Scottish Gaelic (Gàidhlig) by Darryl Laws
Many Americans do not realize that Scotland Ireland have their own language.
Scotland's Gaelic language and culture have been undergoing a remarkable revival of Gaelic over the past several decades. The language, traditional music and folklore of the Gaels have been the subject of a renewed interest worldwide. Gaelic-language publishing, broadcasting and education have all increased during this period.
According to James Mac Laren ‘s “Beginner’s Gaelic” (Hippocrene Books) Scottish Gaelic is spoken by approximately sixty thousand people in Scotland (Alba), mainly in the Highlands (a' Ghaidhealtachd) and in the Western Isles (Na h-Eileanan an Iar), but also in Glasgow (Glaschu), Edinburgh (Dùn Eideann) and Inverness (Inbhir Nis).
There are also small Gaelic-speaking communities in Canada, particularly in Nova Scotia (Alba Nuadh) and on Cape Breton Island (Eilean Cheap Breatainn). Other speakers can be found in Australia (Astràilia), New Zealand (Sealainn Nuadh) and the USA (Na Stàitean Aonaichte).
Historians believe that Scottish Gaelic is closely related to Manx and Irish and that the language was brought to Scotland in the 4th century AD by the Scots from Ireland. Scottish Gaelic was spoken throughout Scotland between the 9th and 11th centuries, but diminished to only being spoken in the north and west in the 11th century.
Scottish Gaelic is also distantly related to Welsh (Cymraeg), Cornish (Kernewek) and Breton (Brezhoneg), which form the Brythonic branch of the Celtic languages, also known as P-Celtic. The Celtic languages all have a similar grammatical structure, but have relatively little vocabulary in common.
The earliest identifiably texts in Scottish Gaelic are notes in the Book of Deer written in north eastern Scotland in the 12th century, although the existence of a common written Classical Gaelic concealed the extent of the divergence between Irish and Scottish Gaelic.
The Scottish Gaelic alphabet
Scottish Gaelic is written with just 18 letters each of which is named after a tree or shrub. The consonants all have more than one pronunciation depending on their position in a word and which vowels precede or follow them.
A a
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B b
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C c
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D d
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E e
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F f
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G g
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H h
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I i
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Ailm
(Elm)
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Beith
(Birch)
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Coll
(Hazel)
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Dair
(Oak)
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Eadha
(Aspen)
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Fearn
(Alder)
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Gort
(Ivy)
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Uath
(Hawthorn)
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Iogh
(Yew)
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L l
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M m
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N n
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O o
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P p
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R r
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S s
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T t
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U u
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Luis
(Rowan)
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Muin
(Vine)
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Nuin
(Ash)
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Oir/Onn
(Gorse)
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Peithe
(Guelder Rose)
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Ruis
(Elder)
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Suil
(Willow)
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Teine
(Furze)
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Ur
(Heather)
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A grave accent on a vowel (Àà, Èè, Ìì, Òò and Ùù) indicates a longer version of the vowel, but these are not considered separate letters.
The older Gaelic (uncial) script or "corr litir" has not been used for several centuries in Scotland, and has never been used in printed Gaelic. The uncial
script is still used in Ireland on road signs and public notices.
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