18t June 2025

Yestreen, the Scottish Pairlament passed the landmerk Scottish Leids Bill, a moment that turns a new page in oor national story. For the first time, backed by the pouer o the law, the Scots leid haes been granted offeecial staunin in the land it his helped tae shape for near a thoosand year. For the 2.4 million fowk in Scotland that, accordin tae the 2022 census, hae some skills in Scots, this is the ootcome o a lang jurney—a winnin back o a status lang held but lang interruptit.

That jurney stertit in the multicultural bree o the 12t century. The Davidian Revolution smiddied a new kin o kinrick, fusin the existin Gaelic society wi a Norman-French aristocracy an, crucially, wi the Germanic-speakin traders an crafts-fowk wha flittit tae the new royal burghs. In thae toons, thair common tongue becam Scots—the pragmatic leid o commerce, craft, an local governance. As early as 1399, Aiberdeen’s toon cooncil wis scrievin its legal contracts in clear an gallus Scots. By the 15t century, it wis the undisputed leid o the Scottish Pairlament an the law o the land.

Forby, history provides a fascinatin echo for the day’s events. Juist as the English leid wis aince pushed tae the margins o offeecial life by Norman French, the centuries follaein the Union o the Pairlaments seen Scots similarly hinnered by the ascendancy o Staundart English in law an administration. The leid o a kinrick wis then seen as a domestic dialect.

Yestreen’s legislation pouerfully turns aroon that lang interruption. As Deputy First Meenister Kate Forbes statit, the Bill will “accelerate the growth o Gaelic an Scots” an formally “estaiblishes them as offeecial leids.” This is mair than a symbolic gesture; the Act noo gies legal effect tae this status. Unner its terms, the Scots leid his “offeecial staunin ithin Scotland.” This is unnerpinned by a legal duty on Scottish Meenisters tae pit theigither a national Scots Leid Strategy, that will set clear objectives for promotin the leid an its mony byleids. Public bodies ower the kintra will be required tae “hae regaird” tae this strategy in their wark. The Act introduces vital support for education, compellin authorities tae “promote, facilitate an uphaud Scots leid education” an allouin for new staunarts an resoorces tae be created. This is unnerpinned by provisions o financial assistance for tae support projects promotin Scots leid an cultur.

In uphaudin baith Gaelic an Scots, the Act reflects the multilingual reality o the kinrick that first taen shape in the Davidian era. This is no aboot leukin back, but aboot biggin a confident future whaur baith o Scotland’s historic leids can floorish side-by-side, finally backed by the fu strenth o the law.