Middle Scots Leid: Wast Germanic leid o the Scots Lawlands, 1450–1700

By the end o the 13t century its phonology, orthography, accidence, syntax an vocabulary haed sindered merkedly frae Early Scots, whilk wis virtually indistinguishable frae early Northumbrian Middle Inglis. Syne its orthography differed frae that o the kythin Early Modren Inglis staundart. Middle Scots wis fair uniform throu oot its mony texts, aw bes it wi some variation endue tae the uise o Romance forms in owersettins frae the Laitin or French, echas o Chaucerian wirds, turns o phrases an grammar in recensions o soothren texts or the writins o Scots in exile in Ingland influenced by soothren forms, misunnerstaunds an mistaks made by fermit printers in Paris or the likes o Chepman an Myllar’s Inglis craftsmen in Edinburgh an the uise o archaisms in poetry.

By the early 16t century Scottis (previously uised for tae descrive Gaelic in Ireland as well as Scotland) haed been adoptit for whit haed become the naitional langage o the Stewart kinrick. The term Erse wis uised insteid for Gaelic, while the previously uised term Inglis wis increasingly uised tae refer tae the leid sooth o the mairch. The first kent instance o this terminology wis by an unkent man in 1494. In 1559 William Nudrye wis grantit a monopoly by the coort tae produce schuil textbeuks, twa o thir war Ane Schort Introduction: Elementary Digestit into Sevin Breve Tables for the Commodius Expeditioun of Thame That are Desirous to Read and Write the Scottis Toung an Ane Intructioun for Bairnis to be Learnit in Scottis and Latin.

Frae 1610 tae the 1690s, durin the Plantation o Ulster, some 200,000 Scots settled in the north o Ireland, takkin whit war tae become the Ulster Scots byleids wi thaim.