From medical scanners to university lecture halls, the Doric dialect is experiencing a quiet but significant revival across Aberdeen and the north-east. What was once dismissed as merely "bad English" is now being recognised as a distinct linguistic heritage worthy of preservation and promotion.
What is Doric?
Doric, also known as Mid Northern Scots or North-East Scots, refers to the Scots language as spoken in north-east Scotland. The term was formerly used to describe all dialects of Scots, but during the twentieth century became increasingly associated with this specific regional variant.
The dialect has a vocabulary all its own. "Fit like?" serves as a greeting equivalent to "How are you?" "Far" means "where," "loon" refers to a young boy, and "quine" to a girl. "Baffies" are slippers, and someone "beddit" is tucked up in bed.
Institutional Backing
The revival gained formal recognition in March 2018 when the North-East Scots Language Board launched in Aberdeen. The body brings together representatives from the University of Aberdeen and Robert Gordon University alongside council officers from Aberdeen City, Aberdeenshire, Angus, and Moray.
Dr Thomas McKean, director of the University of Aberdeen's Elphinstone Institute, said at the time: "North-East Scots is mostly thought of as being a language for home and family and other informal settings, but its use is far more widespread than that. It's important that young people see themselves; and the language they speak; reflected back at them in public life."
The board is working with schools to develop pathways for Scots language education and aims to increase the visibility of Doric in everyday life, including through signage.
The University Connection
The University of Aberdeen has positioned itself at the centre of the revival. In September 2020, the university launched a term-long Doric course open to all undergraduate students, offered through the Elphinstone Institute. The institute itself, which focuses on ethnology, folklore, and ethnomusicology, celebrates its thirtieth anniversary in 2025-2026.
Medical Innovation Meets Heritage
Perhaps the most striking example of Doric's modern rehabilitation came in January 2022, when Aberdeen Royal Infirmary's MRI scanner received a £1.2 million upgrade that included Doric language options. The machine now delivers instructions in the local dialect to help patients feel more comfortable during scans.
Recorded by Simon Gall, public engagement officer with the Elphinstone Institute, the voice prompts include phrases such as "The neist scan'll tak five minties" and "Hud yer breath."
Dr Gordon Waiter, a senior lecturer and brain imaging expert at the university, said: "As someone from the north east myself, I am proud of our distinct dialect of Scots and it's great that advances in technology allow us to offer this degree of flexibility."
A Seventeen-Year Labour of Faith
The cultural weight of the revival is perhaps best measured by the efforts of Gordon Hay, a retired solicitor from Aberdeenshire who spent seventeen years translating the entire Bible into Doric. He completed the New Testament in 2012 after six years of work, then turned to the Old Testament, finishing in 2023.
The completed Old Testament runs to 758 pages and contains more than half a million words. It stands as one of the most significant single contributions to Doric literature in modern times.
Recognition in the Public Sphere
Doric has made its mark on official Scotland as well. In 2006, MSP Maureen Watt took her Scottish Parliamentary oath in Doric, stating she wanted "to advance the cause of Doric and show there's a strong and important culture in the North East."
That same year, an Aberdeen hotel installed a Doric-speaking lift, with announcements including "Gyaun Up" and "Gyaun Doun."
The Scale of Scots
According to the 2022 census, 1,508,540 people in Scotland reported being able to speak Scots. The 2011 census recorded 55,817 people speaking Scots at home. UNESCO classifies Scots as "vulnerable" in its Atlas of the World's Languages in Danger.
A Living Tradition
The Doric renaissance is not merely nostalgic. Contemporary poets such as Sheena Blackhall continue to produce work in the dialect. The Aberdeen-based comedy group Scotland the What? built decades of success partly on Doric-infused sketches and songs. Even popular culture has acknowledged the dialect's distinct character; the 2012 Disney-Pixar film "Brave" featured a character speaking Doric, voiced by Elgin native Kevin McKidd.
What began as a grassroots affection for the tongue of home and family is now acquiring the institutional support and cultural recognition that might secure its future.