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{{Scotland-sidebar}}{{breadcrumb
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|Name=Scotland
|Type=Topic
|Topic Type=Background
|Background=Languages
|Rating=Standardized
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| link5=[[Scotland Languages|Languages]]
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Despite long being a multilingual country, most records used in Scottish research are in English, with older ones in the closely related Scots language. They may, however, be difficult to read because of unique Scottish words, [[Latin_Genealogical_Word_List|Latin words]], or different handwriting styles.
Occasionally records will also contain Gaelic, often written in English phonetics. In the medieval documents about Orkney and Shetland, you may also encounter Norn, an early form of Norwegian.
== Online Resources ==
*[http://fdp.gaidhlig.scot/en/community/main-gaelic-groups/ Gaelic language groups]
*[http://www.dsl.ac.uk/ Dictionary of the Scots Language]
*[http://www.smo.uhi.ac.uk/gaidhlig/english.html List of Gaelic resources]
*[http://www.scotslanguage.com Scots language Society]
===Courses===
* [https://gaidhligdumgal.org/information-2/ Cùrsaichean - Gaelic Courses]
===Dictionaries===
* [http://www.dsl.ac.uk/ Dictionary of the Scots language]
* [http://www.dwelly.info Dwelly's Dictionary] (Gaelic)
* [http://www2.smo.uhi.ac.uk/gaidhlig/faclair/sbg/lorg.php Stor Data Briathrachas]
== Scottish Gaelic ==
Gaelic (Gàidhlig) is a member of the Goidelic branch of the Celtic language of Scotland. It is closely related to [[Ireland Language and Languages|Irish]] and Manx, and more distantly to [[Wales Language and Languages|Welsh]], Cornish and Breton.
The Gaelic Language (Scotland) Act 2005 gives some degree of recognition to Scotland's Celtic language. However, unlike [[Wales Language and Languages|Welsh]], Scottish Gaelic has been written down far less frequently, and is not taught in many schools. The language is generally associated with the Highlands, but was historically spoken in most of the Lowlands as well. Many Lowland surnames and areas have Gaelic derivations, e.g. Dundee, Stranraer etc. It was not spoken in Orkney and Shetland
Scottish Gaelic gives rise to many Scottish surnames, including any beginning with Mac or Mc, as well as names such as Campbell, Dewar, Menzies etc. Some of these were written down in English phonetics, e.g. MacDonald or McWhannel for MacDhomhnaill and/or were later translated e.g. Smith can translate Mac a' Ghobhainn, which is also anglicized as Gow or MacGowan. The old Scottish Gaelic naming system is extremely complex, and exists mainly in oral tradition.
Many personal names such as Iain (John), Malcolm, Duncan, Fiona and Morag all ultimately derive from the language too. There are other, traditional, Gaelic names which have no direct equivalents in English: Oighrig, which is normally rendered as Euphemia (Effie) or Henrietta (Etta) (formerly also as Henny or even as Harriet), or, Diorbhal, which is "matched" with Dorothy, simply on the basis of a certain similarity in spelling; Gormul, for which there is nothing similar in English, and it is rendered as 'Gormelia' or even 'Dorothy'; Beathag, which is "matched" with Becky (> Rebecca) and even Betsy, or Sophie.
The most common class of Gaelic surnames are, of course, those beginning with ''mac'' (Gaelic for ''son''), such as ''MacGillEathain'' (MacLean). The female form is ''nic'' (Gaelic for ''daughter''), so Catherine MacPhee is properly called in Gaelic, ''Caitrìona Nic a' Phì''. [Strictly, "nic" is a contraction of the Gaelic phrase "nighean mhic", meaning "daughter of the son", thus Nic Dhomhnuill, really means "daughter of MacDonald" rather than "daughter of Donald".] Although there is a common misconception that "mac" means "son of", the "of" part actually comes from the genitive form of the patronymic that follows the prefix "Mac", e.g., in the case of MacNéill, Néill (of Neil) is the genitive form of Niall (Neil).
Several colours give rise to common Scottish surnames: ''bàn'' (Bain – white), ''ruadh'' (Roy – red), ''dubh'' (Dow – black), ''donn'' (Dunn – brown), ''buidhe'' (Bowie – yellow).
=== Alphabet and pronunciation ===
Though the Scottish Gaelic and English alphabets are very similar, each has some letters not used in the other. The letters j, k, q, v, w, y, x and z are not used in the Gaelic language except in some 'adopted' words and foreign names. Gaelic also uses the grave accent above vowels, and until recently used the acute accent over some of them as well.
Putting an "h" after a consonant changes its sound (much like in certain English combinations) and serves a grammatical function:
*bh/mh (a v or w sound)
*ch (a guttural sound as in German - known as the velar fricative.)
*dh/gh
**dhe/ghe-, dhi/ghi-, -idh  (like a y)
**dha-/gha-, dho-/gho-, dhu/ghu-, -adh, -odh (guttural sound, similar to g)
*fh (silent, occasionally "h")
*ph (f as in English)
*sh, th (an h sound)
Spelling is similar to Irish, although some combinations such as "ae" and "bhf" will not be found in modern Scottish Gaelic. Older documents will use a spelling more similar to Irish, or are often in English phonetics.
As an example of how different Gaelic spelling is from English, the Lord's Prayer is reproduced here:
:Ar n-Athair a tha air nèamh, Gu naomhaichear d'ainm.
:Thigeadh do rìoghachd. Dèanar do thoil air an talamh, mar a nithear air nèamh.
:Tabhair dhuinn an-diugh ar n-aran làitheil.
:Agus maith dhuinn ar fiachan, amhail a mhaitheas sinne dar luchd-fiach.
:Agus na leig ann am buaireadh sinn; ach saor sinn o olc:
:oir is leatsa an rìoghachd, agus an cumhachd, agus a' ghlòir, gu siorraidh.
:Amen.
==Scots language==
The Scots language is the language of the Scottish Lowlands, Caithness, and the Northern Isles (Orkney and Shetland). It is closely related to standard English, and there is a long running, heated debate as to whether it is a dialect or a language in its own right. It is not to be confused with Gaelic, although there has been some mutual influence.
The Scots language goes by many different names. It is often called Broad/Braid Scots or Lowland Scots to distinguish it from Gaelic. In the north east especially, it is often referred to as Doric. In Buchan, it is known as the Claik, and in Glasgow as the Patter. In older writings it is often referred to as Scottis, or as Scotch, although the term "Scotch" is not liked by many Scots today.
Many Scots words can be found in older documents, as it was written down more frequently than Gaelic. It is common for Scots to use the dimunitive, e.g. James frequently becomes Jamie, Robert becomes Rab or Rabbie etc. This is done more often than in standard English and is not frowned upon.
Scots has no legal status, and there are no reliable figures for how many people speak it. However, it is much more common to hear it in Scotland than Gaelic. Due to its similarity with English, there is considerable debate as to what constitutes Scots as well.
Spelling is not standardized now, and is often influenced by English. A notable difference from standard English is the guttural (velar fricative) in which the likes of "loch" and "nicht" would be pronounced as in German, rather than as "lock" or "nickt".
Many Scots words survive in Scottish place names, e.g. street names such as wynd, vennel, close, pend, port (in the sense of gate), gate (in the sense of road), and in placenames such as howe (hollow), mains (important farm), burn (small river), brae (hill or slope) etc
=== Latin  ===
Some Scottish records may contain Latin. Knowing some Latin will help you read these records. For help with Latin words, see the Latin Genealogical Word List (34077).
There are also a handful of Latin terms only used in Scotland.
=== Handwriting  ===
Handwriting styles have changed over time. In early records, the handwriting is quite different from what it is today.  Visit [[Scotland Handwriting|Scotland Handwriting]] in  Research Topics.
=== Abbreviations  ===
Abbreviations are common in early handwriting. When recorders left letters out of a word, they indicated the fact by using various marks, such as a period, a colon, a tail on the last letter of the word, a curvy line over the word, or a raised letter at the end of the word. Abbreviations can be indicated in many ways, and it is important to study individual writers to see how they made abbreviations.
In Scottish church records, ministers often used only the first letter of the words, for example:
L.S. = lawful son
L.D. = lawful daughter
N.S. = natural son
N.D. = natural daughter
ch. = child
Ch. N. = child named
N. = named
Instead of writing the words father, mother, witness, son, or daughter, the minister may have used f, m, w, s, or other letters.
===Yogh===
Yogh (ȝogh) is an old letter which may be encountered when looking at some very old documents. It resembles the number 3 or a cursive Z. This represents a "y" sound.
Later the yogh was turned into Y. It  ended up fossilised as a Z in some words and names. McKenzie and Menzies, for example would have originally been written with a yogh, i.e. McKenȝie and Menȝies.
=== Dates  ===
Dates, instead of being numerical, are sometimes referred to by the name of the feast day or by one of the terms listed below:
{| class="plain FCK__ShowTableBorders"
|-
| Term
| Meaning
| current, instant
| Same month (Sometimes used to mean "within 30 days" or a month.)
|-
| proximo
| next month
|-
| ultimo
| last month
|-
| penultimate day, penult day
| the day before the last day of the month
|-
| jajvii, jmjvii, mvii
| indicates the century, such as 1700s
|-
| eodem tempore, eod tempore
| at the same time (the same date)
|-
| eodem die, eod die, E.D.
| the same day
|-
| Gods die
| God’s day, the Sabbath
|-
| Feb 1st Sabbath
| Exact day of month not stated
|-
| Feb 2nd Sabbath
| Event took place in Feb on the 1st, 2nd, or  (whatever) Sabbath in the month
|}
==Language resources==
=== Scottish Dictionaries  ===
To find definitions for other words that are unfamiliar to you, you can use one of several Scottish dictionaries:
Craigie, Sir William A. ''A Dictionary of the Older Scottish Tongue, from the Twelfth Century to the End of the Seventeenth''. Chicago, Illinois: University of Chicago Press, 1937-. (FamilySearch Library{{FSC|403.41 Sco87c|disp=book 403.41 Sco87c.)}}
Dwelly, Edward ''Faclair Gàidhlig gu Beurla le Dealbhan/The Illustrated Gaelic–English Dictionary'' (various editions)
Graham, William. ''The Scots Word Book''. 3rd rev. ed. Edinburgh, Scotland: Ramsey Head Press, 1980. (FamilySearch Library {{FSC|185380|title-id|disp=book 427.9411 G76s}} 1980.)
Jamieson, John. ''A Dictionary of the Scottish Language.'' Edinburgh, Scotland: William Tait, 1866. (FamilySearch Library {{FSC|120119|title-id|disp=book 427.941 J242j}}.)
Warrack, Alexander. ''A Scots Dialect Dictionary''. London, England: W. & R. Chambers, 1911. (FS Library book 427.9411 W25s.)
Robinson, Mairi, ed. ''The Concise Scots Dictionary''. Oxford, England: Aberdeen University Press, 1985. (Family Hhistory Library {{FSC|188877|title-id|disp=book 427.9411 C748c}}.)
{{Place|Scotland}}


==Description==
==Description==
There are three officially recognized languages spoken in Scotland <ref>Wikipedia contributors, "Scotland," in ''Wikipedia: the Free Encyclopedia'', https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scotland#:~:text=Scotland%20has%20three%20officially%20recognised%20languages, accessed 18 May 2023.</ref>
There are three officially recognized languages spoken in Scotland <ref>Wikipedia contributors, "Scotland," in ''Wikipedia: the Free Encyclopedia'', https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scotland#:~:text=Scotland%20has%20three%20officially%20recognised%20languages, accessed 18 May 2023.</ref>
* '''English''' - a variety of English called '''Scottish Standard English'''. May have been influenced by Scots.
* '''English''' - a variety of English called '''Scottish Standard English'''. May have been influenced by Scots.
* [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scots_language '''Scots'''] - per the 2011 census, 63% of the population have no skills in Scots.
* [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scots_language '''Scots'''] - per the 2011 census, 63% of the population have no skills in Scots. [https://www.familysearch.org/en/wiki/Scotland_Languages#:~:text=Details%20on%20Scots%20language ''Further information on Scots Language'']
* [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scottish_Gaelic '''Scottish Gaelic'''] - most spoken in the Western Isles by the majority of the population.
* [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scottish_Gaelic '''Scottish Gaelic'''] - most spoken in the Western Isles by the majority of the population. [https://www.familysearch.org/en/wiki/Scotland_Languages#:~:text=Details%20on%20Scottish%20Gaelic ''Further information on Scottish Gaelic'']


Other languages spoken include
Other languages spoken include
* [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Highland_English '''Highland English'''] - a variety of Scottish English
* [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Highland_English '''Highland English'''] - a variety of Scottish English
Most records used in Scottish research are in English, with older ones in the closely related Scots language. They may, however, be difficult to read because of unique Scottish words or different handwriting styles. Occasionally records will also contain Gaelic, often written in English phonetics. In medieval documents about Orkney and Shetland, you may also encounter Norn, an early form of Norwegian.
Some Scottish records may contain Latin. Knowing some Latin will help you read these records.


==Word List(s)==
==Word List(s)==
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* [https://omniglot.com/language/phrases/gaelic.php#:~:text=Useful%20Scottish%20Gaelic%20phrases Useful Scottish Gaelic phrases] - Omniglot
* [https://omniglot.com/language/phrases/gaelic.php#:~:text=Useful%20Scottish%20Gaelic%20phrases Useful Scottish Gaelic phrases] - Omniglot
* [https://www.familysearch.org/en/wiki/Scotland_Languages#:~:text=Some%20words%20you%20will%20see%20in%20Scottish%20records Unique Scottish Words]
* [https://www.familysearch.org/en/wiki/Scotland_Languages#:~:text=Some%20words%20you%20will%20see%20in%20Scottish%20records Unique Scottish Words]
* [[Latin Genealogical Word List|Latin Genealogical Word List]]
* [https://www.familysearch.org/en/wiki/Scotland_Languages#:~:text=Scottish%20Records%20Abbreviations ''List of Records Abbreviations in Scottish'']


==Alphabet and Pronunciation==
==Alphabet and Pronunciation==
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* [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scots_language#:~:text=The%20vowel%20system%20of%20Modern%20Scots Scots Vowels and Consonants] - Wikipedia
* [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scots_language#:~:text=The%20vowel%20system%20of%20Modern%20Scots Scots Vowels and Consonants] - Wikipedia
* [https://omniglot.com/writing/gaelic.htm#:~:text=Scottish%20Gaelic%20alphabet Scottish Gaelic alphabet] - Omniglot
* [https://omniglot.com/writing/gaelic.htm#:~:text=Scottish%20Gaelic%20alphabet Scottish Gaelic alphabet] - Omniglot
* [https://www.familysearch.org/en/wiki/Scotland_Languages#:~:text=Gaelic%20Alphabet%20and%20pronunciation%20explanation ''Gaelic Alphabet & Pronunciation details'']
* [https://www.familysearch.org/en/wiki/Scotland_Languages#:~:text=The%20old%20letter%20Yogh ''Explanation about Yogh (old letter)'']


'''Pronunciation'''
'''Pronunciation'''
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==Language Aids and Dictionaries==
==Language Aids and Dictionaries==
'''Dictionaries'''
'''Dictionaries'''
* Speitel, Pauline Cairns. ''Concise Scots dictionary.'' Edinburgh: Edinburgh University Press, 2017. '''''Available at:''''' [https://worldcat.org/title/1013179107 WorldCat].
* Speitel, Pauline Cairns. ''Concise Scots dictionary.'' Edinburgh: Edinburgh University Press, 2017. '''''Available at:''''' [https://worldcat.org/title/1013179107 WorldCat].
Line 217: Line 63:
* Robertson, Boyd and Ian MacDonald. ''Essential Gaelic dictionary.'' London: Hodder Education, 2010. '''''Available at:''''' [https://worldcat.org/title/811402877 WorldCat].
* Robertson, Boyd and Ian MacDonald. ''Essential Gaelic dictionary.'' London: Hodder Education, 2010. '''''Available at:''''' [https://worldcat.org/title/811402877 WorldCat].
* Gutt-Mostowy, Jan, Miroslaw Lipiński, and Tadeusz Gromada. ''Highlander Polish-English/English-Highlander Polish dictionary.'' New York: Hippocrene Books, 1995. '''''Available at:''''' [https://worldcat.org/title/33346264 WorldCat].
* Gutt-Mostowy, Jan, Miroslaw Lipiński, and Tadeusz Gromada. ''Highlander Polish-English/English-Highlander Polish dictionary.'' New York: Hippocrene Books, 1995. '''''Available at:''''' [https://worldcat.org/title/33346264 WorldCat].
* Craigie, William A. ''A dictionary of the older Scottish tongue : from the twelfth century to the end of the seventeenth.'' Chicago, London: Oxford University Press, 2002. '''''Available at:''''' [https://worldcat.org/title/770465 WorldCat].
* Dwelly, Edward. ''The illustrated Gaelic-English dictionary.'' Glasgow: Akerbeltz, 2011. '''''Available at:''''' [https://worldcat.org/title/793814319 WorldCat].
* Graham, William. ''The Scots word book - Third revised edition.'' Edinburgh: Ramsay Head Press, 1980. '''''Available at:''''' [URL WorldCat].
* Warrack, Alexander. ''A Scot's dialect dictionary.'' London: W. & R. Chambers, Limited, 1911. '''''Available at:''''' [https://worldcat.org/title/997604 WorldCat].
* Robinson, Mairi. ''Concise Scots dictionary.'' Edinburgh: Polygon, 1999. '''''Available at:''''' [https://worldcat.org/title/43969144 WorldCat].


'''Online Dictionaries'''
'''Online Dictionaries'''
* [https://dsl.ac.uk/ Dictionaries of the Scots Language] - DSL
* [https://glosbe.com/en/sco Dictionary English - Scots] - Glosbe
* [https://glosbe.com/en/sco Dictionary English - Scots] - Glosbe
* [https://glosbe.com/en/gd Dictionary English - Scottish Gaelic] - Glosbe
* [https://glosbe.com/en/gd Dictionary English - Scottish Gaelic] - Glosbe
* [http://www.faclair.ac.uk/ Dictionary of the Scottish Gaelic Language] at Faclair na Gàidhlig — index & images ($)
* [https://www.dwelly.info/ Gaelic Dictionary] - Dwelly
* [https://www3.smo.uhi.ac.uk/gaidhlig/faclair/sbg/lorg.php Stor Data Briathrachas] - SMO


'''Language Aids'''
'''Language Aids'''
* [https://dasg.ac.uk/corpus/ Corpas na Gàidhlig (Scottish Gaelic Documents)] at DASG — index & images ($)
* Maolalaigh, Roibeard Ó. ''Scottish Gaelic in twelve weeks.'' Edinburgh: Birlinn, 2015. '''''Available at:''''' [https://worldcat.org/title/949175258 WorldCat].
* Maolalaigh, Roibeard Ó. ''Scottish Gaelic in twelve weeks.'' Edinburgh: Birlinn, 2015. '''''Available at:''''' [https://worldcat.org/title/949175258 WorldCat].
* Purves, David. ''A Scots grammar : Scots grammar and usage.'' Edinburgh: Saltire Society, 2002. '''''Available at:''''' [https://worldcat.org/title/49872271 WorldCat].
* Purves, David. ''A Scots grammar : Scots grammar and usage.'' Edinburgh: Saltire Society, 2002. '''''Available at:''''' [https://worldcat.org/title/49872271 WorldCat].
Line 229: Line 85:
* [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scottish_Gaelic_phonology_and_orthography Scottish Gaelic phonology and orthography] - Wikipedia
* [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scottish_Gaelic_phonology_and_orthography Scottish Gaelic phonology and orthography] - Wikipedia
* [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scottish_Gaelic_grammar Scottish Gaelic grammar] - Wikipedia
* [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scottish_Gaelic_grammar Scottish Gaelic grammar] - Wikipedia
This is a general glossary of genealogical terms and includes terms for Scotland. Select the letter the term begins with.
<br>A  [[B genealogical glossary terms|B]]  [[C genealogical glossary terms|C]]  [[D genealogical glossary terms|D]]  [[E genealogical glossary terms|E]]  [[F genealogical glossary terms|F]]  [[G genealogical glossary terms|G]]  [[H genealogical glossary terms|H]]  I  [[J genealogical glossary terms|J]]  [[K genealogical glossary terms|K]]  L  M  N  O [[P -- genealogical glossary of terms| P]]  Q  R  S  T  U  V  W  X  Y  Z


==Additional Resources==
==Additional Resources==
* [https://omniglot.com/writing/scots.htm Scots Language] - Omniglot
* [https://omniglot.com/writing/scots.htm Scots Language] - Omniglot
* [https://omniglot.com/writing/gaelic.htm Scottish Gaelic Language] - Omniglot
* [https://omniglot.com/writing/gaelic.htm Scottish Gaelic Language] - Omniglot
* [https://www3.smo.uhi.ac.uk/gaidhlig/english.html List of Gaelic resources]- SMO
* [https://www.scotslanguage.com/ Scots language Society] - Scots Language Centre
* [https://fdp.gaidhlig.scot/en/community/main-gaelic-groups/ Gaelic language groups] - Gàidhlig
* [https://gaidhligdumgal.org/information-2/ Cùrsaichean - Gaelic Courses] - gaidhligdumgal
'''Details on Scots language'''<br>
The Scots language is the language of the Scottish Lowlands, Caithness, and the Northern Isles (Orkney and Shetland). It is closely related to standard English, and there is a long-running, heated debate as to whether it is a dialect or a language in its own right. It is not to be confused with Gaelic, although there has been some mutual influence.
The Scots language goes by many different names. It is often called Broad/Braid Scots or Lowland Scots to distinguish it from Gaelic. In the northeast especially, it is often referred to as Doric. In Buchan, it is known as the Claik, and in Glasgow as the Patter. In older writings, it is often referred to as Scottis, or as Scotch, although the term "Scotch" is not liked by many Scots today.
Many Scots words can be found in older documents, as it was written down more frequently than Gaelic. It is common for Scots to use the diminutive, e.g. James frequently becomes Jamie, Robert becomes Rab or Rabbie etc. This is done more often than in standard English and is not frowned upon.
Scots has no legal status, and there are no reliable figures for how many people speak it. However, it is much more common to hear it in Scotland than Gaelic. Due to its similarity with English, there is considerable debate as to what constitutes Scots as well.
Spelling is not standardized now, and is often influenced by English. A notable difference from standard English is the guttural (velar fricative) in which the likes of "loch" and "nicht" would be pronounced as in German, rather than as "lock" or "nickt".
Many Scots words survive in Scottish place names, e.g. street names such as wynd, vennel, close, pend, port (in the sense of gate), gate (in the sense of road), and in placenames such as howe (hollow), mains (important farm), burn (small river), brae (hill or slope) etc
'''Details on Scottish Gaelic'''<br>
Gaelic (Gàidhlig) is a member of the Goidelic branch of the Celtic language of Scotland. It is closely related to [[Ireland Language and Languages|Irish]] and Manx, and more distantly to [[Wales Language and Languages|Welsh]], Cornish and Breton.
The Gaelic Language (Scotland) Act 2005 gives some degree of recognition to Scotland's Celtic language. However, unlike [[Wales Language and Languages|Welsh]], Scottish Gaelic has been written down far less frequently, and is not taught in many schools. The language is generally associated with the Highlands, but was historically spoken in most of the Lowlands as well. Many Lowland surnames and areas have Gaelic derivations, e.g. Dundee, Stranraer etc. It was not spoken in Orkney and Shetland
Scottish Gaelic gives rise to many Scottish surnames, including any beginning with Mac or Mc, as well as names such as Campbell, Dewar, Menzies etc. Some of these were written down in English phonetics, e.g. MacDonald or McWhannel for MacDhomhnaill and/or were later translated e.g. Smith can translate Mac a' Ghobhainn, which is also anglicized as Gow or MacGowan. The old Scottish Gaelic naming system is extremely complex, and exists mainly in oral tradition.
Many personal names such as Iain (John), Malcolm, Duncan, Fiona and Morag all ultimately derive from the language too. There are other, traditional, Gaelic names which have no direct equivalents in English: Oighrig, which is normally rendered as Euphemia (Effie) or Henrietta (Etta) (formerly also as Henny or even as Harriet), or, Diorbhal, which is "matched" with Dorothy, simply on the basis of a certain similarity in spelling; Gormul, for which there is nothing similar in English, and it is rendered as 'Gormelia' or even 'Dorothy'; Beathag, which is "matched" with Becky (&gt; Rebecca) and even Betsy, or Sophie.
The most common class of Gaelic surnames are, of course, those beginning with ''mac'' (Gaelic for ''son''), such as ''MacGillEathain'' (MacLean). The female form is ''nic'' (Gaelic for ''daughter''), so Catherine MacPhee is properly called in Gaelic, ''Caitrìona Nic a' Phì''. [Strictly, "nic" is a contraction of the Gaelic phrase "nighean mhic", meaning "daughter of the son", thus Nic Dhomhnuill, really means "daughter of MacDonald" rather than "daughter of Donald".] Although there is a common misconception that "mac" means "son of", the "of" part actually comes from the genitive form of the patronymic that follows the prefix "Mac", e.g., in the case of MacNéill, Néill (of Neil) is the genitive form of Niall (Neil).
Several colours give rise to common Scottish surnames: ''bàn'' (Bain – white), ''ruadh'' (Roy – red), ''dubh'' (Dow – black), ''donn'' (Dunn – brown), ''buidhe'' (Bowie – yellow).


'''Unique Scottish Words'''<br>
'''Unique Scottish Words'''<br>
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| Shetland, Zetlander - of Shetland
| Shetland, Zetlander - of Shetland
|-
|-
|}
'''Gaelic Alphabet and pronunciation explanation'''<br>
Though the Scottish Gaelic and English alphabets are very similar, each has some letters not used in the other. The letters j, k, q, v, w, y, x and z are not used in the Gaelic language except in some 'adopted' words and foreign names. Gaelic also uses the grave accent above vowels, and until recently used the acute accent over some of them as well.
Putting an "h" after a consonant changes its sound (much like in certain English combinations) and serves a grammatical function:
*bh/mh (a v or w sound)
*ch (a guttural sound as in German - known as the velar fricative.)
*dh/gh
**dhe/ghe-, dhi/ghi-, -idh  (like a y)
**dha-/gha-, dho-/gho-, dhu/ghu-, -adh, -odh (guttural sound, similar to g)
*fh (silent, occasionally "h")
*ph (f as in English)
*sh, th (an h sound)
Spelling is similar to Irish, although some combinations such as "ae" and "bhf" will not be found in modern Scottish Gaelic. Older documents will use a spelling more similar to Irish, or are often in English phonetics.
As an example of how different Gaelic spelling is from English, the Lord's Prayer is reproduced here:
:Ar n-Athair a tha air nèamh, Gu naomhaichear d'ainm.
:Thigeadh do rìoghachd. Dèanar do thoil air an talamh, mar a nithear air nèamh.
:Tabhair dhuinn an-diugh ar n-aran làitheil.
:Agus maith dhuinn ar fiachan, amhail a mhaitheas sinne dar luchd-fiach.
:Agus na leig ann am buaireadh sinn; ach saor sinn o olc:
:oir is leatsa an rìoghachd, agus an cumhachd, agus a' ghlòir, gu siorraidh.
:Amen.
'''Handwriting'''<br>
Handwriting styles have changed over time. In early records, the handwriting is quite different from what it is today.  Visit [[Scotland Handwriting|Scotland Handwriting]] in  Research Topics.
'''Scottish Records Abbreviations'''<br>
Abbreviations are common in early handwriting. When recorders left letters out of a word, they indicated the fact by using various marks, such as a period, a colon, a tail on the last letter of the word, a curvy line over the word, or a raised letter at the end of the word. Abbreviations can be indicated in many ways, and it is important to study individual writers to see how they made abbreviations.
In Scottish church records, ministers often used only the first letter of the words, for example:<br>
L.S. = lawful son<br>
L.D. = lawful daughter<br>
N.S. = natural son<br>
N.D. = natural daughter<br>
ch. = child<br>
Ch. N. = child named<br>
N. = named<br>
Instead of writing the words father, mother, witness, son, or daughter, the minister may have used f, m, w, s, or other letters.
'''The old letter Yogh'''<br>
Yogh (ȝogh) is an old letter that may be encountered when looking at some very old documents. It resembles the number 3 or a cursive Z. This represents a "y" sound. Later the yogh was turned into Y. It ended up fossilized as a Z in some words and names. McKenzie and Menzies, for example, would have originally been written with a yogh, i.e. McKenȝie and Menȝies.
'''Dates'''<br>
Dates, instead of being numerical, are sometimes referred to by the name of the feast day or by one of the terms listed below:
{| class="plain FCK__ShowTableBorders"
|-
| Term
| Meaning
|-
| current, instant
| Same month (Sometimes used to mean "within 30 days" or a month.)
|-
| proximo
| next month
|-
| ultimo
| last month
|-
| penultimate day, penult day
| the day before the last day of the month
|-
| jajvii, jmjvii, mvii
| indicates the century, such as 1700s
|-
| eodem tempore, eod tempore
| at the same time (the same date)
|-
| eodem die, eod die, E.D.
| the same day
|-
| Gods die
| God’s day, the Sabbath
|-
| Feb 1st Sabbath
| Exact day of month not stated
|-
| Feb 2nd Sabbath
| Event took place in Feb on the 1st, 2nd, or  (whatever) Sabbath in the month
|}
|}


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