Unit 14: Scots and the history of Scotland

Introduction

In this unit you will learn about the relationship between the Scots language and the history of Scotland. An understanding of the past needs to include an awareness – though not necessarily a thorough knowledge – of the languages that people used in earlier times.

In Scotland, the main languages that have been used for the last 1,000 years include Gaelic, Scots, French, Latin and English. Many other languages have also been spoken by people living in Scotland throughout this period, including the present: for example, according to the 2011 census Scotland has about 54,000 speakers of Polish and 24,000 speakers of Urdu.

This unit is divided into six sections in which you will learn who used the Scots language and how Scots interacted with other languages during different historical periods. Historical events and stories associated with them often contain memorable Scots words and phrases. Some examples of these will be explored in this unit.

Important themes to take notes on throughout this unit:

• the status and use of Scots at different periods of history
• historical events which had an impact on the use of Scots
• narratives of historical events in which Scots is used in speech or in writing
• the use of Scots in oral history, fiction, legend and song.