1. Introduction
It's a braw bricht muin-licht nicht the nicht.
(literally: It's a beautiful bright moonlight night tonight.)
Kiddingly, Scottish people love to let English people try to pronounce this
sentence from Scots. For English people it is hard to pronounce the Scottish
sentence since it contains the /x/-phoneme that English Standard English does not
know. Therefore Scots is in the eyes of English Standard English Speakers a quite
foreign language. But what happens when the two languages – English Standard
English and Scots – merge and make up a new language, namely Scottish Standard
English? When did the influence of English on Scots start? How much of the
language heritage from Scots was imported into SSE? Which special features in
phonetic, grammar and lexis can be found? What other languages influenced SSE
and which so-called loanwords can still be found? This term paper will try to give
answers to these questions.
Therefore in (2.) will be given a definition of SSE in contrast to Scots. Then there
will be given a rough overview of the historical background and development of SSE
(3). Afterwards, certain differences of SSE and English Standard English in phonetic
(4.1), grammar (4.2) and lexis (4.3) will be described. Then there shall be given an
insight in SSE nowadays (5).
2.
Table of Contents
1. Introduction
2. Definition Scottish Standard English vs. Scots
3. The History of Scottish Standard English
4. Differences between English Standard English and SSE
4.1 Phonology
4.1.1 Vowel System
4.1.2 Rhoticity
4.1.3 Vowel length
4.2 Consonants
4.3 Grammar
4.3.1 Differences in Tenses
4.3.2 Negation
4.4 Lexis
4.4.1 Loan Words
5. Scottish English today
6. Conclusion
Objectives and Research Scope
This academic paper examines the linguistic development and distinct features of Scottish Standard English (SSE), investigating how it emerged from the contact between Scots and English Standard English. The study focuses on identifying specific phonetic, grammatical, and lexical markers that differentiate SSE from English Standard English while acknowledging the historical and social pressures of Anglicization.
- Historical evolution of Scottish Standard English from the Middle Ages to the present.
- Phonological analysis, including the role of "Aitken's vowel," rhoticity, and vowel length rules.
- Grammatical peculiarities such as tense usage, negation patterns, and verb formation.
- Lexical influences stemming from Gaelic, French, and Scandinavian origins.
- Sociolinguistic status and the ongoing impact of Anglicization on Scottish speech.
Excerpt from the Book
4.1.2 Rhoticity
An important difference of SSE compared to other English accents is that SSE “in general does not show phonemic centring diphthongs in words such as near, hair “ (Stuart Smith 56).This feature is based on the reason that all accents of English in the world fall into two classes, depending on whether they are subject to a certain structural restriction or not. Abercrombie explains that “this is a restriction on the occurrence of the phoneme /r/, namely that /r/ can occur only before a vowel, and not before a consonant or before a pause” (Text 6 Abercrombie 69). These accents may be called non-rhotic whereas in SSE /r/ can occur just as well before a consonant or a pause as before a vowel. Therefore it can be said that all SSE accents are rhotic (cf. T6 Abercrombie 69). Due to this rhoticity, SSE has less vowels than other English varieties because
bee [bi:] - beer [bi:r] ; bad [bad] – [bard]; bay [be:] - bear [be:r]; row [ro:] - roar [ro:r]; pot [pɔt] – port [pɔrt]; bun [bʌn] – burn [bʌrn], for example (cf. Eagle).
Summary of Chapters
1. Introduction: Outlines the scope of the research and introduces the core questions regarding the formation and unique characteristics of Scottish Standard English.
2. Definition Scottish Standard English vs. Scots: Provides a conceptual distinction between the broad Scots dialect and the educated middle-class variety known as Scottish Standard English.
3. The History of Scottish Standard English: Details the historical development of English in Scotland, from early settlement patterns to the impact of the Union of the Crowns.
4. Differences between English Standard English and SSE: Analyzes the structural divergences in phonology, grammar, and vocabulary between SSE and the Standard English of England.
5. Scottish English today: Discusses the contemporary status of SSE in the face of ongoing Anglicization and its role in modern Scottish society.
6. Conclusion: Summarizes the findings, asserting that SSE maintains a unique linguistic identity despite significant pressure to assimilate.
Keywords
Scottish Standard English, SSE, Scots, Phonology, Rhoticity, Aitken's Law, Grammar, Negation, Loan Words, Gaelic, Linguistics, Anglicization, Vowel System, Historical Development, Sociolinguistics
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the core subject of this paper?
The paper examines the characteristics and origins of Scottish Standard English (SSE), a variety that resulted from the language contact between the Scots dialect and Standard English.
What are the primary themes discussed?
The main themes include the historical development of SSE, its phonetic features (like rhoticity and vowel length), grammatical nuances, and lexical influences from languages like Gaelic, French, and Scandinavian.
What is the ultimate research objective?
The goal is to determine how SSE evolved, what specific linguistic features distinguish it from the Standard English spoken in England, and why these differences persist today.
Which scientific methods are applied?
The research relies on historical sociolinguistics and descriptive linguistics, analyzing secondary literature, phonetic records, and established linguistic theories like Aitken's Law.
What topics does the main section cover?
The main body covers a comprehensive breakdown of the phonological system, variations in verb tense and negation, and the influence of historical loan words on the modern lexicon.
Which keywords define this work?
Key terms include Scottish Standard English, Rhoticity, Aitken's Law, Scots, Anglicization, and Phonology.
What is "Aitken's vowel"?
It is a specifically Scottish vowel sound (/ɛ/), typically centralized and found in words like "seven" or "shepherd," which has no direct equivalent in other Anglo-English systems.
Why is SSE considered a "rhotic" accent?
Unlike Received Pronunciation (RP), where post-vocalic /r/ is often vocalized, SSE preserves the /r/ sound before consonants and pauses, making it structurally rhotic.
How does the usage of the past tense in SSE differ from Standard English?
SSE speakers often prefer the past tense where Standard English might use the present perfect, and they also utilize specific suffixes like '-it' for certain past tense verb formations.
What is the current status of the Scottish language heritage?
Despite a growing cultural consciousness in Scotland, the language is subject to continued Anglicization, which threatens to diminish the unique features of SSE over time.
- Arbeit zitieren
- Daniel Buchmaier (Autor:in), 2010, Regional Varieties of British English: Scottish Standard English, München, GRIN Verlag, https://www.hausarbeiten.de/document/183609
