Scots word of the week

TYTA

LOOKING at the calendar I see that tomorrow is Father’s Day and, no doubt, many fathers will be rejoicing in the gifts and homemade greeting cards they will receive. The Dictionaries of the Scots Language (DSL) has many words for this parental relationship, ranging from “faither” to Dade or Deydie – which can also be used as the term for a grandfather.

Tyta or Tathie is more unusual and very much less well documented in the DSL. Tathie, recorded as “a child’s name for father, daddy”, has only one citation – from Morayshire in 1930. Tit-ta has a marginally larger entry and the definition differs slightly: “An infant’s word for ‘father’, daddy, da-da”.

In 1787 a certain Ayrshire poet penned a poem with the title, “Welcome tae a Bastart Wean” otherwise known as “A Poet’s Welcome to his Love Begotten Daughter”. During the poem’s course, Burns discusses how much he loves this wee lassie: “Thou’s welcome, Wean! Mishanter fa’ me,

If thoughts o’ thee, or yet thy Mamie, Shall ever daunton me or awe me, My bonie lady; Or if I blush when thou shalt ca’ me Tyta or Daddie”. The word is still recorded into the 19th century in this example by Peter Still, writing in his The Cottar’s Sunday and other poems (1845): “Again it rins, ‘Tit-ta” to ca’ me, Wi’ a’ its power’”.

Here at DSL we would love to know if this word is still in use. In the meantime, I hope all you daddies, faithers and tytas have a braw day.

PAULINE CAIRNS SPEITEL