Creative Scotland commits to promoting Scots language

Creative Scotland is investing £50k in a writer-in-residence programme to help promote the Scots language. The move is part of its new Scots Language Policy, which outlines its commitment to supporting the language that 1.5 million people in Scotland can speak.

The ‘Scots Scriever’ will be based at the National Library of Scotland. During a two-year residency, the role will be split between creating new work in Scots and promoting the language. Creative Scotland hopes it will be a “highly visible” role, working across the cultural sector, communities and schools. The Scriever will also help Creative Scotland create a ‘Scots awareness and training programme’ for its staff, partners and the organisations it funds.

In its policy the funding body commits to working with partners “to showcase the value of Scots in the arts, screen and creative industries, nationally and internationally”. It also plans to increase the use of the language in its communications, and funding applications will now be accepted in Scots.

Jenny Niven, Head of Literature, Publishing and Languages at Creative Scotland said: “We have provided support for Scots across a range of art forms for many years now including literature, theatre, music and film. What this policy does, however, is provide focus for our efforts to support the language in all its variants and dialects, generating a sense of renewed energy and intent.”