Re: Scottish titles

[mn13189@WCUVAX1.WCU.EDU]

Poster: mn13189@WCUVAX1.WCU.EDU

On Fri, 18 Apr 1997, Stephanie M. Thorson wrote:

> East Lothian-born chronicler who lived and wrote in the Borders.  There
> are 2 hands at work in the manuscript (contemporary to the chronicler),
> which have distinctively different orthography, but they agree on the
> lord/lard issue.  These particular scribes both tend to drop out i's in
> places one might expect to find them - lard instead of laird, barn for
> bairn, etc. 

If both of these scribes were from the same district, their ommision of
the "i" probably reflects the way they spoke.

> Not out of keeping with English practice.  English Princes of Wales in the
> later Middle Ages were often referred to as "the lord So-and-So."  SCA
> usage is all backwards in that regard.  During the Real Middle Ages <tm>
> there were lots of knights but very few lords.  We have lots of lords, but
> far fewer knights.

Try as I might, I can never get any knights over here to swear fealty to
me!  And a good knight is so hard to find these days.  From what I read,
once you couldn't turn over a rock without findind a dozen knights.  But
they are so rare today.  Maybe they are going to go the way of the dragon,
who knows?  Only who will I get to keep safe my vast estates?!  Oh, me!
:-)

> "Lerit" might be the more expected form of the past participle of "lere." 
> Scots tends to use -it rather than -d or -ed endings in the past tense. 
> Lere may also be an obsolete verb.  I can't recall hearing anyone use it
> in everyday speech around here, anyway.  The Dict. of the Older Scottish

The CSD says "lere" was used to mean "to teach" from la14-e19.  It gives
the form "lerit" as meaning educated during the 15-16 cent.  "Lere" also
could mean "to learn" from the la14- but no end date listed.  An alternate
spelling dated to the la16 is "lear."

> might prove useful, as well.  The CSD is good as far as it goes, but it is
> a limited source.  I find cross-referencing to MED from DOST is often
> helpful and usually wise. 

And I agree, wholeheartedly.
Aye,
Eogan

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