Scots leid
Frae Wikipedia
| Lawland Scots | |
|---|---|
| Spoken in: | |
| Total spaekers: | 1.5 million (Scotland); 30,000 (Ireland) |
| Genetic classification: |
Indo-European |
| Leid codes | |
| ISO 639-2 | sco |
| ISO 639-3 | sco |
Scots (or "Lallans" a poetic spellin for lawlands) is a Germanic leid that's spak in the Scots lawlands, Northren Isles an in Northren Ireland an the Republic o Ireland (whaur it's kent as "Ullans" in offeecal circles, but by ordinar fowks as "Scotch" or "Scots"). In maist airts, it's spak alangside the Scots Gaelic an Inglis leids.
Up tae the 15t century Scottis (modren form Scots) wis the name o Gaelic the Celtic leid o the auncient Scots, inbrocht fae Ireland aboot 500 AD). Thaim that spaeks Scots cried Gaelic Erse (meanin Irish). The Gaelic o Scotland is nou maistlie cried Scots Gaelic an is yit spoken by some in the wastren Hielands an islands. For the maist pairt Scots comes fae the Northumbrian kin o Anglo-Saxon (Auld Inglis), tho wi influence fae Norse by the wey o the Vikings, Dutch an Laich Saxon throu troke wi, an incomers fae, the laich kintras, an Romance by the wey o kirk an legal Laitin, Anglo-Norman an syne Pairisian French acause o the Auld Alliance.
Anglian spaekers wis weel staiblisht in sooth-east Scotland by the 7t century. In the 13t century Norman landawners an their reteeners, spaekin Northumbrian Middle Inglis, wis invite tae come an settle by the Keeng. Scots kythed for the first time in leeterar form in the mids o the 14t century an didna differ muckle fae ither northren Inglis byleids. The Anglian leid o Scotland growed on its ain sinsyne. By the late 15t century the sicht fowk haed o the differs wi the leid spoken further sooth cam tae the fore an Scots spaekin Scots stairtit tae cry their leid Scots. Scots haes lend-wirds fae the fact at the Scots fowk haed contact wi Gaelic spaekers. Thir lend-wirds is for ordinar juist for geographical an cultural thingies, sic as clan an loch. Like ony leevin leid, Scot haes cheenged a bittie ower the years, tho it haes arguably stayed closer tae its Anglo-Saxon spring-heid nor Inglis. Monie Scots wirds haes become pairt o Inglis an aw: flit, greed, eerie, cuddle, clan, stob.
Table o contents |
[edit] Written Scots
Mony writers nou evites apostrophes whaur thay're thocht tae shaw letters that's "missin" fae English (the apologetic apostrophe). Sicna letters niver wis missin in Scots at aw. For example, in the twalt century, Barbour spelt the Scots cognate o taken as 'tane'. Haein been nae k in the wird for mair nor 700 year, shawin the want o't wi an apostrophe seems kin o pyntless. The modren spellin is for ordinar 'taen'. Vouel nummers is fae Aitken an the phonetics is in IPA.
[edit] Consonants
Maist consonants is for ordinar written like in English but:
- ch for /x/ no gh. Medial 'cht' micht be [ð] in the north. loch, nicht, dochter (daughter), dreich etc.
- ch for /tʃ/ at the stairt o a wird or efter 'r'. airch, mairch, etc.
- gn for ordinar /n/ but micht be /gn/ in the north.
- kn for ordinar /n/ but micht be /kn/ or /tn/ in the north. knap, knee, knowe etc.
- ng for /ŋ/.
- nch for /nʃ/ brainch, dunch etc.
- s or se for /s/ or /z/.
- t micht be a glottal stap atween vouels or at the end o a wird but isna shawn in writin. In Ulster a dental soondin micht kythe for this an d an aw.
- Ineetial 'th' in thing, think and thank etc. micht be /h/ but isna for ordinar shawn in writin.
- wh for /ʍ/, aulder /xʍ/. In the north this micht be /f/.
- wr for /wr/ mair aften /r/ but micht be /vr/ in the north. wrack, wrang, write, wrocht etc.
- z for /jɪ/ or /ŋ/ micht kythe in some wirds insteid o the aulder yoch (ʒ), e.g. brulzie (bruilyie), gaberlunzie an the name Menzies etc.
[edit] lown letters
- The wird final 'd' in nd an ld but thir's aften soondit in derived maks. auld, haund etc.
- 't' in medial cht ('ch' = /x/) an st, an afore final en. fochten, thristle an the 't' in aften etc.
- 't' in wird final ct an pt but aften soondit in derived maks. respect, accept etc.
[edit] Vouels
In Scots, vouel lenth is isna shawn in writin acause its for ordinar condeetiont bi the Scots vouel lenth rule.
- The unstressed vouel /ə/ micht be shawn bi ony vouel letter.
- Vouel 17 a, for ordinar /a/ but in sooth wast an Ulster dialects aften /ɑ/. Merk the final a in awa, twa an wha micht be /ɑ/ or /ɔ/ or /e/ lippnin on dialect.
- Vouel 12 au for ordinar at the stairt an in the middle o wirds an aw at the end o wirds, whiles aa an aw. Soondit /ɑː/ or /ɔː/ in Soothren, Central an Ulster dialects but /aː/ in Northren dialects. The cluster 'auld' micht be /ʌul/ in Ulster an aw. aw, cauld, braw, faw, snaw, etc.
- Vouels 4 an 8 ae, ai, a(consonant)e for ordinar /e(:)/. Aften /ɛ/ afore /r/. In Northren dialects the vouel in the cluster -'ane' is aften /i/. brae, saip, hale, ane, ance, bane etc.
- Vouel 3 ea, ei, ie for /iː/ or /eː/ lippnin on dialect. /ɛ/ micht kythe afore /r/. Ruit final this micht be /əi/ in Soothren dialects. In the faur north /əi/ micht kythe. deid, heid, meat, clear, speir, sea etc.
- Vouels 2 an 11 ee, e(consonant)e for ordinar /iː/ but ruit final (11) this micht be /əi/ in Soothren dialects. ee, een, steek, here, meenister etc.
- Vouel 16 e for ordinar /ɛ/. bed, het, yett etc.
- The affcome vouel 7 afore /k/ an /x/ eu for ordinar /(j)u/ or /(j)ʌ/ lippnin on dialect. Whiles wrangously written 'oo', 'u(consonant)e', 'u' or 'ui'. beuk, ceuk, eneuch, leuk, teuk etc.
- Vouel 14 ew for /ju/. In Northren dialects a ruit final 'ew' micht be /jʌu/. few, new etc.
- Vouel 15 i for ordinar /ɪ/ but aften varies atween /ɪ/ an /ʌ/ speicially efter 'w' an 'wh'. /æ/ kythes in Ulster afore vyceless consonants an aw. big, fit, wid, etc.
- Vouels 1, 8a an 10 i(consonant)e, y(consonant)e, ey for /əi/ or /aɪ/. 'ay' is for ordinar /e/ but /əi/ in ay an aye. In Dundee it's a merkit /ɛ/.
- Vouel 18 o for /ɔ/ but aften /o/ (Vouel 5).
- Vouel 5 oa for /o/.
- Vouel 13 ow, owe (ruit final), no aft ou, for /ʌu/. Afore 'k' vocalisation tae /o/ micht kythe specially in wastern an Ulster dialects. bowk, bowe, howe, knowe, cowp, yowe, etc.
- Vouel 6 ou, oo an u(consonant)e for /u/. Ruit final /ʌu/ micht kythe in Southren dialects. cou, broun, hoose, moose etc.
- Vouel 19 u for /ʌ/. but, cut etc.
- Vouel 7 ui, whiles auld-farrant u(consonant)e an wrangous oo for /ø/ in conservative dialects. In pairts o Fife, Dundee an north Antrim /e/. In Northren dialects for ordinar /i/ but /wi/ efter /g/ an /k/, an /u/ afore /r/ in some airts, e.g. fuird. Mid Doun an Donegal dialects haes /i/. In central an north Doun dialects /ɪ/ whan short an /e/ whan lang. buird, buit, cuit, fluir, guid, schuil etc. In central dialects uise v. an uiss n. is [jeːz] an [jɪs].
[edit] Some grammar featurs
[edit] The definite airticle
The is uised afore the names o saisons, days o the week, mony nouns, illnesses, tredds, occupations, sciences an academic subjects. It's aften uised insteid o the indefinite airticle an insteid o a possessive 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.
[edit] Nouns
Nouns for ordinar eiks –(e)s for the plural but some irraigular plurals kythes: ee/een, cauf/caur, horse/horse, cou/kye, shae/shuin. Nouns o meisur an quantity bides the same in the plural fower fit, twa mile, five pund, three hunderwecht. Raigular plurals includes laifs, leafs, shelfs an wifes, etc.
[edit] 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 bi the Scots Gaelic diminutive -ag.
[edit] Modal verbs
The modal verbs mey, ocht tae, and sall isna aften uised in Scots an thir's historic but is whiles still fund in anglifee'd leeterar Scots. Can, shoud, an will is the preferred Scots maks. Scots employs dooble modal maks He'll no can come the day, A micht coud come the morn, A uised tae coud dae it, but no nou.
[edit] Present tense o verbs
The present tense o verbs ends in –s in aw persons an nummers cept whan a single 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'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. The trees growes green in the simmer.
Wis micht can tak the steid o war, but no widdershins: You war/wis thare.
[edit] 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, scrieved, telt/tauld, dee'd. Some verbs haes kenspeckle maks greet/grat/grutten, fesh/fuish/fuishen, lauch/leuch/lauchen, gae/gaed/gane, gie/gied/gien, pit/pat/pitten, git/gat/gotten.
[edit] 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.
Participles gaes tae the end o the clause mair aften nor in Inglis whaur chynge o state is impleed (pairteecular in Ulster): He's awfu auld gettin, A hae ma siller chynged.
[edit] Ordinal nummers
Ordinal nummers ends wi –t seicont, fowert, fift, saxt etc. first, Thrid/third.
[edit] Adverbs
Adverbs for ordinar taks the same mak as the verb ruit or adjective speícially efter verbs. Haein a real guid day. She's gey fauchelt.
Adverbs is shaped wi –s, -lies, lins, gate(s) an wey(s) – whiles, mebbes, brawlies, geylies, aiblins, airselins, hauflins, hidlins, maistlins, awgates, ilkagate, onygate, ilkawey, onywey(s), endweys, whit wey.
[edit] Subordinate clauses
Verbless subordinate clauses is brocht in wi an pittin ower surpreese or scunner 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.
[edit] Negation
Negation is pitten ower bi uisin the adverb no, in the North East nae, as in A'm no comin, or bi uisin the suffix –na (soondin lippens on dialect), as in A dinna ken, Thay canna come, We coudna hae telt him an A hivna seen her. The uiss wi no is for ordinar taen forby –na wi contractable auxiliar verbs like –ll for will, or in ay nae quaistens wi ony auxiliar He'll no come an Did he no come?
[edit] Relative pronoun
The relative pronoun is that ('at is an anither mak borraed fae Norse but it can come aboot bi contraction) for aw persons an nummers, but micht be drappit Thare's no mony fowk (that) leeves in that glen. The anglifee'd maks wha, wham, whase, an the auld-farrant whilk is juist leeterar pensfuness; whilk is alanerly uised efter a statement He said he'd tint it, whilk wis no whit we wantit tae hear. The possessive comes aboot bi eikin 's or bi uisin 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 third adjective/adverb yon/yonder, thon/thonder pynts oot something that's faurer awa D'ye see yon/thon hoose ower yonder/thonder? The plurals o this an that is thae an thir. Northren dialects taks this an that for the plural an aw.
[edit] See forbye
[edit] 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 0080345301
- 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 0748615962
- 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 0748607544
- 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 0817307117
- McClure, J. Derrick (1997) Why Scots Matters. Edinburgh, Saltire Society. ISBN 0854110712
- Niven, Liz; Jackson, Robin (Eds.) (1998) The Scots Language: its place in education. Watergaw Publications. ISBN 0952997851
- 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 0781807794
- Scottish Language Dictionaries (1985) Concise Scots Dictionary . Edinburgh, Edinburgh University Press. ISBN 1902930010
- Scottish Language Dictionaries (1990) Scots Thesaurus. Edinburgh, Edinburgh University Press. ISBN 1902930037
- 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
[edit] 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 Schuils
- Scots at the Varsity
- Scottish words - illustrated
- Scottish Corpus of Texts & Speech - Multimedia corpus of Scots and Scottish English
