Even if defining the value is elusive, to my mind, Scots has value. I have no doubt that the more we lose it, the more we lose part of our character, our humour, our national identity. 

Scots Leid Associe Kythes Results o Favourite Scots Wirds Poll an Flash Fiction Competition

13 June 2022

Life can be a scunner but ye’ve got tae lauch! On Seturday 11 June, the Scots Leid Associe kythit the results o their Favourite Scots Wirds Poll an Flash Fiction Competition. “Scunner” topped the poll o favourite Scots wirds, an Lynn Valentine from North Kessock was the winner o the fiction contest wi “Guid Tae Lauch”, a comical tale about infectious lauchter at seeminly inappropriate maments. The results were kythit on the day o the associe’s annual collogue, this year celebratin the 50th anniversary o the foundin o the associe an the furthsettin o issue 100 o the associe’s journal o Scots airts an letters, Lallans.

Well ower 100 people submitted their thochts on their favourite 10 Scots wirds. A braid variety o wirds were chysit. “Scunner” topped the poll follaet bi “drouth”, “jalouse” and “puggilt” in jint second place. “Blethers”, “crabbit”, “dreich”, “fash”, “forfochten”, “gallus” and “quine” were jint third, completin a tap 11. A lang group o wirds cam in at jint fowerth: “aiblins”, “bahookie”, “boak”, “breeks”, “coory”, “daunner”, “drookit”, “haar”, “hame”, “hirplan”, “hunker”, “keek”, “loon”, “pech”, “reek”, “shoogilt”, “skelp”, “smeddum”, “stoushie”, “stramash”, “stravaigin”, “thrapple”, “wabbit”, “wheen”, “wheesht”, “wisnae”. This taks us tae 37 wirds.

The neist set o words, tae tak us tae the tap 50 we promised ye are: “aabody”, “agley”, “aiblins”, “aisle”, “argbargy”, “auld”, “awfy”, “bahookie”, “baffies”, “bairn”, “bambaze”, “barkit” an “bawbee”. Ye can leuk maist o the wirds up on the online dictionaries o the Scots language (https://dsl.ac.uk/).

The judge, Dr. Fiona-Jane Brown, reportit that there were multiple braw entries, an there were monie contenders for winnin, makin judgin really deefeeckwalt. We’re siccar monie o the scrievers will tak turns at comin first in ither competitions! Fiona-Jane yaised verra braid criteria o yaise o Scots, skeel in hou stories were pit the gither an entertainment.

Entrants covered loads o different subjects, shawin the breidth o the leid an scrievers were amazin in grabbin readers’ attention an entertainin them.

The twa rinners-up were Jamie Purves, noo based in Truro, with “Kebbie” an Anne Jones o Musselburgh wi “Bones”.

The society are far fae scunnert wi the results an are lauchin aa the wey tae a guid future for the Scots leid.

Tony Beekman, comatee member, Scots Leid Associe

Alistair Heather, Len Penny and Iona Fyfe wi #GiesAScotsPhraseDay an the launch of Scots Language Awards 2022.