The last time I wrote an article about the Scots language, the comments were a bit of a mixed bag. A few people dropped by to announce that they didn’t think Scots was a language, which was nice of them, and almost half of comments were removed by the moderator for breaking community guidelines.

A surprising number of people asked why I was writing in English, which never happens when I write in Spanish or French. Indeed, I feel the need to personally apologise to the man who said that my columns for The Herald would cause the entire newspaper to collapse. I'm still getting used to my god-like powers of destruction and will try my absolute best not to ruin things while I'm here.

For those whose fingers are already twitching with the burning desire to offer their half-baked linguistic opinion, it might be more productive to park the prejudice while we take a quick look at some of the bodies who recognise Scots as a language. It will come as no surprise to anyone that the Scottish Government acknowledges Scots as one the country’s four official languages, alongside BSL, Gaelic and English, but if you’d like to look further afield than Scotland for an opinion, Scots has the ISO639 code “sco”, and UNESCO and the council of Europe both appreciate the cultural significance of the language both historically and in the present day.

Finally, for those unable to extricate the language from perceived political affiliation with the independence movement, great news, the UK Government also recognises it as a valid language. Despite all the reputable, international bodies giving the Scots language official recognition, Scots speakers still to this day face extreme prejudice and pestering simply for speaking the way they want to.

In the time between winning speaker of the year and the writing of this article, comedian and legend of a human being Marjolein Robertson has been subjected to a number of hateful and disrespectful messages simply for posting about her win and speaking in the Shetland dialect of the Scots language.

This kind of backlash and vitriol is unfortunately a rite of passage for Scots speakers online and represents the hypocrisy of those who take issue with use of the language. I hear time and time again from detractors that they do not want Scots “shoved down their throats” yet these are the same people who seemingly trawl the internet for any mention of Scots in order to berate, disrespect and negatively engage with the language and its speakers.

There’s a simple way to avoid feeling force-fed the Scots language, as my mum always says: If you’re not hungry, don’t sit at the dinner table. I guarantee you this article will have a headline related to the Scots language. If you clicked on it, and you don’t want to read an article about a wonderful night where Scots speakers were not only validated, but celebrated, this is your final chance to stop reading.

The Scots Language Awards each year give us the opportunity to recognise those in the community who often go unnoticed: teachers incorporating Scots into their classrooms, those writing, performing, and creating content in industries which are often unfriendly to the unfamiliar, and young writers finding their voices for the first time.

Almost every single person who won an award spoke of feeling ostracised and made to feel less simply for using the Scots language, often beginning in their childhood.

Many Scots speakers feel incredibly isolated, constantly having to justify the existence and importance of their chosen method of communication. This judgement and criticism can lead many to give in to the seemingly unrelenting force of monolingualism and stop speaking Scots entirely. The awards weren’t just an opportunity to celebrate the winners, but the community as a whole, and to reaffirm to the world that we exist, and don’t plan on shutting up any time soon.

I got to read an excerpt from the young writer of the year, 13-year-old Eva Macmillan, and I felt both inspired and reassured that the future of the Scots language is in safe, brave hands. She worked through her nerves to stand up in front of everyone to accept her award, and there is no doubt in my mind that her name, and the names of the other entries, will form a robust body of Scots literature in years to come.

The awards gave us the opportunity to see such a broad range of Scots dialects represented. There were Doric voices, speakers from Shetland, Glasgow, Fife, Ayrshire, and plenty of other places. Rather than presenting a barrier to communication, the night gave us a great opportunity to compare and contrast words and phrases, opinions and outlooks.

Dr Michael Dempster, director of the Scots Language Centre, echoed this sentiment, stating, “The Scots Language Awards provides us with a rare opportunity to gather together from all the traditional Scots dialect regions, and more, to speak freely to one another in our own voices. We have no concern of being badly thought of, or not understood, and we can celebrate both the differences between our dialects and the linguistic wealth that we hold in common”.

The awards show truly represented a full-circle moment for me, as I had the great honour to present the Janet Paisley lifetime achievement award to Anne Donovan. Burns might have been my first exposure to Scots literature, but it was All That Glisters, one of Anne’s short stories that inspired me to find my voice as a woman writing in the Scots language.

I was able to meet Anne backstage for a short conversation and I made sure to use that time to properly thank her for being influential to hundreds of writers, and the inspiration between thousands of stories. Gratitude was most definitely the order of business at the awards, as each person who won made sure to recognise the teachers, family members and friends who created an encouraging environment within which the language was able to thrive.

To Scots speakers, performers, teachers, schools, kids, the whole community: things like this should galvanise us. Despite constant pressure and prejudice, attempted eradication and internet nonsense, the Scots language is thriving.