Research

Scots & English in Scotland

This cluster applies approaches from sociolinguistics, historical pragmatics, book history, and toponymy to the study of Scots and Scottish English.

Staff

Publications

2025

(2025) 'O'er a' my labours sey your skill': Poetic Responses to Robert Fergusson.

McCue, K., Mathis, K. L., Wagar, J. (2025) ‘Over the Sea to Skye’: The cultural memory of Flora MacDonald in eighteenth- and nineteenth-century Scotland. Edinburgh University Press

Hames, S., McCue, K. (2025) Institutions. Cambridge University Press

Mackay, P., Matthews, A., McDonnell, N., Verschuren, L. (2025) Learn to Build Your Own Museum in the Metaverse.

Gilbert, S., McCue, K. (2025) Tradition and revival in the wake of the Union. Cambridge University Press

2024

(2024) William Soutar: Collected Works (Vols. 1 & 2)

Brown, R., Wilcockson, A. (2024) Scotia's Bard: Robert Fergusson, Edinburgh's unofficial poet laureate and Scotland's voice. History Today, 74, pp. 22-24.

Brown, R., Wilcockson, A., Thompson, C. (2024) Celebrating the Scottish Poet, Robert Fergusson (1750-74)

Van Heijnsbergen, T. (2024) ‘Ann an doimhneachd: The Big Read – Cycling Paradise’ 'On Sunday: The Big Read – Cycling Paradise’ Stornoway Gazette,

Edwards, E., McCue, K. (2024) Making song travel: crosscurrents of language and landscape in Welsh and Scottish song collections, 1804–1818. Studies in Romanticism, 63, pp. 189-212. (doi: 10.1353/srm.2024.a931781)

Poncarova, P. J. (2024) ‘Many more remains of ancient genius’: approaches to authorship in the Ossian Controversy. UCL Press

Brown, R. (2024) The battle for memory: the reception of Mary, Queen of Scots in the eighteenth-century British periodical press. Edinburgh University Press

(2024) The Prose of Allan Ramsay. 5,

McCue, K. (2024) 'For the Honour of Caledonia': Burns's songs for George Thomson. Oxford University Press

Mackay, P. (2024) Burns and Bawdry. Oxford University Press

Brown, R. (2024) Burns biography, 1786-1800. Oxford University Press

Poncarova, P. J. (2024) Derick Thomson and the Gaelic Revival. Edinburgh University Press

Brown, R. (2024) Publishing in Scotland to 1800. Wiley Blackwell

Brown, R., Wilcockson, A. (2024) The Collected Works of Robert Fergusson: Reconstructing Textual and Cultural Legacies.

McCue, K., Hughes, L. (2024) BOSLIT - The Blog.

Brown, R., Mackay, P., Young, R. (2024) Formalising feeling: Robert Burns's punctuation. Cambridge University Press

2023

Carruthers, G., Mackay, P. (2023) A newly discovered manuscript: ‘Twa Neebor-Wives Upon a Time’ Burns Chronicle, 132, pp. 229-234. (doi: 10.3366/burns.2023.0089)

Van Heijnsbergen, T., Maley, W. (2023) Archipelagic Scots. Cambridge University Press

Poncarova, P. J. (2023) Derick Thomson and Ireland. Litteraria Pragensia, 33, pp. 25-44. (doi: 10.14712/2571452x.2023.65.3)

McCue, K., Mckeever, G. L. (2023) 'Cant about Decorum': George Thomson's singular edition of Robert Burns's 'The Jolly Beggars' Review of English Studies, 74, pp. 684-696. (doi: 10.1093/res/hgad058)

(2023) Poems of Allan Ramsay. 2,

Poncarova, P. J. (2023) Spatial and sonic monstrosities in William Hope Hodgson’s “The Whistling Room” Acta Universitatis Carolinae Philologica, 2022, pp. 67-77. (doi: 10.14712/24646830.2022.38)

Riach, A. (2023) The Ghost of John Nisbet: Hugh MacDiarmid's first published work. Studies in Scottish Literature, 49, pp. 11-27. (doi: 10.51221/sc.ssl.2024.49.1.3)

Brown, R. (2023) The Scottish Press. Edinburgh University Press

Poncarova, P. J. (2023) Addressing devastation in Gaelic literature of the clearances. Bottle Imp, 31,

McCue, K., Hughes, L. (2023) Bibliography of Scottish Literature in Translation: a new beginning. Bottle Imp, Sup. 9, pp. 1-1o.

Poncarova, P. J. (2023) Deireadh an Fhoghair and the environment. Litteraria Pragensia: Studies in Literature and Culture, 33, (doi: 10.14712/2571452X.2022.66.5)

Poncarova, P. J. (2023) Tři pohledy na Posvátný hlad Barryho Unsworthe = Three perspectives on Barry Unsworth’s Sacred Hunger. Svět literatury, 31, pp. 25-35. (doi: 10.14712/23366729.2021.2.2)

2022

(2022) The Collected Works of Robert Fergusson.

Brown, R. (2022) 1820 in contemporary press account. John Donald

Brown, R. (2022) James Currie and John Ramsay of Ochtertyre: new manuscripts. Burns Chronicle, 131, pp. 217-224. (doi: 10.3366/burns.2022.0059)

Riach, A. (2022) Scottish Literature: An Introduction. Luath Press Ltd

Riach, A. (2022) La poesia escocesa moderna / Modern Scottish Poetry / Poemes / Poems. Associacio Cultural Amics de Joan Valls i Jorda

Maley, W., Van Heijnsbergen, T. (2022) Scots poetry. Oxford University Press

Editors:, , Pittock, M., Brown, R., McGuinness, D., Newman, S., Szechi, D., Lamont, C., Robertson-Kirkland, B. E., Caudle, J. J. (2022) Collected Works of Allan Ramsay.

Riach, A. (2022) Sir Walter Scott, Rob Roy (1817; revised 1829–1830) De Gruyter

2021

McCue, K., Duguid, T. (2021) Singing about Mary: the story of Donizetti's Maria Stuarda.

McCue, K. (2021) Singing about Mary: Robert Burns and James Hogg.

McCue, K., Tallack, M., Bicket, L., Jamie, K. (2021) About George.

(2021) An Orkney Tapestry.

McCue, K. (2021) Orchestral manoeuvres: Burns on the concert platform, 1879-1959. Edinburgh University Press

Brown, R. (2021) Robert Burns on the twentieth-century stage. Edinburgh University Press

(2021) Robert Burns's Songs for George Thomson. 4,

Mackay, P. (2021) Burns for Every Day of the Year. Black and White Publishing

Poncarova, P. J. (2021) Old Women, Dreams, and Reversed Revivals: Derick Thomson's Gaelic Short Stories. Scottish Literary Review, 13, pp. 71-71.

2020

Riach, A. (2020) Scottish literature, nationalism and the First World War. Edinburgh University Press

Brown, R. (2020) "The Bohemian Club": a study of Edinburgh's Cape Club. Bucknell University Press

McCue, K. (2020) 'Sweet the merry bells ring round': John Clare's songs for the drawing room. Palgrave

Brown, R. (2020) Networks of sociability in Allan Ramsay's The Fair Assembly. Studies in Scottish Literature, 46, pp. 22-39.

Riach, A. (2020) Stuart Hood: literature, media and politics in modern Scotland. Cambridge Scholars Publishing

Riach, A., Moffat, A. (2020) Sydney Goodsir Smith, artist and art critic. Brill Rodopi

2018

Riach, A. (2018) This savage wood. Clutag

Brown, R. (2018) Elizabeth Scot, nee Rutherford (1729-89) Edinburgh University Press

van Heijnsbergen, T. (2018) The culture of literature and language in Medieval and Renaissance Scotland. Bulletin of the Society for Renaissance Studies, 35,

McCue, K. (2018) The culture of song. Oxford University Press

Brown, R. (2018) The afterlives of Allan Ramsay in the British Periodical Press, 1720-1870. Scottish Literary Review, 10, pp. 95-115.

Mackay, P. (2018) 'In Bawdy Policy Well-Gifted': Allan Ramsay, Bawdry and the Reformation of Manners. Scottish Literary Review, 10, pp. 73-94.

Brown, R. (2018) Scotland, Britain, Europe: parallels with Eighteenth-Century political debate. Scottish Affairs, 27, pp. 54-62. (doi: 10.3366/scot.2018.0223)

Riach, A. (2018) Of foreigners and friends: music, art and militarism. Cambridge Scholars

2017

Riach, A. (2017) Before MacDiarmid changed Scottish literature, there was the Kailyard. National, 2017,

Riach, A. (2017) Lewis Grassic Gibbon: Uncovering the morning star. National, 2017,

Riach, A. (2017) The conflict between Scottish poets in the 1930s. National, 2017,

Riach, A. (2017) Exploring MacDiarmid's Legacy. Part Two. National, 2017,

Riach, A. (2017) The Revolutionary: Reconsidering the work of Hugh MacDiarmid. National, 2017,

Brown, R. (2017) The Edinburgh Gazetteer: Radical Networks and Journalism in 1790s Scotland.

Riach, A., Moffat, A. (2017) Alan Riach and Sandy Moffat: The art of the human condition. National, 2017,

Riach, A. (2017) Celebrating the dignity of diversity and Scotland's links with South Asia. National, 2017,

Riach, A. (2017) 'To think we have lived to see cultural writing in a Scottish newspaper again' - new book of essays from The National. National, 2017,

van Heijnsbergen, T. (2017) Holland, Richard (Buke of the Howlat) Wiley Blackwell

Riach, A. (2017) Scotland Emergent IV: From tales of Merlin and Arthur to the Agricola of Tacitus. National, 2017,

Riach, A. (2017) Scotland Emergent Part III: The Dream of the Rood to the Norse Sagas. National, 2017,

Riach, A. (2017) Scotland Emergent, the story of Scotland's literature, part II: Birth of the Democratic Intellect. National, 2017,

Riach, A. (2017) Scotland Emergent: The story of Scotland's literature, part one: from early times to Columba. National, 2017,

McGuinness, D., Mcgregor, A., McGillivray, A. (2017) Burns and the fiddle.

Riach, A. (2017) Two of the great Scottish novelists: Muriel Spark and Robin Jenkins. National, 2017,

Moffat, S., Riach, A. (2017) The Buchenwald Memorandum. National, 2017,

Moffat, S., Riach, A. (2017) The lost art of Robert Noble. National, 2017,

Riach, A. (2017) Hugh MacDiarmid and the meaning of independence: a post-election special. National, 2017,

Riach, A. (2017) David Lyndsay - the man who gave ordinary Scots a voice. National, 2017,

Riach, A. (2017) Passion and Ordered Energy: Alan Riach evaluates Gavin Douglas's effect on the Scots language. National, 2017,

Riach, A. (2017) Robin Jenkins: the short stories. Brill | Rodopi

Riach, A. (2017) Enlightened Scotland: How the Age of Reason made an impact on the country's thinkers. National, 2017,

Riach, A. (2017) Odd fellows: Alan Riach examines the colourful work of William Lithgow and Thomas Urquhart. National, 2017,

Riach, A. (2017) Alan Riach: On film & film poetry. National, 2017,

Riach, A. (2017) Earthly and unearthly powers collide: Ballads of poetry and song. National, 2017,

Riach, A. (2017) Alan Riach examines neglected poets in a time of political transition. National, 2017,

Riach, A. (2017) Mysterious voices and lasting truths: Alan Riach takes a literary tour of the Borders. National, 2017,

Riach, A. (2017) Sport and God are Scotland's obsessions - why doesn't our literature reflect this? National, 2017,

Riach, A. (2017) Scottish Gothic poetry. Edinburgh University Press

Riach, A. (2017) The Winter Book. Luath Press

Riach, A., Moffat, A. (2017) In praise of John Berger Part Two: Scratching beneath the surface of art’s canvas. National, 2017,

Riach, A., Moffat, A. (2017) John Berger: A dissenter who inspired fresh ideas. National, 2017,

Riach, A., Moffat, A. (2017) At one with being at odds with nature: Alan Riach and Alexander Moffat on the work of Joan Eardley: Part two. National, 2017,

Riach, A., Moffat, A. (2017) Joan Eardley and the art of contrast. National, 2017,

Riach, A. (2017) Alan Warner: timeless realities. Edinburgh University Press

Riach, A. (2017) Sir Walter Scott – Bringing out the best in us... National, 2017,

Riach, A. (2017) Masterly studies of divided loyalties: Approaching Sir Walter Scott - Part Two. National, 2017,

Riach, A. (2017) Approaching Walter Scott Part 1: A meeting of minds between Robert Burns and a literary great in the making. National, 2017,

Riach, A. (2017) Home and away: Alan Riach continues his examination of how travel writing influenced Scottish literature. National, 2017,

Mackay, P. (2017) Robert Burns. Oxford University Press

Riach, A., Moffat, A., Purser, J., McDiarmid, H. (2017) Arts and the Nation: a Critical Re-examination of Scottish Literature, Painting, Music and Culture. Luath Press

(2017) The Hunterian Museum Poems: A History of the World in Objects and Poems.

McCue, K. (2017) ‘Difficult to imitate and impossible to equal’: Byron, Burns, Moore and the packaging of national song. Byron Journal, 45, pp. 113-126. (doi: 10.3828/bj.2017.18)

Postgraduate research students

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Glasgow has a claim to being the leading institution in the UK for the study of Scots and English in Scotland. Many colleagues work on topics in this area, making links between the study of Scots (and Scottish English) and our Modern and Historical English Language clusters, e.g. work on the sociolinguistic study of Scottish dialects. Research in Scots and English in Scotland also includes work on the handling of these varieties in literature, on historical pragmatics with reference to Scottish texts, on documents and letters in Scots and Scottish English, on Scottish book history, on the grammar and accents of modern Scots and Scottish English, on the history of the lexicon and of lexicography, on Scottish place-names, and on the use of corpora for research into Scottish language. There are important synergies with the Centre for Scottish and Celtic Studies, and with School research into Scottish literature, e.g. through the Centre for Robert Burns Studies.

Major AHRC-/ESRC-funded projects are a feature of this cluster, e.g. the Scottish Toponymy in Transition project (in collaboration with Celtic and Gaelic); corpus projects such as the Corpus of Modern Scottish Writing (CMSW) and the Scottish Corpora of Texts and Speech (SCOTS); and Stability versus Change in a Shetland Dialect. New ventures include a pilot Historical Thesaurus of Scots, in collaboration with Scottish Language Dictionaries Ltd and funded by an AHRC ‘big data’ award, and the ESRC-funded One Speaker, Two Dialects project.

New ventures include a pilot Historical Thesaurus of Scots, in collaboration with Scottish Language Dictionaries Ltd and funded by an AHRC ‘big data’ award, the ESRC-funded One Speaker, Two Dialects project, and the AHRC-funded Scots Syntax Atlas (SCOSYA) project, which aims to map syntactic variation across dialects of Scots to address questions about the nature of variation and the theory of grammar.