Ulster Scots dialect

Ulster Scots
Ulstèr-Scotch
Ullans
(Braid) Scots
Scotch
Native toIreland
RegionUlster
EthnicityUlster Scots people
Early forms
Dialects
Official status
Recognised minority
language in
Regulated byThe cross-border Boord o Ulstèr-Scotch, established as a result of the Good Friday Agreement
Language codes
ISO 639-3
Glottologulst1239
Linguasphere52-ABA-aa
(varieties: 52-ABA-aar to -aat)
IETFsco-ulster
Approximate boundaries of the traditional Scots language areas in Ulster, shaded in turquoise . Based on The Scotch-Irish Dialect Boundaries in Ulster (1972) by R. J. Gregg.

Ulster Scots or Ulster-Scots (Ulstèr-Scotch), also known as Ulster Scotch and Ullans, is the dialect (whose proponents assert is a dialect of Scots) spoken in parts of Ulster, being almost exclusively spoken in parts of Northern Ireland and County Donegal. It is normally considered a dialect or group of dialects of Scots, although groups such as the Ulster-Scots Language Society and Ulster-Scots Academy consider it a language in its own right, and the Ulster-Scots Agency and former Department of Culture, Arts and Leisure have used the term Ulster-Scots language.

Some definitions of Ulster Scots may also include Standard English spoken with an Ulster Scots accent. This is a situation like that of Lowland Scots and Scottish Standard English with words pronounced using the Ulster Scots phonemes closest to those of Standard English. Ulster Scots has been influenced by Hiberno-English, particularly Ulster English, and by Ulster Irish. As a result of the competing influences of English and Scots, varieties of Ulster Scots can be described as "more English" or "more Scots".