Comments on: Speaking Scots

By: Sylvia Wright

Sylvia Wright — Wed, 23 Nov 2011 18:49:20 +0000

Glaikit’ is a fabulous word, when I hear him I can just imagine a glaiket type standing in front of me.
I have been away from Scotland and live abroad for over thirty years, and i still have very strong accent. When people ask me to speak in English, they just look at me as if I am speaking another language.

By: Choices choices… « Second Hand Shopper

Choices choices… « Second Hand Shopper — Wed, 12 Jan 2011 18:25:22 +0000

[...] broke down and sobbed, gut-wrenching, choking – as my Scots friend Vikki would say, “greetin’ ma eyes out“! I did stop for a chapter or so as I was plummetted back to the battlefields of the First [...]

By: kaykay

kaykay — Tue, 09 Nov 2010 16:38:26 +0000

I’m writing a research paper about Scotland and this helped me a lot with the different language then in the united states!
thanks alot!

By: A Craw

A Craw — Thu, 14 Oct 2010 18:19:24 +0000

There seems to be a mix up of terms here. Some of the language you’re talking about is Scots which is not Scottish Standard English.

There is a difference!

Nowadays though there are few, if any, people who only speak Scots. It’s more like a mixture of the two languages that runs closer to one or the other (usually SSE spoken with elements of Scots). Both have been diluted to some degree by the other.

It was only when the ruling elite decided Scots was a ‘language of the peasants’ that English became more common and evolved in Scotland as Scottish Standard English. That notion, and it’s integration into the minds of the population and establishment, is the reason why a lot of us were told to “speak properly” in the classroom.

By: Phil

Phil — Thu, 28 Jan 2010 22:58:39 +0000

Very interesting. It’s weird, you know, I’ve lived in Scotland for the best part of 20 years and I’ve never lost my south of England accent. I do, though, tend to use Scots vocabulary. I must sound very strange saying, “I ken what ye mean, I was pure scunnered and all” in my Dorset brogue.

By: Identifying words « Second Hand Shopper

Identifying words « Second Hand Shopper — Mon, 25 Jan 2010 14:15:28 +0000

[...] Vikki commented in her guest post on Scottish-English, there are some words that just relay their specific meaning so much better than any translation. [...]

By: Vikki

Vikki — Fri, 22 Jan 2010 13:43:33 +0000

Kay – Interesting that your use is the total opposite of how it’s used in Scotland!

Joe – I’ve never heard of shoodery. It’s lovely though. I always called it a high shoulder, which I think is the standard term (?)

I love oxter as well. My mum taught me to sing (to the verse melody of Magic Moments) “I’ll never forget the smell of your sweat from under your oxters” And if you sing it in a genteel way it causes guffaws galore when you’re wee!

By: Joe

Joe — Fri, 22 Jan 2010 11:05:29 +0000

Hmmm a collie buckie’s a new one on me but it comes up a lot on Google. I’d call it a coaxy. I can’t imagine where either might come from.

When my dad used to put me on his shoulders it would be called a “shoodery” – “Da, gonny geez a shoodery?”

Is your armpit your “oaxter”? I’d like to find out if any of these words (not “shooder”, obviously) have roots in Gaelic. I’m off to find a Gaelic dictionary…

By: Kay

Kay — Thu, 21 Jan 2010 20:00:46 +0000

Vikki, We used to use clarty as in “are you going to a clarty party” when we were getting dressed up to go out. That is from the north east of England. My students sometimes find my accent, not that I think I have much of a one, a bit of a puzzle.

By: Vikki

Vikki — Thu, 21 Jan 2010 13:42:46 +0000

Haha! Yes, Joe, it would’ve been quite an effort if you had! Apologies for misreading…

I’d like to know about a particular word too. I think it’s east coast, but I’ve had loads pf people from the east coast know nothing about it when I’ve said it, and that’s the term Collie Buckie for a piggyback ride. I have never said piggyback in my life, but lately, I’ve been getting a lot of raised eyebrows when I say collie buckie. Does anyone know where it came from?