The difference, of course, is that for hundreds of years now there has been no independent Scottish state to standardize and promote Scots as a formal language distinct from Scottish-accented English. Much of Irvine Welsh's novel Trainspotting is written in Scots, and this lecture in Scots about Scots should give you a sense of its relationship to English:.
The point is that the phrase "auld lang syne" is not recognizable to English speakers because it is not an English phrase. Translated literally it means "old long since," but the meaning is more like "old times" or "the olden days.
It happens to be the case that the phrase "should auld [i. And since conventionally only the first verse and the chorus are sung, the difference between the languages is not very salient except for the unfamiliar titular phrase. But if you delve into the later verses, it becomes clear that the song is not in English. Here's the second verse, for example:.
The lyrics to the later verses, when translated into English , make this perfectly clear. The "pint-stoup" business is essentially saying, "Surely you'll buy a pint and I'll buy a pint and we'll drink to the good old days.
Old friends who haven't seen each other in a while are meeting up again, having a drink, and reminiscing. If this were a song that you normally listened to in a quiet room at full length in English when sober, there would be no confusion.
Since that's basically the opposite of a New Year's Eve party, which is when you usually hear the song, there is a lot of confusion. But the song itself is not especially complicated. One reason a random Scottish folk song has come to be synonymous with the new year is that New Year's celebrations known as Hogmanay loom unusually large in Scottish folk culture — so much so that Scotland's official website has a whole Hogmanay section, which notes that, "Historically, Christmas was not observed as a festival and Hogmanay was the more traditional celebration in Scotland.
That's because the Scottish Reformation brought to power followers of a Calvinist branch of Protestant Christianity known as Presbyterians who didn't really care for Christmas. We twa hae run about the braes. And pu'd the gowans fine. But we've wander'd mony a weary foot. Sin auld lang syne. We twa hae paidl'd i' the burn. Frae mornin' sun till dine. But seas between us braid hae roar'd.
And there's a hand, my trusty fiere! And gie's a hand o' thine! And we'll tak a right guid willy waught,. See more Browse by. Latest features See more Latest features.
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