The feegurs oot the 2022 census wis set furth taewards the end o Mey 2024, an shuid kittle aw thaim wi an intress in the Scots leid. As the affcome o a speiring bi the General Register Office, back in 1996, it wis reckont that 1.5 million fowk wad answer ay tae the question: div ye speak Scots? Weel, Scots wis coontit for the first time on ony census in Scotland back in 2011. In thon year, 1,541,693 fowk returnt thairsels as speakers o Scots, but 1.9 million fowk awthegither answert that thay haed some can in the leid, whither throu speakin, readin, writin, or unnerstaunin.

Noo the 2022 census haes shawn that 1,508,540 fowk in Scotland haes returnt thairsels speakers. This nummer o speakers is doun a bittie on the bygane census, but here the clearance: 2,444,659 fowk in Scotland awthegither haes returnt thairsels as haein some can in the leid. This means that jist ower 46% o fowk in Scotland haes some ken o Scots gien that the’r 5.4 million fowk in the kintra (NRS, Juin 2022). It is gey important that government depairtments, education bodies, an agencies tae the publict, haes sic feegurs tae haun for ony langage planning an uphaud for the leid in time tae come. Wi feegurs sic as thir anes, we hae guid foonds.

The'r a soond file o this story in Scots abuin.