The Scottish Government has announced that a study of current Scots language provision is to be undertaken to see how the profile and use of the language may be increased.

Minister for Culture Linda Fabiani said, ‘Scots is part of our identity and our heritage as a nation. We must encourage confidence in the use of Scots in all its forms and create opportunities for it to thrive. The Scottish Government is committed to increasing awareness of the Scots language, literature and song…’

‘Schools have a particularly important contribution to make to ensure as many young people as possible have the opportunity to enjoy works of literature by Scots authors…’

The Scottish Government says, ‘Within the current curriculum review, A Curriculum for Excellence, the document ‘Building the Curriculum 1: the contribution of curriculum areas’ recognises that ‘Scotland has a rich diversity of language, including Scots’ and clearly states that teachers should strongly encourage and promote the use of the language the child or young person is using to communicate. It also says that “the guidance will encourage schools to support children in maintaining their own first language.” The draft outcomes for English, which include references to Scots, are due to be released for engagement next month.’

Categories: Community languages, Take-up of languages