Scots

(an English translation)

Scots is a language which shares a common ancestry with English and a large amount vocabulary in common. Over the centuries it has developed separately from English and has evolved its own distinctive grammatical features, syntax and vocabulary.

By the 15th-century, Scots was the language of the State and was the principal language used by the Courts and Parliament. State records were kept in Scots and it was spoken by everyone in Scotland who did not speak Gaelic. There were local variations but the essential core of the language was the same.

From as early as the 15th century, Scots has provided a powerful medium for expression for writers and poets such as Robert Henryson (c1430-1506), Robert Burns (1759-1796), Sir Walter Scott (1771-1832), William Dunbar (c1465-1520), Robert Louis Stevenson (1850-1894), Lewis Grassic Gibbon (1901-1935) and Hugh MacDiarmid (1892-1978).

Scots lost its official status and much of its prestige because of a number of factors. These included the introduction of an English translation of the Bible, the removal of the Royal Court to London in 1603, and the Parliamentary Union of 1707. These factors contributed to perceptions of the language as an ‘inferior’ form of English.

This in turn influenced the way Scots were educated. Children were taught exclusively in English and many schools actively discouraged the use of Scots. In more recent times the widespread use of English in the broadcasting media has also added to the decline in the status of Scots.

Despite these pressures, Scots continues to flourish and adapt both as a spoken and a literary language. The beginning of the 21st century has seen a renewed confidence and interest in Scots, and there are strong indications of new levels of awareness and popularity.

Modern Scots expressions and forms of speech are common currency. It continues to be a robust vehicle in contemporary song, drama and literature. Scots was recently recognised by the European Union under the Universal Declaration of Linguistic Rights, which received official sanction by UNESCO in June 1996.