Scotticism
Encyclopedia
A Scotticism is a phrase or word which is characteristic of dialect
s of Scots
. An archetypal example is "Och aye the noo", which translates as, "Oh yes, just now". This phrase is often used in parody by non-Scots and although the phrases "Och aye" and "the noo" are in common use by Scots separately, they are rarely used together. Other phrases of this sort include:
During the Scottish Enlightenment
, many leading figures, particularly David Hume
, strove to excise Scotticisms from their writing, in an attempt to make their work more appealing to an English, and wider European, audience.
Dialect
The term dialect is used in two distinct ways, even by linguists. One usage refers to a variety of a language that is a characteristic of a particular group of the language's speakers. The term is applied most often to regional speech patterns, but a dialect may also be defined by other factors,...
s of Scots
Scots language
Scots is the Germanic language variety spoken in Lowland Scotland and parts of Ulster . It is sometimes called Lowland Scots to distinguish it from Scottish Gaelic, the Celtic language variety spoken in most of the western Highlands and in the Hebrides.Since there are no universally accepted...
. An archetypal example is "Och aye the noo", which translates as, "Oh yes, just now". This phrase is often used in parody by non-Scots and although the phrases "Och aye" and "the noo" are in common use by Scots separately, they are rarely used together. Other phrases of this sort include:
- Braw, bricht, moonlicht nicht
- Hoots monHoots mon"Hoots Mon" is a song written by Harry Robinson and performed by Lord Rockingham's XI. It was a number-one hit single for three weeks in 1958 on the UK Singles Chart...
the noo - Lang may yer lum reek
During the Scottish Enlightenment
Scottish Enlightenment
The Scottish Enlightenment was the period in 18th century Scotland characterised by an outpouring of intellectual and scientific accomplishments. By 1750, Scots were among the most literate citizens of Europe, with an estimated 75% level of literacy...
, many leading figures, particularly David Hume
David Hume
David Hume was a Scottish philosopher, historian, economist, and essayist, known especially for his philosophical empiricism and skepticism. He was one of the most important figures in the history of Western philosophy and the Scottish Enlightenment...
, strove to excise Scotticisms from their writing, in an attempt to make their work more appealing to an English, and wider European, audience.
See also
- Anti-Scottish sentimentAnti-Scottish sentimentAnti-Scottish sentiment is disdain, envy, fear or hatred for Scotland, the Scots or Scottish culture. It may be referred to as Scotophobia...
- Dictionary of the Scots LanguageDictionary of the Scots LanguageThe Dictionary of the Scots Language is an online Scots-English dictionary, now run by Scottish Language Dictionaries Ltd, a charity and limited company...
- DoricDoric dialect (Scotland)Doric, the popular name for Mid Northern Scots or Northeast Scots, refers to the dialects of Scots spoken in the northeast of Scotland.-Nomenclature:...
- LallansLallansLallans , a variant of the Modern Scots word lawlands meaning the lowlands of Scotland, was also traditionally used to refer to the Scots language as a whole...
- Languages in the United KingdomLanguages in the United KingdomThe de facto official language of the United Kingdom is English, which is spoken as the primary language of 95% of the UK population. Welsh is the second most spoken language in the United Kingdom.-Living:...
- Phonological history of the Scots languagePhonological history of the Scots languageThis is a presentation of the phonological history of the Scots language.Scots has its origins in Old English via early Northern Middle English; though loanwords from Old Norse and Romance sources are common, especially from ecclesiastical and legal Latin, Anglo-Norman and Middle French borrowings...
- Scottish Corpus of Texts and SpeechScottish Corpus of Texts and SpeechThe Scottish Corpus of Texts & Speech is an ongoing project to build a corpus of modern-day written and spoken texts in Scottish English and varieties of Scots. SCOTS has been available online since November 2004, and can be freely searched and browsed...
- Scottish EnglishScottish EnglishScottish English refers to the varieties of English spoken in Scotland. It may or may not be considered distinct from the Scots language. It is always considered distinct from Scottish Gaelic, a Celtic language....