a psa for those writing for johnny âsoapâ mctavish
as much as a love the works youâre all writing, a lot of people really donât know how to write a scottish character (and thatâs ok !!!! we get like no rep so) so as a scottish writer, i figured i should help you guys out a little bit.
johnny has a VERYYY strong accent as iâm sure anyone can work out
however this doesnât mean heâs suddenly speaking a different language
yes, a lot of slang is used and for a basic definition of scottish slang and how they should be used; use this ! if you have no idea of slang iâd recommend reading through every word
although we like to use slang, i can promise you that if weâre with someone that wouldnât understand a word of it / someone whoâs first language isnât english, we wouldnât speak fully scot (for example if johnny was speaking to alejandro or rudy)
thereâs absolutely nothing to suggest he can speak gaelic. yeah i know this is an obvious one but i have seen a few people slip gaelic into his dialogue and thatâs super duper inaccurate
barely anyone in scotland speaks gaelic (unless youâre up very high north or maybe in the isles). itâs actually almost an extinct language because the english pretty much wiped it out when we got colonised.
something i love to see is when he mumbles little scottish things under his breath. accurate af.
we say shite more than shit. and never ever will a scottish person say ass. itâs arse all the way.
we donât call people (especially if youâre sleeping with someone !!!!) lass. or lassie. we call kids that.
pet names are normally along the lines of love, hen (my personal fave), sweetheart, little lady, bonnie (sometimes)
also, shagging is sex. shag, shagged, shagger. yeah.
mum not mom. maw, more commonly.
all that being said he does use a loottttt of slang so honestly go ham i love seeing scots language get used because itâs not been used in fanfic like ever before
seen a few people write soap going mad for st andrews day
yeah no we donât to that lol i barely every remember that itâs actually st andrews day
also, we arenât all completely versed on celtic mythology. i could barely tell you the first thing about it.
in scotland weâre all kind of touchy, like weâll greet people with a hug and stand weirdly close to each other so if thatâs something youâre writing about itâs important to note that our personal space is really small
not sure where people get this idea from but scotland isnât all sheep and highlands and fairies and like little huts
yes we have that but weâre a really modern nation and wayyy to many people have a weird perception of scotland
my man is literally from like glasgow (his accent sounds glasgow but donât quote me on that) heâs not a farmer or anything
KILTS. not skirts, very common to wear in scotland to events like weddings, christenings, anything formal really.
cunt isnât a horrible word i literally everyone a cunt, sometimes itâs used affectionately
if youâre gonna write about scottish politics i beg you research it. johnnys probably pro independence and an SNP voter. google it for context
weâre really loud. and we talk really fast. yes, other characters are gonna be confused af
irn bru !!!!!!!!! itâs a scottish drink and ive seen one person mention it and i just about cried i loved it
in scotland you can vote at 16 and join the army at 16 if thatâs relevant to you
if youâre going to write about something you donât know anything about, either do research or ask someone scottish (im more than happy to help!!)
please donât take these as complaints or anything !! itâs just very very off putting to see people make massive misconceptions and conclusions about scotland! i love that weâre finally getting some hype. anyways ask about anything!! <3
