6. Introductory handsel

A Scots word and example sentence to learn:

  • Spurtle [Tip: hold Ctrl and click a link to open it in a new tab. (Hide tip)]
  • Definition: A short, round stick used for stirring porridge, soup, etc.
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    • Example sentence: “The meall is steired wi a spurtle tae mak parritch.”
    • English translation: “The oatmeal is stirred with a spurtle to make porridge.”

Please note: In Scots, meall always refers to oatmeal, as opposed to pease-meal or barley meal.

Activity 2

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Go to the Dictionary of the Scots Language for a full definition of the word

Related word:

  • Kail
  • Definition: Borecole, esp. the curly variety; by extension, a main meal or dinner.
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    • Example sentence: I hope, Sir Andrew, ye'll no objek to tak your kail wi' us.
    • English translation: I hope, Sir Andrew, you won’t object to taking your meal with us.

Please note: With Scotland’s relatively mild winters, kail was the staple vegetable, grown almost everywhere and used in broths as well as cooked in various other ways. As its main use was in soup, the word kail often referred to any kind of soup or even to a meal.

Activity 3

Click to hear the sentence above read by a Scots speaker.

You can then make your own recording and play it back to check your pronunciation.

You can record your response here, but this facility requires a free OU account. Sign in or register.
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Go to the Dictionary of the Scots Language for a full definition of the word

Arthur Melville ‘A Cabbage Garden’ (1878)

6.1 Traditional foods