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Parliamo Scots
Verbal Forms (1)


Parliamo Scots                                                                Soutar Davie

Verbal Forms

PRESENT PARTICIPLES

    The present participle is usually formed by adding –in to the infinitive.  So we have; be-in, daein, follaein, gaein, giein, haein, blawin, cawin, fawin, graenin, hurlin, plowterin, reddin, staupin, thraetenin, waukenin, etc.

    A distinction was made in Middle Scots between present participles which were made by adding  -an or –and to the infintive, and verbal nouns ending in –in.  This distinction was revived in writing under the influence of the Scots Style Sheet published in 1947, but this practice now seems odd, since it serves no useful purpose.

    Present participles are sometimes used to construct qualified nouns.  For example, we have: beilin-lump, fechtin-laid, gangin fuit, greitin-meetin, killin-houss, lauchin-turn, ludgin-houss, fechtin-laid, rinnin-laid, settlin-gress, etc.

    In forming the present participles of verbs ending in –il, such as, ettil, hirpil, warsil,   ‘i’ may be dropped to give: ettlin, hirplin, etc.

VERBAL NOUNS

    The ending, -in, is used also for verbal nouns.  For example, in biggin, bygaein, dounsittin, flittin, flytin, skelpit-letherin, spittin, waddin, etc.

                        Ye coud aye gang in an pey Gran a veisit i the bygaein.
                        He feinisht fower plates o kail at the ae dounsittin.
                        It’s an awfie hatter aye, a flittin!
                        Yon bairn is shuirlie wurkin on for a skelpit-letherin.
                        Ah canna byde ti see a spittin fylin the causie.
                        Ah dout Ah’m no richt buskit for a waddin.


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