Scottish National Dictionary Updated

The New Supplement to the Scottish National Dictionary has been added to the online Dictionary of the Scots Language at http://www.dsl.ac.uk. For those unfamiliar with the Dictionary of the Scots Language:

The Dictionary of the Scots Language (DSL) comprises electronic editions of the two major historical dictionaries of the Scots language: the 12-volume Dictionary of the Older Scottish Tongue (DOST) and the 10-volume Scottish National Dictionary (SND). DOST contains information about Scots words in use from the twelfth to the end of the seventeenth centuries (Older Scots); and SND contains information about Scots words in use from 1700 to the 1970s (modern Scots). Together these 22 volumes provide a comprehensive history of Scots, and a New Supplement now (2005) brings the record of the language up to date. These are therefore essential research tools for anyone interested in the history of either Scots or English language, and for historical or literary scholars whose sources are written in Scots or may contain Scots usages.

In the DSL, these two dictionaries are being published together in their full form for the first time. Thus, information on the earliest uses of Scots words can be presented alongside examples of the later development of the same words. By making the DSL freely available on the Internet, we also aim to widen access to the source dictionaries and to open up these rich lexicographic resources to anyone with an interest in Scots language and culture. Its educational uses range from university research to help with the production of Scots materials for young children.

The DSL is brought to you by Scottish Language Dictionaries, an organization dedicated to developing dictionaries and promoting the languages of Scotland. Among their projects is the Scuil Wab, an online resource for learning Scots (primarily targeted to primary and secondary education).

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