Scots Language Centre

Whaur div ye belang tae?

Walcome tae the Centre for the Scots Leids feature anent speirin oot yer faimly history in Scotland
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New short story collection from Gerda Stevenson

Award-winning writer Gerda Stevenson has published a collection of short stories, titled Cat Wumman: Tales o Nine Lives. Presenting contemporary Scottish life and are inspired by folk tales, ballads and the poetry of Coleridge and Hugh MacDiarmid.

OUTwith

OUTwith is a project which aims to celebrate LGBTQ+ Scots speakers and the valuable work they contribute to the community. It will be a series of interviews with people in the Scots LGBTQ+ community effecting change, pushing boundaries and making a difference.

Latest News

Fae 7pm, on Friday 11 September 2026, screivar Taylor Dyson will be haein an eening o poyems, sangs an stories tae gie a heize tae the Scots leid, at the Saunt Aundraes Heritage Museum, in Fife. She will be jyned wi sangster Rose Byres an storyteller Eileen Budd, an fowk will hae …
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Wigtoun prizes

The fowk leetit for the Wigtoun Poyetry Competeetion haes noo come oot. Foondit …

Common Tongue

Aw thaim wi an intress in the Scots leid that finds thairsels in aboot Embra this …

Awairds tae Scots Leid 2026 …

The Awairds tae the Scots Leid for 2026 will be held on Seturday 19 September at …

Claire White Shaetlan Screivar …

Claire White haes been appyntit the split-new screivar steidit at the National Leebrar …

What is Scots?

Scots is one of three native languages spoken in Scotland today, the other two being English and Scottish Gaelic. Scots is the collective name for Scottish dialects known also as Doric, Lallans and Scotch or by more local names such as Buchan, Dundonian, Glesca or Shetland.

Events

The Jolly Beggars

The Scots Opera Project present a new version of Burns’ The Jolly Beggars, composed by Alan Fleming-Baird and performed by professional opera singers and a community chorus. The piece has been guided and advised by Creative Scotland's Scots Scriever Dr Michael Dempster. …
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Craig Sharp Annual Memorial …

The University of Glasgow's Centre for Robert Burns Studies and the Robert Burns …

Tannahill The Opera

The world premiere of the Scots Opera Project's "Tannahill" at the historic …

Glasgow & District Burns …

The Glasgow & District Burns Association are hosting a concert on the 5th September …

Book Launch - Oor Big Braw …

Astronomer John Brown and poet Rab Wilson will be giving a talk to launch their …

World News

Ebola ootbrek

The state o the Democratic Republict o the Congo maun gar a body greet. Fae 2012, the kintra haes been tore in twa throu weir, an is noo in terrification throu the ootbrek o Ebola. In 2012 sodgers o the Mairch 23 Movement brak awa fae the government ower the heid o sindry maiters, …
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Ghaists oot the ice

Ice-lowsings haes lang kythed antrin cheils fae bygane ages, that we modrens ferlie …

The undemous bleezes

Twa-three fowk haes awready cryed it Europe’s first ‘dystopian’ …

Cheena an Norrowa

Wang Yi, Cheena’s meenister for fremmit maiters, haes taen a gangroond o the …

Venezuela yirdquake

The nummer o deiths throu the yirdquakes in Venezuela haes noo gane ower 3,300 sowels …

William Soutar

William Soutar (1898-1943) Scots language poet, writer and diarist, died in October 1943 and this month, upon that anniversary, the Scots Language Centre visits the Soutar Hoose in Perth and celebrates the life and work of the man. Soutars life was both creative and tragic.
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History of the Scots Language

Scots has been spoken in Scotland for many centuries and is spoken today throughout the east and south of the country - the historic Lowlands - and also in Orkney and Shetland which form the Northern Isles.

Scots-Yiddish: A Dialect Re-imagined

The Jewish immigrants from Tsarist Russia and Eastern Europe brought to every city in which they settled a mother language, the mamaloshen, known as Yiddish, along with Hebrew, their language of religious observance.

Biggin a strang future for Gaelic an Scots

Langage consultation Launchit. A commitment for tae mak siccar the lang term growth o Gae

Scots Warks

Ae week in August twinty-twinty the warld's attention turnt tae written Scots.
Seiven year afore this, a twal year auld sittin ahin a computer in America taen tent o a Wikipedia in whit they seen as a sair neglectit language, Scots.

Are The Onybody Ither?

Are The Onybody Ither? we tak the swatch o Scotland's skeel o UFOs, baith in bygane times an noo, an speir whither we micht'a haed ootrels in aboot us at ony time. Sae come ben for tae find oot mair.

Rabbie Burns heid

This heid o Rabbie Burns, grundit on auld pentings, is in the Museum o Rabbie Burns, in Ayrshire. Burns is aiblins the mai…

Coo's Tail Gallery - Thirsa

The Coo's Tail gallery in Thirsa ('Thurso'), Caitness. The Soothron for coo is 'cow'. Photie taen bi Sarah Mackie.…

The Big Kirk Shop

The Big Kirk Shop is in Farfar ('Forfar') in Angus. A kirk is a place whaur fowk worships, an the big kirk taks its name f…

Auld Granny's Cafe

The Auld Granny's Cafe is in Farfar ('Forfar') in Angus. Granny - the mair familiar word for grandmither - is the ordnar w…

Wee Scran

Wee Scran is on Arbroath Road, Dundee an sells pieces an ither sma meat. Scran is anither word for ony kind o meat, whithe…

Da Wirld Geen Widdergaets

This ane wis seen at the Hoswick veesitor centre, in Shetland. The poyem is bi Stella Sutherland an is wrutten in the dial…

Braw in Embra

This ane wis taen in Embra ('Edinburgh') an shaws an eatery that sells braw scran. Braw is whit we say in Scots whan we re…

Cairds fae Shetland

A wheen o cairds wrutten in the dialect o Shetland that can be fund at the Hoswick veesitor centre. Photie taen bi Sarah …

Otters Aboot

This sign bides in Tresta, Shetland, an reads "Otters Aboot" sae at fowk kens tae caw cannie. The Soothron for a…

Beware o' 'e bairns

This wee sign bides in Thirsa, Caitnes ('Thurso, Caithness') an reads 'beware o' 'e bairns'. A bairn is a young body. Here…

Ben Wur Ain Inner Hoose (Scots in Scots Law) - Jon Kiddie

Advocate Jon Kiddie of Terra Firma Chambers explores the use of the Scots language in Scots law.

Scots maps

Welcome to the first interactive map of Scotland with Scots place-names. Explore Scotlands places in the names used by Scots speakers who live there.

Look at photos of Scots used around the country and make your own Scots place-name street signs.

Interactive learning materials

The Scots Language Centre have produced a new range of online, interactive learning materials, try them out in our new Scots Learning Centre

A Heerd tha sodjer on the radio by Angela Graham

Angela Graham is from Belfast with Ulster-Scots roots in Tyrone and Antrim. …
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Podcast - Express Yourself with Victoria Sullivan

Express Yourself poetry radio show with poetry interview with Victoria Sullivan. ...
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Word of the Week

Barfit

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Barfit

By Dictionaries of the …

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