Spotlight on Scotland

English Is Our Mother Tongue

Geography
Scotland, alongside England, Northern Ireland and Wales, forms part of the United Kingdom. It is situated on the island of Great Britain, bordering England to the north.

History
Scotland was an independent state until 1707, when it joined England to create Great Britain. Its legal system continues to be autonomous and among the many things that give Scotland a special identity are its autochthonous languages and its particular dialect of English.

Language
Scotland has three officially recognized languages: English, Scots (of Germanic origin) and Scottish Gaelic (of Celtic origin). Almost all Scots (Scottish people) speak Scottish Standard English. It is estimated that 30% of the population is fluent in the language Scots but Gaelic is spoken by only 1% of the population.

The spelling, grammar, and punctuation of Scottish English follow the norms of standard English. However, it has some distinctive characteristics, many of which have their origins in Scottish Gaelic and especially in Scots.

Scottish English speakers don’t employ as many vowel sounds as speakers with English accents. They don’t generally use the most common vowel sound in English, the “schwa” /ə /, like most other English speakers. The schwa is a very neutral, undefined sound, and the Scots seem to prefer purer vowel sounds.

Like the Irish, some northern English and North Americans, they pronounce the letter /r/ at the end of words or after vowels. Therefore, words like pores / pause would sound the same pronounced with a standard English accent, but with a Scottish accent they sound different.
 
Some common Scottish Words:
Wee: small, little
Bonnie: good, nice, pretty, beautiful
*Pinkie: little finger

*This word, like many others, is common in North America, due to the influence of Scottish and Irish English on that side of the Atlantic.

To hear examples of Scottish English:
http://web.ku.edu/idea/europe/scotland/scotland.htm

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