On this page, you can find out more about:
Languages and dialects
The three dominant languages of Scotland today are Scottish Gaelic, (Lowland) Scots and English.
Scottish Gaelic
The Celts came to Britain from Europe. They brought the Goidelic languages (see UK Language Tree) with them. They first arrived in Ireland (where there was virtually no Roman presence). The Celtic tribe known as the 'Scotti' then moved from Northern Ireland in the 4th/5th century AD to establish the kingdom of Dalriada in Argyll, on the west coast of Scotland. This move saw the Scottish Gaelic language introduced to Scotland for the first time. That language replaced the Pictish, Old Norse and Cumbric languages probably spoken in Scotland at the time.
Scottish Gaelic was then the most prominent of the national languages for centuries, as evidenced by place names that still exist today. Scottish Gaelic began to decline in mainland Scotland from the beginning of the 13th century, and is now largely restricted to the West of Scotland. It is still spoken in parts of the Scottish Highlands, the Hebrides and in Scottish cities by some communities.
In 1891, 5.2% of Scotland’s four million people spoke Scottish Gaelic. The 1991 UK census reported that only 1.4% of Scotland’s five million people spoke Scottish Gaelic. The figure fell to 1.2% in 2001. To date, attempts at reviving Scottish Gaelic have met with only limited success. The main stronghold of the language continues to be the Outer Hebrides (Na h-Eileanan Siar), where the overall proportion of speakers remains at 61.1%.
(Lowland) Scots
King David I ruled Scotland 1124-1153. During his youth, he was exiled to England, and well may have been a dependent of King Henry I of England’s court. Henry was the son of the Norman invader, William the Conqueror. David was strongly influenced by this upbringing, for he introduced 'burghs' (a type of fortified Norman town) to Scotland once he was king – it was these burghs that also helped spread the early, northern version of Middle English (sometimes known as 'Early Scots') that was the language of his court.
From the time of its beginnings then, Early Scots was the language of prestige in most of eastern Scotland. By the 16th century, linguistic and literary norms were introduced and Middle Scots was established independently of Middle English, even though the two languages shared common roots in that early, northern version of Middle English mentioned previously.
The UK government now accepts (Modern) Scots as a regional language and has recognised it as such under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. There is ample evidence that even before the Acts of Union in 1707, when Scotland and England joined to form the Kingdom of Great Britain, Scots was widely held to be an independent language. It is estimated that Scots (including its various dialects) is spoken by about half of Scotland’s population – mainly the people in the south and east of the country.
Robert Burns (1759–1796), also known as Rabbie Burns, is famous for the poetry he wrote in the Scots language. He is widely regarded as the national poet of Scotland, and is celebrated worldwide on Burns Night (25th January).
Scottish English
Scottish English can be considered a dialect of the English language. It can also be understood as a mix of Scots and English, for Scots and English have a shared root in the early northern version of Middle English that was spoken in the 12th century.
A large majority of speakers of Scots also speak Scottish English. Some speakers swap between Scots and Scottish English depending on the formality of the situation or topic under discussion. Scots tends to be used for the less formal, and Scottish English for the more formal.
Because Scottish English exists on the continuum between Scots and English, it has a range of accents up and down the spectrum. Broader or guttural accents tend to be closer to Scots whereas softer or clipped accents closer to English.
Like any dialect, Scottish English has some unique words, phrases and grammatical styles compared to English. Examples include:
- The use of ‘wee’ instead of ‘small’, ‘lass’ instead of girl’ and ‘oxter’ instead of ‘armpit’
- The use of ‘How?’ instead of ‘Why?’ e.g. ‘Why not?’ becomes ‘How not?’
- The use of ‘Amn’t I?’ instead of ‘Am I not?’
- The use of ‘will’ in a question rather than ‘shall’ e.g. ‘Shall we go?’ becomes ‘Will we go?’
- The use of the future continuous tense for a suggestion e.g. ‘I assume you’d like a drink’ or ‘Would you like a drink?’ become ‘You’ll be wanting a drink’.
National identity and culture
Scotland is a country with a unique culture, national costume, set of customs, arts scene, industrial profile and history. The richness of the Scottish culture cannot be done justice in this limited space, but some of the more unique aspects of the culture can be touched upon here.
Patron saint
The patron saint of Scotland is St Andrew. His feast day is 30 November. Andrew, a fisherman, was chosen to be the first disciple of Jesus. He preached the Gospel in the lands around the Black Sea and in Greece, and was eventually crucified on an X-shaped cross, called a saltire, in Patras. That saltire is shown on the Scottish flag today.
Three hundred years after St Andrew’s death, a monk called St Rule had a dream in which an angel told him to take Andrew’s bones to 'the ends of the earth' for safe-keeping. After an epic journey, St Rule was shipwrecked on the east coast of Scotland, where the city of St Andrews stands today.
Over a millennium later, St Rule's Tower still stands among the ruins of St Andrew's Cathedral, which – in its heyday – was a great centre of Medieval pilgrimage. However, it was only after Robert the Bruce's famous victory at the Battle of Bannockburn in 1314 that St Andrew was officially named patron saint of Scotland.
Politics and history
The recorded history of Scotland begins with the arrival of the Roman Empire in Britain, when the Romans occupied what is now broadly England, Wales and the Scottish Lowlands. To the north of the Scottish Lowlands was territory not governed by the Romans, which they called Caledonia. Its people were the Picts.
Because of its geography, Scotland has always traded by sea and had close links with the Baltic countries, Ireland, France and the continent of Europe. Following the Act of Union in 1707, which united Scotland with England into the Kingdom of Great Britain, and the subsequent Scottish Enlightenment and Industrial Revolution, Scotland became one of the commercial, intellectual and industrial powerhouses of Europe. It saw something of an industrial decline after the Second World War, but in recent decades has enjoyed a cultural and economic renaissance, particularly with the establishment of its devolved parliament in Edinburgh in 1999.
The Acts of Union in 1707 were largely economically motivated (particularly benefiting England) and therefore allowed Scotland to keep its own educational and legal systems. Scotland also kept its own church. The Devolution process saw Scotland take on the functions of local governance in 1999, and many believe that full independence for Scotland cannot be many years away.
Ideas, invention and industry
The Scottish Enlightenment was the period in 18th century Scotland characterised by an outpouring of intellectual and scientific accomplishments. By 1750, Scots were among the most literate citizens of Europe, with an estimated 75% level of literacy.
The nation was responsible for world advances in philosophy, economics, engineering, architecture, medicine, geology, archaeology, law, agriculture, chemistry, and sociology. For example, the Scottish economist Adam Smith, with his publication of An Inquiry into the Nature and Causes of the Wealth of Nations in 1777, is credited with creating free market economics. Scotland is still one of the world’s leaders in financial services.
This era of course fed into the invention of the Industrial Revolution in Scotland. The Scottish mathematician James Clerk Maxwell created the first true colour photo in 1861 and espoused his electromagnet theory in 1864, paving the way for radio. The Scottish scientist Alexander Graham Bell invented telephone 1875-76. And the Scottish engineer John Logie Baird invented television in 1926.
Entertainment
Scotland has a rich tradition of native sports. Scotland, and specifically St Andrews, is considered the home of golf for the world. The country is also credited with originating the sport of curling. Lastly, the Highland Games take place every year and include feats of strength – such as tossing the caber – and demonstrations of Highland dancing.
Scotland also has several unique traditions in terms of dance and music. The Highland Fling is one of the oldest of the traditional Highland dances. Returning from a victorious battle, male warriors would perform the dance in celebration of their success. It was performed on a small round shield, called a targe. Most targes had a sharp spike of steel projecting from the center, so the dancers (wearing a standard kilt) learned to move with skill and dexterity to avoid injuring themselves. This dance is now performed at dance competitions and events around the world. It is no longer danced on a shield, but it is still the goal of the dancer to stay in the same spot throughout the dance. Another famous dance is the Scottish sword dance.
When it comes to music, the bagpipes are world famous, but so are a considerable number of modern Scottish bands. Music, as well as theatre, film, comedy and other arts are all celebrated annually in August in Edinburgh. The Edinburgh International Festival and Edinburgh Fringe Festival are just two of the many that take place there, drawing in huge crowds from around the world.
Geography
The dramatic, brooding landscape of Scotland is famous. A castle by the side of a loch, towering snow-capped mountains, remote glens where only giant stags roam, the majesty of the untamed North Sea… all these images have become synonymous with the country. It is a land of legend and myth as well. The remains of ancient peoples are commonly found. And something stirs in Loch Ness, they say.
Cuisine
Scotland is famous for such traditional fare as haggis, 'neeps and tatties' (swede and potato), salmon, venison, Aberdeen Angus beef, bannocks (flat breads), porridge, shortbread and the inevitable whisky. Such a robust diet might be necessary for the cold climes of a northern hemisphere country, but Scotland has the highest rate of heart disease in the world.
- Here on TeachingEnglish you can listen to an interview with someone from Scotland, and follow a related lesson plan
http://www.teachingenglish.org.uk/try/lesson-plans/what-do-you-know-about-scotland
- Lessons and activities to help you learn Scottish Gaelic
http://www.bbc.co.uk/scotland/learning/?tab=gaelic
- Materials and activities to help you learn (Lowland) Scots
- Listen to some Scottish English
Coming soon!
- Some intercultural teaching activities
Activity 1:
One of the negative stereotypes English people have of Scottish people is that they are “tight” i.e. they are obsessed with money and don’t like spending it. Looking at the history of Scotland, where do you think this stereotype might come from? Do you think Scottish people might have any negative stereotypes of English people? Why?
Activity 2:
Consider your own country. Do you have negative stereotypes of other countries? What historical reasons do you think may have helped create these stereotypes?
Activity 3:
Have a discussion with your students about whether there is ever a good reason to generalise about a group of people, a culture or another country. Are stereotypes ever accurate? In order to help the students prepare for the discussion, you may want to put them in groups to come up with a list of positives and a list of negatives concerning stereotyping. You may then want to ask certain groups to argue for the banning of stereotyping, while other groups argue against the banning.
Activity 4:
After the debate in task C, you can ask your students to work in groups to draw up a set of laws for a country concerning stereotyping, racism and sexism.
- British Council in Scotland
http://www.britishcouncil.org/scotland.htm
- Information about visiting Scotland
http://www.visitscotland.com/ 
Check out further lesson plans from our series based on interviews with people from around the UK. You can download worksheets and the audio.
Go to lesson plans
Log in or register
Follow TeachingEnglish
 |
 |
 |
 |
