Spelling Scots: The Orthography of Literary Scots, 1700-2000

Jennifer Bann; John Corbett

Published by Edinburgh University Press 2015

Spelling Scots

The Orthography of Literary Scots, 1700-2000

Jennifer Bann and John Corbett

https://doi.org/10.1515/9780748696451

Overview
Contents

About this book

Analyses the development of Modern Scots orthography and compares the spelling used in key works of literature

People have been writing in Scots for over 700 years, but the spelling of Scots has never been fixed, with many words, like buik, buke, book, appearing in a variety of forms. Drawing on the Corpus of Modern Scottish Writing, this volume provides a comprehensive survey of the spelling system of Older and Modern Scots, illustrating how this orthographic system has developed partly in response to historical shifts in pronunciation, and partly as a result of social and political change.

Spelling Scots acts not only as a wide-ranging reference book to the changing orthography of Scots, but also as an outline of the active interventions in the practices that have guided Scots spelling. The book shows how canonical writers of poetry and fiction in Scots from 1700 to the present day have blended convention and innovation in presenting Scots in literary texts, and it explores the influence of key writers such as Ramsay, Fergusson, Burns, Scott, Hogg and Stevenson. Introducing an innovative method of tracing the use of key spelling variants in a corpus of Scots writing, the book discusses the implication of this method for promoting wider literacy in Scots.

Spelling Scots should be a standard reference volume for all institutions where literature in Scots is studied. It draws on the authors' current research project, the Corpus of Modern Scottish Writing.

Key features

Evidence-based treatment of the material using two main corpora
Presents the first full description of Modern Scots spelling
Explores the influence of key writers such as Ramsay, Fergusson, Burns, Scott, Hogg and Stevenson on other writers

Topics

Frontmatter Publicly Available Download PDF	i
Contents Publicly Available Download PDF	iii
Acknowledgements Publicly Available Download PDF	iv
The IPA Chart Publicly Available Download PDF	v
1. Introduction Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	1
2. The Consonants of Older Scots Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	16
3. Older Scots Vowels Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	39
4. The Development of Modern Scots Orthography Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	59
5. From Orthoepy to Activism: Orthographic Interventions Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	76
6. Cluster Analysis and Scots Orthography Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	97
7. Applying Cluster Analysis to Scots Poetry Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	111
8. Applying Cluster Analysis to Scots Prose Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	127
9. Promoting Literacy in Scots Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	139
Appendix: Wordlists Used in Cluster Analyses Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	147
References Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	152
Index Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	159

(Deutsch)

Language: English
Publisher: Edinburgh University Press
Audience: College/higher education;
Pages
- Main content: 192
Illustrations
- Other: 5 B/W halftones 15 B/W line art
Keywords: Language & Linguistics

eBook

Published: October 2, 2015
ISBN: 9780748696451