As a Geordie from a family of Cumbrian origins, with a Scottish name of Saxon roots, and living in Lancashire, I feel competent to point out that the use of "aye", and "lads and lasses" is fairly common across the whole of the North of England. Scots, or Laland, is a variant of English, and has its roots in the Anglo-Saxon settlement in the whole of the Borders region in the time of the Northumbrian kingdom. It is hardly surprising that it has many words that are not immediately recognisable in current English. This must be common in all dialects, each of which have changed in response to their own histories and neighbours. North Eastern English is said to have much in common with Danish (although having been to Denmark, I'm not too convinced about that) and no doubt many Scots words come from the Celtic connections.

In answer to Boab's claims of Unionist propaganda, I feel the current problem is more one of Celtic extravagant overclaiming, and the SNP's generated hate campaign against the English, who are blamed for everything. My personal feeling is that the border should not run as it does, but between the Clyde and the Forth as it did linguistically. And, to make things right, another between the Mersey and the Trent!