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Scotch

Table of contents
1 Scotch, Scottish or Scots?
2 Notes
3 Other meanings

Scotch, Scottish or Scots?

The adjective or noun Scotch is an Early Modern English (16th Century) contraction of the word Scottish which was later adopted into Older Scots. It more or less replaced Scottish as the prevailing term in England. Scots (the modern form of Older Scots Scottis1) predominated in Scotland until the 18th Century when anglification became fashionable and Scotch was used in both England and Scotland. From the early 19th Century Scots or Scottish were the preferred usages among educated Scottish people, Scotch being regarded as an anglicized affectation. Scotch is sometimes still used by the working classes who often regard Scots as an anglicized affectation. Scotch remained in use for phrases like Scotch broth and Scotch terrier, etc.

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Notes

1. Inglis was the Older Scots for English and the modern form can still be found in Surnames and place names as Ingles or Inglis e.g. Ingleston or Ingliston etc.

Other meanings