The traditional debate in Scotland over issues of language and
cultural identity has centred largely around one basic question: Is
Scotland a cultural domain of Gaelic, Scots or English? There are
varying, often conflicting opinions when it comes to such a heated
polemic. The linguistic characteristics and literary achievements of
each of these cultural categories has been championed by several
distinguished Scottish writers. Each viewpoint speaks in favour of one
category but often at the expense of the other two. Douglas Young,
for example, in response to the derogatory notion that Gaelic poets
"were mainly preoccupied with twilight and moonshine, decay and
death" 1 replies in defiance that Gaelic literature is "as vivid and realist
and varied a body of literature as has been produced by any of the
great languages and language .•groups at comparable stages of social
development.?".
Hugh MacDiarmid, the initiator of what came to be known as
the Scottish Renaissance, battled against many odds in defense of his
native, vulnerable Scots against the predominant English language;
a language he looked upon as imperfect in essence:
I wanted to re-establish it [Scots] as a language and work back
to a complete canon of the language . English was in a worse
position than Scots. There are more dialect differences in
England than ever were in Scotland .... They treat their dialects
shamefully, the English. 3
This sense of belonging towards one language over the other was
inculcated in MacDiarmid's childhood school memories as he
experienced the cleavage between his native Scots and English