Scottish poet brings an appreciation for language on social media

Photo of Len Pennie from her YouTube channel.

Len Pennie, who also goes by @miss_punnypennie on TikTok and @misspunnypennie on Instagram, is a Scottish poet who regularly posts interesting facts about the Scottish and English languages.

Specifically, Pennie features a Scots word of the day each day on her TikTok to preserve the language. She introduces a word, its definition, and says it a few times to ensure viewers understand it. See the example below for an idea of how she operates.

@miss_punnypennie The word is my top priority. 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿💙 #scotslanguage ♬ original sound - Miss PunnyPennie

Pennie also addresses English words and their impact on the Scots language, including the below video about the use of "cop" as opposed to "polis" when referring to the police, something some of her viewers disparage as an "Americanism."

@miss_punnypennie Replying to @user3931440500126 ♬ original sound - Miss PunnyPennie

Another of Pennie's TikToks involves her recounting how so many Scottish people have been punished in the past for speaking Scots, with the language being devalued as an imperfect form of English.

@miss_punnypennie Replying to @alba_male48 ♬ original sound - Miss PunnyPennie

Likewise, Pennie features some of her poetry, including the below example that infuses a mixture of Scots and English into a timely message about women's bodies.

@miss_punnypennie #onthisday ♬ original sound - Miss PunnyPennie

I enjoy watching Pennie's content both because I enjoy a good Scottish accent and because it's always interesting to learn new words and their origins. I guess that's just the English major in me, especially after I took a class on the history and structure of the English language.

I also really appreciate her attempts at preserving the Scots language, especially after learning about a number of other languages that are being lost with time after their attempted eradication, namely the Navajo language.

I highly suggest checking Pennie out on her social media, and if you want, you can pre-order her poetry book "Poyums," which is scheduled to be published in February 2024.