So, on a recent call home (Canada), I was
discussing the situation in another part of the Commonwealth (Scotland), and as
my mom and I were discussing the politics of separation (should they stay?
should they go? what kind of currency will they use? will they have their own
army, passports, etc.), it got me thinking about the definition of a Scotsman,
and of Scotland in general. What makes a culture? What defines a nation? As
this is a linguistic blog, of course our ears are primarily attuned to
questions of language. So, without delving too deeply into the politics of the
times, we thought we’d present some English words of Scottish origin. Here are
a few:
caddie/caddy cosy/cozy clan glamour
golf gumption laddie lassie
plaid pony raid rampage
tweed wee weird wraith
Know of any others? A common expression
supposedly uttered by many Canadians is oot
and aboot (as in, “I’ll be oot and about [out and about] today on some
errands). But personally, I’ve never heard anyone use this pronunciation (maybe
more common in the eastern provinces). However, the Scots, it seems, employ the
pronunciation “oot” in the word “outside.” And as many early settlers in Canada
were Scots, perhaps therein lies the answer?
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