit
-
wanted
walcome
-
welcome
watter
-
water
wee -
small, young
weel-kent
-
well-known
wee scuil
-
infant school
wey -
way
whaur
-
where
wheen
o -
a few
wheesht
-
quiet
whilies
-
sometimes
whustle
-
whistles
wi -
with
windae
-
window
winnae
-
won't
yaise
-
use
ye -
you
yer -
your
yin -
one
yit -
yet |
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