For a start, Gaelic has a better claim to be called the Scots language than any other. Your anonymous correspondent should note the following from A History of English Literature by Michael Alexander published last year.

"In the late 15th century the best poetry in English came from Scotland. This kingdom, united under Malcolm Canmore in the late 11th century, had four tongues: Highland Gaelic, lowland English, clerkly Latin, and lordly Anglo-Norman French. Since the 7th century English had been spoken on the east coast from the River Tweed to Edinburgh. Its speakers called the tongue of the Gaels, who since the 5th century had come into Argyll from Ireland, Scottis. A Gael was in Latin Scotus, a name then extended to Lowlanders, who called the northern English they spoke Inglis. After the 14th century, a century of war with England, the Lowlanders called their speech Scottis, and called the Gaelic of the original Scots Erche, later Erse (Irish)." ERSE! How insidious is that?

Michael Alexander held the chair of English at the University of St Andrews.

So, there you have it. The language which was originally called Scottis is not allowed to be called the Scots language today whereas the Northern English language originally called Inglis is. Incidentally, the first writer to call his English tongue by the title of "Scots" was Gavin Douglas, Bishop of Dunkeld (c.1475-1522). For the benefit of sceptics, here is what Prof David Daiches wrote in A Critical History of English Literature: "Incidentally, Douglas was the first to call his language 'Scottis' rather than 'Inglis'."

Ewan Macintyre, 49 Galloway Drive, Culloden.

Printer friendly version

Email this article to a friend

Bookmark this

---