The Mudcat Café TM
Thread #95549   Message #2962140
Posted By: GUEST,Allan Con
10-Aug-10 - 12:53 PM
Thread Name: Folklore: Is Scots a Language or a Dialect?
Subject: RE: BS: Is Scots a Language or a Dialect?
"The Scandinavians were intergrated into Scotland and the language they used was spoken there long before the Scandinavian navy made forceful contact with England ,he used to say ."

I don't think that can be right. The cradle of the Scots language is in the Lothians and Borders - that is south-eastern Scotland - only spreading out over the rest of Scotland later. The areas of Scotland with a real significant Norse presence were on the islands, the far north and the far west. The Borders were never a part of the Danelaw either. Scandinavian influence is thought to be particularly from the Anglo-Danish incoming traders who came into the Scottish burghs from notrhern England. Plus of course when people in the far north and Northern Isles dropped Norn for Scots there would be a Norn influence left.