Scotticisms
Source 1 : A list of Scotticisms by David Hume, published in the ‘Scots Magazine’, 1760 (first printed in 1752)
Extract from periodical (NLS shelfmark: Sc.Mag [22])
Most of the key Scottish Enlightenment thinkers used English, rather than Latin, the traditional language of scholarship, or Scots, to communicate their ideas. To make their work appealing and accessible to an English and European audience, these Scottish writers and thinkers wanted to comply with the English used in London.
Key thinkers and improvers, such as James Beattie and Sir John Sinclair, produced their own lists of ‘Scotticisms’, or Scottish usages which should be avoided.
Concern about using ‘correct’ English
David Hume’s list was one of the earliest. It was first printed in 1752, and later published in the ‘Scots Magazine’.
Hume’s concern with using ‘correct’ English is expressed in his correspondence, and it was said by Lord Monboddo that Hume died confessing not his sins but his Scotticisms.
Transcript
[pages 686-687]
Vol. xxii Appendix 1760
Shall and will, these and those, &c. explained.
Scotticisms; with some English words explained.
SCOTTICISMS.
[ These Scotticisms were annexed to the Political Discourses of David Hume, Esq; printed at Edinburgh in 1752 [xiv. 56]; but are not continued in the later editions of that book. As they may, however, be useful to such of our countrymen as would avoid Scotticisms in speaking or writing, we presume that our republishing them will be approved of. ]
Will, in the first person, as, I will walk, we will walk, expresses the intention or resolution of the person, along with the future event: in the second and third person, as, You will, he will, they will, it expresses the future action or event, without comprehending or excluding the volition.
Shall, in the first person, whether singular or plural, expresses the future action or event, without excluding or comprehending the intention or resolution: but in the second or third person, it marks a necessity, and commonly a necessity proceeding from the person who speaks; as, He shall walk, You shall repent it.
These variations seem to have proceeded from a politeness in the English; who, in speaking to others, or of others, made use of the term will, which implies volition, even where the event may be the subject of necessity and constraint; and in speaking of themselves, made use of the term shall, which implies constraint, even though the event may be the object of choice.
Wou’d and shou’d are conjunctive moods, subject to the same rule: only we may observe, that in a sentence where there is a condition expressed, and a consequence of that condition, the former always requires shou’d, and the latter wou’d, in the second and third persons; as, If he shou’d fall, he wou’d break his leg, &c.
These is the plural of this, those of that: the former therefore expresses what is near, the latter, what is more remote; as in these lines of the Duke of Buckingham:
Philosophers and poets vainly strove,
In ev’ry age, the lumpish mass to move: [THESE,
But THOSE were pedants if compar’d with
Who knew not only to instruct but please
Where a relative is to follow, and the subject has not been mentioned immediately before, those is always required: Those observations which he made; Those kingdoms which Alexander conquered.
In the verbs which end in t, or te, we frequently omit ed in the preter-perfect, and in the participle; as, He operate, It was cultivate. Milton says, In thought more elevate; but he is the only author who uses that expression.
Notice should not be used as a verb. The proper phrase is take notice. Yet I find Lord Shaftesbury uses noticed, the participle: and unnoticed is very common.
Hinder to do, is Scotch. The English phrase is, hinder from doing. Yet Milton says, Hinder’d not Satan to pervert the mind. Book 9.
SCOTCH | ENGLISH |
---|---|
conform to | conformable to |
friends and acquaintances | friends and acquaintance |
maltreat | abuse |
advert to | attend to |
proven, improven, approven | proved, improved, approved |
pled | pleaded |
incarcerate | imprison |
tear to pieces | tear in pieces |
drunk, run | drank, ran |
fresh weather | open weather |
tender | sickly |
in the long run | at long run |
notwithstanding of that | notwithstanding that |
contented himself to do | contented himself with doing |
tis a question if | tis a question whether |
discretion | civility |
with child to a man | with child by a man |
out of hand | presently |
simply impossible | absolutely impossible |
a park | an inclosure |
in time coming | in time to come |
nothing else | no other thing |
mind it | remember it |
denuded | divested |
severals | several |
some better | something better |
anent | with regard to |
allenarly | solely |
alongst | along (Yet the English say both amid and amidst, among and amongst.) |
evenly | even |
as I shall answer | I protest or declare |
cause him do it | cause him to do it (Yet it is good English to say, make him do it.<) |
marry upon | marry to |
learn | teach |
there, where | thither, whither |
effectuate | effect (This word in English means to effect with pains and difficulty) |
a wright | a carpenter |
Yet it is good English to say, a wheel-wright &c | |
defunct | deceased |
evite | avoid |
part with child | miscarry |
notour | notorious |
to want it | { to be without a thing, |
{ even though it be | |
{ not desireable | |
to be difficulted | to be puzzled |
rebuted | discouraged by repulses |
for ordinary | usually |
think shame | ashamed |
in favours of | in favour of |
dubiety | doubtfulness |
prejudge | hurt |
compete | enter into competition |
heritable | hereditary |
to remeed | to remedy |
bankier | banker |
adduce a proof | produce a proof |
superplus | surplus |
forfaulture | forfeiture |
in no event | in no case |
common soldiers | private men |
big with a man | great with a man |
bygone | past |
debitor | debtor |
exeemed | exempted |
yesternight | last night |
big coat | great coat |
a chimney | a grate |
annualrent | interest |
tenible argument | good argument |
amissing | missing |
to condescend upon | to specify |
to discharge | to forbid |
to extinguish an obligation | to cancel an obligation |
to depone | to depose |
a compliment | a present |
to enquire at a man | to enquire of a man |
to be angry at a man | to be angry with a man |
to send an errand | to send of an errand |
to furnish goods to him | to furnish him with goods |
to open up | to open, or lay open |
Thucydide, Herodote, Sueton | Thucydides, Herodotus, Suetonius |
butter and bread | bread and butter |
pepper and vinegar | vinegar and pepper |
paper, pen, and ink | pen, ink, and paper |
readily | probably |
on a sudden | of a sudden |
as ever I saw | as I ever saw |
for my share | for my part |
misgive | fail |
rather chuse to buy as sell | rather chuse to buy than sell |
deduce | deduct |
lookt over the window | lookt out at the window |
a pretty enough girl | a pretty girl enough |
tis a week since he left this | tis a week since he left this place |
come in to the fire | come near the fire |
to take off a new coat | to make up a new suit |
alwise | always |
cut out his hair | cut off his hair |
cry him | call him |
to crave | to dun, to ask payment |
to get a stomach | to get an appetite |
vacance | vacation |
On this subject a correspondent writes, that the Scotch use the verb behove personally; whereas, for two hundred years, I behove (for it behoves me) has not been English.
To this we shall add Johnson’s explanation of this and two or three other words.
TO BEHOVE, v. n.
To be fit; to be meet; either with respect to duty, necessity, or convenience.
It is used only impersonally with it.
NARRATE, v. a.
To relate; to tell. A word only used in Scotland.
NOTWITHSTANDING. conj
[ This word is properly a participial adjective, as it is compounded of not and withstanding; and answers exactly to the Latin non obstante. It is most properly and analogically used in the ablative case absolute with a noun; as, He is rich notwithstanding his loss. It is not so proper to say, He is rich notwithstanding he has lost much. Yet this mode of writing is too frequent: Addison has used it. But when a sentence follows, it is more grammatical to insert that; as, He is rich notwithstanding that he has lost much. When notwithstanding is used absolutely, the expression is elliptical, this or that being understood. ]
- Without hindrance or obstruction from.
- Although. This use is not proper.
- Nevertheless; however.
TO PREJUDGE. v.a.
To determine any question beforehand; generally to condemn beforehand.
PREJUDICE. n.s.
- Prepossession; judgement formed beforehand without examination. It is used for prepossession in favour of any thing or against it.
- Mischief; detriment; hurt; injury. This sense in only accidental or consequential; a bad thing being called a prejudice, only because prejudice is commonly a bad thing; and is not derived from the original or etymology of the word: it were therefore better to use it less; perhaps prejudice ought never to be applied to any mischief which does not imply some partiality or prepossession.
TO PREJUDICE. v. a.
- To prepossess with unexamined opinions; to fill with prejudices.
- To obstruct or injure by prejudices previously raised.
- To injure, to hurt; to diminish; to impair; to be detrimental to. This sense, as in the noun, is often improperly extended to meanings that have no relation to the original sense: who can read with patience of an ingredient that prejudices a medicine?
TO SUCCUMB. v. n.
To yield; to sink under any difficulty. Not in use, except among the Scotch.
Discussion Points
- After reading Source 1, what do you understand by the expression ‘Scotticisms’?
- Why do you think someone like David Hume might be so concerned with how Scots wrote and spoke English?
- Some of these expressions are unique to Scots. Are any of them expressions you would use yourself, or have you heard people using them?