Blow to SNP as two-thirds say Scots is not a real language

Published on Thursday 14 January 2010 21:36

NEARLY two-thirds of the Scottish public do not believe that Scots is a real language, according to a study.

The result is as blow to SNP ministers, who commissioned the report as part of their policy of promoting indigenous Scottish languages.

Dubbed the "mother tongue" by supporters, there has been a long-running controversy over whether Scots is any more than a version of English. And the results of the study have led opponents to call on the SNP to stop spending taxpayers' money trying to embed Scots as a separate language in the school curriculum.

Concerns have already been raised over the millions spent on promoting Gaelic, which is spoken by just over 1 per cent of the population.

Despite claiming the Scottish block grant faces a real-terms cut from Whitehall, finance secretary John Swinney proposes to increase the budget for Gaelic support by more than 10 per cent, from 19.2 million to 21.7m.

But while Gaelic is recognised as an official language, the Conservatives pointed out Scots was not and said it should receive no funding, especially in a difficult time for the economy.

Tory culture spokesman Ted Brocklebank said: "It is no surprise that 64 per cent of the Scottish public do not believe that Scots is a language. This is because we already have a Scots language – it is called Gaelic.

"The Scots language that the SNP government continues to try to promote is not a separate language, but a collection of regional dialects of the English language."

He went on: "The SNP must stop wasting taxpayers' money trying to invent something that doesn't exist, in a futile attempt to promote the narrow Nationalist agenda."

However, the Scottish Government pointed out that the study showed 85 per cent said they used Scots and that 67 per cent thought it should continue to be used in Scotland.

Culture minister Fiona Hyslop said: "This research shows clearly that Scots is a living language, playing an important role in the majority of Scots' daily lives, as well as being a vital tool in connecting with and understanding Scotland's history."

The research will inform the work of the Scots Language Working Group, which will make recommendations to ministers in the summer.

Professor Derrick McClure, the convener of the working group and head of the University of Aberdeen's School of Language and Linguistics, said: "I am very pleased the Scottish Government has taken another important step in support of the Scots language.

"The survey results are most encouraging in showing how many people still speak and understand Scots, and recognise its importance as part of our national identity."

The survey of 1,020 adults was carried out by pollster TNS–BMRB.