The Lexicography of Scots

This chapter considers the history of Scots dictionaries in relation to their purposes and the dominant contemporary perceptions of the Scots language. The twenty-first-century Scots Dictionary for Schools ( Scots Abc ) mobile phone application encourages literacy and creativity in Scots. Thomas Ruddiman’s glossary (1710) assisted readers of Gavin Douglas’s translation of Virgil’s Aeneid , Eneados (1513). In his Etymological Dictionary of the Scottish Language (1808–1825), John Jamieson followed the Vernacular Revivalists, seeking to preserve and celebrate the language. A Dictionary of the Older Scottish Tongue (1931–2002) includes lexis shared with England, while the Scottish National Dictionary (1931–1976, 2005) focuses on distinctive use. Although the online Dictionary of the Scots Language (2004) is a major achievement, there is more work to be done. Twentieth-century dictionaries prioritised rural over urban vocabulary, and the diversity of language in Scotland invites debate. This chapter proposes that Scotland would benefit from a new resource, the ‘Dictionary for Scotland’.