Scots Language

Scots: The Mither Tongue is a classic of contemporary Scottish culture and essential listening for those who care about their country's identity in the 21st century. It is a passionately written history of how the Scots have come to speak the way they do and has acted as a catalyst for radical changes in attitude towards the language. In this revised edition, Kay vigorously renews the social, cultural, and political debate on Scotland's linguistic future, and argues convincingly for the necessity to retain and extend Scots if the nation is to hold on to its intrinsic values.

At her execution Mary, Queen of Scots wore red. Widely known as the colour of strength and passion, it was in fact worn by Mary as the Catholic symbol of martyrdom. In 16th-century Europe, women's voices were suppressed and silenced. Even for a queen like Mary, her prime duty was to bear sons. In an age when textiles expressed power, Mary exploited them to emphasise her female agency.

“Roald Dahl sometimes shared a tonal kinship with Ogden Nash, and he could demonstrate a verbal inventiveness nearly Seussian…[His] stories work better in audio than in print.” –The New York Times Willy Wonka's famous chocolate factory is opening at last! But only five lucky children...

It's naturally easier to learn something when it's set to rhythmic music, so that is exactly what we've done. Simple words and phrases are set to a varied pattern of rhythms and music designed to help you learn and to keep you engaged so you won't just switch off after five minutes. It will give you an easy road into starting to learn a completely new language. If you just want a few simple words and phrases before going abroad, Rhythms is all you need.

Luke’s Gospel from the widely acclaimed modern literary classic The New Testament in Scots, now available as an audio digital download for the first time. Tom Fleming's reading brings out the poetry, wit, and humanity of William Lorimer's translation in a way which speaks to everyone. Lorimer (1885-1967) immersed himself in the Scots language from childhood, learning the rich Angus dialect of his locality. He devoted the last decade of his life to translating the New Testament into Scots.

England and Scotland in the 1500s. Two famous queens: Mary, the Catholic Queen of Scots, and Elizabeth I, the Protestant Queen of England. It was an exciting and a dangerous time to be alive - and to be a queen. Mary was Queen of Scotland when she was one week old. At 16, she was also Queen of France. She was tall and beautiful, with red-gold hair. Many men loved her and died for her. But she also had many enemies - men who said: "The death of Mary is the life of Elizabeth."