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Oor Vyce is a campaign for the legal recognition of the Scots language.

Oor Vyce is a campaign fir the lawfu recogneetion o the Scots leid.

'S e iomairt gus aithne laghail a thoirt dha Albais a th' ann an Oor Vyce.

Whit is Scots?

Scots is a leid spoken an scrieved ilkaday by fowk aa ower Scotland. Scots is kent as a minority language by the Scottish Government, the UK Government, and the Cooncil o Europe (as pairt o the European Chairter For Minority Languages). The 2011 Census reportit that 1,541,693 fowk in Scotland cuid spik Scots—in ither wirds, aboot 30% o the hale Scottish population at the time.

Jist English 'slang', or Scots in its ain richt?

Wi baith bein pairt o the same Germanic leid faimly an haein a shared history as a result, Scots an English hae plinty in common; but the differences atween thaim in terms o their development, pronunciation, grammar, an wirds mean they're kent as distinct leids.

Files there's clear differences atween the twa tongues, their similarities can lead tae a degree o mutual intelligibility, garrin some fowk tae think on Scots as jist slang. Pairt o this is doon tae the wye maist spikkers learn Scots at the same time as English as bairns. As they ging throwe ilkaday life, fowk micht use whit's kent as Braid Scots in some situations an Scots Stannart English in ithers, or they micht spik wi the twa leids bein mixed thegither aa at aince.

Whit wye shuid we be carin aboot Scots?

Scots is a leid thit is integratit intae Scots cultur, is pairt o wir identity, an is whit maks oorsels different fae the rest o the warld. A wheen o fowk hae an attatchment tae the leid fae bairnheid an their hames wi'oot even kennin it. Scots has ayewis hid spikkers at aa livvels o society, fae aa backgruns an fae aa waaks o life.

It haes a rich an prood literary history. While Rabbie Burns micht be the maist weel-kent Scots screiver, he's jist ane o mony fae ower the years. Some twa-hunner year efter Burns' death, the Scots leid is still gaan strong in the acclaimed wark o the likes o Irvine Welsh, Liz Lochhead, James Kelman, Chris McQueer, an mony mair.

Aatho the 2011 Census reportit that mair than hauf a million fowk spik Scots, auler fowk were mair likely to cry thaimsels Scots spikkers than younger fowk: this means the leid is in danger o deein oot. As a marginalised leid, spikkin an screivin in Scots haes tae compete wi Scottish Stannart English, wi Scots aftimes bein treatit like the puir relation: a saicont-cless leid or a broken English. This means Scots spikkers can be discriminatit agin in the warld o wirk, in eeducation, and in ither settins.

Wha are we?

Oor Vyce is a ceevic associe o fowk wi a personal or professional interest in the Scots tongue. The group is formed o Scots spikkers, entertainers, poets, makars, scrievers an academics. We've brocht oorsels thegither fae aa the airts an pairts of Scotland tae campaign fir the statutory recogneetion o the Scots leid by the Scots Pairlament.

Memmers elect a Executive Committee for the campaign, the present committee memmers are:

Whit are we campaignin for?

Aince the leid o the coorts and Pairlament, o the fermtouns and fishertouns, o the mines an the shipyairds, o the playgrun an the hame, Scots an aa its dialects are in decline an will dee oot wioot equal protection alangside English, the Gàidhlig and the British Sign Language.

We're needin tae increase the provision and fundin fir Scots and pit forrit the presence o the Scots leid in Scotland's cultur and public life by:

Wi these actions thegither, we can mak siccar that Scots' lang history hauds forrit in the 21st century an ayont.

Clack here to lug intae oor Rountable & Cam All Ye events!

Multilingual nations isna by-common!

Maist kintras in Europe an the warld hae minority leids. The Cooncil o Europe haes recognised the cultural value o these minority leids, an the need fir thaim to be protectit throwe the European Chairter o Minority Languages that the UK ratified in 2001. This chairter is the first o its kyne in the warld in that it sets whit kintras hae tae dee for tae protect their minority leids listit aneth the Chairter. Fir Scotland, this includes the Scots and the Gàidhlig.

Ither campaigns athort Europe caa fir the protection an promotion o their leid. Amang these is Frisian, Breton, Corsican, Swabian, Kashubian and Welsh—aa o them minority leid in their respective kintras. We're wantin Scots tae be giein the same.

Jyne us and help preserve the Scots leid!

Campaign memmership is free and open tae aabody (aged 16 or abuin), and organisations that hae a personal or professional interest in the Scots leid.

Memmers can:

Ye can also jyne oor mailin list tae follow campaign developments or get updates aboot opportunities tae get involved.



Gin ye’ve got ony questions, ye can speir at us ower email usin the link ablo.

Proud member of SCVO