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What exactly is Scots?
During your stay in, or visit to, Scotland, you will probably encounter a language called Scots. Scots is the traditional Germanic language of the Lowlands. It is the sister language of English in the same way that Dutch is the sister of German, Danish is the sister of Norwegian or Scottish Gaelic is the sister of Irish. Scots should not be confused with Scottish Gaelic which is a Celtic language. Visitors who have learned English and visit Scotland can be puzzled by the language they hear. This is because many Scottish people are, in fact, speaking in Scots or in a mixture of Scots and English. The poet Robert Burns (1759-1796) is perhaps the most famous writer of Scots who is known outside Scotland.

Thumbnail History
During the early Middle Ages a people called Angles from Denmark, who spoke a language called englisc (‘Angle-ish’ or Anglo-Saxon), the ancestor of both English and Scots, settled in England. This language developed independently in Scotland and became important at the Scottish royal court under King Robert II (1371-1390). By 1494 it was called ‘Scottis’ and was the official literary and written language of the kingdom, spoken by everyone from king to peasant. However, in 1603 James VI of Scotland also became king of England and the language lost royal support. Scots continued as a language of state until 1707 when Scotland and England were joined in a new political union called the United Kingdom of Great Britain. The language of England now became the language of officialdom and Scots was downgraded to the status of ‘provincial dialect’. The Scottish ruling classes later abandoned speaking Scots in order to fit in with their English-speaking counterparts who formed the majority of the new British elite. From the 19th century onwards Scots speakers were discouraged from using the language for administration and were even punished for speaking it within the schools. Scotland now began to be redefined as a ‘Celtic’ country, and Scots, being a Germanic language, was neglected. Because Scots has a close relationship to English it was often stigmatized incorrectly as ‘bad’ or ‘corrupt’ English. Since the 1970s various groups have campaigned to improve the status of the language and to secure support for its speakers.

Speakers and Status
Not everyone in Scotland speaks Scots. In 1996 the General Register Office for Scotland estimated 1.5 million speakers or 30% of the Scottish population, though the number of people who understand it is higher. There are FIVE main dialects of Scots – Insular (Orkney and Shetland islands), Northern, Central (the most widely spoken which includes Edinburgh and Glasgow), Southern, and Ulster (both Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland). The language is also known among its speakers by the alternative names ‘Doric’, ‘Lallans’ and ‘Scotch’ and is sometimes known by local dialect names such as ‘Glesca’ or ‘Shetland’. Scots is officially recognized as a minority language of Scotland, the UK and Europe under Part II of the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages ratified by the UK government on behalf of Scots in 2001.Because Scots was discouraged and restricted from official use, it is unlikely that a visitor will hear it used in an official situation, though the Scottish parliament allows speeches in the language and occasional academic papers are presented in Scots. In 2008 the Scottish Government commissioned an audit of Scots to explore ways in which institutional support might be established for the language, including a question on language ability in the 2011 census. For the vast majority of the Scots-speaking population, Scots remains mostly a spoken tongue used in informal situations.

How Scots can better your “Scottish Experience”
A basic knowledge of Scots can really benefit your trip to Scotland, whether it be reading and understanding the life and works of Burns or having a drink in a pub with the locals. You may even take some of the language away with you like some of the following:
 

Article thanks to The Scots Language Centre.