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Where is Scots Gaelic spoken?
What language is spoken in Scotland?
Is Scottish Gaelic An official language of Scotland?
What is Scottish Gaelic?
Scottish Gaelic is distinct from Scots, the Middle English-derived language which had come to be spoken in most of the Lowlands of Scotland by the early modern era. Prior to the 15th century, this language was known as Inglis ("English") by its own speakers, with Gaelic being called Scottis ("Scottish").
In past times, Gaelic was spoken across Scotland, from the largest cities to the smallest islands and rural communities. However, Gaelic was gradually replaced as the primary language of government by Scots and then English.
It is estimated that there were 50,000 Gaelic speakers in Nova Scotia in 1901, more than one-sixth of all Gaelic-speakers in the world at the time. Gaels also emigrated to North Carolina in the 1700s and Gaelic was regularly spoken there until the American Civil War.
Today, the Highlands and Islands region accounts for 55 percent of Scotland’s 58,652 Gaelic speakers. It is the island communities of Skye, the Western Isles and, to a lesser extent, the Argyll Islands, which are now regarded as the ‘Gaelic heartlands’.
Apr 23, 2024 · Scots Gaelic language, a member of the Goidelic group of Celtic languages, spoken along the northwest coast of Scotland and in the Hebrides islands. Australia, the United States, and Canada (particularly Nova Scotia) are also home to Scots Gaelic communities.
- The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica
You're most likely to hear Scots Gaelic spoken in The Highlands and islands, particularly in the Outer Hebrides, on the Isle of Skye, and to a lesser extent in Argyll & The Isles. You can see the Gaelic language on road signs across the country, hear it in theatres, on radio and television productions, or by chatting to the locals!
Scottish Gaelic is spoken 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).
