A. J. Aitken (1921-1998)
Few people could be said to have advanced our knowledge of the Scots Language, past and present, as did A. J. Aitken (1921-1998). He was one of the principal lexicographers of the Dictionary of the Older Scots Tongue, a lecturer on Scots at Edinburgh University, and a tireless researcher and advocate of all things Scots. Through the extraordinary dedication of Dr. Caroline Macafee, and the collaboration of the Scots Language Centre, the majority of “Jack” Aitken’s writings on Scots have now been placed online, and are freely accessible.
Texts include a wide range of topics and genres, including academic papers on phonology, dialectology and lexis, pieces on Scots literature, biographical and autobiographical essays, overviews on the history of the language, letters to the Scotsman newspaper, and a number of other texts of both popular and technical interest. The re-edition of these writings not only brings them to a wider audience through digital distribution, but includes important updates, introductions and notes, to place them in context and link them with later developments.
This is fantastic news for the FITS project and for all of those interested in Scots. Braw!
Find The Aitken Papers at: http://www.scotslanguage.com/aitken-papers
