LA Times circa 1919

[Jennifer D]

"It is good to be a Scot any day of the year, but it is glorious to be one on New Year's Day…."

Well, that's one thing that hasn't changed!

[macwilkin]

So that appears to be what the reporter thought he heard. My opinion is that "Scotch" is simply a minor mispronunciation of "Scots" unless the subject is whisky, in which case it's the conventional pronunciation and spelling and probably of the same origin.

.

I think you're going a bit out on a limb to assume that the reporter printed what he heard.
The use of the word "Scotch" was quite common in the late 19th/early 20th century. I have an article in my e-mail files somewhere from Scotland that deals with this very subject, if I can find it, more's the pity.

Case in point: during WWI, the 15th (Scottish) Division had as its symbol, a wheel scotch, hence the 15th "Scotch" Division. (Chappel, Scottish Units in the World Wars, p. 25)

Regards,

Todd

[Chef]

I think we might just be dealing with a change in language over time.

[macwilkin]

I think we might just be dealing with a change in language over time.

Exactly. Gi'e that man a cheroot!

T.

[muirkirkca]

A good read is The Scotch by the late John Kenneth Galbraith the celebrated Harvard economist who wrote this book about his early years in south western Ontario Canada. It sold well and may be in some used book stores.
He refered to the word Scots as sounding pretensious to the pioneers of that area who were mostly from Argylshire Scotland.

[macwilkin]

A good read is The Scotch by the late John Kenneth Galbraith the celebrated Harvard economist who wrote this book about his early years in south western Ontario Canada. It sold well and may be in some used book stores.
He refered to the word Scots as sounding pretensious to the pioneers of that area who were mostly from Argylshire Scotland.

Well said that man. I had forgotten about Galbraith's book.

I think Chef's point about the change in language over time is a valid one, as well as the point that Galbraith made about "Scots" sounding "snobby". Nowadays most people prefer "Scots" to "Scotch".

It's very similar to the term "Coona**", which at one time was a very perjorative term for a Cajun (for that matter, the term Cajun itself was a slur until recently) -- Today, the word is actually embraced by the Cajun community. My mother-in-law frequently refers to herself as one.

Regards,

Todd

[TheKiltedWonder]

It's so hard for me not to post a linguistic comment, but it's grand to see people debatting words!

As for the editorial, where did you find it? Can we get the whole thing? I loved it.

[Monkey@Arms]

As for the editorial, where did you find it? Can we get the whole thing? I loved it.

The entire editorial can be read here. Be sure to read the introduction for context.

Best regards,

Jake

[Makeitstop]

I have noticed that whenever a really old person (as in 70's and up) comments on my kilt, they always talk about their experiences with the "scotch" and ask if I am "scotch." I never point it out, I just figure it's an outdated use of the word.

And of course it reminds me of my grandma, who always used to use terms which could lead to lawsuits, never realizing someone might find these monosyllabic slurs to be offensive.

[beloitpiper]

That's great! And he's right, it is good to be a Scot any day of the year!