Lexical[edit]
An example of "outwith" on a sign in Scotland
Scottish English has inherited a number of lexical items from Scots,[23] which are comparatively rare in other forms of standard English.[citation needed]
General items are wee, the Scots word for small (also common in New Zealand English); bairn for child (from Common Germanic,[24] cf modern Swedish, Norwegian, and Danish barn); bonnie for pretty, attractive, (or good looking, handsome, as in the case of Bonnie Prince Charlie); braw for fine; muckle for big; spail for splinter, snib for bolt, pinkie for little finger, janitor for school caretaker (these last two are also standard in American English), outwith, meaning 'outside of'; cowp for tip or spill, fankle for a tangled mess. Kirk for church has parallels in other Germanic languages (cfkirche which was also found in archaic names of some ancient churches in e.g. London). Examples of culturally specific items are Hogmanay; caber,haggis, bothy; scone; oatcake; tablet; rone (roof gutter); teuchter, ned, numpty (witless person) and landward (rural); It's your shot for "It's your turn"; and the once notorious but now redundant tawse.
The diminutive ending "-ie" is added to nouns to indicate smallness, as in laddie and lassie for a young boy and young girl. Other examples are peirie (child's wooden spinning top) and sweetie (piece of confectionary). The ending can be added to many words instinctively, e.g. bairn (see above) can become bairnie, a small shop can become a wee shoppie.
The use of "How?" meaning "Why?" is distinctive of Scottish, Northern English and Northern Irish English. "Why not?" is often rendered as "How no?".
There is a range of (often anglicised) legal and administrative vocabulary inherited from Scots[25] e.g. depute /ˈdɛpjut/ for deputy, proven /ˈproːvən/ for proved (standard in American English), interdict for '"injunction" and sheriff-substitute for "acting sheriff'". In Scottish education a short leet is a list of selected job applicants, and a remit is a detailed job description.
Often, lexical differences between Scottish English and Southern Standard English are simply differences in the distribution of shared lexis, such as stay for "live" (as in: where do you stay?).
The vocabulary of Scottish English is rich in borrowings from both Gaelic (cf. loch ‘lake’, burach ‘mess’, cailleach ‘old woman’) and Old Norse (cf. bern for ‘child’). Three major lexicographical works are 1) A Dictionary of the Older Scottish Tongue from the 12th to the end of the 17th century, 2) The Scottish National Dictionary (from 1700 to the present-day) and 3) The Concise Scots Dictionary.
Two others sources for Scottish English which deserve mention are (1) The Linguistic Survey of Scotland (with its centre at the University of Edinburgh) and (2) The Survey of English Dialects(centred at Leeds) which deals with Scottish English alongside the other varieties of British English. Both these projects have produced much linguistic literature (atlases and interpretative monographs) with information on the English spoken north of the border.
Scottish English refers to the varieties of English spoken in Scotland. The main, formal variety is called Scottish Standard English or Standard Scottish English(SSE).[1][2][3][4] Scottish Standard English may be defined as "the characteristic speech of the professional class [in Scotland] and the accepted norm in schools".[5]
In addition to distinct pronunciation, grammar and expressions, Scottish English has distinctive vocabulary, particularly pertaining to Scottish institutions such as the Church of Scotland, local government and the education and legal systems.
Scottish Standard English is at one end of a bipolar linguistic continuum, with focused broad Scots at the other.[6] Scottish English may be influenced to varying degrees byScots.[7][8] Many Scots speakers separate Scots and Scottish English as different registers depending on social circumstances.[9] Some speakers code switch clearly from one to the other while others style shift in a less predictable and more fluctuating manner.[9] Generally there is a shift to Scottish English in formal situations or with individuals of a higher social status.[10]
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scottish_English