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Scots Language Centre Centre for the Scots Leid

Learn Scots: resources for adult learners

Many people wish to learn how to read, write and speak Scots. Fortunately, there is lots of help available:

Casual learner

In terms of self-learning:

  • A popular resource that people use is the Scots Language Learner book, which is supplemented by a CD.
  • A widely respected dictionary is the Concise Scots Dictionary (a new edition of which was printed recently) or, of course, you can use Dictionaries of the Scots Language's online resource at www.dsl.ac.uk.
  • You can read and listen to Scots here, on SLC; at National library of Scotland’s Wee Windaes site; or at the SCOTS Corpus website.
  • You can learn about Scots syntax at the Scots Syntax Atlas website.
  • Support for writing in Scots is available in this dcument here, which was produced as part of the Scots Warks project. 

 

Undergraduate

There is an Open University course for Scots, titled, 'Scots language and culture', available via the Open University 'Open Learn Create' site.  

While many universities offer study in Scots language and literature through their English literature and language degrees, Glasgow University also offer an MA in Scottish literature.

 

 

Post-graduate

Edinburgh University

 

Edinburgh University offers a taught MSc English Language, which provides access to a course on Scots and Scottish English.

 

It is also possible to do an MSc by research or a PhD on a vast range of topics. Further information about Edinburgh postgraduate research programmes is here.

 

Glasgow University

 

At University of Glasgow, there is one dedicated postgraduate course in place running in Semester 2 (Introduction to Older Scots), which is part of the English Langauge and Linguistics MSc.

 

All details about the current Glasgow University MSc programmes are here.