Here is a brief lexicon of some common words in the Scots language. The notion that Scots is a separate language from English frequently evokes howls of rage for all sorts of ignorant quarters. Whereas we calm linguists rarely get worked up about such things.
Look at that list below. Does that look like the English language? If someone came into your house and started talking to you using a lot of words like those, would you be able to understand them? How could you?
Obviously Scots and English are two separate languages. They split apart about 1500 for some reason. Anyone know why they might have split apart around that time? I do not.
a'thing everything ablo lowest adee wrong ae one ahint behind aiblins perhaps airselins backwards aisedom leisure anent about, concerning aneth beneath athort across atweesh between awfu bursting awgates always ay always ayont beyond bairnag little bairn child bann curse beard bread below lower ben in bide live birling spinning bittock little bit bosie hug bouat lantern boun ready bowk retch brae slope braw fine braw handsome brawlies splendidly breeks britches brulzie broil buiner upper buinmaist topmost bummer foggy burnie small burn stream byken wasps' nest cast drop caumie calm caur calves chap knock Cheordag Geordie chield fellow claik gossip cludgie toilet clum climbed cowp overturn cuit ankle darg work daunter saunter dicht wipe dous pigeons dowp, dock butt dree endure dreich dreary dunch push een eyes endweys straight ahead evyte avoid Fa? Who? fair very Fan? When? fauchelt tired fauch fallow Faur? Where? feartie coward fell kill feth faith filk? which? fillie long time Fit? What? fly cup of tea fon folly forenicht evening forenuin morning forfochten tired fowkgates culture fuishen fetched futrat weasel Fy Why? gaberlunzie a beggar gaed went gamie gamekeeper gate street gealt cold geylies pretty well girse grass gloamin early morning gnegum tricky nature grieve overseer gulsochs sweets, cream cakes, doughnuts, caramels haingles influenza hauflins partly hause neck heuch cliff hidlins secretly hooseockie small house hypothec shebang ilkagate everywhere ilkawey everywhere ingangin reception kent knew knapdarloch dung knots in wool around a sheep's bottom kye cows lavvy toilet ligaun dusk, day louns boys lown calm luif palm luitten let maistlins almost maunna mustn't maw seagull mayat meat, food Menzies Mackenzie muith sultry nether lower ngan onion onygate anyhow oo wool pad path piece food playock toy pooshun poison qoho for whom queans girls rax stretch raxt reached ream cream reive steal rhodie rhododendron ruise praise sark shirt scaith damage sheuch ditch skelpit smacked skelp smack sour rock sorrel spae foretell spate flood speir inquire speirt asked stank a drain steek shut stoursucker vacuum cleaner stroup spout sybae onion the hairst autumn the nou at the moment thir these thrang busy tint lost twaloors midday twalt twelfth weeoors twilight wey at times whit wey how wifeockie little woman wyte blame yett gate
