3.The Scots

The Scots

The over five million Scots have far more control over their own affairs than the Welsh.They have their own legal and educational system，religion and administration.Thus Scotland has never been united with England in the same way as Wales.On the whole Scottish national consciousness is cultural and sentimental，and not much concerned with language.It is true that the Gaelic language，a Celtic form，is still spoken rather than English among the people of remote Highland districts，but elsewhere most of the people are not of Celtic origin and would have no possible reason for wanting to introduce Gaelic，which would be an entirely foreign tongue.The English language is spoken all over Scotland with a variety of regional accents，but all of these can be at once recognized as Scottish，with the vowels and consonants pronounced more clearly as written than in standard English or any of the regional accents of England.Also there are many words and phrases that are peculiar to Scottish use，and this is felt to maintain national distinctness quite enough.At the same time，though there is much talk about the Scottish nation，there seems to be a subtle and spontaneous movement toward cultural assimilation with England，with many of the upper classes adopting standard English pronunciation and sending their children to English public schools and universities，and with architecture and other forms of artistic expression tending to lose their national distinctiveness.Scottish Presbyterianism³ is becoming less rigorous，and the annual festival of music and drama，held in Edinburgh every August from 1947，is truly international in the partly provincial atmosphere of Scotland’s grandiose capital city.

Many Scotsmen have gone to England to seek their fortunes，and also many others have gone abroad.It has been estimated that there are over 20 million people of Scottish extraction in North America，Australia and other parts of the world.In whatever part of the world a Scotsman lives，he usually knows whether his ancestors came from the Highlands or the Lowlands.Highlanders usually consider themselves superior to Lowlanders.They argue that most Lowlanders are descendants of Anglo-Saxon settlers，and therefore not true Scots.The Scots were great empire-builders，and they were fierce soldiers，particularly the Highlanders.Over the centuries，enemy troops have often been terrified at the sight and sound of Highlanders in kilts marching into battle accompanied by the bloodcurdling music of the bagpipes.Thus they got nicknames of“devils in skirts”or“ladies from hell”.

The few thousand Scots who live on the lonely lochs of the Western Highlands and on the islands of the Hebrides still speak Scottish Gaelic，an ancient Celtic language very like Irish Gaelic and related to Welsh.These highland farmers，or crofters as they are called，lead a hard and simple life.In the past the typical Scotsman，hard-working，serious-minded and economical，was very noticeably different from the Englishman of the privileged classes，who tended on the whole to admire extravagance and a certain frivolity，and this contrast may have much to do with the development of the Scottish reputation for meanness.Modern Scotsmen may still dislike wasting money，but most visitors to modern Scotland come away with an impression that the people are hospitable，generous and friendly.