'Ane instructioun for bairnis to be learnit in Scottis' :a study of Scots language in the Scottish secondary classroom

Abstract

The Scots language has been historically marginalised in Scotland, arguably due to its lack of ‘capital’ (see Bailey, 1987 and Bourdieu, 1986). The European Union, under the Charter for Minority Languages, recognised Scots as a minority language in 2000 and the UK Government ratified Scots as such in 2001, yet Scots is still often perceived as ‘bad English’ or positioned within the invented romantic ‘tartanry’ of Scotland’s heritage (Matheson and Matheson, 2000). Scottish institutions such as the education system have traditionally ‘othered’ the Scots language and its speakers (Bailey, 1987). This has potentially generated barriers for learning and compromised Scots-speaking children’s notions of self-worth, agency and identity. The following thesis explores Scottish secondary school student and teacher attitudes towards the place of Scots language in the Scottish classroom. The study also considers how and why such attitudes have emerged and endure. Moreover implications and recommendations for the inclusion of Scots in Scottish schools are considered.