2 - What is Scottish Identity?

Summary

Here's tae us; wha's like us?

Gey few and they're aw deid.

The words of that old Scottish toast can perhaps be seen as arrogant self-congratulation, particularly by those who are not Scots, but it does capture an important ingredient of Scottishness – the sense of being part of a distinctive and exclusive group. This chapter deals with the question of identity, and in particular with notions of Scottish national identity. What are the components of such an identity, and how is it constructed and/or maintained? Is it a static phenomenon, or is it a dynamic, constantly evolving entity, open to modification and reformulation? Many linguists (for example Edwards 1985; Le Page and Tabouret-Keller 1985; Joseph 2004) have argued that there is a link between language and identity, and this chapter investigates the symbolic functions of language and asks what part it might play in an ongoing construction and/or maintenance of Scottishness and Scottish national identity.

What Constitutes Identity?

Identity is both a complex and a fascinating phenomenon. At a basic level, identity is about who we are, and who and what we identify with. However, identity is also about who we want to be, and how we wish to be seen by others.

Joseph (2004: 3–5) distinguishes between individual (or ‘personal’) identities and group identities, claiming that ‘your’ ‘deep’ ‘personal identity is made up in part of the various group identities to which you stake a claim’.