Questions about Scottish English as used in Scotland, not to be confused with either the Scots language or which Scottish Gaelic.
13
votes
2answers
736 views
“I'm on the brew”
A conversation between two Scots:
— What do you do for a living?
— I'm on the brew.
Assuming that I have the phrase right, what exactly does "on the brew" mean here? Based on the context, I ...
11
votes
4answers
678 views
Where “summat” came from
In Scottish English, I know that the word summat is used in place of standard something. But what's the etymology of this pronoun?
It seems unlikely to me that summat could be merely a variant ...
10
votes
3answers
304 views
What was going on with “quha”, “quhat” and the like in Scots and English?
From the Dictionar o the Scots Leid:
Quha, Quhay, interrog. and rel. pron. Also: qwha, qha, qua, qwa, wha, vha, hua; qhaa; quhaw; quhai qwhay, whay, quay; quhae, whae; quhe, quhey, qwhey.
...
5
votes
3answers
677 views
Pronunciation of “loch”
How does one pronounce loch? I understand this is a term borrowed from the Scots. Dictionaries are not very helpful with the last syllable. What is the closest English mapping of ch?
4
votes
2answers
99 views
What did James V mean by “afferandly”?
In this letter from 1536, King James V of Scotland wrote in 1536:
Veilbelouit frend, we grete yow. Forsamekill as we ar of pourpas
to pas to Kelso, and to vesy owr Bordouris for ordoneng of ...
