Q&A

Is the Scottish language older than English?

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Is the Scottish language older than English?

Where did it come from? Scots is descended from a form of Anglo-Saxon, brought to the south east of what is now Scotland around AD 600 by the Angles, one of the Germanic-speaking peoples who began to arrive in the British Isles in the fifth century. English is also descended from the language of these peoples.

When did Scots diverge from English?

Gradually the variety of Northern English spoken in Scotland began to diverge from the Northern English spoken in England, and the Scots language (although it wasn’t yet called Scots) emerged from the thirteenth century onwards: Older Scots, subdivided into Early Scots (up to around 1450) and Middle Scots (from around …

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When did the English language come to Scotland?

It remained largely confined to this area until the 13th century, continuing in common use while Scottish Gaelic was the court language until displaced by Norman French in the early 12th century. English then spread further into Scotland via the burgh .

Where is the Scottish language spoken in Ireland?

In Scotland, Scots is spoken in the Scottish Lowlands, the Northern Isles, Caithness, Arran and Campbeltown. In Ulster (Ireland) it is spoken in the Counties of Down, Antrim, Londonderry and Donegal. Dialects include Insular Scots, Northern Scots, Central Scots, Southern Scots and Ulster Scots.

What language did they speak in the Middle Ages in Scotland?

Middle Irish was the language of the Scottish court, and the common use of Old English remained largely confined to this area until the thirteenth century. The succeeding variety of early northern Middle English spoken in southeastern Scotland is also known as Early Scots.

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Is Scots a recognised language in the United Kingdom?

The UK government now accepts Scots as a regional language and has recognised it as such under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. Notwithstanding the UK government’s and the Scottish Executive’s obligations under part II of the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages,…