| Southern Scots | |
|---|---|
| Native to | Scotland |
| Region | Mid and eastDumfriesshire,Roxburghshire andSelkirkshire |
| Language codes | |
| ISO 639-3 | – |
| Glottolog | sout2620 |
| Scots language |
|---|
| History |
| Dialects |
Southern Scots is the dialect (or group of dialects) ofScots spoken in theScottish Borders counties of mid and eastDumfriesshire,Roxburghshire andSelkirkshire,[1][2] with the notable exception ofBerwickshire andPeeblesshire, which are, like Edinburgh, part of the SECentral Scots dialect area.[3][4] It may also be known as Border Scots, the Border tongue or by the names of the towns inside the South Scots area,[citation needed] for exampleTeri inHawick from the phraseTeribus ye teri odin. Towns where Southern Scots dialects are spoken includeEarlston,Galashiels (Gala orGalae),Hawick,Jedburgh (Jethart),Kelso (Kelsae),Langholm,Lockerbie,Newcastleton (Copshaw orCopshawholm),St. Boswells (Bosells) andSelkirk.
Southern Scots phonology is generally similar to that of the neighbouringCentral Scots varieties; however, somevowel realisations may differ markedly.
Thepresent participle andgerundin may be differentiated/ən/ and/in/,[5] for example,Hei wis aye gutteran aboot. andHei's fond o guttereen aboot.
FromMang Howes an Knowes by Elliot Cowan Smith (1891–1917)
Yet, yince in a day, thir braes hed seen unco sichts. Thonder was the moniment A jaloozed ti be the Lilliard's Edge Memorial, so that A was stannin on bluiddy Ancrum Muir. Nae cannie daffin bull- reel splore that fearfih fecht, whan the Dooglas an the Scott wrait off a wheen auld scores an saw day-aboot wui the auld-enemy.
Threh the mids o thir verra busses wad stert the huirn oo read aboot in oor bulks: ilk sheuch an heidie-hole i thir verra rigs was den for fairce sodgers in fechtin-graith-Scots an Ingleesh in a fraineeshin, fidgin mad-keen ti teer the harrigals oot o other; ilk lirk o thir knowes wad heide the gear o war. Hei'd little need be hen-herteet that hed ti beer the ramstam onfaa threh whan the slogan waekent the waller an sterteet the fray i the gray-daylicht,-eendon throwe aa the grewsome mowlie-; whan billies fell seide-be- seide till the brae-face was traisselt an the gress ran reid wui bluid; whan naigs an troopers-the deed- ruckle glutherin i-ther weizants-war cowpeet inti ilka seike, heeds an thraws,-on till the derkeneen rowed its hap roond deed an dei-in, an garrd the hyill yins devall an take a barley. Oor forebears an ther Southron neebers coodna sit soft ava i thae days: they war everly natterin an fechtin. An-sic veeshyis fechteen as it was, tui! Folk are muckle ti mean that beide on aether seide o the Mairches atween twae prood an towty countries 'at canna grei an are aye cuissen-oot. The Borderers lang syne geh thersels an awfih leife o'd. Theirs was nae canty doon-sitteen!
Duist a hip-step-an-a-lowp, an A cam on o an- other kenspeckle landmerk-Peinelheuch. This eez the saicant sic column, A've haar'tell; for, yeh gowsty nicht (wui a wund fit ti blaw doors oot wundihs) a turbleent woare as the ordnar dang doon the firsst Peinelheuch moniment (the whulk, A unk, maun heh been buggen keinda jingle-jointeet, or maim heh cowblt on ov a gey coaggly foond ; ony o the ways, it geh a steiter, an yownt-owre it tirlt!) Bit Border folk are no that easy bett ; they juist paat up a moniment fer better an brawer be what the auld yin was. An now, aabody stravaigin the Borderland-gangers an reiders-sood ken Peinelheuch.
A'd breesteet the brae now, an the road swaipeet doon afore iz. Ay! doon ti ma caav-grund o Teviot- dale-an A lilteet a sang an whewed an yuooted, leike as A'd gane wuth, an laap an flaang as yauld-as a wuddie—boondin bleithely on wui ma' airms shuggiein lowce threh ma oxters. A was abuin-the- woarlt! A was naether ti haud nor ti binnd! If onybody hed eyed iz, hei'd heh thocht A was shuir ready for Bowden!!