Scotticism

Scotticism

A Scotticism is a phrase or word which is characteristic of dialects of Scots.[1] An archetypal example is "Och aye the noo", which translates as, "Oh yes, just now". This phrase is often used in parody by non-Scots and although the phrases "Och aye" and "the noo" are in common use by Scots separately, they are rarely used together.[2] Other phrases of this sort include:

  • Braw, bricht, moonlicht nicht
  • Hoots mon the noo
  • Lang may yer lum reek

During the Scottish Enlightenment, many leading figures, particularly David Hume, strove to excise Scotticisms from their writing, in an attempt to make their work more appealing to an English, and wider European, audience.

See also

References

  1. ^ Oxford English Dictionary. Oxford University Press. http://www.oed.com. Retrieved 2008-04-21. "An idiom or mode of expression characteristic of Scots; esp. as used by a writer of English." 
  2. ^ Betty Kirkpatrick (2006). The Concise Dictionary of Scottish Words and Phrase. Crombie Jardine. pp. 94. ISBN 1905102887. http://books.google.co.uk/books?id=HI6Kxa_WtvYC&pg=PA94&dq=%22och+aye+the+noo%22&sig=aCiJ2unarmZscA2czt1D7V_fuww. "often used humorously by non-Scots" 
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