So I have a character that lives in an alternate history Victorian London. However this character is from Scotland, specifically Glasgow. To give the full cultural contex, he was born in 1835, his mother was from Glasgow but his father was from rural Scotland "out near the lochs". He has been living in London for a while but less time than he spent in Scotland and he's been back to Scotland. He has a clear Glasgow accent that everyone notices immediately which is why he's nicknamed "The Scotsman." Now part of his character is a strange mix of poor blue-collar cultural and sophisticated business culture so I wanted him to use slang and vernacular affections. But I'm no longer sure what to use exactly. I decided to derive it from Glasgow because his sense of retaining your past is important. It's easy to find some Glaswegian slang but I'm wondering about other linguistic elements. Specifically ones I know from lower class english that I'm not sure if Scotland has. The use of "wasn't" instead of "weren't" and "what" instead of "that" came to mind but I don't know if he would use them. Any other tips on how to this is appreciated, oh and PS m not doing phoenetic spelling except for simple things like contractions so don't worry about deep accent depiction. Sorry if this is too long.
You and I are treading on some of the same ground! My writing partner and I are plying 1792, Paris during the French Revolution, and we have such a character that might interest you; his name is Gael (short for Gaelic), the nickname his French hosts have given him. Gael is from Glasgow, and his occupation is that of Animal Trainer at a rundown opera house. I was at the same crossroads as you some months back, that is just how Scottish do I make him. I've come across contradicting research as to how a Scotsman (lower class) from 1792 might talk; lilting and pleasant, or guttural and unintelligible! Gael is not a highlander, nor has any pretense to fallen nobility... just a rough and tumble Scotsman who loves his bourbon, and long nights spent in the Red Light District of Paris. An excellent source for Scottish-speak (as depicted in a more compromising and neutral tone), is found in, Kidnapped by Robert Louis Stevenson. I've used it a few times to get Gael's dialogue sounding a bit more authentic. You may want to get yourself a copy of Kidnapped and see if it helps.
Do since research into Scots, and I mean real, linguists-fight-over-whether-it's-a-seperate-language Scots. It was a lot more common in the past, and stealing some bits and bobs from it might be what you're looking for.
Being a Scot, I like that this thread exists, however being from just outside Edinburgh, I'd be loath to comment on the Glasweigans. One can get glassed for just entering the city, you know. Fascinating culture. Fascinating. Bein ah Scot, ah like tha' this thread exists, however bein from just ootside Edinburgh, ad be loath tae comment on the Weegies. Ye can pure get glassed fir just enterin the city, ken?
'What' for 'that' doesn't really happen in any Scottish dialect as far as I'm aware, but 'wasn't' for 'weren't' (as in 'if I wasn't busy') does.
It's the subjunctive voice, so many people would say "If I weren't..." Both are equally accepted, though
I was more thinking some of the obvious vernacular used. Like having a they usually requires weren't but using wasn't instead. I wasn't sure if that was something scottish people did or just some of the lower class and rural english.
