3 - What is Scottish Language?

Summary

This chapter gives an overview of the complex linguistic situation in Scotland and links it to discussion of the language of the newspapers. It outlines how the linguistic situation that exists in present-day Scotland arose, and suggests various ways to make sense of the range of Scottish varieties encompassed by the superordinate term Scottish-English. A range of questions surrounds the status of Scottish-English varieties: whether they are best described as discrete languages in their own right or alternatively as dialects of English; the existence or absence of a Scottish standard variety; and status and register constraints. Also under discussion are issues such as how people in Scotland feel about the language they use, focusing particularly on their self-awareness, ambivalent attitudes and the frequently encountered linguistic insecurity. Finally, this chapter considers the relevance and implications of these factors for an analysis of Scottish newspaper texts.

As discussed briefly in Chapter 1, this study is concerned with those language varieties in Scotland I have collectively termed Scottish-English. Scottish-English is a localised form of British English, and, on a global scale, of World English. The varieties within Scottish-English (including the two key varieties Scots and Scottish Standard English) are characterised to varying degrees by the inclusion of Scots lexis and idiom, Scottish grammatical features (both syntactic and morphological), Scottish pronunciation, and, in the written mode, sometimes by distinctive orthography.