Referendum on Scottish Independence

How clearly defined is code switching? does it only count if you use a clearly foreign construct, or do loan words count too?

To clarify, with an example from German which I am more familiar with than Irish. I assume if I used the word 'cell-phone' or 'mobile' in a German conversation, this would count as code switching, whereas 'Handy' wouldn't despite it being an English word.
Or have I got this wrong, and code switching requires a full sentence or longer sentence fragment?
 
Cleon said:
Question: To what extent are Scots and Irish mutually intelligible?
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I thought "Scots" referred to a Germanic language closely related to English and spoken in (parts of?) Scotland. Is it also used in some contexts as a synonym for "Scottish Gaelic"?
 
commandlinegamer said:
Scots you may argue is a language or dialect, with the same root as English, but it is not (Scots) Gaelic.
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So if understood like that Scots and Irish wouldn't be mutually intelligible at all, would they?
Unless by "Irish" one meant the form of English spoken in Ireland.
 
mbp said:
I thought "Scots" referred to a Germanic language closely related to English and spoken in (parts of?) Scotland. Is it also used in some contexts as a synonym for "Scottish Gaelic"?
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Here we're indeed using it as a shorthand for Scottish Gaelic. Don't know if it's correct but we're all on the same page.
 
commandlinegamer said:
Scots you may argue is a language or dialect, with the same root as English, but it is not (Scots) Gaelic.
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Scots is recognised as a regional minority language by the EU, not a dialect. No-one speaks pure Scots nowadays however. "Scottish" is a mix of Scots, English and local dialects, but is is not official.
 
Havvers. Ye dinnae want tae try thon leid doon in the fermin' areas o' Ayrshire. It'll be a wheen o' grief and they'll think yer doited. Mind ye, oot Cumnock way an' the like they think onybudy wi mair than fower fingers on each hon' is a gey alien......
 
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Architect said:
Havvers. Ye dinnae want tae try thon leid doon in the fermin' areas o' Ayrshire. It'll be a wheen o' grief and they'll think yer doited. Mind ye, oot Cumnock way an' the like they think onybudy wi mair than fower fingers on each hon' is a gey alien......
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pretty funny dude.

:)
 
Getting back to the original topic

As with Welsh independence, the real problem with Scottish independence is what happens afterward: rule by the tin pot nationalists who pushed for independence. The typical SNP or Plaid MP is not the type of person you would want running your local council, let alone your country. If you think Sarah Palin appears ignorant, try listening to what the nationalist supporters say.

The idea seems to be that Scottish independence is viable because of North Sea oil. Which sounds great until you look at how well the typical petro-economy does. The Forties field has in any case peaked and it would be a pretty poor foundation for a modern economy.
 
Hallam said:
As with Welsh independence, the real problem with Scottish independence is what happens afterward: rule by the tin pot nationalists who pushed for independence.
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As opposed to the tinpot nationalists at Westminster, one assumes.

The typical SNP or Plaid MP is not the type of person you would want running your local council, let alone your country.
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Mine do, and it's all going fine thank you very much. Plenty of money into regeneration and education, no cuts yet (the Westminster ordered ones are coming, however), and the world seems to keep turning just fine.

If you think Sarah Palin appears ignorant, try listening to what the nationalist supporters say.
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Well, there are several of us here so do feel free to actually come out with some of these quotes. Start a thread, in fact, where we'll happily debate it.

The idea seems to be that Scottish independence is viable because of North Sea oil. Which sounds great until you look at how well the typical petro-economy does. The Forties field has in any case peaked and it would be a pretty poor foundation for a modern economy.
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The Norwegians seemed to manage rather well out of it, didn't they?
 
Francesca R said:
It was rejected for Les Quebecois by Canada's own courts.
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Actually, Quebec existence as a distinct nation (in the cultural sense of the word) has been officialized by the Conservative Party (surprising, I know) a few years ago. Within Quebec, it's been acknowledged by every major provincial parties - including the federalists - since the '80.

But we speak a completely different language so it's a easy case for us to make, while the Scotts speaks english, so I have no idea if both situations are related.
 
Architect said:
Havvers. Ye dinnae want tae try thon leid doon in the fermin' areas o' Ayrshire. It'll be a wheen o' grief and they'll think yer doited. Mind ye, oot Cumnock way an' the like they think onybudy wi mair than fower fingers on each hon' is a gey alien......
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The ones that speak the Doric up here are unintelligable even to me.
 
Hallam said:
As with Welsh independence, the real problem with Scottish independence is what happens afterward: rule by the tin pot nationalists who pushed for independence. The typical SNP or Plaid MP is not the type of person you would want running your local council, let alone your country. If you think Sarah Palin appears ignorant, try listening to what the nationalist supporters say.

The idea seems to be that Scottish independence is viable because of North Sea oil. Which sounds great until you look at how well the typical petro-economy does. The Forties field has in any case peaked and it would be a pretty poor foundation for a modern economy.
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Epic ignorance of the OP.

We have the oil but a lot more. Wind power, wave power, tide power. Alec Salmond could eat any of the opposition politicians for breakfast and I am not even a great supporter of his.

HDI index people, check it out.
 
ZouPrime said:
Actually, Quebec existence as a distinct nation (in the cultural sense of the word) has been officialized by the Conservative Party (surprising, I know) a few years ago. Within Quebec, it's been acknowledged by every major provincial parties - including the federalists - since the '80.
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Thanks for the info. I was referring to the legal sense in Canadian domestic law and International law. The Supreme Court opinion is from 1998 and is here. Bottom line was that unilateral secession, referendum or not, was neither legal nor justifiable, federally in Canada or internationally.

I realise that UDI is a very low probability event in Quebec, and in Scotland. However that is the scenario on which this (SCoC) opinion was offered, and is the (Scotland) scenario I was commenting on here.
 
Francesca R said:
Thanks for the info. I was referring to the legal sense in Canadian domestic law and International law. The Supreme Court opinion is from 1998 and is here. Bottom line was that unilateral secession, referendum or not, was neither legal nor justifiable, federally in Canada or internationally.

I realise that UDI is a very low probability event in Quebec, and in Scotland. However that is the scenario on which this (SCoC) opinion was offered, and is the (Scotland) scenario I was commenting on here.
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Oh, ok, now I understand what you were refering to. This Supreme Court decision refers to the secession of Quebec, i.e. a change in its political status. This is a different issue than the cultural identify of Quebecers (as a "people"). In Canada federal politics, the two are routinely interchanged, but not in Quebec, which is the source of countless misunderstanding between us and the Rest Of Canada...
 
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