| Scots | |
|---|---|
| (Braid) Scots, Lallans | |
| Native tae | Unitit Kinrick, Republic o Ireland |
| Region | Scotland: Scots Lawlands, Northren Isles, Caithness, Arran an Cammeltoun Ulster (Ireland): Coonties Doun, Antrim, Derry an Donegal |
Native speakers | (110,000–125,000 citit 1999–2011)[1] 1.5 million L2 speakers.[2] In the 2011 census, respondents indicatit that 1.54 million (30%) are able tae speak Scots.[3] |
Early forms | |
| Dialects | |
| Laitin | |
| Offeecial status | |
Offeecial leid in | Scotland[4] |
Recognised minority leid in | |
| Regulatit bi | — Scotland: Nane, altho the Dictionar o the Scots Leid carries muckle authoritie in the Scots Govrenment's Partnership for a Better Scotland coalition agreement (2003) promises "support".. — Ireland: Nane, altho the cross-border Boord o Ulstèr-Scotch, established aes an ootcome o the Guid Friday Greeance, promotes ussage. |
| Leid codes | |
| ISO 639-2 | sco |
| ISO 639-3 | sco |
| Linguasphere | 52-ABA-aa (varieties: |
 | |
Scots (or "Lallans", Inglis translation lowlands or Scots; "lawland Scots", Scots Gaelic: Beurla Ghallta/Albais) is a Wast Germanic leid o tha Anglic varietie that's spaken on tha Lawlands o Scotland an en tha stewartrie o Ulster en Ireland (whaur it's kent as "Ulster-Scots", "Scotch", or "Ullans") an tha leids o Scots Wikipedia. En maist airts, it is spaken anent tha an Inglis leid.
Up til tha 15t yeirhunder Scottis (modern furm Scots) wis the name o the Gallic, the Celtic leid o the aunshint Scots. Thaim that bruikit Scots cried tha Gaelic Erse (meinin Irish). Tha Gallic o Scotland is noo maistly cried the Scots Gallic an is yit spaken bi sum en tha western Scots Hielands an ilands. Fur tha maist pairt, Scots originatit fae tha Northumbrian variety o Anglo-Saxon (Auld Inglis), tho wi a meikle influence fae the Auld Norse o the Vikings, the Dutch an law Saxon thro troke wi (an incummers fae) tha law kintras, an tha Romance fae itse uise in the Kirk an legal Latin, Anglo-Norman an possibly Pairisian French cause o the Auld Alliance.
Anglian spikkers wir weil staiblisht in sooth-eist Scotland bi tha 7t yeirhunder. In tha 13t yeirhunder Norman launainers an thair reteiners, speakin Northumbrian Middil Inglis, war bade tae cum an sattil bi tha King. Scots kyth'd fer tha first tym en scrieved form en tha mids o tha 14t yeirhunder an didnae differ mukkil fae ither northren Inglis byleids. The Anglian leid o Scotland gra an its ain sinsyn. Bi tha lat 15t yeirhunder tha sicht fowk haed o tha differs wi tha leid spaken faurder sooth cam til tha fore an Scots-spikkin Scots begoud tae crie thair leid "Scots". Scots haes lend-wirds fae tha fak thit tha Scots fowk haed contak wi Gaelic spikkers. Thair lend-wirds is fer ordinair anerlì fer geographical an cultural hings, sik as clan an loch. Lyk onì leivin leid, Scots haes chynged ae bittie ower tha yeirs, tho hit haes arguablì stey'd naurer til its Anglo-Saxon springheid nor Inglis. Monie Scots wirds hae becum pairt o the Inglis ava: flit, greed, eerie, cuddle, clan, stob.
In Scotland's census o 2011, ae speir on Scots wis speired.
Mony writers the noo evyts apostrophes whaur thay ar thocht tae shaw letters thit's "missin" fae Ingles (the apologetic apostrophe). Sikna letters niver war missin in Scots at aw. For exemple, in the twalt yeirhunner, Barbour spelt the Scots cognate o taken as 'tane'. Hæin been nae k in the wird for mair nor 700 yeir, shawin the want o't wi ae apostrophe coud be caa'd specious. The modren spellin is for ordinair 'taen'. Vouel nummers is fae Aitken an the phonetics is en IPA. Maugre the establisht tradeetional spellin conventions descrived ablo, durin the twantiet yeirhunner ae wheen o propones fur spellin reform wis pitten forrit. Commentin on sicweys, John Corbett (2003: 260) writes thit "devisin ae normativ ortografee fer Scots haes been waen o the grattest linguestic hobbies o the past centuair." An writin anent the affcome o thon in Lallans 57, Caroline Macafee merkit that spellin reform "haes had the effeck o caain doun the kynd-o-a staudartisation that aareadie existin" an that "Spellin haes gotten tae be ae free-fur-aw, wi the tradeetional model bemeanit, an nae populair replacement" leadin til mair speelin variation, nae less.
Maist consonants is fer ordinair soondit sic n sae as en Inglis bit:
Fer ae histereecal luikower see the Phonologeecal histerie o Scots.
The vouel seestem o Scots (in IPA):[19]
| 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 |
| cuttie /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/ |
En Scots, vouel length is fer ordinair condeetiont bi the Scots Vouel Lenth Rule. Wirds that differ jist ae bittie en soondin fae Scots Ingils is fer ordinair spelt aes en Ingils. Ither wirds micht be spelt the same wa bit differ en soondin, fer ensaumple: aunt, swap, want n wash wi /a/, bull, full v. n pull wi /ʌ/, bind, find n wind v., etc. wi /ɪ/.
The is bruikit afore the names o saisons, days o the week, monie nouns, illnesses, tredds, occupations, sciences n acadeemic subjeks. It's aften bruikit in stead o the indefinit airtikil n instad o a possesseev pronoun n aw: the hairst, the Wadensday, awa til the kirk, the nou, the dei, the haingles, the Laitin, The deuk ett the bit breid, the wife etc.
Nouns fer ordinair eiks –(e)s fer the plural bit some irraigulair plurals kith: ee/een, cauf/caur, horse/horse, cou/kye, shae/shuin. Nouns o meisur an quantitie byds the same en the plural fower fit, twa mile, five pund, three hunnerwecht. Raigular plurals incluid laifs, leafs, shelfs n wifes, etc.
Dimeenuteeves wi –ie, burnie (wee burn), feardie/feartie, gamie, kiltie, postie, wifie, rhodie, an wi ock, bittock, playock, sourock n Northren –ag, bairnag (wee bairn), Cheordag, -ockie, hooseockie, wifeockie, baith is influenced bi the Scots Gaelic dimeenuteeve -ag.
The modal verbs mey, ocht tae, an sall isna aften bruikit in Scots n this is histereec, bit is whiles still fand in anglifie'd leeterair Scots. Can, shid, n will/wul is the prefer'd Scots maks. Scots employs doobel modal maks He'll no can cum the day, A micht cud cum the morn, A uised tae cud dae hit, but no nou.
The praisent tense o verbs ends en –s en aw persons n nummers cept whan a singil personal pronoun is nex til 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 bit Five o thaim's cummin, The lassies? Thay'v went bit Ma brakes haes went. Thaim that cums first is ser'd first. The trees growes green en the simmer.
Wis micht can tak the steid o war, but na widdershins: Ye were/wis thaur.
The raigulair past form 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 kenspeakle maks greet/grat/grutten, fesh/fuish/fuishen, lauch/leuch/lauchen, gae/gaed/gane, gie/gied/gien, pit/pat/pitten, git/gat/gotten.
Scots aften haes tha wird order He turnt oot tha licht an na He turnt tha licht oot an Gie me hit an na Gie hit til 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 aen adverb or adverb phrases o motion Ah'm awa til ma bed, That's me awa hame, Ah'll intil tha hoose an see him.
Partecipils gaes til tha end o tha clause mair aften nor in Inglis whaur chynge o state is impleid (pairtéculair in Ulster): He's awfu auld gettin, Ah hae ma siller chynged.
Ordinal nummers ends wi –t seicont, fowert, fift, saxt etc. first, Thrid/third.
Adverbs fer ordinair taks the same mak aes the verb ruit or adjecteeve specialie efter verbs. Haein ae 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, fit weys.
Verbless subordinate clauses is brocht en wi, n pittin ower surpreese or skunner She haed tae walk the hale length o the road n her sieven month pregnant, He telt me tae rin n me wi ma sair leg.
Negation is pitten ower bi bruikin the adverb na, en the North Eist nae, as in Ah'm na cummin, or bi bruikin the suffix –na (soondin lippens oan byleid), aes in "A dinnae ken", Thay canna cum n We coudna hae telt him. The uiss wi na is fer ordinair taen foreby –na wi contractabil auxiliair verbs lyk –ll fer will, or en ay nae speirins wi onie auxiliair He'll na cum n Did he na cum?
The reelateeve pronoon is that ('at is anither mak borraed fae the Norse bit hit can cum aboot bi contraction) fer aw persons n nummers, bit micht be drappit Thaur's na monie fowk (that) byds en that glen. The anglifie'd maks wha, wham, whase, n the auld-farrant whilk is j ist leeterair pensfuness; whilk is alanerlie bruikit eftir ae statement He said he'd tint hit, whilk wis na whit we wantit tae hear. The possesseeve cums aboot bi eikin 's or bi bruikin aen appropriate pronoon The wifie that's hoose gat burnt, the wumman that her dochter gat mairit; the men that thair boat wis tint.
The thrid adjecteeve/adverb yon/yonder, thon/thonder pynts oot sommit that's faur fae the speaker n the leestener, D'ye see yon/thon hoose ower yonder/thonder? The plurals o this n that is thae n thir. Northren byleids taks this n that fer the plural ava.
Scots haes monie hamelt leids, or byleids. Thir include;
