The Mudcat Café TM
Thread #167180   Message #4028972
Posted By: GUEST,Grishka
18-Jan-20 - 05:33 PM
Thread Name: Misheard Burns
Subject: RE: Misheard Burns
I always thought that Burns wrote his poems down himself for publication, so there would be no chance of mishearing. (Printing errors are a different matter – happened to many poets and composers!)

Standard (or Classical) Scottish is more or less defined by what Burns wrote, which often differs from what his ordinary Scottish contemporaries would speak. Sometimes I ask natives how to pronounce some word, and the answer usually starts with "It depends ..."