History of the Scots language

The history of the Scots language dates from the incursion of Old English into south-eastern Scotland in the 7th century, where it gradually prevailed against Scots Gaelic. The development of Scots as a distinct language was slowed by the incorporation of Scotland into Great Britain in the 17th century, which increased the influence and prestige of English at the expense of Scots. It was also during the 17th century that Scots was introduced to Ireland. Today Scots is spoken by 28% of the population of Scotland and by 2% or 3% of the population of Northern Ireland.