The Orcadian Dialect
The native language of Orkney today is a dialect of Scots, called Orcadian, but it is a dialect significantly shaped by past contact with Norwegian. The first real study of the dialect was Edmonston’s ‘An Etymological Glossary of the Shetland and Orkney Dialect’ published in 1866. The Faroe... more
Two hundred years of Scots dictionaries
It is now two hundred years since the Rev John Jamieson (1759-1838) published the first dictionary given over entirely to the Scots language, in 1808. Jamieson was born and brought up in Glasgow and was also a student in Glasgow and Edinburgh before being appointed pastor at Forfar in Angus in 17... more
