What is this?

[Phil]

Which language is being used in this thread?

http://www.xmarksthescot.com/forum/s...ad.php?t=17155

and how do I learn it

The language is actually english but one or two members here post phonetically to represent their regional accents. If you have looked at any of the posted links you will see that the Scots language (Lallans) contains many words new to you and this was the language spoken by the non-Gaelic speakers in Scotland from the lowest to the highest in the land. After the union of the Scottish and English crowns in 1707 English became the "official" language in Scotland and Lallans was, and still is, discouraged as if it was some kind of slang, but to this day many Scots still combine both languages. The language was also taken to Ireland with the Scots settlers and they share many words as well as a few of their own and their version is called "Ullans". Have a look at this site of Robert Burns' - http://www.robertburns.org/works/ - and look at some of the poems. They have provided translations for many of the words by clicking on the links and it will give you a gentle introduction to the language. It is a very rich language and the words convey a much fuller meaning than any equivalent in English can which is why so much of it survives to this day as a living language, albeit one disapproved of by the powers that be in education etc.. Happy learning and I am sure there are plenty here who will answer your questions.
This link will give you a wider picture if you want to go a bit deeper - http://www.scottishcorpus.ac.uk/corp...h/advanced.php