More Doric

The longer I've been in Scotland the more I'm slowly becoming obsesed with Doric. Now Doric is the North-East variety of Scots. Scots, the language, is NOT Scottish Gaelic (pronounced gal-ick), which is the younger sister of Irish Gaelic (pronounced gay-lick). The Irish version travelled to Scotland with the Dalriada's who founded Argyle (yes, the home of that lovely triangle pattern on socks), which means Coast of the Gael.

Scots is a sister of English. I have come to decide that it is NOT a dialect of English, but its own language, with its own dialects. Doric is the version found in the North-East, where I am, how appropriate. Scots and English have similar histories and foundings, and have their own versions of words with the same french or german roots. Scots has more Dutch/Norse influence then English though and it probably closer to Frisian than English. Doric is called such, because 'doric' means north in some derivative of something from Latin. This is where my language history knowledge gets fuzzy, because I've never studied Latin. Yes, Doric columns are relating in the semantic naming sense, but little else.

So, what this all means. I've attempted to read Scots poetry, which makes me feel clever, because it is ever so closely like English, but different enough that I feel like I'm learning a new language.

Now, my most recent favourite quotation (and explanation):

the wee bairn stammers oot his smaw speech in the accent o his ain fireside: the accent that will bide in his speech till his voice is heard nae mair. (Robert Garioch)

wee - small
bairn - child
oot - out
smaw - small
o - of
ain - own
bide - live
nae - no (general negation)
mair - more

There is something much more immediately evocative of place in the Scots. I just see a very small, little boy struggling to to put words together to express his thoughts as he warms himself be the fire.

On a side note, the man being quoted - Robert Garioch - is also the name of a town. Garioch, not Robert. Garioch, is not pronounced as you are assuming. It is pronounced Gar-ee-o. And the town Gardenstone is pronounced Game-ree (but that's a weird local thing and not actually a pronunciation thing).