How different are northern and southern Scotland? (living in, inclusive)
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Are they basically like two different countries? The Scottish Highlands are/were traditionally Gaelic speaking and have strong links to Ireland while the Scottish Lowlands have long spoken a distinct Germanic variety closely related to English but also to Danish, Norwegian, Frisian and Dutch and you have to go much further back there to find a Celtic history.
Would people in the south of Scotland identify more with Cumbrians, Geordies and Yorkshire folk than they would with their Gaelic compatriots in the north? And would the Highlanders feel closer to Ireland than to their fellow Scots in the south? Or is the Scottish identity pretty unified and strong?
I don't think it's possible to speak in terms of being 'like different countries'. You're quite right that there are historical differences, accent differences, and Gaelic is still spoken in some parts. There are also vastly different ways of life as with any country owing to the size and nature of the city/town/village under discussion. Pretty much all Scottish people identify strongly with the part of the country that they come from, but superior to that is a strong sense of national identity.
I grew up about 90 miles from the border with England, but when I'm in Carlisle (the nearest city over the border) I feel like I'm in a foreign country, not because I feel unwelcome or that the place is remarkably different to a Scottish city, it just 'feels' foreign. Conversely, when I'm 200 miles north of where I'm from in Inverness, I just feel like I'm in a different city.
I'd say that on the whole, Scottish identity is as strong as any nationalist sentiment in any country, although given that this is City-Data that point needs to be embellished a little bit lest it be mis-construed. For a myriad of complex reasons, 'Scottishness' as it pertains to people in Scotland never came to be defined by ethnicity in the same way that it has in other places. For example, people of Pakistani heritage in England rarely if ever speak of themselves as 'English' or 'English-Asian'. (Rather, the term 'British-Asian' tends to be used.) Whereas virtually all people from a similar background in Scotland think of themselves (and indeed are thought of by most Scots) to be Scottish or Scottish-Asian.
If somebody publically announced that they are an 'English Nationalist', one could feel justified in presuming that the person in question would hold some pretty unsavoury views about race. By contrast, (and with the possible exception of English people living in Scotland) Scottish Nationalism has assumed an inclusive rather than an exclusive ethos. For example, the Scottish National Party has a disproportionately high level of support from Scottish ethnic minorities.
The straightforward answer to your question is that 'Scottishness' trumps history amongst most Scots.
Some Americans who have not spent any time in the UK, nor understand the cultural psyche need to know that unlike the USA, on the whole, we aren't as hung up as y'all about the mythical south/north divide. I mean Scotland is small enough without the need to split it....and is this really an issue?
I don't think it's possible to speak in terms of being 'like different countries'. You're quite right that there are historical differences, accent differences, and Gaelic is still spoken in some parts. There are also vastly different ways of life as with any country owing to the size and nature of the city/town/village under discussion. Pretty much all Scottish people identify strongly with the part of the country that they come from, but superior to that is a strong sense of national identity.
I grew up about 90 miles from the border with England, but when I'm in Carlisle (the nearest city over the border) I feel like I'm in a foreign country, not because I feel unwelcome or that the place is remarkably different to a Scottish city, it just 'feels' foreign. Conversely, when I'm 200 miles north of where I'm from in Inverness, I just feel like I'm in a different city.
I'd say that on the whole, Scottish identity is as strong as any nationalist sentiment in any country, although given that this is City-Data that point needs to be embellished a little bit lest it be mis-construed. For a myriad of complex reasons, 'Scottishness' as it pertains to people in Scotland never came to be defined by ethnicity in the same way that it has in other places. For example, people of Pakistani heritage in England rarely if ever speak of themselves as 'English' or 'English-Asian'. (Rather, the term 'British-Asian' tends to be used.) Whereas virtually all people from a similar background in Scotland think of themselves (and indeed are thought of by most Scots) to be Scottish or Scottish-Asian.
If somebody publically announced that they are an 'English Nationalist', one could feel justified in presuming that the person in question would hold some pretty unsavoury views about race. By contrast, (and with the possible exception of English people living in Scotland) Scottish Nationalism has assumed an inclusive rather than an exclusive ethos. For example, the Scottish National Party has a disproportionately high level of support from Scottish ethnic minorities.
The straightforward answer to your question is that 'Scottishness' trumps history amongst most Scots.
Eoin
i thought the scottish nationalist party disproportionatley drew support from church of scotland folk , they say catholics in scotland are very reluctant to support an independant scotland for fear of reduced rights as a minority in a traditionally anti catholic region of the uk , they overwhelmingly vote labour
i thought the scottish nationalist party disproportionatley drew support from church of scotland folk , they say catholics in scotland are very reluctant to support an independant scotland for fear of reduced rights as a minority in a traditionally anti catholic region of the uk , they overwhelmingly vote labour
Given that 'catholics' are only around 17% of the population of Scotland, any party is going to draw the majority of its support from non-catholics.
The truth is that feeling 'Scottish' transcends religion and transcends politics.
You can't divide Scotland into north and south and assume all the highlands are in the north. I'm in the SW highlands and I'm west of Glasgow and in the southern half of the country. My county, Argyll, spoke only Gaelic at one time. The Outer Hebrides don't fall into north or south and the people there speak Gaelic as their first language.
Some Americans who have not spent any time in the UK, nor understand the cultural psyche need to know that unlike the USA, on the whole, we aren't as hung up as y'all about the mythical south/north divide. I mean Scotland is small enough without the need to split it....and is this really an issue?
Happy New Year!
I don't think anyone "needs" to know anything about Scotland.. is knowledge of Scottish culture a prerequisite for something?? The OP was asking a simple question. He doesn't need to know anymore about Scotland than the average Scot about the cultural "psyche" of people in Thailand.
I think people in England are incredibly hung up on the north/south divide, but that is not relevant to Scotland.
That's true, and I think it's almost natural for people to find differences. I think nearly every country I've ever been too has some sort of north/south or east/west divide. If not, then done other territorial or religious separation.
Given that 'catholics' are only around 17% of the population of Scotland, any party is going to draw the majority of its support from non-catholics.
The truth is that feeling 'Scottish' transcends religion and transcends politics.
i thought there were 15% , anyway i refered to proportion
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