Scots Wikipaedia

[MacMillan of Rathdown]

I am always wary of government statistics concerning "secondary" languages. In Ireland the Department of Education and the Department of Arts, Culture, and the Gealtacht could never agree on the percentage of Irish speakers (something between 12% and 60% depending on who did the counting!). With a population of 5.1 million I would be surprised if 1.6 million (or roughly one third of the population) spoke Scots. I would concede that easily that number would be conversant with some words and phrases, although not fluent in the patois.

If these figures were not, in large part, supplied by private companies, fueled by a desire for funding by various state bodies, perhaps I would have a less skeptical view of the statistics.

[skauwt]

I am always wary of government statistics concerning "secondary" languages. In Ireland the Department of Education and the Department of Arts, Culture, and the Gealtacht could never agree on the percentage of Irish speakers (something between 12% and 60% depending on who did the counting!). With a population of 5.1 million I would be surprised if 1.6 million (or roughly one third of the population) spoke Scots. I would concede that easily that number would be conversant with some words and phrases, although not fluent in the patois.

If these figures were not, in large part, supplied by private companies, fueled by a desire for funding by various state bodies, perhaps I would have a less skeptical view of the statistics.

the figures as you say could be wrong i reckon perhaps more than 1.6 million speak scots ,
im assuming who ever made the amount up just based it on regional areas for example it makes sense to say that the glasgow region along side north and south lanarkshire (whose population amount to about 1.2 million folk) more or less speak scots on a daily basis
you could add dumbartonshire and those areas adjoining the central belt to the tally

either way i know i speak scots and everyone in this part of scotland speak scots but i`ll be the first to admit if i was asked to write in scots i wouldn't know where to begin as its almost a dead written form these days