CINXE.COM

<!doctype html> <html> <head>  <script async src="https://www.googletagmanager.com/gtag/js?id=G-3164YYNPBG"></script> <script> window.dataLayer = window.dataLayer || []; function gtag(){dataLayer.push(arguments);} gtag('js', new Date()); gtag('config', 'G-3164YYNPBG'); </script> <title>Dictionaries of the Scots Language :: Scots: an outline history</title> <meta charset="utf-8" /> <meta http-equiv="content-type" content="text/html; charset=utf-8" />  <meta name="viewport" content="width=device-width, initial-scale=1"/> <link href='https://fonts.googleapis.com/css?family=Source+Sans+Pro:400,700' rel='stylesheet' type='text/css'> <meta property="og:image" content="https://dsl.ac.uk/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/dsl-og-image.jpg"> <meta name='robots' content='max-image-preview:large' /> <style>img:is([sizes="auto" i], [sizes^="auto," i]) { contain-intrinsic-size: 3000px 1500px }</style> <script type="text/javascript"> /* <![CDATA[ */ window._wpemojiSettings = {"baseUrl":"https:\/\/s.w.org\/images\/core\/emoji\/15.0.3\/72x72\/","ext":".png","svgUrl":"https:\/\/s.w.org\/images\/core\/emoji\/15.0.3\/svg\/","svgExt":".svg","source":{"concatemoji":"https:\/\/dsl.ac.uk\/wp-includes\/js\/wp-emoji-release.min.js?ver=6.7.1"}}; /*! This file is auto-generated */ !function(i,n){var o,s,e;function c(e){try{var t={supportTests:e,timestamp:(new Date).valueOf()};sessionStorage.setItem(o,JSON.stringify(t))}catch(e){}}function p(e,t,n){e.clearRect(0,0,e.canvas.width,e.canvas.height),e.fillText(t,0,0);var t=new Uint32Array(e.getImageData(0,0,e.canvas.width,e.canvas.height).data),r=(e.clearRect(0,0,e.canvas.width,e.canvas.height),e.fillText(n,0,0),new Uint32Array(e.getImageData(0,0,e.canvas.width,e.canvas.height).data));return t.every(function(e,t){return e===r[t]})}function u(e,t,n){switch(t){case"flag":return n(e,"\ud83c\udff3\ufe0f\u200d\u26a7\ufe0f","\ud83c\udff3\ufe0f\u200b\u26a7\ufe0f")?!1:!n(e,"\ud83c\uddfa\ud83c\uddf3","\ud83c\uddfa\u200b\ud83c\uddf3")&&!n(e,"\ud83c\udff4\udb40\udc67\udb40\udc62\udb40\udc65\udb40\udc6e\udb40\udc67\udb40\udc7f","\ud83c\udff4\u200b\udb40\udc67\u200b\udb40\udc62\u200b\udb40\udc65\u200b\udb40\udc6e\u200b\udb40\udc67\u200b\udb40\udc7f");case"emoji":return!n(e,"\ud83d\udc26\u200d\u2b1b","\ud83d\udc26\u200b\u2b1b")}return!1}function f(e,t,n){var r="undefined"!=typeof WorkerGlobalScope&&self instanceof WorkerGlobalScope?new OffscreenCanvas(300,150):i.createElement("canvas"),a=r.getContext("2d",{willReadFrequently:!0}),o=(a.textBaseline="top",a.font="600 32px Arial",{});return e.forEach(function(e){o[e]=t(a,e,n)}),o}function t(e){var t=i.createElement("script");t.src=e,t.defer=!0,i.head.appendChild(t)}"undefined"!=typeof Promise&&(o="wpEmojiSettingsSupports",s=["flag","emoji"],n.supports={everything:!0,everythingExceptFlag:!0},e=new Promise(function(e){i.addEventListener("DOMContentLoaded",e,{once:!0})}),new Promise(function(t){var n=function(){try{var e=JSON.parse(sessionStorage.getItem(o));if("object"==typeof e&&"number"==typeof e.timestamp&&(new Date).valueOf()<e.timestamp+604800&&"object"==typeof e.supportTests)return e.supportTests}catch(e){}return null}();if(!n){if("undefined"!=typeof Worker&&"undefined"!=typeof OffscreenCanvas&&"undefined"!=typeof URL&&URL.createObjectURL&&"undefined"!=typeof Blob)try{var e="postMessage("+f.toString()+"("+[JSON.stringify(s),u.toString(),p.toString()].join(",")+"));",r=new Blob([e],{type:"text/javascript"}),a=new Worker(URL.createObjectURL(r),{name:"wpTestEmojiSupports"});return void(a.onmessage=function(e){c(n=e.data),a.terminate(),t(n)})}catch(e){}c(n=f(s,u,p))}t(n)}).then(function(e){for(var t in e)n.supports[t]=e[t],n.supports.everything=n.supports.everything&&n.supports[t],"flag"!==t&&(n.supports.everythingExceptFlag=n.supports.everythingExceptFlag&&n.supports[t]);n.supports.everythingExceptFlag=n.supports.everythingExceptFlag&&!n.supports.flag,n.DOMReady=!1,n.readyCallback=function(){n.DOMReady=!0}}).then(function(){return e}).then(function(){var e;n.supports.everything||(n.readyCallback(),(e=n.source||{}).concatemoji?t(e.concatemoji):e.wpemoji&&e.twemoji&&(t(e.twemoji),t(e.wpemoji)))}))}((window,document),window._wpemojiSettings); /* ]]> */ </script> <style id='wp-emoji-styles-inline-css' type='text/css'> img.wp-smiley, img.emoji { display: inline !important; border: none !important; box-shadow: none !important; height: 1em !important; width: 1em !important; margin: 0 0.07em !important; vertical-align: -0.1em !important; background: none !important; padding: 0 !important; } </style> <link rel='stylesheet' id='wp-block-library-css' href='https://dsl.ac.uk/wp-includes/css/dist/block-library/style.min.css?ver=6.7.1' type='text/css' media='all' /> <style id='classic-theme-styles-inline-css' type='text/css'> /*! This file is auto-generated */ .wp-block-button__link{color:#fff;background-color:#32373c;border-radius:9999px;box-shadow:none;text-decoration:none;padding:calc(.667em + 2px) calc(1.333em + 2px);font-size:1.125em}.wp-block-file__button{background:#32373c;color:#fff;text-decoration:none} </style> <style id='global-styles-inline-css' type='text/css'> :root{--wp--preset--aspect-ratio--square: 1;--wp--preset--aspect-ratio--4-3: 4/3;--wp--preset--aspect-ratio--3-4: 3/4;--wp--preset--aspect-ratio--3-2: 3/2;--wp--preset--aspect-ratio--2-3: 2/3;--wp--preset--aspect-ratio--16-9: 16/9;--wp--preset--aspect-ratio--9-16: 9/16;--wp--preset--color--black: #000000;--wp--preset--color--cyan-bluish-gray: #abb8c3;--wp--preset--color--white: #ffffff;--wp--preset--color--pale-pink: #f78da7;--wp--preset--color--vivid-red: #cf2e2e;--wp--preset--color--luminous-vivid-orange: #ff6900;--wp--preset--color--luminous-vivid-amber: #fcb900;--wp--preset--color--light-green-cyan: #7bdcb5;--wp--preset--color--vivid-green-cyan: #00d084;--wp--preset--color--pale-cyan-blue: #8ed1fc;--wp--preset--color--vivid-cyan-blue: #0693e3;--wp--preset--color--vivid-purple: #9b51e0;--wp--preset--gradient--vivid-cyan-blue-to-vivid-purple: linear-gradient(135deg,rgba(6,147,227,1) 0%,rgb(155,81,224) 100%);--wp--preset--gradient--light-green-cyan-to-vivid-green-cyan: linear-gradient(135deg,rgb(122,220,180) 0%,rgb(0,208,130) 100%);--wp--preset--gradient--luminous-vivid-amber-to-luminous-vivid-orange: linear-gradient(135deg,rgba(252,185,0,1) 0%,rgba(255,105,0,1) 100%);--wp--preset--gradient--luminous-vivid-orange-to-vivid-red: linear-gradient(135deg,rgba(255,105,0,1) 0%,rgb(207,46,46) 100%);--wp--preset--gradient--very-light-gray-to-cyan-bluish-gray: linear-gradient(135deg,rgb(238,238,238) 0%,rgb(169,184,195) 100%);--wp--preset--gradient--cool-to-warm-spectrum: linear-gradient(135deg,rgb(74,234,220) 0%,rgb(151,120,209) 20%,rgb(207,42,186) 40%,rgb(238,44,130) 60%,rgb(251,105,98) 80%,rgb(254,248,76) 100%);--wp--preset--gradient--blush-light-purple: linear-gradient(135deg,rgb(255,206,236) 0%,rgb(152,150,240) 100%);--wp--preset--gradient--blush-bordeaux: linear-gradient(135deg,rgb(254,205,165) 0%,rgb(254,45,45) 50%,rgb(107,0,62) 100%);--wp--preset--gradient--luminous-dusk: linear-gradient(135deg,rgb(255,203,112) 0%,rgb(199,81,192) 50%,rgb(65,88,208) 100%);--wp--preset--gradient--pale-ocean: linear-gradient(135deg,rgb(255,245,203) 0%,rgb(182,227,212) 50%,rgb(51,167,181) 100%);--wp--preset--gradient--electric-grass: linear-gradient(135deg,rgb(202,248,128) 0%,rgb(113,206,126) 100%);--wp--preset--gradient--midnight: linear-gradient(135deg,rgb(2,3,129) 0%,rgb(40,116,252) 100%);--wp--preset--font-size--small: 13px;--wp--preset--font-size--medium: 20px;--wp--preset--font-size--large: 36px;--wp--preset--font-size--x-large: 42px;--wp--preset--spacing--20: 0.44rem;--wp--preset--spacing--30: 0.67rem;--wp--preset--spacing--40: 1rem;--wp--preset--spacing--50: 1.5rem;--wp--preset--spacing--60: 2.25rem;--wp--preset--spacing--70: 3.38rem;--wp--preset--spacing--80: 5.06rem;--wp--preset--shadow--natural: 6px 6px 9px rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.2);--wp--preset--shadow--deep: 12px 12px 50px rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.4);--wp--preset--shadow--sharp: 6px 6px 0px rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.2);--wp--preset--shadow--outlined: 6px 6px 0px -3px rgba(255, 255, 255, 1), 6px 6px rgba(0, 0, 0, 1);--wp--preset--shadow--crisp: 6px 6px 0px rgba(0, 0, 0, 1);}:where(.is-layout-flex){gap: 0.5em;}:where(.is-layout-grid){gap: 0.5em;}body .is-layout-flex{display: flex;}.is-layout-flex{flex-wrap: wrap;align-items: center;}.is-layout-flex > :is(*, div){margin: 0;}body .is-layout-grid{display: grid;}.is-layout-grid > :is(*, div){margin: 0;}:where(.wp-block-columns.is-layout-flex){gap: 2em;}:where(.wp-block-columns.is-layout-grid){gap: 2em;}:where(.wp-block-post-template.is-layout-flex){gap: 1.25em;}:where(.wp-block-post-template.is-layout-grid){gap: 1.25em;}.has-black-color{color: var(--wp--preset--color--black) !important;}.has-cyan-bluish-gray-color{color: var(--wp--preset--color--cyan-bluish-gray) !important;}.has-white-color{color: var(--wp--preset--color--white) !important;}.has-pale-pink-color{color: var(--wp--preset--color--pale-pink) !important;}.has-vivid-red-color{color: var(--wp--preset--color--vivid-red) !important;}.has-luminous-vivid-orange-color{color: var(--wp--preset--color--luminous-vivid-orange) !important;}.has-luminous-vivid-amber-color{color: var(--wp--preset--color--luminous-vivid-amber) !important;}.has-light-green-cyan-color{color: var(--wp--preset--color--light-green-cyan) !important;}.has-vivid-green-cyan-color{color: var(--wp--preset--color--vivid-green-cyan) !important;}.has-pale-cyan-blue-color{color: var(--wp--preset--color--pale-cyan-blue) !important;}.has-vivid-cyan-blue-color{color: var(--wp--preset--color--vivid-cyan-blue) !important;}.has-vivid-purple-color{color: var(--wp--preset--color--vivid-purple) !important;}.has-black-background-color{background-color: var(--wp--preset--color--black) !important;}.has-cyan-bluish-gray-background-color{background-color: var(--wp--preset--color--cyan-bluish-gray) !important;}.has-white-background-color{background-color: var(--wp--preset--color--white) !important;}.has-pale-pink-background-color{background-color: var(--wp--preset--color--pale-pink) !important;}.has-vivid-red-background-color{background-color: var(--wp--preset--color--vivid-red) !important;}.has-luminous-vivid-orange-background-color{background-color: var(--wp--preset--color--luminous-vivid-orange) !important;}.has-luminous-vivid-amber-background-color{background-color: var(--wp--preset--color--luminous-vivid-amber) !important;}.has-light-green-cyan-background-color{background-color: var(--wp--preset--color--light-green-cyan) !important;}.has-vivid-green-cyan-background-color{background-color: var(--wp--preset--color--vivid-green-cyan) !important;}.has-pale-cyan-blue-background-color{background-color: var(--wp--preset--color--pale-cyan-blue) !important;}.has-vivid-cyan-blue-background-color{background-color: var(--wp--preset--color--vivid-cyan-blue) !important;}.has-vivid-purple-background-color{background-color: var(--wp--preset--color--vivid-purple) !important;}.has-black-border-color{border-color: var(--wp--preset--color--black) !important;}.has-cyan-bluish-gray-border-color{border-color: var(--wp--preset--color--cyan-bluish-gray) !important;}.has-white-border-color{border-color: var(--wp--preset--color--white) !important;}.has-pale-pink-border-color{border-color: var(--wp--preset--color--pale-pink) !important;}.has-vivid-red-border-color{border-color: var(--wp--preset--color--vivid-red) !important;}.has-luminous-vivid-orange-border-color{border-color: var(--wp--preset--color--luminous-vivid-orange) !important;}.has-luminous-vivid-amber-border-color{border-color: var(--wp--preset--color--luminous-vivid-amber) !important;}.has-light-green-cyan-border-color{border-color: var(--wp--preset--color--light-green-cyan) !important;}.has-vivid-green-cyan-border-color{border-color: var(--wp--preset--color--vivid-green-cyan) !important;}.has-pale-cyan-blue-border-color{border-color: var(--wp--preset--color--pale-cyan-blue) !important;}.has-vivid-cyan-blue-border-color{border-color: var(--wp--preset--color--vivid-cyan-blue) !important;}.has-vivid-purple-border-color{border-color: var(--wp--preset--color--vivid-purple) !important;}.has-vivid-cyan-blue-to-vivid-purple-gradient-background{background: var(--wp--preset--gradient--vivid-cyan-blue-to-vivid-purple) !important;}.has-light-green-cyan-to-vivid-green-cyan-gradient-background{background: var(--wp--preset--gradient--light-green-cyan-to-vivid-green-cyan) !important;}.has-luminous-vivid-amber-to-luminous-vivid-orange-gradient-background{background: var(--wp--preset--gradient--luminous-vivid-amber-to-luminous-vivid-orange) !important;}.has-luminous-vivid-orange-to-vivid-red-gradient-background{background: var(--wp--preset--gradient--luminous-vivid-orange-to-vivid-red) !important;}.has-very-light-gray-to-cyan-bluish-gray-gradient-background{background: var(--wp--preset--gradient--very-light-gray-to-cyan-bluish-gray) !important;}.has-cool-to-warm-spectrum-gradient-background{background: var(--wp--preset--gradient--cool-to-warm-spectrum) !important;}.has-blush-light-purple-gradient-background{background: var(--wp--preset--gradient--blush-light-purple) !important;}.has-blush-bordeaux-gradient-background{background: var(--wp--preset--gradient--blush-bordeaux) !important;}.has-luminous-dusk-gradient-background{background: var(--wp--preset--gradient--luminous-dusk) !important;}.has-pale-ocean-gradient-background{background: var(--wp--preset--gradient--pale-ocean) !important;}.has-electric-grass-gradient-background{background: var(--wp--preset--gradient--electric-grass) !important;}.has-midnight-gradient-background{background: var(--wp--preset--gradient--midnight) !important;}.has-small-font-size{font-size: var(--wp--preset--font-size--small) !important;}.has-medium-font-size{font-size: var(--wp--preset--font-size--medium) !important;}.has-large-font-size{font-size: var(--wp--preset--font-size--large) !important;}.has-x-large-font-size{font-size: var(--wp--preset--font-size--x-large) !important;} :where(.wp-block-post-template.is-layout-flex){gap: 1.25em;}:where(.wp-block-post-template.is-layout-grid){gap: 1.25em;} :where(.wp-block-columns.is-layout-flex){gap: 2em;}:where(.wp-block-columns.is-layout-grid){gap: 2em;} :root :where(.wp-block-pullquote){font-size: 1.5em;line-height: 1.6;} </style> <link rel='stylesheet' id='jq-ui-css' href='https://dsl.ac.uk/wp-content/themes/DSL/css/jquery-ui.min.css' type='text/css' media='all' /> <link rel='stylesheet' id='dsl-ui-css' href='https://dsl.ac.uk/wp-content/themes/DSL/css/jquery-ui.theme.min.css' type='text/css' media='all' /> <link rel='stylesheet' id='dsl-fa-css' href='https://dsl.ac.uk/wp-content/themes/DSL/fontawesome/css/fontawesome.css' type='text/css' media='all' /> <link rel='stylesheet' id='dsl-fa-solid-css' href='https://dsl.ac.uk/wp-content/themes/DSL/fontawesome/css/solid.css' type='text/css' media='all' /> <link rel='stylesheet' id='dsl-fa-brands-css' href='https://dsl.ac.uk/wp-content/themes/DSL/fontawesome/css/brands.css' type='text/css' media='all' /> <link rel='stylesheet' id='dsl-main-css' href='https://dsl.ac.uk/wp-content/themes/DSL/css/dsl.css?20231128' type='text/css' media='all' /> <link rel='stylesheet' id='dsl-print-css' href='https://dsl.ac.uk/wp-content/themes/DSL/css/dsl-print.css' type='text/css' media='print' /> <link rel='stylesheet' id='dsl-cluetip-css' href='https://dsl.ac.uk/wp-content/themes/DSL/css/jquery.cluetip.css' type='text/css' media='all' /> <link rel='stylesheet' id='tablepress-default-css' href='https://dsl.ac.uk/wp-content/plugins/tablepress/css/build/default.css?ver=3.0.1' type='text/css' media='all' /> <script type="text/javascript" src="https://dsl.ac.uk/wp-content/themes/DSL/js/jquery-3.7.1.min.js" id="dsl-jquery-js"></script> <script type="text/javascript" src="https://dsl.ac.uk/wp-content/themes/DSL/js/jquery-ui.min.js" id="dsl-jquery-ui-js"></script> <script type="text/javascript" src="https://dsl.ac.uk/wp-content/themes/DSL/js/jquery.cluetip.js" id="dsl-jquery-cluetip-js"></script> <script type="text/javascript" src="https://dsl.ac.uk/wp-content/themes/DSL/js/jquery.hoverIntent.js" id="dsl-jquery-hoverIntent-js"></script> <script type="text/javascript" src="https://dsl.ac.uk/wp-content/themes/DSL/js/jquery.highlight.js" id="dsl-jquery-highlight-js"></script> <script type="text/javascript" src="https://dsl.ac.uk/wp-content/themes/DSL/js/jquery.mark.min.js" id="dsl-jquery-mark-js"></script> <script type="text/javascript" src="https://dsl.ac.uk/wp-content/themes/DSL/js/dsl-cookie.js" id="dsl-cookie-js"></script> <script type="text/javascript" src="https://dsl.ac.uk/wp-content/themes/DSL/js/dsl.js?20231107" id="dsl-js-js"></script> <link rel="https://api.w.org/" href="https://dsl.ac.uk/wp-json/" /><link rel="alternate" title="JSON" type="application/json" href="https://dsl.ac.uk/wp-json/wp/v2/pages/247" /><link rel="EditURI" type="application/rsd+xml" title="RSD" href="https://dsl.ac.uk/xmlrpc.php?rsd" /> <meta name="generator" content="WordPress 6.7.1" /> <link rel="canonical" href="https://dsl.ac.uk/about-scots/an-outline-history-of-scots/" /> <link rel='shortlink' href='https://dsl.ac.uk/?p=247' /> <link rel="alternate" title="oEmbed (JSON)" type="application/json+oembed" href="https://dsl.ac.uk/wp-json/oembed/1.0/embed?url=https%3A%2F%2Fdsl.ac.uk%2Fabout-scots%2Fan-outline-history-of-scots%2F" /> <link rel="alternate" title="oEmbed (XML)" type="text/xml+oembed" href="https://dsl.ac.uk/wp-json/oembed/1.0/embed?url=https%3A%2F%2Fdsl.ac.uk%2Fabout-scots%2Fan-outline-history-of-scots%2F&format=xml" /> <link rel="icon" href="https://dsl.ac.uk/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/cropped-DSL_FAVICON_21-1-21-32x32.jpg" sizes="32x32" /> <link rel="icon" href="https://dsl.ac.uk/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/cropped-DSL_FAVICON_21-1-21-192x192.jpg" sizes="192x192" /> <link rel="apple-touch-icon" href="https://dsl.ac.uk/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/cropped-DSL_FAVICON_21-1-21-180x180.jpg" /> <meta name="msapplication-TileImage" content="https://dsl.ac.uk/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/cropped-DSL_FAVICON_21-1-21-270x270.jpg" /> <style type="text/css" id="wp-custom-css"> #supportUs{ background-color: #92c2e8; color: #000; } #supportUs a{ color: #000; } #welcomeAnnouncement{ background-color: #7198B4; color: #FFF; } #welcomeWOTD{ background-color: #7198B4; color: #FFF; } .announcementSignUp{ background-color: #def2f0 !important; color: #000 !important; padding-top: 20px; padding-bottom: 15px; } .announcementSignUp .goButton:hover, .announcementSignUp .goButton:active{ background-color:#92c2e8; border: 1px solid #92c2e8; } /*Amazon Smile Styles*/ #amznCharityBannerInner{background-image:url(https://m.media-amazon.com/images/G/02/x-locale/paladin/charitycentral/banner-background-image._CB494422932_.png);width:302px;height:250px;position:relative; float:left; margin-top: 20px;}#amznCharityBannerInner a{display:block;width:100%;height:100%;position:relative;color:#000;text-decoration:none}.text{position:absolute;top:20px;left:15px;right:15px;bottom:100px}.support-wrapper{overflow:hidden;max-height:86px}.support{font-family:Arial,sans;font-weight:700;line-height:28px;font-size:25px;color:#333;text-align:center;margin:0;padding:0;background:0 0}.when-shop{font-family:Arial,sans;font-size:15px;font-weight:400;line-height:25px;color:#333;text-align:center;margin:0;padding:0;background:0 0}.donates{font-family:Arial,sans;font-size:15px;font-weight:400;line-height:21px;color:#333;text-align:center;margin:0;padding:0;background:0 0} </style> </head> <div id="header"> <div id="headerInner"> <div id="headerLogo"><a href="https://dsl.ac.uk/">DSL</a></div> <div id="headerText"> <h1><a href="https://dsl.ac.uk/">Dictionaries of the Scots Language<br /> <i>Dictionars o the Scots Leid</i></a></h1> </div> <div class="clear"></div> </div> </div> <div id="nav"> <div id="navInner"> <div id="searchBox"><form method="get" action="https://dsl.ac.uk/results" id="quickSearchForm"><input id="searchInput" type="text" name="search" value="Quick Search" autocorrect="off" /><button class="goButton" type="submit" id="goQuickSearch"><i class="fa fa-search" aria-hidden="true"></i></button></form></div> <div class="menu-dsl-menu-container"><ul id="menu-dsl-menu" class="menu"><li id="menu-item-34" class="menu-item menu-item-type-post_type menu-item-object-page menu-item-home menu-item-34"><a href="https://dsl.ac.uk/">Home</a></li> <li id="menu-item-35" class="menu-item menu-item-type-post_type menu-item-object-page menu-item-35"><a href="https://dsl.ac.uk/about-dsl/">About us</a></li> <li id="menu-item-40" class="menu-item menu-item-type-post_type menu-item-object-page menu-item-has-children menu-item-40"><a href="https://dsl.ac.uk/our-publications/">Our Publications</a> <ul class="sub-menu"> <li id="menu-item-1814" class="menu-item menu-item-type-post_type menu-item-object-page menu-item-1814"><a href="https://dsl.ac.uk/our-publications/100-favourite-scots-words/">100 Favourite Scots Words</a></li> <li id="menu-item-39" class="menu-item menu-item-type-post_type menu-item-object-page menu-item-39"><a href="https://dsl.ac.uk/our-publications/what-is-dsl/">DSL Online</a></li> <li id="menu-item-1278" class="menu-item menu-item-type-post_type menu-item-object-page menu-item-1278"><a href="https://dsl.ac.uk/our-publications/scottish-national-dictionary/">Scottish National Dictionary</a></li> <li id="menu-item-1302" class="menu-item menu-item-type-post_type menu-item-object-page menu-item-1302"><a href="https://dsl.ac.uk/our-publications/a-dictionary-of-the-older-scottish-tongue-dost/">A Dictionary of the Older Scottish Tongue</a></li> <li id="menu-item-362" class="menu-item menu-item-type-post_type menu-item-object-page menu-item-362"><a href="https://dsl.ac.uk/our-publications/concise-scots-dictionary/">Concise Scots Dictionary</a></li> <li id="menu-item-370" class="menu-item menu-item-type-post_type menu-item-object-page menu-item-370"><a href="https://dsl.ac.uk/our-publications/essential-scots-dictionary/">Essential Scots Dictionary</a></li> <li id="menu-item-381" class="menu-item menu-item-type-post_type menu-item-object-page menu-item-381"><a href="https://dsl.ac.uk/our-publications/concise-english-scots-dictionary/">Concise English-Scots Dictionary</a></li> <li id="menu-item-2963" class="menu-item menu-item-type-post_type menu-item-object-page menu-item-2963"><a href="https://dsl.ac.uk/our-publications/english-scots/">Essential English-Scots Dictionary online</a></li> <li id="menu-item-3020" class="menu-item menu-item-type-post_type menu-item-object-page menu-item-3020"><a href="https://dsl.ac.uk/our-publications/scots-english/">Essential Scots-English Dictionary online</a></li> <li id="menu-item-1461" class="menu-item menu-item-type-post_type menu-item-object-page menu-item-1461"><a href="https://dsl.ac.uk/our-publications/scots-dictionary-for-schools-app/">Scots Dictionary for Schools app</a></li> <li id="menu-item-2525" class="menu-item menu-item-type-post_type menu-item-object-page menu-item-2525"><a href="https://dsl.ac.uk/our-publications/szkocko-polski/">S艂ownik podstawowy szkocko-polski / Essential Scots-Polish Dictionary</a></li> <li id="menu-item-384" class="menu-item menu-item-type-post_type menu-item-object-page menu-item-384"><a href="https://dsl.ac.uk/our-publications/pocket-scots-dictionary/">Pocket Scots Dictionary</a></li> <li id="menu-item-1031" class="menu-item menu-item-type-post_type menu-item-object-page menu-item-1031"><a href="https://dsl.ac.uk/our-publications/dictionary-of-scottish-building/">Dictionary of Scottish Building</a></li> <li id="menu-item-374" class="menu-item menu-item-type-post_type menu-item-object-page menu-item-374"><a href="https://dsl.ac.uk/our-publications/scots-thesaurus/">Scots Thesaurus</a></li> <li id="menu-item-471" class="menu-item menu-item-type-post_type menu-item-object-page menu-item-471"><a href="https://dsl.ac.uk/our-publications/scots-predictive-keyboard/">Scots predictive keyboard</a></li> <li id="menu-item-2468" class="menu-item menu-item-type-post_type menu-item-object-page menu-item-2468"><a href="https://dsl.ac.uk/our-publications/macwordle/">MacWordle</a></li> <li id="menu-item-1595" class="menu-item menu-item-type-post_type menu-item-object-page menu-item-1595"><a href="https://dsl.ac.uk/our-publications/j-k-annand/">The works of J. K. Annand</a></li> <li id="menu-item-2462" class="menu-item menu-item-type-post_type menu-item-object-page menu-item-2462"><a href="https://dsl.ac.uk/our-publications/aitken100/">AITKEN100</a></li> <li id="menu-item-1510" class="menu-item menu-item-type-post_type menu-item-object-page menu-item-1510"><a href="https://dsl.ac.uk/our-publications/other-publications/">Other publications</a></li> </ul> </li> <li id="menu-item-36" class="menu-item menu-item-type-post_type menu-item-object-page current-page-ancestor current-menu-ancestor current-menu-parent current-page-parent current_page_parent current_page_ancestor menu-item-has-children menu-item-36"><a href="https://dsl.ac.uk/about-scots/">About Scots</a> <ul class="sub-menu"> <li id="menu-item-304" class="menu-item menu-item-type-post_type menu-item-object-page menu-item-304"><a href="https://dsl.ac.uk/about-scots/what-is-scots/">What is Scots?</a></li> <li id="menu-item-305" class="menu-item menu-item-type-post_type menu-item-object-page menu-item-305"><a href="https://dsl.ac.uk/about-scots/a-language-or-a-dialect/">A language or a dialect?</a></li> <li id="menu-item-269" class="menu-item menu-item-type-post_type menu-item-object-page current-menu-item page_item page-item-247 current_page_item menu-item-269"><a href="https://dsl.ac.uk/about-scots/an-outline-history-of-scots/" aria-current="page">Scots: an outline history</a></li> <li id="menu-item-46" class="menu-item menu-item-type-post_type menu-item-object-page menu-item-46"><a href="https://dsl.ac.uk/about-scots/history-of-scots/">History of Scots to 1700</a></li> <li id="menu-item-45" class="menu-item menu-item-type-post_type menu-item-object-page menu-item-45"><a href="https://dsl.ac.uk/about-scots/the-scots-language/">Phonetic description</a></li> </ul> </li> <li id="menu-item-1879" class="menu-item menu-item-type-post_type menu-item-object-page menu-item-1879"><a href="https://dsl.ac.uk/jobs/">Jobs</a></li> <li id="menu-item-37" class="menu-item menu-item-type-post_type menu-item-object-page menu-item-37"><a href="https://dsl.ac.uk/support/">Support Us</a></li> </ul></div> <div class="clear"></div> </div> </div> <div id="navCompact"> <p class="right"><a href="#" id="toggleMenu" class="goButton">Menu <i class="fa fa-bars" aria-hidden="true"></i></a></p> <div id="compactMenu"> <div class="menu-dsl-menu-container"><ul id="menu-dsl-menu-1" class="menu"><li class="menu-item menu-item-type-post_type menu-item-object-page menu-item-home menu-item-34"><a href="https://dsl.ac.uk/">Home</a></li> <li class="menu-item menu-item-type-post_type menu-item-object-page menu-item-35"><a href="https://dsl.ac.uk/about-dsl/">About us</a></li> <li class="menu-item menu-item-type-post_type menu-item-object-page menu-item-has-children menu-item-40"><a href="https://dsl.ac.uk/our-publications/">Our Publications</a> <ul class="sub-menu"> <li class="menu-item menu-item-type-post_type menu-item-object-page menu-item-1814"><a href="https://dsl.ac.uk/our-publications/100-favourite-scots-words/">100 Favourite Scots Words</a></li> <li class="menu-item menu-item-type-post_type menu-item-object-page menu-item-39"><a href="https://dsl.ac.uk/our-publications/what-is-dsl/">DSL Online</a></li> <li class="menu-item menu-item-type-post_type menu-item-object-page menu-item-1278"><a href="https://dsl.ac.uk/our-publications/scottish-national-dictionary/">Scottish National Dictionary</a></li> <li class="menu-item menu-item-type-post_type menu-item-object-page menu-item-1302"><a href="https://dsl.ac.uk/our-publications/a-dictionary-of-the-older-scottish-tongue-dost/">A Dictionary of the Older Scottish Tongue</a></li> <li class="menu-item menu-item-type-post_type menu-item-object-page menu-item-362"><a href="https://dsl.ac.uk/our-publications/concise-scots-dictionary/">Concise Scots Dictionary</a></li> <li class="menu-item menu-item-type-post_type menu-item-object-page menu-item-370"><a href="https://dsl.ac.uk/our-publications/essential-scots-dictionary/">Essential Scots Dictionary</a></li> <li class="menu-item menu-item-type-post_type menu-item-object-page menu-item-381"><a href="https://dsl.ac.uk/our-publications/concise-english-scots-dictionary/">Concise English-Scots Dictionary</a></li> <li class="menu-item menu-item-type-post_type menu-item-object-page menu-item-2963"><a href="https://dsl.ac.uk/our-publications/english-scots/">Essential English-Scots Dictionary online</a></li> <li class="menu-item menu-item-type-post_type menu-item-object-page menu-item-3020"><a href="https://dsl.ac.uk/our-publications/scots-english/">Essential Scots-English Dictionary online</a></li> <li class="menu-item menu-item-type-post_type menu-item-object-page menu-item-1461"><a href="https://dsl.ac.uk/our-publications/scots-dictionary-for-schools-app/">Scots Dictionary for Schools app</a></li> <li class="menu-item menu-item-type-post_type menu-item-object-page menu-item-2525"><a href="https://dsl.ac.uk/our-publications/szkocko-polski/">S艂ownik podstawowy szkocko-polski / Essential Scots-Polish Dictionary</a></li> <li class="menu-item menu-item-type-post_type menu-item-object-page menu-item-384"><a href="https://dsl.ac.uk/our-publications/pocket-scots-dictionary/">Pocket Scots Dictionary</a></li> <li class="menu-item menu-item-type-post_type menu-item-object-page menu-item-1031"><a href="https://dsl.ac.uk/our-publications/dictionary-of-scottish-building/">Dictionary of Scottish Building</a></li> <li class="menu-item menu-item-type-post_type menu-item-object-page menu-item-374"><a href="https://dsl.ac.uk/our-publications/scots-thesaurus/">Scots Thesaurus</a></li> <li class="menu-item menu-item-type-post_type menu-item-object-page menu-item-471"><a href="https://dsl.ac.uk/our-publications/scots-predictive-keyboard/">Scots predictive keyboard</a></li> <li class="menu-item menu-item-type-post_type menu-item-object-page menu-item-2468"><a href="https://dsl.ac.uk/our-publications/macwordle/">MacWordle</a></li> <li class="menu-item menu-item-type-post_type menu-item-object-page menu-item-1595"><a href="https://dsl.ac.uk/our-publications/j-k-annand/">The works of J. K. Annand</a></li> <li class="menu-item menu-item-type-post_type menu-item-object-page menu-item-2462"><a href="https://dsl.ac.uk/our-publications/aitken100/">AITKEN100</a></li> <li class="menu-item menu-item-type-post_type menu-item-object-page menu-item-1510"><a href="https://dsl.ac.uk/our-publications/other-publications/">Other publications</a></li> </ul> </li> <li class="menu-item menu-item-type-post_type menu-item-object-page current-page-ancestor current-menu-ancestor current-menu-parent current-page-parent current_page_parent current_page_ancestor menu-item-has-children menu-item-36"><a href="https://dsl.ac.uk/about-scots/">About Scots</a> <ul class="sub-menu"> <li class="menu-item menu-item-type-post_type menu-item-object-page menu-item-304"><a href="https://dsl.ac.uk/about-scots/what-is-scots/">What is Scots?</a></li> <li class="menu-item menu-item-type-post_type menu-item-object-page menu-item-305"><a href="https://dsl.ac.uk/about-scots/a-language-or-a-dialect/">A language or a dialect?</a></li> <li class="menu-item menu-item-type-post_type menu-item-object-page current-menu-item page_item page-item-247 current_page_item menu-item-269"><a href="https://dsl.ac.uk/about-scots/an-outline-history-of-scots/" aria-current="page">Scots: an outline history</a></li> <li class="menu-item menu-item-type-post_type menu-item-object-page menu-item-46"><a href="https://dsl.ac.uk/about-scots/history-of-scots/">History of Scots to 1700</a></li> <li class="menu-item menu-item-type-post_type menu-item-object-page menu-item-45"><a href="https://dsl.ac.uk/about-scots/the-scots-language/">Phonetic description</a></li> </ul> </li> <li class="menu-item menu-item-type-post_type menu-item-object-page menu-item-1879"><a href="https://dsl.ac.uk/jobs/">Jobs</a></li> <li class="menu-item menu-item-type-post_type menu-item-object-page menu-item-37"><a href="https://dsl.ac.uk/support/">Support Us</a></li> </ul></div></div> </div><div id="main"> <div id="mainInner"> <p id="breadcrumbs" class="small"><a href="/">Home</a> <i class="fa fa-angle-double-right" aria-hidden="true"></i> <a href="/about-scots">About Scots</a> <i class="fa fa-angle-double-right" aria-hidden="true"></i> <a href="/an-outline-history-of-scots">Scots: an outline history</a> <i class="fa fa-angle-double-right" aria-hidden="true"></i> </p> <h3 class="heading">Scots: an outline history</h3><div id="searchNavBoxOuter"> <div id="searchNavBox" class="small"> <h4 class="subHeading">Contents</h4> <ol class="regular"> <li><a class="historySelected" href="/about-scots/an-outline-history-of-scots/">Introduction</a></li> <li><a href="/about-scots/an-outline-history-of-scots/origins">Origins</a></li> <li><a href="/about-scots/an-outline-history-of-scots/dominance-of-scots">Dominance of Scots</a></li> <li><a href="/about-scots/an-outline-history-of-scots/anglicization">Anglicization</a></li> <li><a href="/about-scots/an-outline-history-of-scots/the-present-day-2">The present day</a></li> </ol> <p id="searchLastPara" style="margin-top: 10px;"><a id="openCite" href="#">Cite this article</a></p> <p> </p> <p> </p> </div> </div> <div id="historyEntry" class="withoutSearch">By Jeremy Smith</p> <h4 class="subHeading">Introduction</h4> <p>This<em> Outline History of Scots</em> is aimed primarily at the general reader interested in Scots. It is a revised version of part of the Introduction to the <a href="/our-publications/concise-scots-dictionary/">Concise Scots Dictionary </a>(second edition 2017), which is the most authoritative single-volume Scots dictionary.</p> <p>For a history designed primarily for researchers rather than for the more general reader, please refer to <a href="/about-scots/history-of-scots/">A History of Scots to 1700</a> by Caroline Macafee, based on materials put together by the late A.J. Aitken, one of the leading editors of A Dictionary of the Older Scottish Tongue. It was published originally in Volume 12 of that dictionary.</p> </div> <div id="citation" title="Cite this article"> <p>Smith, Jeremy. (2017) <i>Scots: an outline history</i>. Online <a href="https://dsl.ac.uk/about-scots/an-outline-history-of-scots/">https://dsl.ac.uk/about-scots/an-outline-history-of-scots/</a></p> </div> <div class="clear"></div> </div></div> <div id="footer"> <div id="footerInner"> <div id="footerText" class="small"> <p><a href="#header" class="toTop"><i class="fa fa-chevron-up" aria-hidden="true"></i> Top</a></p> <p> <a href="/copyright">Copyright </a> | <a href="/privacy">Privacy Policy</a><br /> <a href="/versions-and-changes">DSL Data Version 3.0</a><br /> </p> </div> <div id="footerSocial"> <p><a href="https://www.facebook.com/ScotsDictionars" target="_blank"><i class="fa-brands fa-square-facebook"></i></a> <a href="https://twitter.com/scotsdictionars" target="_blank"><i class="fa-brands fa-square-x-twitter"></i></a> <a href="https://www.instagram.com/scotsdictionars/" target="_blank"><i class="fa-brands fa-square-instagram"></i></a> <a href="https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC0ikCS9ceVHOUlH1e5QUk5A" target="_blank"><i class="fa-brands fa-square-youtube"></i></a> <a href="mailto:info@dsl.ac.uk"><i class="fa fa-envelope-square"></i></a></p> </div> <div class="clear"></div> <div id="uog" class="small"><div id="uogImage"><a href="http://www.gla.ac.uk" target="_blank"><img src="/wp-content/themes/DSL/graphics/uog-logo.jpg" alt="" /></a></div> <div id="uogText"> <a href="http://www.gla.ac.uk/" target="_blank">Website hosted by the<br />University of Glasgow</a> </div> </div> <div id="scottishGovernment" class="small"><div id="govImage"><a href="http://www.gov.scot/" target="_blank"><img src="/wp-content/themes/DSL/graphics/scottishgovernment.jpg" alt="" /></a></div> <div id="govText"> <a href="http://www.scotland.gov.uk/" target="_blank">Supported by the<br />Scottish Government</a> </div> </div> <div id="sld" class="small"> <div id="sldImage"><img src="/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/dsl-laptop-text.png" alt="" /></div> <div id="sldText">Dictionaries of the Scots Language SCIO<br />We are a Scottish Charity (SC032910)</div> </div> <div class="clear"></div> </div> </div> </body> </html>