Useful Scottish Words

English is the official language of Scotland and is spoken by more or less everyone. Gaelic is also spoken by around 60,000 people, mainly in the highlands and islands, but even there everyone speaks English. In some rural communities in the Lowlands, the Scots language (a language with similar roots as English, and not to be confused with Gaelic) is the common vernacular. The Scots, like most Britons, generally have rather poor foreign language skills, although those in tourism-related industries generally have better language skills. French and German are the most commonly known foreign languages.

Here are some useful Scottish words:

• Ben = mountain (Ben Nevis)
• Burn = stream (Bannockburn)
• Ceilidh = informal celebration, party
• Close = entrance to an alley or courtyard
• Firth = estuary (Firth of Forth)
• Glen, Strath = valley (Glen Coe)
• Kyle = narrow strait of water (Kyle of Sutherland)
• Loch = lake (Loch Ness)
• Wee = small
• Wynd = lane

Originally published at http://wikitravel.org/en/Scotland#Talk

Comments

[Janice]

That's great! Of course, there are a lot more words that are difficult to understand - but once you start to get the hang of hearing the native tongue, the easier it gets. Must love Scotland!