A History of the Scots Language

Abstract

This book provides both a sociolinguistic and a linguistic history of the Scots language, spoken both in Scotland and Ulster. It provides this material in two ways, reflecting both the historical, political, and economic forces which affected the status and use of Scots and the linguistic developments through which, like all languages, Scots has passed. Chapters 1 and 2 act as introductions, the first attempting to provide an analysis of what Scots is, in particular in relation to Standard English. The second chapter discusses the Indo-European background of Scots, while also discussing the linguistic ecology of what is now Scotland before Anglian dialects were introduced in the post-Roman period. Chapters 3 and 4 describe the sociolinguistic factors which have influenced the development of the language. Chapter 3 discusses the ‘rise’ of the language to being the de facto official language of Scotland; Chapter 4 considers its ‘fall’, analysing the social, economic, and political forces which led to its dialectalization under English. The formation of Scottish Standard English is also discussed in depth. Chapters 5, 6, and 7 analyse system-internal change in, respectively, the phonological, morphosyntactic, and lexical systems of Scotland. While a coherent narrative is maintained throughout, dialect-based development and change is given prominence. Chapter 8 provides a brief summary of what has been covered in the book, while at the same time suggesting future research projects which might prove productive.