A powerful yet overlooked tool in the genealogist’s kit is etymology: the study of the origin of words. Like maps and symbols, understanding the origins of place and personal names can clarify the muddy waters of history immensely.

Three languages…

Besides a variant of English different enough to count as its own language, there are two other languages active in the tiny country of Scotland: Scots, and Scots Gaelic.

Scottish Standard English

But even English is spoken as a distinct language known as Scottish Standard English, and as a regional phenomenon it is so different as to be difficult to understand by non-Scottish English speakers. Think about a strong Maine or New Orleans or Philadelphia accent and how different they can sound, then add idiomatic differences like “frappe” or “milkshake” which both refer to the same kind of drink, or “submarine” versus “hoagie” versus “hero” which all mean the same kind of sandwich. Now multiply that 10 orders of magnitude and you have an idea of the relationship of Anglo English to Scottish English. There are also strong idiomatic phrases informed by Scots and Gaelic. The term “How are you keeping?” is a phrase that Anglo-English speakers might not interpret as “How are you?”… though that’s what it means!

The researcher Dyami Millarson has written eloquently about the offensiveness and colonial mindset the term “dialect” elicits, so you won’t hear me properly describe Scottish Standard English as such. They are different languages.

Scots

This is the language spoken in the Lowlands, and these websites can help decipher this unique dialect of English:

• Scots Online: Pittin the Mither Tongue on the Wab | Many resources here including backstories, grammar, a dictionary, etc.
• A series of articles from Wikipedia describing the Scots language | This series includes articles chronicling the shifts in time and place for Early, Middle, and Modern Scots, as well as Insular, Northern, Central, Southern, Ulster, and Doric Scots. The Doric variety is the one spoken in the northeast, where we find Aberdeenshire.
• Scots language policy of the Scottish Government | An outline of government policies in support of the preservation and use of the Scots language.
• Dictionars o the Scots Leid | Dictionaries of the Scots Language, including Modern and Older Scots versions.

Scots Gaelic

Scots Gaelic, in Scots Gaelic, is Gàidhlig and is pronounced the way a New Englander pronounces the word garlic: GAHH-lick. Don’t confuse it with the Irish Gaelic (GAY-lick) which it shares roots with as a Goedelic language.

• Am Faclair Beag | The Wee Dictionary, toggles between English and Gàidhlig interfaces, a good English-Gaelic translator. Based on Dwelly, considered the Gaelic authority.
• The Unofficial Guide to Pronouncing Gaelic | From the Cambridge University Walking Club, this is the best guide to getting all the sounds of dh, gh, aigh, oigh, ll, nn, slender s (sounds like sh) and the exceptions to every rule correct. For people who want to learn pronunciation without having to reference the International Phonetic Alphabet (IPA), which is almost like learning another language altogether.
• Scottish Gaelic | Wikipedia article, with links out to good resources.
• Goireasan Cànain / Language Resources | A website from the Scottish Parliament with many, many resources to Gaelic dictionaries, word-lists, and place-names.
• English to Scots Gaelic at Google Translate | I trust this, sort of, to give me a rough idea of what’s going on with a simple phrase. But it may be better for making humorous generative poetry than trying to make heads or tails of actual Gàidhlig.
• Forvo | A crowd-sourced pronunciation guide that compiles recordings of language speakers pronouncing words.
• Gaelic with Jason | This is my Gaelic teacher. He’s hilarious and uses a story-based method for language instruction that is infectious. If you want to go deeper, Jason has a website with a paid course. I also use Duolingo, and while I find this app takes a birdshot approach to learning that is less effective, it’s not bad for vocabulary building.

… and More

Brythonic languages, like the languages of Scots and Irish Gaelic, are Goidelic or Celtic languages, and are insular to the British Isles. The people of the west coast tended to speak Gaelic languages—Manx, Scots and Irish Gaelic—that stemmed from Old Irish, while those on the east coast tended to speak Brythonic—Welsh, Cumbric, Cornish and Breton. If you were a citizen of Dál Riata, you spoke a Goidelic tongue. If you were a Pictish citizen, you spoke a Brythonic tongue. Many place names carry old, old Brythonic and Goidelic remnants.

Norn is a now-extinct language associated with the peoples of Norse ancestry who settled in Scotland, mostly in the northern and western Isles. We don’t see a great influence on toponomy in Aberdeenshire based in Norn, but it’s helpful to be aware.

Latin has a presence in place-naming, based both on the influence of Roman conquests and the presence of the Catholic Church, particularly Medieval Latin in that instance. Caledonia is a good example of a Roman place name.

French, carried into Scotland via Norman setters and political machinations of the Jacobites who courted the French aristocracy for resources, influences some place names, but probably has more of a presence in personal names. Robert the Bruce is a good example of the British mongrelization of his ancestors name de Brus and de Bruis, originating from Normandy. It should be pointed out that Norman places and names were influenced by the Vikings who settled this part of France.