The origins ofowldin Scots

Abstract

The usual development of OE [ɑld] in words such asoldin Scots is toauld, reflecting the development of this sequence in northern dialects more generally. But in some Scots dialects other pronunciations of these words, reminiscent of dialects of English south of the Ribble–Humber Line, are found. These forms, of the typeowld, are found across Lowland Scotland, with particular concentrations in the far north and southwest. Origins in Irish English and English in England have been suggested for this feature of Scots but these hypotheses have not been explored. Aitken & Macafee (2002: 61–2) instead argue for an endogenous origin of bothauldandowld, but this proposed double endogenous development of OE [ɑld] is problematic in a number of ways. In this article, I examine the history of these developments in Scots in comparison to their development in dialects of English in England and Ireland. The lack of evidence for theowlddevelopment in Older Scots suggests that these forms are of relatively recent origin. Crucially, theEighteenth-Century English Phonology Database(ECEP) reveals that theowldpronunciations were in fact a feature of early forms of Standard English. Furthermore, several characteristic features of Irish English have spread into southwest Scotland, and the distribution ofowldforms in the area fits this pattern. Thus Scots forms such asowldare not the result of endogenous development, but have their origin in English, in the case of southwest Scotland at least in part from Irish English, and elsewhere in Scotland from early forms of Standard English. Theseowldforms have been ‘localised’ and reinterpreted as ‘Scots’, alongside or replacing originalauld. The analysis of the origins of this feature highlights not only the role of contact with varieties of English in the development of Scots, but also the importance of sources such as the ECEP database for understanding the historical phonology of Scots and English.