According to The National, Scots is “one of three native languages spoken in Scotland today” along with English and Scottish Gaelic. However, despite the ongoing debate as to whether or not Scots is a real language or just a dialect, it can be considered a settled matter as it has already been recognised by the UK government and Council of Europe.
Possibly, the issue arises as people conflate ‘Scottish English’ which includes well-loved Scottish words and unique Scottish sayings with Scots itself since these two see an overlap but are not quite the same thing.
If you’ve ever read the works of legendary Scottish poet Robert Burns then you’ll know well that Scots is indeed a language worlds away from formal English, and even though Burns Night has passed in 2023 it’s fun to practice languages regardless of special occasions.
Here are sixteen examples of the Scots language taken from street signs, newspapers, books and a variety of dialects all over Scotland (including Doric), how many can you translate?
5. Stairhead Rammy: Labour Faw Apairt Efter Blairites Get Their Jotters
This is a headline that came from The Independent in 2016, discussing the internal strife of the Labour Party at that time. It translates as “Neighbours at war: Labour fall apart after Blairites are sacked.” Photo: Kirsty O'Connor
6. Auld Reikie: wale o ilka town
Taken from Auld Reikie (1772) by Robert Fergusson, a man who captured the changing nature of Edinburgh through his writing. Edinburgh itself is known as “Auld Reikie” (old smoky) and the full sentence goes ‘Edinburgh: best of every town’. Photo: Submitted
7. Skiver - ah cannae be arsed w’ this - ah’m away fur a skive
Been studying all day? See yourself working harder than your coworkers and decide that enough is enough? Well, it’s time for a skive! Skiving is like ‘slacking off’ from a job. In this case the sentence translates to: ‘Slacker - I cannot be bothered with this - I’m going away to slack off’. Photo: Lawrence Edmondson via Pinterest
8. Ach, it’s a sair fecht
Taken from the popular Scottish comic ‘Oor Wullie’, this phrase means ‘oh, it’s a sore fight’ which is an expression considered to be the equivalent of ‘oh, it’s a hard life’. Photo: Submitted