The distinctiveness of Scots
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J. Derrick McClure
Abstract
The speech-forms in use at the extreme ends of the Anglo-Saxon dialect continuum eventually acquired the status of national languages in the kingdoms of Scotland and England; and though the Scottish form lost this status in the aftermath of the Union of the Crowns, the substantial differences which still existed between spoken Scots and English were often reflected, albeit crudely and unsystematically, in texts purporting to represent Scottish speech. Later, the differences came to be examined in a more careful and scholarly fashion. Though Scots was never a fully autonomous form, it has been recognised from at least the sixteenth century as integral to Scotland’s cultural identity.
Abstract
The speech-forms in use at the extreme ends of the Anglo-Saxon dialect continuum eventually acquired the status of national languages in the kingdoms of Scotland and England; and though the Scottish form lost this status in the aftermath of the Union of the Crowns, the substantial differences which still existed between spoken Scots and English were often reflected, albeit crudely and unsystematically, in texts purporting to represent Scottish speech. Later, the differences came to be examined in a more careful and scholarly fashion. Though Scots was never a fully autonomous form, it has been recognised from at least the sixteenth century as integral to Scotland’s cultural identity.
Chapters in this book
- Prelim pages i
- Table of contents v
- Preface vii
- List of contributors ix
- Linguistic evaluation of earlier texts 1
- Non-standard language in earlier English 15
- Assessing non-standard writing in lexicography 43
- Northern English in Writing 61
- Southern English in writing 81
- The distinctiveness of Scots 99
- Irish English in early modern drama 121
- ‘ [H]ushed and lulled full chimes for pushed and pulled ’ 139
- Dialect literature and English in the USA 163
- Written sources for Canadian English 197
- Earlier Caribbean English and Creole in writing 223
- Earliest St Helenian English in writing 245
- An abundant harvest to the philologer’? 263
- A peculiar language’ 295
- Describing and complaining 349
- Feature index 365
- Name index 367
- Subject index 371
Chapters in this book
- Prelim pages i
- Table of contents v
- Preface vii
- List of contributors ix
- Linguistic evaluation of earlier texts 1
- Non-standard language in earlier English 15
- Assessing non-standard writing in lexicography 43
- Northern English in Writing 61
- Southern English in writing 81
- The distinctiveness of Scots 99
- Irish English in early modern drama 121
- ‘ [H]ushed and lulled full chimes for pushed and pulled ’ 139
- Dialect literature and English in the USA 163
- Written sources for Canadian English 197
- Earlier Caribbean English and Creole in writing 223
- Earliest St Helenian English in writing 245
- An abundant harvest to the philologer’? 263
- A peculiar language’ 295
- Describing and complaining 349
- Feature index 365
- Name index 367
- Subject index 371
