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6 - Scots and Scottish Standard English

from Part I - English

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  17 October 2024

By
Jennifer Smith ,
Jane Stuart-Smith ,
Rachel Macdonald  and
E Jamieson
Edited by
Susan Fox
Susan Fox
Affiliation:
Universität Bern, Switzerland
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Summary

In this chapter we examine a number of present-day varieties of Scots and Scottish Standard English (SSE). We begin by describing the Scots–SSE continuum, with its roots in earlier socio-cultural developments. We then turn to the present day, examining the attitudes towards different varieties of Scots across geographic and social dimensions. The main part of the chapter focuses on recent research on the many varieties of Scots, providing a detailed picture of the phonological and morphosyntactic forms found therein. In terms of phonology, Scots and SSE overlap, but remain divergent, especially given a number of phonological changes in Scots over the twentieth century, and continued Scots regional variation. The analysis of morphosyntax shows a core of forms shared across most varieties, including SSE, and these are largely stable. A number of other ‘home-grown’ forms are increasing in use across Scotland. Overall, our analysis shows that Scots is maintaining its own distinctive pathway in the twenty-first century.

Keywords

ScotsScottish Standard EnglishScottish Englishphoneticsphonologymorphosyntaxlanguage attitudesvariation and change.
Type
Chapter
Information
Language in Britain and Ireland , pp. 151 - 177
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Print publication year: 2024

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