Difference between revisions of "Scots"

Revision as of 22:12, November 15, 2008

Scots (the tribe)

The term Scots can refer to the people of Scotland, and specifically to the Scots Tribe that united with the picts to form Scotland in the year 843. As an ethnic group, the Scots are related to both the Germanic tribes and the Celtic tribes.

Scots the language

Scots is a language (or a dialect; there are no firm distinctions) somewhat similar to English spoken in the Lowlands of Scotland.

Web Links

Scots-online
Scots Language Centre
ScotsteXt - books, poems and texts in Scots
The Online Scots Dictionary
The Dictionary of the Scots Language
Scots Wikipedia^[1].

References

↑ As liberally biased as the English version [1]

[1] As liberally biased as the English version [1]

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 ==Scots the language==
-'''Scots''' (The Scots leid) refers to the Angilcanizied language of lowland  [[Scotland]] and parts of the north of [[Ireland]] where it is also known as Ulster Scots.  It is distinct from the older Gaelic languages spoken in the Highlands.
+'''Scots''' is a language (or a dialect; there are no firm distinctions) somewhat similar to English spoken in the Lowlands of Scotland.
-Since there are no universally accepted criteria for defining [[dialect]]s against other dialects, and for determining exactly when a dialect because a new language for the sake of categorization, scholars and other interested parties often disagree about the linguistic, historical and social status of Scots. Although a number of paradigms for distinguishing between languages and dialects do exist these often render contradictory results Consequently Scots has, on the one hand, been traditionally regarded as one of the [[ancient]] dialects of [[English]] but with its own ancient and distinct dialects. Scots has often been treated as part of English as spoken in Scotland but differs significantly from the Standard Scottish English taught in schools. On the other hand, it has been regarded as a distinct [[German]]ic language the way [[Swedish]] is distinct from [[Danish]]. Its subordination to [[Anglo]]-English has also been compared to the subordination of [[Frisian]] to [[Dutch]] in the [[Netherlands]].Thus Scots can be interpreted as a collective term for the dialects of English spoken or originating in Scotland, or it can be interpreted as the autochthonous language of Lowland Scotland.<ref>A.J. Aitken in ''The Oxford Companion to the English Language'' p.894</ref>
-The British Government has accepted the second interpretation:
-:"The UK Government announced on 4 June 1998 its decision to sign the [[Council of Europe]] [[Charter for Regional or Minority Languages]]. This came into effect as of the 1 July 2001. The Scots language will be covered by Part II of the Charter. By applying Part II of the Charter to Scots the Government will be recognising the distinctive nature and cultural value of the language." <ref>http://conventions.coe.int/treaty/en/Treaties/Html/148.htm</ref>
-==Spelling and Pronuciation==
-An apostrophe has been used in the past where it supposedly represented a "missing" English letter. Such letters were never actually missing in Scots. Contemporary writers now generally avoid such apostrophes.
-'''Consonants'''
-Most consonants are usually pronounced much as in English but:
-*'''c''': /k/ or /s/, much as in English.
-*'''ch''': /x/, also '''gh'''. Medial 'cht' may be /&#240;/ in Northern dialects. ''loch'' (fjord or lake), ''nicht'' (night), ''dochter'' (daughter), ''dreich'' (dreary), etc. Similar to the German "Na'''ch'''t".
-*'''ch''': word initial or where it follows 'r' /t&#643;/. ''airch'' (arch), ''mairch'' (march), etc.
-*'''gn''': /n/. In Northern dialects /gn/ may occur.
-*'''kn''': /n/. In Northern dialects /kn/ or /tn/ may occur. ''knap'' (talk), ''knee'', ''knowe'' (knoll), etc.
-*'''ng''': is always /&#331;/.
-*'''nch''': usually /n&#643;/. ''brainch'' (branch), ''dunch'' (push), etc.
-*'''r''': /r/ is pronounced in all positions, i.e. rhotically.
-*'''s''' or '''se''': /s/ or /z/.
-*'''t''': may be a glottal stop between vowels or word final. In Ulster dentalised pronunciations may also occur, also for 'd'.
-*'''th''': /&#240;/ or /&#952;/ much as is English. Initial 'th' in ''thing'', ''think'' and ''thank'', etc. may be /h/.
-*'''wh''': usually /&#653;/, older /x&#653;/. Northern dialects also have /f/.
-*'''wr''': /wr/ more often /r/ but may be /vr/ in Northern dialects. ''wrack'' (wreck), ''wrang'' (wrong), ''write'', ''wrocht'' (worked), etc.
-*'''z''': /j&#618;/ or /&#331;/, may occur in some words as a substitute for the older <3> (yogh). For example: ''brulzie'' (broil), ''gaberlunzie'' (a beggar) and the names ''Menzies'', ''Finzean'', ''Culzean'', ''MacKenzie'' etc.
-'''Silent letters'''
-*The word final 'd' in '''nd''' and '''ld''': but often pronounced in derived forms. Sometimes simply 'n' and 'l' or 'n&#39;' and 'l&#39;'. ''auld'' (old), ''haund'' (hand), etc.
-*'t' in medial '''cht''': ('ch' = /x/) and '''st''' and before final '''en'''. ''fochten'' (fought), ''thristle'' (thistle) also 't' in ''aften'' (often), etc.
-*'t' in  word final '''ct''' and '''pt''' but  often pronounced in derived forms. ''respect'', ''accept'', etc.
-'''Vowels'''
-In Scots, [[vowel]] length is usually conditioned by the ''Scottish vowel length rule''. Words which differ only slightly in pronunciation from ''Scottish English'' are generally spelled as in English. Other words may be spelt the same but differ in pronunciation, for example: ''aunt'', ''swap'', ''want'' and ''wash'' with /a/, ''bull'', ''full'' v. and ''pull'' with /&#652;/,  ''bind'', ''find'' and ''wind'' v., etc. with /&#618;/.
-*The unstressed vowel /&#601;/ may be represented by any vowel letter.
-*'''a''': usually /a/ but in south west and Ulster dialects often /&#593;/. Note final ''a'' in ''awa'' (away), ''twa'' (two) and ''wha'' (who) may also be /&#593;/ or /&#596;/ or /e/ depending on dialect.
-*'''au''', '''aw''' and sometimes '''a''', '''a&#39;''' or '''aa''': /&#593;:/ or /&#596;:/ in Southern, Central and Ulster dialects but /a:/ in Northern dialects. The cluster 'auld' may also be /&#652;ul/ in Ulster. ''aw'' (all), ''cauld'' (cold), ''braw'' (handsome), ''faw'' (fall), ''snaw'' (snow), etc.
-*'''ae''', '''ai''', '''a'''(consonant)'''e''': /e/. Often /&#603;/ before /r/. In Northern dialects the vowel in the cluster -'ane' is often /i/. ''brae'' (slope), ''saip'' (soap), ''hale'' (whole), ''ane'' (one), ''ance'' (once), ''bane'' (bone), etc.
-*'''ea''', '''ei''', '''ie''': /i:/ or /e:/ depending on dialect. /&#603;/ may occur before /r/. Root final this may be /&#601;i/ in Southern dialects. In the far north /&#601;i/ may occur. ''deid'' (dead), ''heid'' (head), ''meat'' (food), ''clear'', ''speir'' (enquire), ''sea'', etc.
-*'''ee''', '''e'''(Consonant)'''e''': /i:/. Root final this may be /&#601;i/ in Southern dialects. ''ee'' (eye), ''een'' (eyes), ''steek'' (shut), ''here'', etc.
-*'''e''': /&#603;/. ''bed'', ''het'' (heated), ''yett'' (gate), etc.
-*'''eu''': /(j)u/ or /(j)&#652;/ depending on dialect. Sometimes erroneously 'oo', 'u(consonant)e', 'u' or 'ui'. ''beuk'' (book), ''ceuk'' (cook), ''eneuch'' (enough), ''leuk'' (look), ''teuk'' (took), etc.
-*'''ew''': /ju/. In Northern dialects a root final 'ew' may be /j&#652;u/. ''few'', ''new'', etc.
-*'''i''': /&#618;/, but often varies between /&#618;/ and /&#652;/ especially after 'w' and 'wh'. /æ/ also occurs in Ulster before voiceless consonants. ''big'', ''fit'' (foot), ''wid'' (wood), etc.
-*'''i'''(consonant)'''e''',  '''y'''(consonant)'''e''', '''ey''': /&#601;i/ or /a&#618;/. 'ay' is usually /e/ but /&#601;i/ in ''ay'' (yes) and ''aye'' (always). In Dundee it is noticeably /&#603;/.
-*'''o''': /&#596;/ but often /o/.
-*'''oa''': /o/.
-*'''ow''', '''owe''' (root final), seldom '''ou''': /&#652;u/. Before 'k' vocalisation to /o/ may occur especially in western and Ulster dialects. ''bowk'' (retch), ''bowe'' (bow), ''howe'' (hollow), ''knowe'' (knoll), ''cowp'' (overturn), ''yowe'' (ewe), etc.
-*'''ou''', '''oo''', '''u'''(consonant)'''e''': /u/. Root final /&#652;u/ may occur in Southern dialects. ''cou'' (cow), ''broun'' (brown), ''hoose'' (house), ''moose'' (mouse) etc.
-*'''u''': /&#652;/. ''but'', ''cut'', etc.
-*'''ui''', also '''u'''(consonant)'''e''', '''oo''': /ø/ in conservative dialects. In parts of Fife, Dundee and north Antrim /e/. In Northern dialects usually /i/ but /wi/ after /g/ and /k/ and also /u/ before /r/ in some areas eg. ''fuird'' (ford). Mid Down and Donegal dialects have /i/. In central and north Down dialects /&#618;/ when short and /e/ when long. ''buird'' (board), ''buit'' (boot), ''cuit'' (ankle), ''fluir'' (floor), ''guid'' (good), ''schuil'' (school), etc. In central dialects ''uise'' v. and ''uiss'' n. (use) are [je:z] and [j&#618;s].
-'''Suffixes'''
-*Negative '''na''': /na/, /n&#618;/ or /ne/ depending on dialect. Also 'nae' or 'y' eg. ''canna'' (can't), ''dinna'' (don't) and ''maunna'' (mustn't).
-*'''fu''' (ful): /fu/, /f&#618;/, /f&#593;/ or /fe/ depending on dialect. Also 'fu&#39;', 'fie', 'fy', 'fae' and 'fa'.
-*The word ending '''ae''': /&#593;/, /&#618;/ or /e/ depending on dialect. Also 'a', 'ow' or 'y', for example: ''arrae'' (arrow), ''barrae'' (barrow) and ''windae'' (window), etc.
-==Grammar==
-===The definite article===
-''The'' is used before the names of seasons, days of the week, many nouns, diseases, trades, occupations, sciences and academic subjects. It is also often used in place of the indefinite article and instead of a possessive pronoun: ''the hairst'' (autumn), ''the Wadensday'' (Wednesday), ''awa til the kirk'' (off to church),  ''the nou'' (at the moment), ''the day'' (today), ''the haingles'' (influenza), ''the Laitin'' (Latin), ''The deuk ett the bit breid'' (The duck ate a piece of bread), ''the wife'' (my wife) etc.
-===Nouns===
-Nouns usually form their plural in -(''e'')''s'' but some irregular plurals occur: ''ee''/''een'' (eye/eyes),  ''cauf''/''caur'' (calf/calves), ''horse''/''horse'' (horse/horses), ''cou''/''kye'' (cow/cows), ''shae''/''shuin'' (shoe/shoes).
-Nouns of measure and quantity unchanged in the plural: ''fower fit''  (four feet), ''twa mile'' (two miles), ''five pund'' (five pounds), ''three hunderwecht''  (three hundredweight).
-Regular plurals include ''laifs'' (loaves), ''leafs'' (leaves), ''shelfs'' (shelves) and ''wifes'' (wives), etc.
-===Diminutives===
-Diminutives in  -''ie'', ''burnie'' small ''burn'' (brook), ''feardie''/''feartie'' (frightened person, coward), ''gamie'' (gamekeeper), ''kiltie'' (kilted soldier), ''postie'' (postman), ''wifie'' (woman), ''rhodie'' (rhododendron), and also in  -''ock'', ''bittock'' (little bit), ''playock'' (toy, plaything), ''sourock'' (sorrel) and Northern –''ag'', ''bairnag'' (little) ''bairn'' (child), ''Cheordag'' (Geordie),  -''ockie'', ''hooseockie'' (small house), ''wifeockie'' (little woman), both influenced by the Scottish Gaelic diminutive -''ag'' (-''óg'' in Irish Gaelic).
-===Modal verbs===
-The modal verbs ''mey'' (may), ''ocht tae'' (ought to), and ''sall'' (Shall) are no longer used much in Scots but occurred historically and are still found in anglicised literary Scots. ''Can'', ''shoud'' (should), and ''will'' are the preferred Scots forms.
-Scots employs double modal constructions ''He'll no can come the day'' (He won't be able to come today), ''A micht coud come the morn'' (I may be able to come tomorrow), ''A uised tae coud dae it, but no nou'' (I could do it once, but not now).
-===Present tense of verbs===
-The present tense of verbs adhere to the Northern subject rule whereby verbs end in -''s'' in all persons and numbers except when a single personal pronoun is next to the verb, ''Thay say he's ower wee'', ''Thaim that says he's ower wee'', ''Thir lassies says he's ower wee'' (They say he's too small), etc. ''Thay're comin an aw'' but ''Five o thaim's comin'', ''The lassies?   Thay've went'' but ''Ma brakes haes went''. ''Thaim that comes first is serred first'' (Those who come first are served first). ''The trees growes green in the simmer'' (The trees grow green in summer).
-''Wis'' 'was' may replace ''war'' 'were', but not conversely: ''You war''/''wis thare''.
-===Past tense of verbs===
-The regular past form of the verb is -(''i'')''t'' or -(''e'')''d'', according to the preceding consonant or vowel ''hurtit'', ''skelpit'' (smacked), ''Mendit'', ''kent''/''kenned'' (knew/known), ''cleant''/''cleaned'', ''scrieved'' (scribbled), ''telt''/''tauld'' (told), ''dee'd'' (died). Some verbs have distinctive forms: ''greet''/''grat''/''grutten'' (weep/wept),  ''fesh''/''fuish''/''fuishen'' (fetch/fetched), ''lauch''/''leuch''/''lauchen~leuchen'' (laugh/laughed), ''thrash''/''thruish''/''thrashen~thruishen'' (thresh/threshed), ''wash''/''wuish''/''washen~wuishen'' (wash/washed), ''gae''/''gaed''/''gane'' (go/went/gone), ''gie''/''gied''/''gien'' (give/gave/given), ''pit''/''pat''/''pitten'' (put/put/put/), ''git''/''gat''/''gotten'' (get/got/got(ten)), ''ride''/''rade''/''ridden'' (ride/rode/ridden), ''drive''/''drave''/''driven~dreen'' (drive/drove/driven), ''write''/''wrat(e)''/''written'' (write/wrote/written), ''bind''/''band''/''bund'' (bind/bound/bound), ''find''/''fand''/''fund'' (find/found/found), ''fecht''/''focht''/''fochten'' (fight/fought), ''bake''/''bakit~beuk''/''baken'' (bake/baked), ''tak(e)''/''teuk''/''taen'' (take/took/taken), ''chuise''/''chuist''/''chuisen'' (choose/chose/chosen).
-===Word order===
-Scots prefers the word order ''He turnt oot the licht'' to 'He turned the light out' and ''Gie me it'' to 'Give it to me'.
-Certain verbs are often used progressively ''He wis thinkin he wad tell her'', ''He wis wantin tae tell her''.
-Verbs of motion may be dropped before an adverb or adverbial phrase of motion ''A'm awa tae ma bed'', ''That's me awa hame'', ''A'll intae the hoose an see him''.
-===Ordinal numbers===
-Ordinal numbers ending in -''t'' ''seicont'', ''fowert'', ''fift'', ''saxt''&mdash; (second, fourth, fifth, sixth) etc. ''first'', ''Thrid''/''third''&mdash; (first, third).
-===Adverbs===
-Adverbs are usually of the same form as the verb root or adjective especially after verbs. ''Haein a real guid day'' (Having a really good day). ''She's awfu fauchelt'' (She's awfully tired).
-Adverbs are also formed with -''s'', -''lies'',  ''lins'', ''gate''(''s'')and ''wey''(''s'') -''wey'', ''whiles'' (at times), ''mebbes'' (perhaps), ''brawlies'' (splendidly), ''geylies'' (pretty well), ''aiblins'' (perhaps), ''airselins'' (backwards), ''hauflins'' (partly), ''hidlins'' (secretly), ''maistlins'' (almost), ''awgates'' (always, everywhere), ''ilkagate'' (everywhere), ''onygate'' (anyhow), ''ilkawey'' (everywhere), ''onywey''(''s'') (anyhow, anywhere), ''endweys'' (straight ahead), ''whit wey'' (how, why).
-===Subordinate clauses===
-Verbless subordinate clauses introduced by ''an'' and expressing surprise or indignation ''She haed tae walk the hale lenth o the road an her sieven month pregnant'', ''He telt me tae rin an me wi ma sair leg'' (and me with my sore leg).
-===Negation===
-Negation occurs by using the adverb ''no'',  in the North East ''nae'', as in ''A'm no comin'' (I'm not coming), ''A'll no learn ye'' (I will not teach you), or by using the suffix -''na'' (pronunciation depending on dialect), as in ''A dinna ken'' (I don't know), ''Thay canna come'' (They can't come), ''We coudna hae telt him'' (We couldn't have told him), and ''A hivna seen her'' (I haven't seen her).
-The usage with ''no'' is preferred to that with -''na'' with contractable auxiliary verbs like -''ll'' for ''will'', or in yes no questions with any auxiliary ''He'll no come'' and ''Did he no come?''
-===Relative pronoun===
-The relative pronoun is ''that'' (''&#39;at'' is an alternative form borrowed from Norse but can also be arrived at by contraction) for all persons and numbers, but may be left out ''Thare's no mony fowk'' (''that'') ''leeves in that glen'' (There aren't many people who live in that glen). The anglicised forms ''wha'', ''wham'', ''whase'' 'who, whom, whose', and the older ''whilk'' 'which' are literary affectations; ''whilk'' is only used after a statement ''He said he'd tint it, whilk wis no whit we wantit tae hear''. The  possessive is formed by adding '''s'' or by using an appropriate pronoun ''The wifie that's hoose gat burnt'', ''the wumman that her dochter gat mairit''; ''the men that thair boat wis tint''.
-A third adjective/adverb ''yon''/''yonder'', ''thon''/''thonder'' indicating something at some distance ''D'ye see yon''/''thon hoose ower yonder''/''thonder?'' Also ''thae'' (those) and ''thir'' (these), the plurals of ''this'' and ''that''.
-In Northern Scots ''this'' and ''that'' are also used where "these" and "those" would be in Standard English.

Difference between revisions of "Scots"

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