On Tue, 31 Oct 2000 21:36:22 -0500, [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote:
>Hello Fellow Arachnids:
>
>On several occasions Arachne4Dos <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>,
>(Mel the Scottish Silverback) wrote of persons, places, and things
>that
>are known properly as "Scottish", and of other persons, places, and
>things
>that should be better described as "Scotch", as though the
>distinction
>were very important.
>
>What about the ice cream syrup and the candy treat known in the USA
>as
>"butterscotch"? Is this correct? What do they call it in Scotland?
>
>All the best,
>
>Sam Heywood
Hi Sam,
The Silverback replies. Yes butterscotch is both a candy and a syrup
here, but it is a compounded word. Whilst Butterscotch is acceptable
(in large boxes please!), Scotch Butter as two separate words is NOT,
and the correct usage would be Scottish Butter.
The main criteria is the use of the word "Scotch" as an adjective to
describe an item such as Butter. As I have said before, Scotch can be
applied to whisky as in Scotch Whisky. So you get the weird situation
that you can describe whisky as :-
Mel's Auld Scotch Whisky
but it is made from :-
Scottish water, Scottish Grain, Scottish Malt and to a traditional
Scottish Recipe. There are a very limited number of things with which
you can legitimately use the word Scotch as an adjective (that bit's
for the grammar sherriff, I think it's right). These definitely
include Scotch Whisky, Scotch Tomatoes, and Scotch Eggs *when and
only when you are referring to the "deli" product consisting of an
Egg cooked inside a layer of sausage meat*. If you refer to Eggs from
Scottish Hens, then it is Scottish Eggs you use as a phrase.
Duuuhhh! Confusing isn't it? I could NOT tell you from the top of my
head which other uses of Scotch are legitimate, like many obscure
language things, this is something you know is instinctively right or
wrong, just as a Spanish speaker instinctively knows when to use the
words "por" and "para" meaning "for". These have a usage for animate
and inanimate objects and whether or not persons and objects are
involved.
Similarly a French speaker instinctively knows which words are
feminine or masculine "la table" or "le voiture", but we have to
learn this when we learn French as a foreign langauge (is that right
someone, le and la?)
Is it important? Probably not on the world scale of events, but it
jars on the sensibilities of native speakers, just as you probably
get a jar every now and then if you read "Favourite" or colour
instead of the American spellings.
Where would we be if we ALL looked the same, spoke the same, thought
the same, had the same opinions, watched the same tv - - - - -
Life is varied and we get fun from this list as well as useless
information mixed in with the sensible and very useful stuff.
Personally I love you all, in the nicest possible way of course, and
you help make my life that bit better. I hope I do the same for you
with my meanderings from time to time.
Regards
Mel
--from Mel Evans, e-mail [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Webmaster Services to BCC Scotland, Coachman Owners Club, Lunar Owners Club
Commercial sites located and serviced at http://www.webtheon.freeserve.co.uk
