Focus on… Scotland

Scotland is a country to the north of England that is part of the United Kingdom where the recognised languages are English, Scots, Scottish Gaelic, and British Sign Language. Scotland is a fine and fascinating travel destination, so here is our Focus on Learning Guide to Scotland. Our guide includes advice and information on meeting Scottish people, whisky tasting, and the language of the landscape.

Focus on… Meeting Scottish people

Even though most people in Scotland speak English as their first language, there are a few small differences from other dialects of English. But what should you prepare for when meeting a Scottish person?

Quick Guide:

• Aye – Yes

• Nae – No

• Ye – You

• Wee – Little

English is not the only language spoken in Scotland! Scottish English is strongly influenced by the Scots language, which diverged from Middle English in the medieval period and developed independently. The above are only a few examples of common words which are slightly different in Scotland. You will hear a range of Scottish words and expressions that you may not understand at first. Don’t be afraid to ask people, “What does that mean?” or “Could you say that again?” Even as an English person I found myself doing this a lot in Scotland, and the Scottish people I met were delighted to explain!

Another language spoken in Scotland is Gaelic, a Celtic language you will find mostly in the north of the country, especially in the Outer Hebrides islands. Check out these links for some other unusual words and expressions you might encounter:

• Scottish slang video 

• Glaswegian expressions list

Focus on… Scottish landscapes

Do you know your Marilyns from your Munros? What is the difference between a bog, a marsh and peatland? And which geographic feature is named after a woman’s breast?

Here is a guide to talking about the Scottish landscape.

Quick guide:

• A Munro is a mountain with a height over 3,000ft (914.4m)

• A Marilyn is a mountain or hill over 150m (492ft)

• A Pap is mountain shaped like a women’s breast!

• A Glen is a valley between mountains.

Munros

In 1891, the mountaineer Sir Hugh Thomas Munro published a list of mountains in Scotland which were over 3,000ft in the Scottish Mountaineering Club journal. Before this list, many mountaineers believed there were only around 30 mountains in Scotland that were so high, but Sir Hugh had found almost 300! These mountains soon became known as Munros in his honour.

It is now a popular pursuit for people to try and climb them all! This is known as ‘Munro bagging;’ when a person successfully climbs a mountain over 3,000ft in Scotland they can say that they have ‘bagged a Munro!’

For example:

Hugh: What did you do last weekend Freddie?

Freddie: I bagged a Munro! I hiked up Ben Nevis.

Hugh: Well done, Freddie! I have bagged them all - you should too!

Marylins

In 1992, Alan Dawson published a book called the The Relative Hills of Britain, in which he listed all the hills in Britain over 150 metres (492ft) high. As a humorous contrast to ‘Munro,’ he dubbed these ‘Marilyns’ after the famous 1950s actress Marylin Monroe.

For example:

Freddie: What did you do last weekend Hugh?

Hugh: I hiked up the Pap of Glencoe.

Freddie: Is that a Munro?

Hugh: I’m afraid not Freddie, it’s only 2,434ft high. It is a Marilyn.

Glens

Glens are the valleys between mountains. Two of the most famous glens in Scotland are Glencoe and Glen Nevis. Glencoe is a famous national park, which you may have seen in the James Bond film Skyfall. Glen Nevis is well known because one of the mountains which forms the valley is Ben Nevis – the highest mountain in the UK.

Water and Mud: Lochs and Wetlands

Quick guide:

• A loch is a body of water completely (or almost) surrounded by land.

• A wetland is land covered by water or saturated by water – seasonally or all year round.

Lochs

You have probably heard of the most famous Scottish lake, Loch Ness, which is home to the Loch Ness monster. Loch Ness is a freshwater lake. Loch is the Gaelic and Scots word for lake, but lochs can also be saltwater – for example Loch Fyne is a sea loch. Sea lochs, with a sea-inlet, are geographically similar to the fjords of Norway.

Wetland

Wetlands are areas of land which are covered or saturated with water for all or part of the year. Bogs, salt marshes, and swamps are all different kinds of wetlands. ‘Peatlands’ are a kind of wetland where ‘peat’ (a kind of soil made of decomposing plants) has formed. Peat stores a lot of carbon and was traditionally burned in Scotland as fuel for heating and cooking. It also plays a special role in giving some kinds of Scottish whisky a distinctive smoky taste. 

Focus on… Scotch Whisky

Quick guide:

• Single malt whisky is a kind of whisky made from barley.

• A distillery is a place which makes whisky.

• Peaty is a smoky earthy flavour.

Single Malt Whisky

To be called a ‘single malt whisky,’ a whisky must:

• Be made from the grain barley.

• Be from a ‘single’ distillery.

• Be made in two or three copper pot stills.

• Be aged in oak casks.

Scotland has five different whisky regions: Speyside, Lowland, Highland, Campbeltown, and Islay.

Flavours

Each whisky region in Scotland is known for making whisky with a distinctive flavour, one of the most famous of which is the taste of peat (see above). This comes from the fact that some distilleries burn peat to dry malted barley, infusing it with a ‘peaty’ flavour, meaning that you can taste the smoky smell of the burning peat when you drink the whisky. This is most often associated with the Islay (pronounced ‘eye-la’) region. For example, ‘Laphroaig’ is a very peaty whisky from Islay.

I find that some whiskies taste like Christmas! Sometimes they smell and taste like fruit, spices, and vanilla. These whiskies have probably been matured in sherry casks. Many distilleries in Scotland import casks from the sherry region of Spain to give their whiskies a sweet, fruity, sherry-like flavour.

Other whiskies may taste sweet and smooth like American bourbon whisky. This is because those distilleries use bourbon casks to age their whisky. Unlike Scotch whisky, American bourbon must be aged in a new ‘virgin’ cask. Scotch whisky makers use the second-hand casks to give their whisky a distinctive flavour.

Some whisky isn’t peaty, smoky, or fruity, and is very easy to drink. You may hear people call this ‘breakfast whisky’ – because it is so easy to drink that you could drink it for breakfast!

Scotch Whisky Language

A ‘dram’ is the Scottish word for a measure of whisky, typically 25ml. So, if you arrive at a distillery and someone offers you a ‘dram,’ then they are offering you some whisky!

For example:

Shop assistant: Hello! Welcome to FoL distillery. Would ye like a dram?

James: Yes please! I would love one. How about you Freddie?

Freddie: No, I can’t, as I am driving.

Shop assistant: Do not worry, ye can have a driver’s dram!

(The shop assistant hands James a glass of whisky and Freddie a small glass bottle of whisky to take away.)

Freddie: What do you think of the whisky James?

(James smells the whisky.)

James: I can smell smoke. It is quite peaty on the nose.

(James opens his mouth slightly and inhales.)

James: I can smell fruit too.

(James sips the whisky.)

James: It tastes like Christmas! I think this has been aged in a sherry cask.

Comprehension Questions

1. What languages are spoken in Scotland?

2. What is the highest mountain in the United Kingdom?

3. what is the difference between a Marylin and a Munro?

4. What does it mean to have ‘bagged a Munro?’

5. Does a loch have to be freshwater?

6. What are some of the uses of ‘peat?’

7. Which grain is single malt whisky made from?

8. How many whisky regions are there in Scotland? Can you name at least three of them?

9. How do distilleries make their whiskies taste like fruit, spices, and vanilla?

10. What would you get if you were offered a ‘dram?’