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Scots Language Centre Centre for the Scots Leid

John Jamieson 1759-1838

10th July 2023

The 12 o Jooly is kenspeckle in the Scots calendar as the date that John Jamieson dee’d back in the year 1838. John Jamieson (1759-1838) wis a weel lared body skeely in langage, an the first tae mak a dictionar tae the Scots leid. Gin it wisna for him, lare an speirings in the leid micht’s been set back a guid whilie. But Jamieson wis kenspeckle ithergaits. Unlike mony o the heritors, knabs an educate fowk o his day, Jamieson didna pit Scots doun as a provincial dialect, but ettled tae gie it a heize as a national leid. His Etymological Dictionary of the Scottish language, set furth in 1808 - the first ane o its kind - is ane o the heidmaist pynts in modren Scots dictionar wark, an pit doun the foonds for awbody follaein.  His essay anent the leid in bygane times, its oreeginal, an wordstock in common wi ither Germanic leids wis grundbrekkin in its day an estaiblisht for this community a place an sense o itsel whan it wis unner muckle threit. For this, we are aw in the aucht o John Jamieson.

The'r a soond file o this story in Scots ablow.

  • John Jamieson 1759-1838

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