Tartan evolving into plaid

[Drac]

Morning all,

Got a couple questions actually. How did tartans become known as plaids when plaid is the length of fabric?

Also how did some of the tartans leave the kilt world and become so popular in normal wear? Blackwatch is the first that comes to mind but there is also a red and yellow tartan that is REALLY common among flannel shirts.

Jim

[figheadair]

Morning all,

Got a couple questions actually. How did tartans become known as plaids when plaid is the length of fabric?

Also how did some of the tartans leave the kilt world and become so popular in normal wear? Blackwatch is the first that comes to mind but there is also a red and yellow tartan that is REALLY common among flannel shirts.

Jim

Firstly, the word tartan is not Scottish (Gaelic) in origin. You may be surprised to learn that there is no specific Gaelic word for the pattern and it was historically called breacan meaning, amongst other things, speckled or multi-coloured. The use of plaid to mean tartan is an American practice and probably arose when non-Gaelic speakers misunderstood Highlanders referring to their plaid i.e. their clothing, and thought that they meant the pattern. Plaide (pro plaj-a) is the Gaelic spelling and literally means blanket.

In simple terms, the rise of tartan as a fashion cloth/pattern outside Scotland was the result of its popularity during late Georgian and early Victorian times which coincided with the industrial revolution and the beginnings of mass production. There are more complex aspects concerning the development of the tartan trade and the use of tartan as decoration but there is not space here to go into that.

[lethearen]

I'd imagine it's just a language shift. A plaid was a length of fabric woven in a tartan pattern... at some point, they just became interchangeable because while at a conceptual level they refer to different things, at a more mundane and practical level, they essentially refer to the same object. One is the concrete portion object, the other is the abstract portion. Only one word was really needed, and "plaid" was easier to say! What may have started as a local dialect or even one mans' idiosyncracy spread as language is wont to do.

But then again, I'm not an etymologist

And for the second question... I think that's probably a complicated question that pulls in factors from several fields, including "simple" economics. For whatever reason, X tartan became popular. That reason could be different for each X you're studying. I think at least a couple of the more mainstream tartans (e.g. Black Watch and Gordon) are military regiment tartans. Weavers have to make a lot of those plaids... As subjects of the Crown, all British are entitled to wear Royal Stewart (I um... may be making that up). Some others may be a matter of aesthetics or fashion (like Burberry). I think the red/yellow one you mentioned in flannel shirts may be Wallace (or a fashion tartan derived therefrom)... I can't venture into that one, except that maybe people want to pay homage to William Wallace. Or more likely, it's a very simple tartan that would be less expensive to weave.

Which leads into the economic factor involved. A simple pattern would require fewer separate materials be used, as well as requiring less time to prep / set-up the equipment. Likewise, weaving a popular tartan allows you to purchase the requisite material in bulk (winning lower prices) and allows you to leave the looms set up for a given pattern instead of having to change it every bolt.

Now we have the question of availability. It's what people can buy, so they do buy it. Popular patterns would increase in popularity and therefore in availability; less popular patterns would decrease in both. Eventually you'd have a large availability of a few tartans. You make what sells, even if it's only selling because that's all you make

But then again, I'm not an economist, either

[Tobus]

It should also be pointed out that the vast majority of "plaid" patterns you see on commercially sold products are not really tartans at all. And I'm sure someone will correct me if I'm wrong, but in order to be a tartan (whether it's registered or not), the sett must be the same in both directions (warp and weft). If you look closely, many "plaids" have different setts in each direction. It makes for a roughly-tartanish looking pattern, but not quite. It doesn't make square blocks of repeating patterns. I'm not sure why they do this.

It's pretty uncommon to see a true repeating pattern both directions in most commercial fabric, unless it's a simple check pattern. This isn't to say that there aren't plenty of actual 'tartans' out there in flannel or whatnot, but you'd be surprised at how many are not. Americans in particular will refer to anything that vaguely resembles a tartan pattern "plaid".

[figheadair]

It should also be pointed out that the vast majority of "plaid" patterns you see on commercially sold products are not really tartans at all. And I'm sure someone will correct me if I'm wrong, but in order to be a tartan (whether it's registered or not), the sett must be the same in both directions (warp and weft). If you look closely, many "plaids" have different setts in each direction. It makes for a roughly-tartanish looking pattern, but not quite. It doesn't make square blocks of repeating patterns. I'm not sure why they do this.

It's pretty uncommon to see a true repeating pattern both directions in most commercial fabric, unless it's a simple check pattern. This isn't to say that there aren't plenty of actual 'tartans' out there in flannel or whatnot, but you'd be surprised at how many are not. Americans in particular will refer to anything that vaguely resembles a tartan pattern "plaid".

Whilst it's true that most tartans are symmetrical (repeat in each direction) there are a number of historical patterns that are asymmetric, Glenorchy for example, so it’s incorrect to make that differentiation as a definition of tartan vs plaid. As I said previously, in Scotland plaid is a garment and not a pattern. I bet that if you asked most non-Scotafile Americans to describe tartan they’d say it was a plaid pattern.

[Tobus]

Whilst it's true that most tartans are symmetrical (repeat in each direction) there are a number of historical patterns that are asymmetric, Glenorchy for example, so it’s incorrect to make that differentiation as a definition of tartan vs plaid. As I said previously, in Scotland plaid is a garment and not a pattern. I bet that if you asked most non-Scotafile Americans to describe tartan they’d say it was a plaid pattern.

What is this Glenorchy tartan you are talking about? I can't find it. All I see is a MacIntyre-Glenorchy tartan that is indeed a true square-pattern tartan.

I'm not talking about asymmetrical tartans (like Buchanan, for example)... I'm talking about the warp and weft having the same sett. Are there historical authentic tartans with a different sett on the warp than on the weft?

[figheadair]

What is this Glenorchy tartan you are talking about? I can't find it. All I see is a MacIntyre-Glenorchy tartan that is indeed a true square-pattern tartan.

I'm not talking about asymmetrical tartans (like Buchanan, for example)... I'm talking about the warp and weft having the same sett. Are there historical authentic tartans with a different sett on the warp than on the weft?

The original version of the Glenorchy (now often called MacIntyre and/or Glenorchy) was asymmetic by virtue of the light blue stripe being to the side of the small central dark blue as here...



I have a portion of a mid-C18th plaid in this sett so can vouch for it's authenticity.

So far as having a wholly or partically different warp and weft then yes, there are C18th and C19th examples but these are quite rare, much more so that asymmetric setts.

[Mike_Oettle]

Lethearen wrote (of the word plaid’s acquiring the meaning tartan): “I'd imagine it’s just a language shift.”

Well, there could be many a professor of English who would agree with you. But in my personal opinion it is pure ignorance.
A plaid is a length of cloth, and specifically one that is worn over the shoulder (whether loosely draped, threaded through a shoulder strap or pinned with a cairngorm brooch).
There are many garments that are made of material that either is tartan or resembles it in one way or another. The shirt I have on at the moment is woven in a pseudo-tartan. It is asymmetrical, but it does have a tartan appearance.
I have recently seen a number of items of clothing which have been printed with a tartan pattern!
I am given to believe (perhaps Matt Newsome could correct me on this) that early Scottish settlers who went to live in Canada took tartan material with them, intended for kilt-making, but instead used it to make shirts.
From this, the story goes, came the fashion for wearing shirts with a tartan or pseudo-tartan appearance.
Regards,
Mike

[wildrover]

Firstly, the word tartan is not Scottish (Gaelic) in origin. You may be surprised to learn that there is no specific Gaelic word for the pattern and it was historically called breacan meaning, amongst other things, speckled or multi-coloured. The use of plaid to mean tartan is an American practice and probably arose when non-Gaelic speakers misunderstood Highlanders referring to their plaid i.e. their clothing, and thought that they meant the pattern. Plaide (pro plaj-a) is the Gaelic spelling and literally means blanket.

Thanks for that explanation, the wearing of a plaide makes a helluva lot more sense now.

Breacan...pronounced like..."bracken"? If so, that would also make sense.

There are more complex aspects concerning the development of the tartan trade and the use of tartan as decoration but there is not space here to go into that.

I'm interested to read more about it, if you're willing to type it.

-Sean

[Slowburn]

Tartan: Any of numerous textile patterns consisting of stripes of varying widths and colors crossed at right angles against a solid background, each forming a distinctive design worn by the members of a Scottish clan.
http://www.thefreedictionary.com/tartan

Plaid: A rectangular woolen scarf of a tartan pattern worn over the left shoulder by Scottish Highlanders.
http://www.thefreedictionary.com/plaid

The confusion comes in the definition Where tartan refers to the patter Plaid refers to the actual cloth. In antiquity the plaid was refering to a blanket.
The notoriety of the Scottish tartan plaids is the confusing factor for outsiders that admired the designs.

There was also the fact that many Clan tartans were proscribed and not available for a time. This led to the popularity of such approved and commisioned tartans for the newly formed Highland regements and the Black Watch tartan gaining in popularity at the time.