Gaelic : Gàidhlig
Historical background
Scottish Gaelic is a Celtic language. Like Irish and Manx, Scottish Gaelic is descended from the Old Irish language. Gaelic was brought to Scotland by emigrants from Ireland towards the end of the occupation of Britain by the Roman Empire. By roughly AD500 the Gaels, the holders of the language, had established their kingdom of Dàal Riada in the region of west Scotland now known as Argyll. Roman writers described this race as Scotti (Scotia at this time denoted Ireland); from this came the name Scotland. In Gaelic, the country is called Alba, as it is in Irish Gaelic, and Alban in Welsh.
In the eleventh century the Lordship of the Isles emerged. This was founded in part on the Norse kingdom of the Western and Southern Isles, and was a quasi-independent state. Until the late fifteenth century when the islands came under centralised Scottish control, Gaelic culture, learning and language flourished in the islands.
From this time until recent years, the Gaelic language struggled within educational, legal and political systems that favoured English. As in Wales, the speaking of native languages in preference to English was often punishable in schools. Gaelic as a commonly spoken language became marginalised to the islands and rural parts of mainland Scotland. However, in the last fifty years, the decline of the language has slowed, and there are signs in recent years of an increase in its use and the number of people learning the language.
Many education institutions offer courses, and there are pockets in cities such as Glasgow and Aberdeen where Gaelic is spoken. Around 60,000 people in Scotland are fluent in Gaelic. There are also several thousand who have a basic grasp of the language. Outwith Scotland, there are clusters of Gaelic speakers, especially in locations such as Nova Scotia in Canada which received many emigrants from Scotland in the 18th and 19th centuries.
The language
Scottish Gaelic spelling can initially seem complicated. However, it is more regular than English, so you can often tell how a word should be pronounced once you are familiar with the spelling system. There are eighteen letters in the Gaelic alphabet; the letters j, k, q, v, w, x, y, and z are not used, except in recent words "loaned" from other languages. Acute and grave accents are used to indicate short and long vowels. For example, é is pronounced like 'ay' in 'say', while è is pronounced like 'ai' in 'fair'. The acute accent é is used far less frequently than the grave accent.
Lenition is an important aspect of Scottish Gaelic. This is where certain consonants (b, c, d, f, g, m, p, s and t) can be made 'softer' by adding an 'h' after them. For example, lenition changes p to an f sound which is spelt ph. Lenition is usually caused by a preceding word. For example:
• A cat : Her cat
• A chat : His cat
• A cù: Her dog
• A chù: His dog
Scottish Gaelic is best learnt in both spoken and written form at the same time. Whilst there are a large variety of books available, when used on their own, these have the disadvantage that learners cannot hear the pronunciation. It is far easier to learn accurate pronunciation of words and phrases if you listen to a genuine Gaelic speaker. An additional complication is that travellers in Gaelic-speaking places may notice slight variations in spellings and pronunciations of places and some words. This is partially due to a standardisation of the language in the 1970s, but it is also due to regional and localised evolution.
A few phrases
To give a flavour of Scottish Gaelic, here are a few phrases.
• Madainn mhath : Good morning
• Feasgar math : Good afternoon
• Càite bheil an tràigh? : Where is the beach?
• Cuin a tha an ath bhus? : When is the next bus?
• Càit a bheil a' phoit-ti?. : Where's the teapot?
• Ciamar a tha thu? : How are you?
• Dè an t-ainm a th' ort? : What is your name?
• Hallò. Is mise Anna. : Hello. I'm Anna.
• Is toigh leam a' ghainmheach. : I like the sand.
• Tha cat an-seo. : There is a cat here (lit 'a cat is here').
Gaelic names
Lineage and ancestry are extremely important in the Outer Hebrides - to the extent that a Hebridean's family history forms part of his Gaelic name. For example, the name of one of the residents of Berneray is, in English, Fred MacLeod. In Gaelic, his name is: mac Dhomhnaill Thormoid Dhomhnaill Mhoir. Mac means "son of", beag means "small", and mhoir means "big". So Fred's name translates as: Fred, son of Donald, son of Norman, son of big Donald. Therefore, encapsulated in his name is the generational history of Fred going back to a great-grandparent, and including an adjective to differentiate the great-grandparent from other Donalds of the time. Thus, when two people of Outer Hebridean lineage meet, one may ask, "To whom do you belong?" (basically, the same as "What is your name?"). The answer can often provide enough detail for the listener to work out where, in the ancestral network, the person is connected.
Scottish Gaelic is a Celtic language. Like Irish and Manx, Scottish Gaelic is descended from the Old Irish language. Gaelic was brought to Scotland by emigrants from Ireland towards the end of the occupation of Britain by the Roman Empire. By roughly AD500 the Gaels, the holders of the language, had established their kingdom of Dàal Riada in the region of west Scotland now known as Argyll. Roman writers described this race as Scotti (Scotia at this time denoted Ireland); from this came the name Scotland. In Gaelic, the country is called Alba, as it is in Irish Gaelic, and Alban in Welsh.
In the eleventh century the Lordship of the Isles emerged. This was founded in part on the Norse kingdom of the Western and Southern Isles, and was a quasi-independent state. Until the late fifteenth century when the islands came under centralised Scottish control, Gaelic culture, learning and language flourished in the islands.
From this time until recent years, the Gaelic language struggled within educational, legal and political systems that favoured English. As in Wales, the speaking of native languages in preference to English was often punishable in schools. Gaelic as a commonly spoken language became marginalised to the islands and rural parts of mainland Scotland. However, in the last fifty years, the decline of the language has slowed, and there are signs in recent years of an increase in its use and the number of people learning the language.
Many education institutions offer courses, and there are pockets in cities such as Glasgow and Aberdeen where Gaelic is spoken. Around 60,000 people in Scotland are fluent in Gaelic. There are also several thousand who have a basic grasp of the language. Outwith Scotland, there are clusters of Gaelic speakers, especially in locations such as Nova Scotia in Canada which received many emigrants from Scotland in the 18th and 19th centuries.
The language
Scottish Gaelic spelling can initially seem complicated. However, it is more regular than English, so you can often tell how a word should be pronounced once you are familiar with the spelling system. There are eighteen letters in the Gaelic alphabet; the letters j, k, q, v, w, x, y, and z are not used, except in recent words "loaned" from other languages. Acute and grave accents are used to indicate short and long vowels. For example, é is pronounced like 'ay' in 'say', while è is pronounced like 'ai' in 'fair'. The acute accent é is used far less frequently than the grave accent.
Lenition is an important aspect of Scottish Gaelic. This is where certain consonants (b, c, d, f, g, m, p, s and t) can be made 'softer' by adding an 'h' after them. For example, lenition changes p to an f sound which is spelt ph. Lenition is usually caused by a preceding word. For example:
• A cat : Her cat
• A chat : His cat
• A cù: Her dog
• A chù: His dog
Scottish Gaelic is best learnt in both spoken and written form at the same time. Whilst there are a large variety of books available, when used on their own, these have the disadvantage that learners cannot hear the pronunciation. It is far easier to learn accurate pronunciation of words and phrases if you listen to a genuine Gaelic speaker. An additional complication is that travellers in Gaelic-speaking places may notice slight variations in spellings and pronunciations of places and some words. This is partially due to a standardisation of the language in the 1970s, but it is also due to regional and localised evolution.
A few phrases
To give a flavour of Scottish Gaelic, here are a few phrases.
• Madainn mhath : Good morning
• Feasgar math : Good afternoon
• Càite bheil an tràigh? : Where is the beach?
• Cuin a tha an ath bhus? : When is the next bus?
• Càit a bheil a' phoit-ti?. : Where's the teapot?
• Ciamar a tha thu? : How are you?
• Dè an t-ainm a th' ort? : What is your name?
• Hallò. Is mise Anna. : Hello. I'm Anna.
• Is toigh leam a' ghainmheach. : I like the sand.
• Tha cat an-seo. : There is a cat here (lit 'a cat is here').
Gaelic names
Lineage and ancestry are extremely important in the Outer Hebrides - to the extent that a Hebridean's family history forms part of his Gaelic name. For example, the name of one of the residents of Berneray is, in English, Fred MacLeod. In Gaelic, his name is: mac Dhomhnaill Thormoid Dhomhnaill Mhoir. Mac means "son of", beag means "small", and mhoir means "big". So Fred's name translates as: Fred, son of Donald, son of Norman, son of big Donald. Therefore, encapsulated in his name is the generational history of Fred going back to a great-grandparent, and including an adjective to differentiate the great-grandparent from other Donalds of the time. Thus, when two people of Outer Hebridean lineage meet, one may ask, "To whom do you belong?" (basically, the same as "What is your name?"). The answer can often provide enough detail for the listener to work out where, in the ancestral network, the person is connected.
