Scots
SCOTS LEID ASSOCIE
SCOTS LANGUAGE SOCIETY
1972-2022
Fifty Year o pittin forrad wir leid!
Fifty years of promoting our language
(Golden Anniversaire year!)
Scots Leid Associe Launches
Favourite Scots Wirds Poll an Flash Fiction Competition
21 April 2022
Sometimes fowk dinnae realise juist hou mony Scots wirds they or their faimly or friens yaise. Dae ye naiturally talk o gaun hame tae the hoose? Dae ye mind o yer granny or granda maskin the tea ben the scullery? Are ye scunnert wi a crabbit heid-bummer o a boss ye cannae thole? Then the Scots Leid Associe wants tae hear fae ye.
Tae celebrate the 50th anniversary this year o the foundin o the Scots Leid Associe, we are asking fowk tae:
- Tell us yer tap ten favourite Scots wirds that you an yer faimly an friens yaise.
- Yaise yer ten wirds alang wi some mair tae scrieve a cutty tale o nae mair nor 500 wirds on onie subject. This short form o scrievin is aften cried flash fiction.
- Ye dinnae hae tae be an expert an we encourage fowk wha hae nivver tried scrievin in Scots afore but aye fancied it tae hae a wee go!
- As wi aa leids, there is a wheen o different weys o speakin an spellin Scots so we dinnae want tae be ower-prescriptive. If ye're no sure aboot onie o yer wirds, ye can look them up in Dictionars o the Scots Leid Online:
and gin ye cannae find them, ask the friendly fowks at the Dictionars for advice at:
This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
(These are langer than 500 wirds but can still mibby gie ye some inspiration.)
- We will collate abody’s chices o tap ten wirds an publish a list o the tap 50 favourite Scots wirds in time for oor 50th anniversary collogue (on Seturday 11 June 2022).
- We will pick a winner o the flash fiction competition an twa rinners-up tae be announced at the collogue. The winner an rinners-up will get free entry tae oor collogue an free memmership o the associe for a year. For by, the winner will get a braw hardback copy o the Concise Scots Dictionary an the rinners-up will each get a copy o the Concise English – Scots Dictionary.
- TAE ENTER:
~ Ye maun be 16 years auld or mair tae enter this section o the competition. An unner-16s section o the competition will be announced later.
~ List yer ten wirds, efter checkin them as abuin, in a Word document or similar, follaed in the same document bi the teetle o yer cutty tale an then the up tae 500 wirds o the tale. The teetle disnae count towarts the 500 limit. Dinnae scrieve yer nemm on the ten wirds/cutty tale document, tae help wi anonymous judgin. Yaise a clear font, at least 12 point.
~ Scrieve a coverin e-mail message wi yer nemm and contact details an the teetle o yer cutty tale. Add yer wirds/cutty tale document as an attachment an send yer message tae:
This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
bi the deidline o12 noon on Seturday 28 May 2022.
~ Guid luck an hae some fun wi it!
Sangschaw 22 Winners:
Poesie
1st prize & Hugh MacDiarmid Tassie: Carrifran, Jamie Purves
Jynt 2nd prize: Bairns at the Castle, Donald Adamson; Bindin aff, castin on, Finola Scott
Ruisit: Hecht an Traivel Wi Me, Craig Aitchison; Typology o Dreich, David Bleiman; Birlcheen, Kevin Connelly; The Laddie That Poued Up A Tree, Robert Maxwell Duncan; A Windae o TVs, Alastair McLeish; rats, kaps an attercaps, Alan Millar; Ah'hin's Chynged, Elaine Morrison; Wull He?, Alun Robert; Hopin fir anither nicht, Lynn Valentine; Ae Gairden o Peace, George T. Watt
Cutty Tale
1st prize & Robert McLellan Tassie: Rawhide, Andy Matthews
2nd prize: Jamie Orr’s Bonnie Hobble UP Hame, Alan Millar
Ruisit: Dwam, Craig Aitchison; Wirds, Tony Beekman; The Pit Lassie, Robert Maxwell Duncan; MacKenzie, Jerry Randalls; See in the Bells, Maureen Sangster
Owersettin
1st prize & John MacPhail Law Tassie: Hertsang, Donald Adamson
2nd prize: Thoralfs drapa Skolmssonar, Colin Mackenzie
Ruisit: Thureth, Colin Mackenzie; The Vision, Ann MacKinnon; A Brag an a Bodeword, A Sloch in the Scog o the Sun, an Whaur Till?, Derrick McClure
Address fur Memmerships an awthin else
Membership Secretary
Scots Language Society
61 Cliffburn Road
Arbroath.
DD11 5BA
Lallans 99 wis issued in Novemmer 2021.
Gin ye are nae a memmer jyne noo fur a copy o oor latest magazine.
Walcom tae the online hame o the Scots Leid Associe which haes amang its objects tae forder an uphaud the Scots leid an tae gie a heize tae Scots leiterature an tradeitional music.
The Scots Leid Associe wis foondit in 1972 an aye ettles tae pit forrit a feckfu case for the Scots language in formal, informal and ilka day uiss. Scots wis aince the state language o Scotland (an still hiz mony legal rames ainly fun here) an is aye a grace til oor national leiterature. It lies at the hert o Scotland's heirskep as ane o wir three indigenous leids alang wi Gaelic an Scottish Inglis.
The Associe furthsets the bi-annual journal Lallans, a 124-page magazine o the best nui screivin in Scots, thare is nae ither journal 100% in Scots (free til Associe memmers). See Lallans. Oor Annual Collogue haes been addressed by kenspeckle writers, actors, journalists, musicians, televeision presenters, scholars an ithers. We haud competeitions tae attract baith adults an bairns tae try thair haun at scrievin in Scots. Scotsoun CDs can be ordered throu this wabsteid. See Scotsoun.
The Associe is a cherity registrate in Scotland CR 10286
English Translation
Welcome to the online home of the Scots Language Society, which has among its aims, to promote and uphold the Scots Language and to give a lift to Scots literature and traditional music
The Scots Language Society was founded in 1972 and always tries to put foward a forceful case for the Scots language in formal, informal and everyday use. Scots was once the state language of Scotland (and still has many legal terms unique to this country) and is always a grace to our national literature. It lies at the heart of Scotland's heritage as one of the our three indigenous languages along with Gaelic and Standard Scottish English.
The Society publishes the bi-annual journal Lallans, a 124-page magazine of the best new writing in Scots, there is no other journal 100% in Scots (free to Society memmers). See Lallans. Our Annual Conference has been addressed by well-known writers, actors, journalists, musicians, television presenters, scholars and others. We hold competitions to attract both adults and children to try their hand at writing in Scots. Scotsoun CDs can be ordered through this web site. See Scotsoun.
The Society is a charity registered in Scotland CR 10286
SCOTS LEID GLOSSARY
Ess is nae a fu list, ye can fin greit dictionars an thesauri on ess wab steids:
- Dictionars o the Scots Leid
- Scots Dictionar Fur Squeels Application
- Map o Scotland in Scots (Scots Language Centre)
- Historical Thesaurus of Scots
- Scots Tongue (by Ken Turner)
- 100 Key Words in Scots Dialects (Education Scotland)
- Lexilogos - bibliography o dictionars, beuks an idder eiks
Ahint – behind Airn – iron
Argie-bargie – dispute Auld – old
Auld Nick – Satan Awfy – awful, awfully
Ayeweys – always
Beelin – boiling (with suppressed anger) Bizzum – cheeky or ill-behaved woman
Blether – one who talks nonsense Bletheranskite – (same but more emphatic)
Boke – retch (gie ye the boke – make you sick) Brattle – uproar
Braw – fine, handsome (in dress or appearance) Breeks – trousers
Breenge – rush, charge Byde – live
Chancy – uncertain Clarty – dirty
Clout – bash Clype – tell tales
Crabbit – bad-tempered Cuddy – horse, (fig.) fool
Daft – foolish Dauner – wander
Deid – dead Deil – devil
Deive – deafen, exhaust Deleerit – crazy
Dominie – schoolmaster Doo – dove
Douce – decorous Dozent – sleepy
Drap – drop Dug – dog
Dwamm – daydream
Eejit – idiot Een – eyes
Erse – arse Ettle – try
Fankle – tangle, mix-up Fash – annoy, give trouble to
Feart – frightened Fecht – fight
Flee – fly Flit – move house
Funn – find
Fyke – ferret (out)
Gaberlunzie – beggar Gallus – brash, bold
Guan – going Gie – give
Gigot – leg of mutton Gled-rags – fancy clothes
Gonny – going to Gowd – gold
Gowp – throb Grunzie – snout
Guddle – state of confusion
Hale – whole Haly – holy
Hansell – gift Haud – hold
Havers – nonsense Herm – harm
Hertbrek – heartbreak Het-up – agitated
Houghmagandie – fornication Hunner – hundred
Huntigowk – April Fool joke Hure – whore
Ilka – each, every
Jackanory – story Jaggy – prickly
Jalouse – deduce Jildy - hurry
Jingbang – the entirety Ken – know
Kid-oan – joke Kinna – kind of
Lowp – jump Lug – ear
Luif – palm, open hand Maun – must
Mense – sense, wisdom Merrit – married
Micht – might Muckle – big; much
Neb – nose; nosey person Neebor – neighbour
Pair – poor Paw – Dad
Pinkie – little finger Plooky – pimply
Ploy – trick, stratagem Press – cupboard
Pyat – magpie Rammy – noisy disturbance
Rift – belch
Scunner – disgust, or a disgusting thing or person Shair – sure
Sic – such Skelp – smack
Skliff – puny person Slaister – mess
Smeddum – spirit, force of character Smouty – small and unimpressive
Snirkle – snigger Soor – sour
Sowell – soul (in exclamation “The sowell!” = “poor soul!” Staun – stand
Sumph – useless person Swaree – evening visit
Swick – trick, cheat
Thocht – thought Thole – endure
Thrawn – stubborn Tink – tinker, disreputable person
Tyke – cur Wean – child
Wheesht – hush (haud yir wheesht – be quiet) Wid – wood
Widnae – wouldn’t Yatter – chatter, babble
Yin – one Yokit – bonded