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25 March 2004
Orkney to Ontario - the new Scottish dictionary revolution
On the day in 1306 that Robert the Bruce was crowned King of Scots the first Scottish online dictionary -
the most comprehensive and accessible Scottish language resource goes live with its authors hoping to
revitalise enthusiasm for the Scots tongue.
Students, scholars and interested Scots all over the world are now using the new dictionary. From Orkney to
Ontario people are looking up all sorts of words, phrases and references from history in the Scots
dictionary, creating poetry, short stories or even using their new words in everyday conversation.
Snippets from speeches from the closing session of the Scottish Parliament in 1707 and the words spoken at
the Declaration of Arbroath are all included in this online resource which uses the latest in information
technology cross referencing to find the information that students of language, history and culture need.
Such is the excitement for the new project that the Head of the Arts and Humanities Research Board (AHRB)
Geoffery Crossick will officially launch the online dictionary on Thursday 25 March at the University of
Dundee. The project was funded by the AHRB to the tune of £320,000.
The three year project, led by English lecturer Victor Skretkowicz and lexicographer Susan Rennie at the
University of Dundee has seen all 12 volumes of the Dictionary of the Older Scottish Tongue and all 10 of the
Scottish National Dictionary transferred to the web to make the first online Dictionary of the Scots Language.
Victor explains: "For nearly a century, successive editors of the Dictionary of the Older Scottish Tongue and
The Scottish National Dictionary laboured to create a historical and cultural record of Scots, from 1200 to
1976. The twenty two volumes contain hundreds of thousands of quotes describing all walks of life but now
through a process of 'virtual integration' the Dictionary of the Scots Language brings their linguistic,
historical and cultural records together and facilitates rapid searching of their contents. It can be
accessed for free at www.dsl.ac.uk
Students at the University of the Highlands and Islands, who study remotely from places like Skye and Orkney
and cannot easily access the paper volumes of these dictionaries in the cities, are using the new online
resource in their studies.
Lynn Campbell from Orkney is currently taking a course on cultural studies and said:. "Buey, this dictionary
is absolutley grand! It gaes ye aal sorts o defeenitions o aal kindso words, even wans ye donnt kane hoo tae
spale!"
Dr Roland Tanner, of TannerRitchie Publishing in Ontario, Canada is using the dictionary as Consultant Editor
of the Scottish Parliament Project in association with the University of St Andrews.
John Simpson, Chief Editor of the Oxford English Dictionary welcomed the new online dictionary saying; "The
University of Dundee and the AHRB are to be congratulated on the online publication of the Scottish National
Dictionary and the Dictionary of the Older Scottish Tongue. Both dictionaries are essential resources for
scholars of the language, history, and culture of Scotland. The Oxford English Dictionary was first edited by
a Scot, James Murray, and today we use the two great Scots dictionaries to update the OED's picture of
English worldwide. With online publication of so many vital resources, lexicographers will no longer need to
have certificates in weightlifting!"
The dictionary can be accessed at www.dsl.ac.uk
Contact Victor Skretkowicz on 01382 348603
By Jenny Marra, Head of Press 01382 344910, out of hours: 07968298585, j.m.marra@dundee.ac.uk
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