I had a fantastic time at the weekend speaking to the delegates at the Scots@Ed event at the University of Edinburgh. The one-day symposium was organised to “raise awareness of, and cultivates interest in, the Scots language, as well as providing a platform for people of different backgrounds and professions to come together and discuss the language, and the work they do to promote it.”
Throughout the day, we were treated to presentations from speakers in both the academic and non-academic sectors. My presentation was focused on my recent research in the North East, with a particular focus on the label ‘Doric’, its status as an identity marker and the implications of the hegemonic nature of the term with respect to Scots language promotion in the area.
It was a great opportunity to debut my heat-maps of where North East speakers believe the ‘Doric’ to be spoken, with results suggesting that it is not as straightforward as it may appear from the outside.
The day ended with an illuminating panel-discussion, bringing in different voices from across the realms of academia, education, Scots language activism, and politics. Thank you to everyone who came along and offered their own take on the position of Scots and their hopes for its future. Also, a big thank you to the wonderful organisers – Lisa Gotthard, Sarah van Eyndhoven, Stephen McNulty and James Puchowski. Here’s to the next one!
Dawn Leslie 