Years back when my initial investigation into my Hays history revealed the name was of Scottish origin and related to Clan Hay (http://www.clanhay.org) I got a kilt in the proper Clan Hay tartan, picked up a CD of Highland Celtic folk songs, and headed off to the local highland games. But DNA testing and my genealogical research over these past few years revealed there are two regions in Scotland, Highland and Lowland with the line running south-west, the exact boundary not clearly defined. In addition to cultural differences in each of these a distinct language was spoken with Scottish Gaelic spoken in the highlands and Scots spoken in the lowlands.
Scottish Gaelic is a Celtic language. The peoples first migrating into Ireland, Scotland, and England after the last ice age were Celtic speakers which descended from Proto-Celtic in Western Europe and the Iberian Peninsula. Today these include Irish Gaelic, Scottish Gaelic, Manx, Welsh, Breton, and Cornish. Scots is a branch of Teutonic (Proto-Germanic) languages, a branch of the Old English language with Old English being brought into the isles by germanic tribes, Angles and Saxons. Old English split into Scots and English. Today they include English, Lowland Scots, and Ulster Scots.
Picts in the highlands spoke a Celtic tongue which differed from the language of the Gaelic Kingdom of Dalriada which covered the western seaboard of Scotland and Northeast Ireland. In the 9th century they combined in the north of Scotland, then called Alba. “Scot” and “Scotland” is derived from latin (Scoti), initially applied to all Gauls but by the 11th century it was used only for the Gaelic speakers in the highlands. Eventually Scot was applied to the all people in the Country. So, ironically, the name of the language, Scots, comes from the Romans describing Gaelic Highlanders speaking Gaelic.
In the 5th and 6th century germanic tribes, Angles, and Saxons, began arriving on the east coast of Scotland and England speaking Old English (Angle ish). The land controlled by them was known as Northumbria (east coast of Northern England and Southern Scotland). Over the centuries, as Clans and Kings pushed each other around over time, Old English and Scots diverged and by the 12th century split into English in present day England and Scots in present day lowland Scotland, with Scots-Gaelic spoken in the highlands.
References to differences between Scots (non-Gaeilic speakers) and Wild Scots (Gaels) appear in the mid 13th century with Scots referenced in written records after 1350. John Barbours poem The Brus about about Robert the Bruce was in Scots and written in 1375. More frequent Scots written records start to appear in the late 1300’s and early 1400’s and in 1492 King James I of Scotland wrote The Kingis Quair (The Kings Book) in Scots. Records of Scotlands Parliament are now being kept in Scots.
In 1456 Gilbert Hay’s The Buke of the Law of Armys is the earliest dated work to be translated from another language into Scots, in this instance French. In 1901 The Scottish Text Society published Gilbert of the Haye’s Prose Manuscript (AD1456) Volume I. The Buke of the Law of Armys or Buke of Battles. The Introduction informs us there is a folio in a Library at Abbotsford which contains the earliest dated literary prose in the Scottish Language. Made in 1456, in Roslin Castle, at the command of the Earl of Orkney and Caithness, Chancellor of Scotland, by Sir Gilbert Haye, knight, late chamberlain to the King of France.
Sir Gilbert Haye, the Translator (Introduction pg. xxiii) is described as a poet rather than a prose writer. While much about him is speculation, such as his lineage may be from Sir William Hay of Locharet. Records at St. Andrews dated 1418 have a Gilbert’s Hay receiving a Bachelor in Decrees and in 1419 Gilbertus de Haya signing up for a Master of Arts degree. He is referenced as both a Knight and Priest and spent 24 years in France in service to the King there, possibly serving with the Scots Guard. Those interested in Hay history may enjoy the 119 page Introduction which speaks of Gilbert Hay, the manuscript, and the people involved.
In the mid 16th century Standard English began to predominate the other languages as it was the language of trade and business and most printed materials in Great Britain were in English. An example is the Geneva Bible which was translated into English and published in Scotland in 1579 and a law was passed in Scotland requiring every household of sufficient means to buy a copy. Presbyterian Ministers quoting from it would then translate into Scots for their audience. When in 1603 King James VI of Scotland became James I of England he addressed the English Parliament, “Hath not God first united these two Kingdomes both in Language, Religion, and similitude of maners?”. And in 1604 the Church of Scotland, the Kirk, noted the Authorized King James version of the bible, which was in English, was the official book.
In 1609 Scottish Planters offered land in Ulster came from the western lowlands of Scotland where Scots was the common tongue and migrations from the lowlands was encouraged to help alleviate border problems. Many more Scots left the lowlands for Ulster during the 1600’s due to religious and economic persecution adding to the Scots speakers in Ulster. Today the language is referred to as Ulster-Scots, which many consider a dialect of Scots.
The Ulster Scots Language Society says Ulster Scots was being spoken in the Americas in the early 1700’s, settlers speaking “their ain mother tongue”. There are many references found in literature of the time regarding the “rough English” of the Ulster Scots in America which I suspect was Scots or at a minimum a heavy Scots influence on the English used at the time.
John Hays Diary and Journal of 1760 of his expedition into Indian Country in PA transcribed from writing in his own hand in 1760 provides a clue that those Ulster Scots in who received an education did so in English as his writing, although with misspelling and grammar mistakes common to the time, appears to be English. He was reportedly born in Northern Ireland but brought to America when he was 2 so his formal education would be in the states. It is most likely that Ulster Scots and Scots in Scotland could switch back and forth between speaking Scots and English, often combining the two, at least well enough for their “rough English” to be understood. Those educated to read and write were in English as the available written works of the time were in English, the primary book being the bible.
But just as Old English from Europe evolved into Scots in Scotland and then into Ulster-Scots in Northern Ireland, it appears that in America it was absorbed into American English as were terms and phrases from British English, Indian languages, French, German, Spanish, and other immigrants. As an example, Schenectady, NY (where I grew up). The name is from a Mohawk Indian term “Schau-naugh-ta-da” meaning “beyond the pines” and pronounced Ska-nect-ta-dee by the original dutch settlers in the 1660’s. Across the Mohawk River the lone non-Dutch original settler, a Scot named Alexander Lindsey Glen, named his patent (land grant) “Scotia” after his homeland and the Village of Scotia in the Town of Glenville exists to this day.
Although I could find not specific reference in writings of the time some claim the term “Red Neck” originated in the Ulster Scots in America as Covenanters, lowland Scot Presbyterians, wore a red neckerchief. This is quite possible as the pioneers militias when in battle had no uniforms and to distinguish your side from the other it was common to wear an identifying piece of cloth on clothes or hat to prevent friendly fire incidents. It isn’t a far stretch of the imagination to believe a term used for the Scot and Ulster Scot Presbyterians would follow them to America.
Studies show that generally first generation immigrants to America use their own language at home, the first generation born here will be somewhat conversational in the old language but not able to read and write it, and the third generation can neither speak or understand the mother tongue having taken up the local language. Early American pioneers most assuredly combined words and phrases from other languages as they developed the common tongue in America.
As Scots was a spoken language and English the written language we have no record of how long Scots was used in America. Most likely the less educated, the pioneers and settlers, used it longer than those next to or within English settlements. Many believe that the unique dialect in the Appalachian Mountains traces back to Scots but there is no direct proof of this. But what we today call English in America is certainly different than English in Great Britain, Australia, Scotland, etc. And even in America the language changes from north to south and east to west.
But we can still find reference to the old Scots tongue in America when poets gather at Robbie Burn readings and on New Years Eve when we sing Auld Lang Syne in Scots (here mixed with a highland influence), or here with Scots and English subtitles for comparison.
Interestingly, in “The Scots: A Genetic Journey” Alistair Moffat writes that there is a DNA marker which correlates to the Scots who spoke Gaelic. S145 is a variant of the M269 marker and it appears in 48% of Welshmen and only 15% in neighboring England. In Scotland it’s in 31% of men in Glasgow and the southwest dropping to 22% in Edinburg. My DNA downstream of M269 lacks the marker, consistent with the presumed history of my Hays coming to Scotland from Normandy with no connection to the highlands. As DNA research progresses we may be able to further accurately trace our ancestries where no paper trail exists.
A good video of the Scots Language and differences from English, The Scot’s Language, can be found here. The Scots Language Center contains much information on the Scots Language. The Ulster-Scots Language Society has information on their Scots language, as does the Ulster-Scot Academy. And for differences in American English versus UK English the video, How are Biritsh English and American English different, is here.
I close wishing you Lang may yer lum reek! (May you live long and stay well.)