Dictionary of the Scots Language
Encyclopedia
The Dictionary of the Scots Language (DSL) is an online Scots
-English
dictionary, now run by Scottish Language Dictionaries Ltd
, a charity and limited company. The dictionary is freely available on the internet and comprises the two major dictionaries of the Scots language
:
DOST contains information about Older Scots
words in use from the 12th to the end of the 17th centuries (Early
and Middle Scots
); and SND contains information about Scots words in use from 1700 to the 1970s (Modern Scots
). Together these 22 volumes provide a comprehensive history of Scots
. The SND Bibliography and the DOST Register of Titles have also been digitised and can be searched in the same way as the main data files. A new supplement, compiled by Scottish Language Dictionaries Ltd, was added in 2005.
The digitisation project, which ran from February 2001 to January 2004, was based at the University of Dundee
, with some financial additional support from the Scottish Executive
, the Arts and Humanities Research Board, Scottish Language Dictionaries Ltd
, the Russell Trust, and the Carnegie Trust for the Universities of Scotland
. The project was directed by Victor Skretkowicz and edited by Susan Rennie.
Scots language
Scots is the Germanic language variety spoken in Lowland Scotland and parts of Ulster . It is sometimes called Lowland Scots to distinguish it from Scottish Gaelic, the Celtic language variety spoken in most of the western Highlands and in the Hebrides.Since there are no universally accepted...
-English
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
dictionary, now run by Scottish Language Dictionaries Ltd
Scottish Language Dictionaries Ltd
Scottish Language Dictionaries is Scotland's lexicographical body for the Scots Language. SLD is responsible for the major Scots dictionaries, the Dictionary of the Older Scottish Tongue and the Scottish National Dictionary...
, a charity and limited company. The dictionary is freely available on the internet and comprises the two major dictionaries of the Scots language
Scots language
Scots is the Germanic language variety spoken in Lowland Scotland and parts of Ulster . It is sometimes called Lowland Scots to distinguish it from Scottish Gaelic, the Celtic language variety spoken in most of the western Highlands and in the Hebrides.Since there are no universally accepted...
:
- the 12-volume Dictionary of the Older Scottish TongueDictionary of the Older Scottish TongueThe Dictionary of the Older Scottish Tongue is a 12-volume dictionary that documents the history of the Scots language covering Older Scots from the earliest written evidence in the twelfth century until the year 1700...
(DOST) - the 10-volume Scottish National DictionaryScottish National DictionaryThe Scottish National Dictionary was produced by the Scottish National Dictionary Association from 1931 to 1976 and documents the Modern Scots language. The original editor, William Grant, was the driving force behind the collection of Scots vocabulary...
(SND)
DOST contains information about Older Scots
Older Scots
Older Scots refers to the following periods in the History of the Scots language* Pre-literary Scots to 1375* Early Scots to 1450* Middle Scots to 1700...
words in use from the 12th to the end of the 17th centuries (Early
Early Scots
Early Scots describes the emerging literary language of the Northern Middle English speaking parts of Scotland in the period before 1450. The northern forms of Middle English descended from Northumbrian Old English...
and Middle Scots
Middle Scots
Middle Scots was the Anglic language of Lowland Scotland in the period from 1450 to 1700. By the end of the 13th century its phonology, orthography, accidence, syntax and vocabulary had diverged markedly from Early Scots, which was virtually indistinguishable from early Northumbrian Middle English...
); and SND contains information about Scots words in use from 1700 to the 1970s (Modern Scots
Modern Scots
Modern Scots describes the varieties of Scots traditionally spoken in Lowland Scotland and parts of Ulster from 1700.Throughout its history, Modern Scots has been undergoing a process of language attrition, whereby successive generations of speakers have adopted more and more features from...
). Together these 22 volumes provide a comprehensive history of Scots
History of the Scots language
The history of the Scots language refers to how Anglic varieties spoken in parts of Scotland developed into modern Scots.-Origins:Speakers of Northumbrian Old English settled in south eastern Scotland in the 7th century, at which time Celtic Brythonic was spoken in the south of Scotland to a little...
. The SND Bibliography and the DOST Register of Titles have also been digitised and can be searched in the same way as the main data files. A new supplement, compiled by Scottish Language Dictionaries Ltd, was added in 2005.
The digitisation project, which ran from February 2001 to January 2004, was based at the University of Dundee
University of Dundee
The University of Dundee is a university based in the city and Royal burgh of Dundee on eastern coast of the central Lowlands of Scotland and with a small number of institutions elsewhere....
, with some financial additional support from the Scottish Executive
Scottish Executive
The Scottish Government is the executive arm of the devolved government of Scotland. It was established in 1999 as the Scottish Executive, from the extant Scottish Office, and the term Scottish Executive remains its legal name under the Scotland Act 1998...
, the Arts and Humanities Research Board, Scottish Language Dictionaries Ltd
Scottish Language Dictionaries Ltd
Scottish Language Dictionaries is Scotland's lexicographical body for the Scots Language. SLD is responsible for the major Scots dictionaries, the Dictionary of the Older Scottish Tongue and the Scottish National Dictionary...
, the Russell Trust, and the Carnegie Trust for the Universities of Scotland
Carnegie Trust for the Universities of Scotland
The Carnegie Trust for the Universities of Scotland is a charitable trust established by Andrew Carnegie in 1901 for the benefit of the universities of Scotland, their students and their staff....
. The project was directed by Victor Skretkowicz and edited by Susan Rennie.
See also
- Scottish Language Dictionaries LtdScottish Language Dictionaries LtdScottish Language Dictionaries is Scotland's lexicographical body for the Scots Language. SLD is responsible for the major Scots dictionaries, the Dictionary of the Older Scottish Tongue and the Scottish National Dictionary...
- Scottish National DictionaryScottish National DictionaryThe Scottish National Dictionary was produced by the Scottish National Dictionary Association from 1931 to 1976 and documents the Modern Scots language. The original editor, William Grant, was the driving force behind the collection of Scots vocabulary...
- Dictionary of the Older Scottish TongueDictionary of the Older Scottish TongueThe Dictionary of the Older Scottish Tongue is a 12-volume dictionary that documents the history of the Scots language covering Older Scots from the earliest written evidence in the twelfth century until the year 1700...
External links
- Dictionary of the Scots Language
- Scottish Language Dictionaries Ltd
- (PDF file) Inventory of the Scottish National Dictionary AssociationScottish National Dictionary AssociationThe Scottish National Dictionary Association was founded in 1929 to foster and encourage the Scots language, in particular by producing a standard dictionary of modern Scots. This primary aim was fulfilled in 1976 with the completion of the 10-volume Scottish National Dictionary , covering the...
at the National Library of ScotlandNational Library of ScotlandThe National Library of Scotland is the legal deposit library of Scotland and is one of the country's National Collections. It is based in a collection of buildings in Edinburgh city centre. The headquarters is on George IV Bridge, between the Old Town and the university quarter...