Etymology of Scotland: Difference between revisions

▲The [[Late Latin]] word ''[[Scotia]]'' (''land of the Scot(t)i''), although initially used to refer to [[Ireland]], by the 11th century at the latest was being used to refer to (Gaelic-speaking) Scotland north of the [[river Forth]]. Some of the earliest surviving documents to mention the word ''Scotland'' include versions of the ''[[Anglo-Saxon Chronicle]]'' from Abingdon, Worcester and Laud, written during the 11th Century, which state that prior to the [[Battle of Stamford Bridge]] in 1066, Earl [[Tostig Godwinson|Tostig]] had sought refuge in ''Scotland'' under the protection of [[Malcolm III]], King of Scots.<ref>[http://www.bbc.co.uk/dna/h2g2/A599691 Swanton, M. (2000) ''The Anglo-Saxon Chronicles''. London. Phoenix Press.] Quoted by bbc.co.uk. Retrieved 14 October 2007.</ref><ref>[http://www.battleoffulford.org.uk/li_chronicles_2.htm "The Anglo-Saxon Chronicles"] Source: Garmonsway, G.N. (1994) ''The Anglo-Saxon Chronicle''. Everyman. Retrieved 14 October 2007.</ref> 'Scotland' was employed alongside ''Albania'' or ''Albany'', from the Gaelic ''[[Alba]]''.<ref name="Brewer">{{cite book | last = Ayto | first = John | authorlink = |author2=Ian Crofton | title = Brewer's Britain & Ireland : The History, Culture, Folklore and Etymology of 7500 Places in These Islands | publisher = WN | location = | pages = | url = | doi = | isbn = 0-304-35385-X }}</ref> The use of the words ''Scots'' and ''Scotland'' to encompass all of what is now Scotland became common only in the [[Scotland in the Late Middle Ages|Late Middle Ages]].<ref name=Keay>Keay, J. & Keay, J. (1994) ''Collins Encyclopaedia of Scotland''. London. HarperCollins.</ref>

▲In a modern political context, the word Scot is applied equally to all [[Demography of Scotland|inhabitants of Scotland]], regardless of their ancestral ethnicity. However, a 2006 study published by the [[University of Edinburgh]] suggest that segments of Scottish society continue to distinguish between those who claim to be Scots on [[Scottish people|ethnic grounds]] and those who claim to be Scots on the grounds of [[Civil society|civic commitment]].<ref>[http://institute-of-governance.org/forum/Leverhulme/briefing_pdfs/IoG_Briefing_14.pdf Institute of Governance Identity Briefing "Who is Scottish? Political arguments, popular understandings and the implications for social inclusion. Briefing No. 14. January 2006" Retrieved 14 Oct 2007]</ref> "Scots" is also used to refer to the [[Scots language]], which a large proportion of the Scottish population speak to a greater or lesser degree.<ref>[http://www.coe.int/t/e/legal_affairs/local_and_regional_democracy/regional_or_minority_languages/2_monitoring/2.2_States_Reports/UK_report1.pdf " Initial Periodical report presented to the Secretary General of the Council of Europe in Accordance with Article 15 of the Charter"] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071031013935/http://www.coe.int/t/e/legal_affairs/local_and_regional_democracy/regional_or_minority_languages/2_monitoring/2.2_States_Reports/UK_report1.pdf |date=2007-10-31 }} (pdf) European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. (01/07/2002). Part 1, Section 3 states "However, surveys have indicated that 30% of respondents said they could speak Scots; a large proportion of the Scottish population speak Scots to a greater or lesser degree. Scots is on a linguistic continuum with English. Many Scots literally switch between English and Scots in mid-sentence by using Scots words and Scottish grammar". Retrieved on 26 September 2007. {{cite web |url=http://www.coe.int/t/e/legal_affairs/local_and_regional_democracy/regional_or_minority_languages/2_monitoring/2.2_States_Reports/UK_report1.pdf |title=Archived copy |accessdate=2007-11-18 |deadurl=yes |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20071031013935/http://www.coe.int/t/e/legal_affairs/local_and_regional_democracy/regional_or_minority_languages/2_monitoring/2.2_States_Reports/UK_report1.pdf |archivedate=October 31, 2007 |df= }}</ref>

▲The Scots- and Irish-Gaelic name for [[Scotland]], Alba, derives from the same [[Celtic languages|Celtic]] root as the name [[Albion]], which properly designates the entire island of [[Great Britain]] but, by implication as used by foreigners, sometimes the country of [[England]], Scotland's southern neighbour which covers the largest portion of the island of Britain. The term arguably derives from an early Indo-European word meaning 'white', generally held to refer to the cliffs of white [[chalk]] around the English town of [[Dover]], ironically located at the furthest end of Great Britain from Scotland itself. Others take it to come from the same root as "[[Alps|the Alps]]", possibly being an ancient word for mountain and therefore related to the north end of Britain.

▲[[Caledonia]] is an old Latin name for Scotland, deriving from the [[Caledonians|Caledonii]] tribe. It is unknown what name the Caledonians used of themselves, though it was possibly based on a [[British language (Celtic)|Brythonic]] word for "hard "or "tough" (represented by the modern [[Welsh language|Welsh]] ''caled'').

▲==See also==

▲*[[Origins of the Kingdom of Alba]]