Scots leid

For ither uisses, see Scots leid (disambiguation).

No tae be ramfeeselt wi Scots Inglis or Scots Gaelic leid.

Lawland Scots
Spoken in:	Scotland The Lawlands Caithness Orkney Shetland Northren Ireland Coonty Antrim Coonty Doun Coonty Lunnonderry Republic o Ireland Coonty Dunnygal Ingland Berik Cumbrie
Tot spaekers:	1.5 million (Scotland); 30,000 (Ireland)
Genetic clessification:	Indo-European  Germanic   West    Anglo-Frisian     Anglic      Scots
Leid codes
ISO 639-1	Nane
ISO 639-2	sco
ISO 639-3	sco

Scots (or "Lallans", a poetic spellins for lawlands) is a Wast Germanic leid that's spak in the Lawlands an Northren Isles o Scotland an in the stewartrie o Ulster in Ireland (whaur it's kent as "Ulster-Scots", "Scotch" or "Ullans"). In maist airts, it's spak anent the Scots Gaelic an Inglis leids.

Up til the 15t yeirhunder Scottis (modren furm Scots) wis the name o "Gaelic", the Celtic leid o the aunshint Scots. Thaim that bruikit Scots cried the Gaelic Erse (meinin Irish). The Gaelic o Scotland is nou maistlie cried Scots Gaelic an is yit spak bi sum in the wastren Scots Hielands an ilands. For the maist pairt, Scots cums fae the Northumbrian kyn o Anglo-Saxon (Auld Inglis), tho wi a litil influenss fae the Auld Norse bi the wey o the Vikings, the Dutch an Laich Saxon throu troke wi (an incummers fae) the laich kintras, an the Romance by the wey o kirk an legal Laitin, Anglo-Norman an syn Pairisian French acause o the Auld Alliance.

Anglian speakers wis weil staiblisht in sooth-eist Scotland by the 7t yeirhunder. In the 13t yeirhunder Norman landawners an thair reteiners, speakin Northumbrian Middil Inglis, wis bade ti cum an sattil by the Keeng. Scots kyth'd for the first tym in written furm in the mids o the 14t yeirhunder an didna differ mukkil fae ither northren Inglis byleids. The Anglian leid o Scotland grow'd on its ain sinsyn. By the late 15t yeirhunder the sicht fowk haed o the differs wi the leid spoken faurder sooth cam til the fore an Scots-speakin Scots begoud ti cry thair leid "Scots". Scots haes lend-wirds fae the fak that the Scots fowk haed contak wi Gaelic speakers. Thair lend-wirds is for ordinar anerlie for geografical an cultural thingies, sik as clan an loch. Lyk onie leivin leid, Scot haes cheenged a bittie ower the yeirs, tho it haes arguablie stey'd naurer til its Anglo-Saxon springheid nor Inglis. Monie Scots wirds haes becum pairt o Inglis anaw: flit, greed, eerie, cuddle, clan, stob.

In Scotland's census o 2011, a speir on Scots wis askit.

Written Scots

Monie writers nou evyts apostrofies whaur thay ar thocht ti shaw letters that's "missin" fae Inglis (the apologetic apostrophe). Sikna letters niver wis missin in Scots at aw. For ensaumpil, in the twalt yeirhunder, Barbour spelt the Scots cognate o taken as 'tane'. Haein been nae k in the wird for mair nor 700 yeir, shawin the want o't wi an apostrofie seems kyn o pyntless. The modren spellin is for ordinar 'taen'. Vouel nummers is fae Aitken an the fonetics is in IPA. Maugre the estaiblisht tradeetional spelling conventions described ablo, durin the twintiet century a wheen o propones for spellin reform wis pitten forrit. Commentin on this, John Corbett (2003: 260) writes that "devising a normative orthography for Scots has been one of the greatest linguistic hobbies of the past century." An writin anent the affcome o thon in Lallans 57, Caroline Macafee merkit that spellin reform "haes had the effeck o caain doun the kind-of-a staudardisation that aaready existit" an that "Spellin has gotten tae be a free-for-aa, wi the tradeitional model bemeanit, an nae popular replacement" leadin tae mair spellin variation, no less.

Consonants

Maist consonants is for ordinar soondit sic an sae as in Inglis but:

• c: /k/ or /s/, as in Inglis.
• ch: /x/, gh an aw. Medial 'cht' micht be /ð/ in Northren dialects. loch, nicht, dochter, dreich, etc. Seemilar tae the German "Nacht".
• ch: wird ineetial or whaur it follaes 'r' /tʃ/. airch, mairch, etc.
• ck: at the end o a seelable an whan intervocalic efter a cutty vouel e.g. bick, geck, muckle, ruck, etc.
• gn: /n/. In Northren dialects /ɡn/ micht kythe.
• kn: /n/. In Northren dialects /kn/ or /tn/ micht kythe. knap knee, knowe, etc.
• ng: is aye /ŋ/.
• nch: for ordinar /nʃ/. brainch, dunch, etc.
• r: /r/ or /ɹ/ is pronounced in all positions, i.e. rhotically.
• s or se: /s/ or /z/.
• t: micht be a glottal stap atween vouels or wird final. In Ulster dentalised soondins micht kythe an aw, e'en for 'd'.
• th: /ð/ or /θ/ as is Inglis. In Mid Northren varieties an intervocallic /ð/ micht be soondit/d/. Initial 'th' in thing, think and thank, etc. micht be /h/.
• wh: for ordinar /ʍ/, aulder /xʍ/. Northren dialects haes /f/ an aw.
• wr: /wr/ more often /r/ but may be /vr/ in Northern dialects. wrack, wrang, write, wrocht, etc.
• z: /jɪ/ or /ŋ/, micht kythe in some wirds as a substitute for the aulder <ȝ> (yoch). For example: brulzie, gaberlunzie an the names Menzies, Finzean, Culzean, Mackenzie etc. (As a affcome o the want o eddication in Scots, Mackenzie is nou generally soondit wi a /z/ follaein the perceived soondin o the written form, as mair controversial is whiles Menzies.)

Seelent letters

• The wird final 'd' in nd an ld but aften soodit in derived forms. Whiles juist 'n' and 'l' or 'n'' and 'l'' e.g. auld an haund etc., as in the Dens leid.
• 't' in medial cht ('ch' = /x/) an st an afore final en e.g. fochten, thristle an the 't' in aften etc. an aw., as in Inglis.
• 't' in wird final ct an pt but aften soondit in derived forms e.g. respect an accept etc.

Vouels

For a historical owerview see the Phonological history o Scots.

The vouel seestem o Scots (in IPA):

1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	8a	9	10	11	12	13	14	15	16	17	18	19	1. Generally merges wi vouels 2, 4 or 8. 2. Merges wi vouels 1 an 8. in central dialects   and vowel 2 in Northren dialects.   Also /(j)u/ or /(j)ʌ/ afore /k/ an /x/ dependin on dialect. 3. Vocalisation tae /o/ micht kythe afore /k/. 4. Antrin mergers wi vouel 5.
cutty /əi/ lang /aɪ/	/i/	/e, i/1	/e/	/o/	/u/	/ø/2	/eː/	/əi/	/oe/	/əi/	/iː/	/ɑː, ɔː/	/ʌu/3	/ju/	/ɪ/	/ɛ/	/ɑ, a/	/ɔ/4	/ʌ/

In Scots, vouel length is for ordinar condeetiont by the Scots Vouel Lenth Rule. Wirds that differs juist a bittie in soondin fae Scots English is for ordinar spelt as in English. Ither wirds micht be spelt the same but differ in soondin, for example: aunt, swap, want and wash wi /a/, bull, full v. an pull wi /ʌ/, bind, find an wind v., etc. wi /ɪ/.

• The unstresst vouel /ə/ micht be shawn by ony vouel letter.
• a (vowel 17): for ordinar /ɑ/, aften /ɑː/ in sooth wast an Ulster dialects, but /aː/ in Northren dialects. Merk final a (vouel 12) in awa, twa an wha micht be /ɑː/, /ɔː/, /aː/ or /eː/ an aw depending on dialect.
• au, aw (vouel 12) /ɑː/ or /ɔː/ in Soothren, Central an Ulster dialects but /aː/ in Northren dialects, wi au for ordinar in medial poseetions and aw in final positions. Sometimes a or a' representing L-vocalisation. The digraph aa kythes an aw, specially in written representations o the (/aː/) soondin im Northren an Insular dialects. The cluster 'auld' micht be /ʌul/ in Ulster an aw, e.g. aw, cauld, braw, faw, snaw, etc.
• ai (vouel 8) in ineetial an medial poseetions and a(consonant)e (vowel 4). The graphemes ae (vouel 4) an ay (vouel 8) for ordinar in final poseetions. All generally /e(ː)/. Often /ɛ/ before /r/. The merger o vouel 8 wi 4 haes resultit in the digraph ai occurrin in some wirds wi vouel 4 an a(consonant)e occurrin in some wirds wi vouel 8, e.g. saip, hale, ane, ance, bane, etc. an wird final brae an day etc. The digraph ae kythes for vouel 7 an aw in dae, tae v. an shae. In Northren dialects the vouel in the cluster 'ane' is aften /i/ an efter /w/ an daurk /l/ the soondin /əi/ micht kythe. In Sooth Scots an mony Central an Ulster varieties ae, ane and ance micht be soondit /jeː/, /jɪn/ an /jɪns/ aften written yae, yin an yince in dialect writin.
• ea, ei (vouel 3), haes generally merged wi /i(ː)/ (vouel 2) or /e(ː)/ (vouel 4 or 8) dependin on dialect. /ɛ/ micht kythe afore /r/. In Northren varieties the soondin micht be /əi/ efter /w/ an /ʍ/ an in the faur north /əi/ micht kythe in aw environments. deid, heid, meat, clear etc.
• ee (vouels 2 an 11), e(Consonant)e (vouel 2). Whiles ei an i.e. wi ei for ordinar afore ch (/x/), but in a few ither wirds an aw, an ie for ordinar afore l an v. The soondin is for ordinar /i(ː)/ but in Northren varieties micht be /əi/ efter /w/ an /ʍ/. Final vouel 11 (/iː/) micht be /əi/ in Southren dialects. e.g. e, een, speir , steek, here, etc. The digraph ea kythes in a few wirds sic as sea an tea an aw.
• e (vouel 16): /ɛ/. bed, het, yett, etc.
• eu (vouel 7 afore /k/ an /x/ see ui): /(j)u/ or /(j)ʌ/ dependin on dialect. Whiles u(consonant)e. Whiles u phonetically an oo efter Staundart English kythes an aw, e.g. beuk, eneuch, keuk, leuk, teuk etc.
• ew (vouel 14): /ju/. In Northren dialects a ruit final 'ew' micht be /jʌu/. few, new, etc.
• i (Vouel 15): /ɪ/, but aften varies atween /ɪ/ an /ʌ/ specially efter 'w' an 'wh'. /æ/ kythes in Ulster an aw afore vyceless consonants. big, fit, wid, etc.
• i(consonant)e, y(consonant)e, ey (vouels 1, 8a an 10): /əi/ or /aɪ/. 'ay' is for ordinar /e/ but /əi/ in ay and aye. In Dundee it is a kenspeckle /ɛ/.
• o (vouel 18): /ɔ/ but aften mergin wi vouel 5 (/o/) aften spelt phonetically oa in dialect spellins sic as boax (box), coarn (corn), Goad (God)joab (job) an oan (on) etc.
• oa (vouel 5): /o/.
• oi, oy (vouel 9)
• ow, owe (ruit final), seendle ou (vouel 13): /ʌu/. Afore 'k' vocalisation tae /o/ micht kythe specially in wastren an Ulster dialects. bowk, bowe, howe, knowe, cowp, yowe, etc.
• ou the ordinar leeterar spellin o vouel 6. Whilesu(consonant)e in some wirds: /u/ the foregane aften representit by oo, a 19t century lend frae Staundart English. Ruit final /ʌu/ micht kythe in Soothren dialects. cou, broun, hoose, moose etc.
• u (vouel 19): /ʌ/. but, cut, etc.
• ui, the ordinar leeterar spellin o vouel 7 (binna afore /k/ an /x/ see eu), the spellin u(consonant)e whiles kythed, specially afore nasals, an oo frae the spellin o Staundart English cognates: /ø/ in conservative dialects. In pairts o Fife, Dundee an north Aintrim /e/. In Northren dialects for ordinar /i/ but /wi/ efter /ɡ/ an /k/ aften spelt ee in dialect writin, an /u/ an aw afore /r/ in some airts e.g. fuird. Mid Doun and Donegal dialects haes /i/. In central an north Doun dialects merger wi vouel 15 (/ɪ/) occurs whan cutty an vouel 8 (/eː/) whan lang, aften written ai in dialect writin, e.g. buird, buit, cuit, fluir, guid, schuil, etc. In central dialects uise v. an uiss n. (use) is [jeːz] an [jɪs].

Sum grammar featurs

The definit airtikil

The is bruikit afore the names o saisons, days o the week, monie nouns, illnesses, tredds, occupations, sciences an academic subjeks. It's aften bruikit insteid o the indefinit airtikil an insteid o a possessiv pronoun an aw: the hairst, the Wadensday, awa til the kirk, the nou, the day, the haingles, the Laitin, The deuk ett the bit breid, the wife etc.

Nouns

Nouns for ordinar eiks –(e)s for the plural but sum irraigular plurals kyths: ee/een, cauf/caur, horse/horse, cou/kye, shae/shuin. Nouns o meisur an quantitie byds the same in the plural fower fit, twa mile, five pund, three hunderwecht. Raigular plurals includes laifs, leafs, shelfs an wifes, etc.

Diminutives

Diminutives wi –ie, burnie (wee burn), feardie/feartie, gamie, kiltie, postie, wifie, rhodie, an wi ock, bittock, playock, sourock an Northren –ag, bairnag (wee bairn), Cheordag, -ockie, hooseockie, wifeockie, baith is influenced by the Scots Gaelic diminutive -ag.

Modal verbs

The modal verbs mey, ocht tae, and sall isna aften bruikit in Scots an thir's historic but is whyls still fund in anglifee'd leiterar Scots. Can, shud, an will/wul is the prefer'd Scots maks. Scots employs doobil modal maks He'll no can cum the day, A micht cud cum the morn, A uised ti cud dae it, but no nou.

Praisent tense o verbs

The praisent tense o verbs ends in –s in aw persons an nummers cept whan a singil personal pronoun is neist the verb, Thay say he's ower wee, Thaim that says he's ower wee, Thir lassies says he's ower wee etc. Thay'r cummin an aw but Five o thaim's cummin, The lassies? Thay'v went but Ma brakes haes went. Thaim that cums first is ser'd first. The trees growes green in the simmer.

Wis micht can tak the steid o war, but no widdershins: You war/wis thar.

Past tense o verbs

The raigular past furm o the verb is –(i)t or –(e)d, gaun bi the aforegaun consonant or vouel hurtit, skelpit, Mendit, kent/kenned, cleant/cleaned, skreived, telt/tauld, dee'd. Some verbs haes kenspekil maks greet/grat/grutten, fesh/fuish/fuishen, lauch/leuch/lauchen, gae/gaed/gane, gie/gied/gien, pit/pat/pitten, git/gat/gotten.

Wird order

Scots aften haes the wird order He turnt oot the licht an no He turnt the licht oot an Gie me it an no Gie it tae me.

Antrin verbs is aften uised progressive He wis thinkin he wad tell her, He wis wantin tae tell her.

Verbs o motion micht be drappit afore an adverb or adverb phrases o motion A'm awa tae ma bed, That's me awa hame, A'll intae the hoose an see him.

Participils gaes til the end o the clause mair aften nor in Inglis whaur chynge o state is impleid (pairteicular in Ulster): He's awfu auld gettin, A hae ma siller chynged.

Ordinal nummers

Ordinal nummers ends wi –t seicont, fowert, fift, saxt etc. first, Thrid/third.

Adverbs

Adverbs for ordinar taks the same mak as the verb ruit or adjective speicialie eftir verbs. Haein a real guid day. She's gey fauchelt.
Adverbs is shaped wi –s, -lies, lins, gate(s) an wey(s) – whyls, mebbes, brawlies, geylies, aiblins, airselins, hauflins, hidlins, maistlins, awgates, ilkagate, oniegate, ilkawey, onywey(s), endweys, whit wey.

Subordinate clauses

Verbless subordinate clauses is brocht in wi an pittin ower surpreese or skunner 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.

Negation

Negation is pitten ower bi bruikin the adverb no, in the North Eist nae, as in A'm no cummin, or bi bruikin the suffix –na (soondin lippens on dialek), as in A dinna ken, Thay canna cum, We cudna hae telt him an A hivna seen her. The uiss wi no is for ordinar taen forby –na wi contractabil auxiliar verbs lyk –ll for will, or in ay nae quaistens wi onie auxiliar He'll no cum an Did he no cum?

Relative pronoun

The relative pronoun is that ('at is an anither mak borraed fae Norse but it can cum aboot bi contraction) for aw persons an nummers, but micht be drappit Thar's no monie fowk (that) byds in that glen. The anglifee'd maks wha, wham, whase, an the auld-farrant whilk is juist leeterar pensfuness; whilk is alanerlie bruikit eftir a statement He said he'd tint it, whilk wis no whit we wantit tae hear. The possessive cums aboot bi eikin 's or bi bruikin an appropriate pronoun The wifie that's hoose gat burnt, the wumman that her dochter gat mairit; the men that thair boat wis tint.

The thrid adjective/adverb yon/yonder, thon/thonder pynts oot sumthin that's faurer awa D'ye see yon/thon hoose ower yonder/thonder? The plurals o this an that is thae an thir. Northren dialeks taks this an that for the plural an aw.

Hamelt leids

Scots haes monie hamelt leids, or dialeks. Thir include;

• Sooth Scots
• Doric
• Shetlandic
• Urban Scots (Scots as spoken in the main ceities o Aiberdeen, Edinburgh, Dundee an Glesgae)
• Central Scots
• Northern Scots
• Ulster Scots (Spoke in Northren Ireland an Coontie Dunnagal)

See forby

• IPA chairt for Scots
• Scots Language Centre

References

• Aitken, A.J. (1977) How to Pronounce Older Scots in Bards and Makars. Glasgow, Glasgow University Press.
• Aitken, A. J. (1987) The Nuttis Schell: Essays on the Scots Language. Aberdeen, Aberdeen University Press. ISBN 0-08-034530-1
• Caldwell, S.J.G. (1974) The Pronoun in Early Scots. Helsinki, Société Néophilique.
• Corbett, John; McClure, Derrick; Stuart-Smith, Jane (Editors)(2003) The Edinburgh Companion to Scots. Edinburgh, Edinburgh University Press. ISBN 0-7486-1596-2
• Eagle, Andy (2005) Wir Ain Leid. Scots-Online. Available in full at http://www.scots-online.org/airticles/WirAinLeid.pdf
• Jones, Charles (1997) The Edinburgh History of the Scots Language. Edinburgh, University of Edinburgh Press. ISBN 0-7486-0754-4
• Jones, Charles (1995) A Language Suppressed: The pronunciation of the Scots language in the 18th century. Edinburgh, John Donald. ISBN 0-85976-427-3
• Kingsmore, Rona K. (1995) Ulster Scots Speech: A Sociolinguistic Study. University of Alabama Press. ISBN 0-8173-0711-7
• McClure, J. Derrick (1997) Why Scots Matters. Edinburgh, Saltire Society. ISBN 0-85411-071-2
• McKay, Girvan (2007) The Scots Tongue (La skota lingvo), Polyglot Publications, Tullamore, Ireland.
• Niven, Liz; Jackson, Robin (Eds.) (1998) The Scots Language: its place in education. Watergaw Publications. ISBN 0-9529978-5-1
• Robertson, T.A.; Graham, J.J. (1991) Grammar and Use of the Shetland Dialect. Lerwick, The Shetland Times Ltd.
• Ross, David; Smith, Gavin D. (Editors)(1999) Scots-English, English-Scots Practical Dictionary. New York, Hippocrene Books. ISBN 0-7818-0779-4
• Scottish Language Dictionaries (1985) Concise Scots Dictionary . Edinburgh, Edinburgh University Press. ISBN 1-902930-01-0
• Scottish Language Dictionaries (1990) Scots Thesaurus. Edinburgh, Edinburgh University Press. ISBN 1-902930-03-7
• Warrack, Alexander (Editor)(1911) Chambers Scots Dictionary. Chambers.
• Yound, C.P.L. (2004) Scots Grammar. Scotsgate. Available in full at http://www.scotsgate.com/scotsgate01.pdf

Fremmit airtins

• Dictionar o the Scots Leid - 22 volumes o Scots
• Byleid cairt
• Scots-online
• The Scots Language Society
• Scottish Language Dictionaries Ltd.
• SLD's Scuil Wab - fer bairns o aw ages
• ScotsteXt—beuks, poems an texts in Scots
• A Tait Wanchancie.
• SAMPA for Scots
• Scots in Skuils
• Scots at the Varsitie
• Scottish words - illustrated
• Scottish Corpus of Texts & Speech - Multimedia corpus of Scots and Scottish English
• Scots Language Centre
• Words Without Borders Peter Constantine: Scots: The Auld an Nobill Tung

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