Scottish Gaelic

Scottish Gaelic, also known as Scots Gaelic or simply Gaelic is a Goidelic language native to the Gaels of Scotland. It developed out of Old Irish and became a distinct spoken language sometime in the 13th century in the middle Irish period. This language is native to the UK(specifically Scotland) and Canada(mainly Cape Breton Island and Nova Scotia). There are various dialects of this language. They are: Argyll, Arrant, Beurla Reagaird, Canadian, Deeside, East Sutherland, Galwegian, Hebridean, Lewis, Mid- Minch, Perthshire, West Sutherland and others.

Outside of Scotland, a dialect known as Canadian Gaelic has been spoken in Canada ever since the 18th century. In the 2021 census, 2,170 Canadian residents claimed knowledge of Scottish Gaelic, a decline from 3,980 speakers in the 2016 census. In the 2011 census of Scotland, 57,375 people ( 1.1% of the Scottish population aged over three years old) reported being able to speak Gaelic, 1,275 fewer than 2001. UNESCO classifies Gaelic as definitely endangered. The Endangered Languages Project lists Gaelic status as threatened with 20,000 to 30,000 active users.

Gaelic Medium education is one of the primary ways that the Scottish Government is addressing the Gaelic shift. The Scottish Gaelic alphabet is 18 in number. They are:

a,b,c,d,e,f,g,h,i,k,l,m,n,o,p,r,s,t,u

Below are some Gaelic words and their meaning;.

1 . sinn – we.

2 . aon – one.

3 . lasg – fish.

4 . craobh – tree.

5. cadal – sleep .

6 . grian – sun.