The Gaelic Language

by Scottish Tourer September 23, 2024

Scottish Gaelic decends from the Goidelic branch of the Celtic languages, it shares the common ancestry with both the Irish and the Manx Gaelic (native to the Isle of Man). Scottish Gaelic emerged during the middle ages and then become the prominent language of the Highlands and the Islands.

Sign written in English and Gaelic
Gaelic is now spoken by a minority of Scottish People. These speakers are often located on the Western Isles such are the Outer Herbrides where they are passionate about promoting the language and encourage others to learn. There are efforts to promote the language and most high schools now offer it as a language option.

The alphabet of Gaelic uses a modified Latin alphabet consisting of 18 letters. It uses all the letters of the English alphabet except, J, K, Q, V, W, X, Y and Z. The additional letters however are á, à, è, é, ì, í, ò, ó, ù, and ú. These indicate long vowels and can make it an unusual and difficult language to sound out.

The Gaelic language has its own set of phonic rules and sounds, therefore this makes it tricky to learn. For example the sound CH is pronounced as a guttural KH. They also alter the qualities and lengths of other letters compared to the English language.

The grammar system for Gaelic is also tricky as they have verb conjugation, non declension and a variety of different grammatical structures. The sound of many words are altered at the start and the best way to learn is to speak with someone native who can explain. Its very much a language you learn on the job as opposed to reading.

Much of the Gaelic language stems from traditional songs, poems and of course folk tales. There are many Gaelic Names which are still popular today such as Aisling, Saoirse and Niamh.

In more recent times there has been a drive to increase awareness and to maintain Gaelic. You will across Scotland as you drive you will see many of the signs in both Gaelic and English. Often during Broadcasting on TV in Scotland there will be Gaelic options for subtitles and there is a Gaelic channel you can gain English translation for. So while you are here touring in a motorhome why not challenge yourself to learn one or two words and help keen the language alive!

For more information see the Visit scotland website

https://www.visitscotland.com/things-to-do/attractions/arts-culture/scottish-languages/gaelic

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