FOR SOME SCOTS ENGLISH IS A SECOND LANGUAGE.

We have long been interested in the Scots language albeit from a Masonic point of view.

That Scots (as opposed to Gaelic) is a separate and distinct language to English has often been ridiculed. Now it seems that the education establishment has finally caught up with what we have been saying for years.

The Scots language is to be taught at Banff Academy, Aberdeenshire. The school has entered a joint project with the University of Aberdeen to assess whether or not pupils at the school would benefit from participating in the Scots Language Award. This award covers the origins and development of the Scots language both ancient and modern.

Aberdeen was chose because more that fifty percent of people in the area have stated that they are Scots or Doric speakers. A co-leader of the project, Clair Needler, said: ‘I am particularly interested in how speaking Scots can contribute to a sense of place, belonging and community.’ She added that people who speak Scots as well as English are bilingual although they might not be award of that fact.

Congratulations to all concerned for this initiative.