Scottish Gaelic

For the Germanic language that diverged from Middle English, see Scots language.

Scottish Gaelic
  • Scots Gaelic
  • Gaelic
Gàidhlig
Pronunciation[ˈkaːlɪkʲ]
Native toUnited Kingdom, Canada
RegionScotland; Cape Breton Island, Nova Scotia
EthnicityScottish Gaels
Speakers70,000 L1 and L2 speakers in Scotland (2022)[1]
130,000 people in Scotland reported having some Gaelic language ability in 2022;[1] 1,300 fluent in Nova Scotia[2]
Early forms
Dialects
Official status
Recognised minority
language in
Language codes
ISO 639-1gd
ISO 639-2gla
ISO 639-3gla
Glottologscot1245
ELPScottish Gaelic
Linguasphere50-AAA
2011 distribution of Gaelic speakers in Scotland
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Scottish Gaelic (/ˈɡælɪk/, GAL-ik; endonym: Gàidhlig [ˈkaːlɪkʲ] ⓘ), also known as Scots Gaelic or simply Gaelic, is a Goidelic language (in the Celtic branch of the Indo-European language family) native to the Gaels of Scotland. As a Goidelic language, Scottish Gaelic, as well as both Irish and Manx, developed out of Old Irish.[3] It became a distinct spoken language sometime in the 13th century in the Middle Irish period, although a common literary language was shared by the Gaels of both Ireland and Scotland until well into the 17th century.[4] Most of modern Scotland was once Gaelic-speaking, as evidenced especially by Gaelic-language place names.[5][6]

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 in 2001. The highest percentages of Gaelic speakers were in the Outer Hebrides. Nevertheless, there is a language revival, and the number of speakers of the language under age 20 did not decrease between the 2001 and 2011 censuses.[7] In the 2022 census of Scotland, it was found that 2.5% of the Scottish population had some skills in Gaelic,[8] or 130,161 persons. Of these, 69,701 people reported speaking the language, with a further 46,404 people reporting that they understood the language, but did not speak, read, or write in it.[9]

Outside of Scotland, a dialect known as Canadian Gaelic has been spoken in Canada 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.[10][11] There exists a particular concentration of speakers in Nova Scotia, with historic communities in other parts of Canada having largely disappeared.[12]

Scottish Gaelic is classed as an indigenous language under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages, which the UK Government has ratified, and the Gaelic Language (Scotland) Act 2005 established a language-development body, Bòrd na Gàidhlig.[13] The Scottish Parliament is considering a Scottish Languages Bill which proposes to give the Gaelic and Scots languages official status in Scotland.[14]

  1. ^ a b "Scotland's Census 2022 - Ethnic group, national identity, language and religion".
  2. ^ Statistics Canada, Nova Scotia (Code 12) (table), National Household Survey (NHS) Profile, 2011 NHS, Catalogue No. 99‑004‑XWE (Ottawa: 2013‑06‑26)
  3. ^ "Background on the Irish Language". Údarás na Gaeltachta. Archived from the original on 24 December 2019.
  4. ^ MacAulay, Donald (1992). The Celtic Languages. Cambridge University Press. p. 144.
  5. ^ Kavanagh, Paul (12 March 2011). "Scotland's Language Myths: 4. Gaelic has nothing to do with the Lowlands". Newsnet.scot. Archived from the original on 20 April 2021. Retrieved 20 April 2021.
  6. ^ "Gaelic History / Highland Council Gaelic Toolkit / The Highland Council / Welcome to Northern Potential". HighlandLife. Archived from the original on 19 June 2021. Retrieved 20 April 2021.
  7. ^ "Census shows decline in Gaelic speakers 'slowed'". BBC News. 26 September 2013. Archived from the original on 25 May 2017. Retrieved 17 April 2017.
  8. ^ "Scotland's Census 2022 - Ethnic group, national identity, language and religion". Scotland's Census. Archived from the original on 22 June 2024. Retrieved 21 May 2024.
  9. ^ "Home". Scotland's Census. Archived from the original on 22 June 2024. Retrieved 21 May 2024.
  10. ^ "Census Profile, 2016 Census". 2016 Census. Statistics Canada. 8 February 2017. Archived from the original on 15 May 2021. Retrieved 20 May 2019.
  11. ^ "Census Profile, 2021 Census of Population". 2021 Census. Statistics Canada. 9 February 2022. Archived from the original on 26 September 2023. Retrieved 10 October 2023.
  12. ^ "Nova Scotia/Alba Nuadh". Province of Nova Scotia Gaelic Affairs. Archived from the original on 23 April 2020. Retrieved 21 April 2020.
  13. ^ "Gaelic". The Scottish Government. Archived from the original on 4 January 2018. Retrieved 27 March 2021.
  14. ^ "Scottish Languages Bill". Scottish Parliament. Retrieved 7 July 2024.