Scottish National Dictionary
Encyclopedia
The Scottish National Dictionary was produced by the Scottish National Dictionary Association
(SNDA) from 1931 to 1976 and documents the Modern (Lowland) Scots language
. The original editor, William Grant, was the driving force behind the collection of Scots vocabulary. A wide range of sources were used by the editorial team in order to represent the full spectrum of Scottish vocabulary and cultural life.
Literary sources of words and phrases up to the mid-twentieth century were thoroughly investigated, as were historical records, both published and unpublished, of Parliament, Town Councils, Kirk Sessions and Presbyteries and Law Courts. More ephemeral sources such as domestic memoirs, household account books, diaries, letters and the like were also read for the dictionary, and a wide range of local and national newspapers and magazines, which often shed light on regional vocabulary and culture.
Given the fact that Scots has often been perceived as inappropriate for formal situations (including formal written text) during the period from 1700 to the present day, many words and expressions that were in regular everyday use did not appear in print. In order to redress this imbalance and fully appreciate the linguistic oral heritage of Scots, field-workers for the dictionary collected personal quotations across the country.
When David Murison took over the editorship of the dictionary in 1946, following William Grant's death, he greatly increased the number and range of written sources and expanded the coverage of oral material. He improved the layout and clarity of the entries, revealing the healthy position of modern Scots usage in spite of centuries of neglect. Murison was therefore instrumental in encouraging the study of modern Scots and fostering respect for it as a language. He was responsible for the completion of Volume III, and for overall control of Volumes IV to X.
In 1985 the one-volume Concise Scots Dictionary based on the SND and DOST
was published (editor-in-chief Mairi Robinson).
In 2004 a team at Dundee University digitised the full text of all ten volumes and made them available free via the Dictionary of the Scots Language
.
An award from the Heritage Lottery Fund enabled SLD to bring the dictionary up-to-date with a New Supplement, published online in 2005 as part of the Dictionary of the Scots Language.
Scottish National Dictionary Association
The Scottish National Dictionary Association was founded in 1929 to foster and encourage the Scots language, in particular by producing a standard dictionary of modern Scots. This primary aim was fulfilled in 1976 with the completion of the 10-volume Scottish National Dictionary , covering the...
(SNDA) from 1931 to 1976 and documents the Modern (Lowland) Scots language
Modern Scots
Modern Scots describes the varieties of Scots traditionally spoken in Lowland Scotland and parts of Ulster from 1700.Throughout its history, Modern Scots has been undergoing a process of language attrition, whereby successive generations of speakers have adopted more and more features from...
. The original editor, William Grant, was the driving force behind the collection of Scots vocabulary. A wide range of sources were used by the editorial team in order to represent the full spectrum of Scottish vocabulary and cultural life.
Literary sources of words and phrases up to the mid-twentieth century were thoroughly investigated, as were historical records, both published and unpublished, of Parliament, Town Councils, Kirk Sessions and Presbyteries and Law Courts. More ephemeral sources such as domestic memoirs, household account books, diaries, letters and the like were also read for the dictionary, and a wide range of local and national newspapers and magazines, which often shed light on regional vocabulary and culture.
Given the fact that Scots has often been perceived as inappropriate for formal situations (including formal written text) during the period from 1700 to the present day, many words and expressions that were in regular everyday use did not appear in print. In order to redress this imbalance and fully appreciate the linguistic oral heritage of Scots, field-workers for the dictionary collected personal quotations across the country.
When David Murison took over the editorship of the dictionary in 1946, following William Grant's death, he greatly increased the number and range of written sources and expanded the coverage of oral material. He improved the layout and clarity of the entries, revealing the healthy position of modern Scots usage in spite of centuries of neglect. Murison was therefore instrumental in encouraging the study of modern Scots and fostering respect for it as a language. He was responsible for the completion of Volume III, and for overall control of Volumes IV to X.
In 1985 the one-volume Concise Scots Dictionary based on the SND and DOST
Dictionary of the Older Scottish Tongue
The Dictionary of the Older Scottish Tongue is a 12-volume dictionary that documents the history of the Scots language covering Older Scots from the earliest written evidence in the twelfth century until the year 1700...
was published (editor-in-chief Mairi Robinson).
In 2004 a team at Dundee University digitised the full text of all ten volumes and made them available free via the Dictionary of the Scots Language
Dictionary of the Scots Language
The Dictionary of the Scots Language is an online Scots-English dictionary, now run by Scottish Language Dictionaries Ltd, a charity and limited company...
.
An award from the Heritage Lottery Fund enabled SLD to bring the dictionary up-to-date with a New Supplement, published online in 2005 as part of the Dictionary of the Scots Language.
See also
- Dictionary of the Scots LanguageDictionary of the Scots LanguageThe Dictionary of the Scots Language is an online Scots-English dictionary, now run by Scottish Language Dictionaries Ltd, a charity and limited company...
- Scottish Language Dictionaries LtdScottish Language Dictionaries LtdScottish Language Dictionaries is Scotland's lexicographical body for the Scots Language. SLD is responsible for the major Scots dictionaries, the Dictionary of the Older Scottish Tongue and the Scottish National Dictionary...
- Scottish National Dictionary AssociationScottish National Dictionary AssociationThe Scottish National Dictionary Association was founded in 1929 to foster and encourage the Scots language, in particular by producing a standard dictionary of modern Scots. This primary aim was fulfilled in 1976 with the completion of the 10-volume Scottish National Dictionary , covering the...
- Dictionary of the Older Scottish TongueDictionary of the Older Scottish TongueThe Dictionary of the Older Scottish Tongue is a 12-volume dictionary that documents the history of the Scots language covering Older Scots from the earliest written evidence in the twelfth century until the year 1700...