Paper short abstract:

In this poster I will discuss the process of researching attitudes towards Scots language among young people in a high school in Scotland. I use Linguistic Ethnography as a framework to investigate what Scots means to young people as part of their identity, sense of belonging and cultural heritage.

Paper long abstract:

Scots is one of three indigenous languages in Scotland, alongside English and Gaelic, and since 2001 has been protected by the European Charter for Regional and Minority Languages. Following centuries of stigmatisation, and deliberate suppression within education and public life, the status of Scots is currently improving. Changing legislation has led to a more positive policy environment, and Scots is now taught in some schools. In my PhD research, I am investigating the nature and practice of contemporary Scots use, with a particular focus on the linguistic practices of young people in Banff, a town in northern Aberdeenshire, in the North-East of Scotland. In this poster presentation I discuss how I combine Linguistic Ethnography and Participatory Action Research (PAR) to investigate attitudes towards Scots. I am interested in the intersection between language, culture and education and how they combine to create a sense of community identity. My key question is 'How do you feel about Scots?', and in partnership with the school I am undertaking research which aims to investigate whether Scots language education raises pupil self-esteem and wider achievement in the school community. We are making an exhibition as part of this project, and images from our work can be seen on this poster.