EVERY year, around the 25th of January, people around the world celebrate the life and work of Robert Burns. You’d think that this kind of practice would be limited to Scotland, but there are thriving global communities of Burns enthusiasts, some made up of Scottish diaspora and some who are simply admirers of our national bard.

As someone who engages with the Scots language on a daily basis, to see it take such a prominent and celebrated role in speeches, poetry and songs throughout Burns suppers makes a welcome change.

Unfortunately, it often feels as though Scotland views the Scots language as something which should be reserved for Burns suppers, relegated to that one special night a year when it can be retrieved from the pedestal upon which it has been carefully placed, dusted off and played with, before being wrapped tightly and hidden from sight until the next time we need to address a haggis.

For many, the Scots language is a pair of shoes lovingly gifted that we are afraid to wear for fear of scuffing them, and as such every time we do venture out in them they are too tight, not broken in, not really ours. I have spoken to many people who have a perfect grasp on the Scots language who do not feel comfortable or confident in claiming the language as their own, because they see literary Scots such as that written by Burns as an official standard of language to which they couldn’t even begin to aspire.

Although he wrote beautifully in the Scots language, Burns did so in a manner which was appropriate to his era, and as such the Scots he spoke is not what can, should or must be replicated by modern speakers in order for them to feel valid. If speakers of Scots are obliged to speak like Burns, speakers of English must verily emulate Shakespeare … forsooth.

Many of the older people who follow me and engage with my videos can vividly recall being beaten in school for speaking Scots outwith the recitation of Burns' work. This is the contradiction faced by many Scots speakers, the vanishingly short window within which it is not only socially acceptable, but socially encouraged to speak and engage with the Scots language.

There is, ironically when considering Burns’s station in life, a class issue when it comes to this celebration of an otherwise stigmatised language. Many people feel that spoken Scots is slang, and as such it is not fit for the classroom, whereas Burns'a poetry as a work of literature occupies an entirely different sphere and is appropriate for the educational context. Indeed, there are many modern poets, authors and artists who engage with the Scots language in a fresh, contemporary way which would be perfect for classroom curriculum.

Don't get me wrong, Burns was my first introduction to literary Scots and it was through the recitation of his work as a child that I was able to more easily develop both my Scots vocabulary and confidence. However, I feel more than a little conflicted when he is continually held up as the pinnacle of Scots language literature. As a man, he was someone with a dubious relationship with monogamy, and was at best a prolific serial adulterer.

For those looking to learn more about the Scots language, the SLC (Scots Language Centre) will soon celebrate 30 years of operation and has carefully developed and curated an excellent hub of resources, helping learners to celebrate both the differences that make each dialect unique and the similarities that tie the community together.

As the engagement officer for the centre, I’m contractually obligated to shoehorn it into every conversation I have, but even prior to taking on this role I just loved taking a few hours to pour over the learning materials and indulge my inner Scots nerd. Whether you’re looking for games to help engage weans with language acquisition, or you fancy links to resources such as the Open University Scots language course, everything there is free and easily accessible. Most resources on the website are also available in an audio format for those who prefer to listen or who are not yet comfortable reading Scots.

Sometimes I wish that authors such as Burns, Violet Jacob, Marion Angus and Helen Cruikshank could see the language they loved being celebrated and protected, that they had seen the UK government, UNESCO, the Council of Europe and other bodies officially giving Scots the recognition it deserves. I wonder how they would react to the manner in which Scottish culture continues to grow and evolve.

Recently, the BBC Scotland Debate Night programme posed the question asking whether we should even bother teaching Burns’s poetry in schools. I believe that Scots as a language should be promoted and celebrated at every opportunity, but I don't think Burns should be the first and last port of call when it comes to using the language in a classroom setting.

We've come a long way since Burns, both societally and linguistically, and using literature with a more modern and updated take on the Scots language can better help with both language acquisition and help students feel comfortable using the Scots they speak at home in the classroom.

Children are no longer beaten for speaking Scots, but the cultural hangover associated with this kind of history still remains. Scots speakers, teachers and students alike will often codeswitch to avoid seeming unintelligent due to prevailing cultural attitudes which put SSE (Scottish Standard English) as the pinnacle of verbal and written expression.

Personally, my first experience with the kind of Scots I saw at home was reading Anne Donnovan’s work. She reflected the linguistic atmosphere of my home environment and made reading an absolute joy for someone who struggled a lot with SSE spelling.

Having that kind of role model represented at school enabled and encouraged me to start writing and learning about languages, which set the theme for both my career and my nerdy obsessions. We owe it to the next generation to set them up with the tools to communicate, and for many people, the validation of existing knowledge and skills using the Scots language will enable them to expand both their working knowledge of the language itself, and its relationship to English as a beautiful and useful sister language.

Remember friends: Scots is for life, not just for January.