Scotland's National newspaper publishes edition written partly in Scots language

Headlines included: 'Angry Salmond: Sae whaur’s awoor richt-wingers when we need thaim'

Thursday's National front page

The independence-supporting National newspaper in Scotland has published an edition written partly in the Scots language.

Its front-page headline in Thursday’s edition was about the current internal strife of the Labour party.

“Stairhead rammy: Labour faw apairt efter Blairites get their jotters”, it said, roughly translated as “Neighbours at war: Labour fall apart after Blairites are sacked”.

“We’ve went aw Scots,” the paper announced.

The National’s strapline is normally “the newspaper that supports an independent Scotland”, but this was changed to a “gallus” - a bold or self-confident - Scotland.

Other headlines included: “Angry Salmond: Sae whaur’s awoor richt-wingers when we need thaim.”

Scots is a catch-all term for several different local dialects and is regarded as one of Scotland’s three native languages, including English and Scottish Gaelic.

According to the Scots Language Centre, Scots dates back to the arrival of the Angles in Scotland in about 600 AD.

“During the Middle Ages this language developed and grew apart from its sister tongue in England, until a distinct Scots language had evolved,” it says.

“At one time Scots was the national language of Scotland, spoken by Scottish kings and was used to write the official records of the country.

“Scots was displaced as a national language after the political union with England, in 1707, but it has continued to be spoken and written in a number of regional varieties since that time.”