The Coming of the Unicorn (13 page)

The Travelling People of Scotland have their own way of speaking. They use many Scottish forms of English words, such as
o’
(of),
canna
or
cannae
(cannot),
no
(not) and
tellt
(told). In their speech the word “of” is often left out when they refer to quantity or amount:
plenty
(plenty of) and
wee drop
(small amount of). Sometimes the storyteller’s choice of words is influenced by the Gaelic language; for example, “was just after bringing” (had just brought) is found in the Western Highlands, where Duncan Williamson grew up. Readers will clearly understand most words and phrases in the context of the stories, but those terms more foreign to English are shown below: