The Pixar film Brave, in which Kelly Macdonald voiced the heroine Merida, featured Doric phrases

Scots speakers are actually bilingual, academics have said, with words such as “lairning”, “tae” and “ma” forming part of a second language.

Aberdeen University’s Elphinstone Institute worked with Banff Academy, Aberdeenshire, to investigate whether learning in Scots could help pupils to excel across the curriculum.

More than 50 per cent of people in Aberdeenshire identify as Scots or Doric speakers, with even higher numbers in northern coastal communities. Claire Needler, PhD researcher in ethnology, is examining whether studying towards the Scots Language Award, a national qualification, has an impact on attainment.

She said: “Doric is a regional dialect of the Scots language, one of three indigenous languages in Scotland, alongside English and Gaelic.

“Scots speakers are actually bilingual, and this is an additional language skill