Detailing the origins and history of the Scots language, this work discusses the influences and events which have shaped its use. The book covers the difference between dialect and language, and between the earlier and later phases of development, bringing out the relationship between the status of the language as such and political developments. It explores the development and fruition of literature in Scots, from the works of Barbour, Blind Harry, Dunbar and Henryson to those of Robert Burns and Hugh MacDiarmid. The importance of Scots as a record of history is considered, and the book also traces various influences, from Anglo-Saxon, Norman-French and Norse, to Dutch and Flemish nearer our own time. The author ends with a plea for the continuing maintenance and practical use of the living Scottish language as a mark and a guarantee of the cultural integrity of the Scottish people.