Scotland has three native tongues; English, the Scots Language and Scottish Gaelic. As a language endangered in its heartland, Gaelic has been at the forefront of the national conversation and even found its place in pop culture with Gaelic phrases appearing in Outlander and over 1.5 million new students signing up to learn it on Duolingo.
Examples of Scots Leid are also not too hard to come by as the language has been popularised by the likes of Robert Burns who has received worldwide acclaim for his works like Auld Lang Syne. However, as with most languages, Scots also has dialects which may be lesser known such as Doric in the north-east.
Dubbed Scotland’s “little known fourth language” by the BBC, they said: “This “mither tongue” (mother tongue) is spoken widely from Peterhead in Aberdeenshire to Nairn in the Highlands, where one in two people speak it, according to the University of Aberdeen.”
Let’s shift things away from ‘lesser known’ to ‘better known’ with these 25 Doric words and phrases that will give beginners a ‘guid’ idea of how to speak it.
9. I’m Fair Trauchled
You know that feeling after leg day at the gym or when walking up the stairs left you out of breath but you had to disguise it or people would think you’re dangerously unfit? This is for those moments as it means “I’m exhausted”. Photo: Antonio_Diaz on Canva Pro
10. Gushel
To the waiter that dropped your food on the way to your table, the friend that forgets to tie their shoelaces or the pet that knocks over plant pots in the house, you can say they’re a “gushel” (clumsy person). Photo: iridi on Canva Pro
11. Unca
This can be used to say “very”. In the case of the above picture, for example, you could say that “loon” (man) has an “unca big heid” (a very big head). Photo: ra2studio on Canva Pro
12. Merry Dancers
Scots Leid has a lot of expressive phrases for natural phenomena like “Goat's Hair” for cirrus clouds or “bullet staines” for hail. In the case of the beautiful Northern Lights, Doric speakers may refer to it as “Merry Dancers”. Photo: powerofforever on Canva Pro