Scots Gaelic
Gaelic Language
 THE LANGUAGE OF WARRIORS AND LEGENDS
In the beginning ...
The first people to be identified as Scots migrated from Ireland in the 5th Century and spoke a Celtic language known to linguists as Old Irish. They populated the region of modern Argyle, named "Airir Gaidheal" [air-ir gayle] meaning "coast of the Gaels." The isolation of the tribes kept the language to its old form. The communities began growing and dialects and local idioms appeared. Scots Gaelic (as it is known today) was essentially an oral language in its beginnings, although one of the earliest known written manuscripts in Scots Gaelic is a Tenth - Century work, the Book of Deer, found in the East Highlands. The richness of the language is due to its oral story-telling tradition. Due to the relative isolation of the highlands and islands, much of the language was still pure by modern times.
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And today ...
Far from being a dead language, Gaelic is now enjoying a rebirth of interest. That revival is due to the realization that so much of Scotland's history, music, and culture are tied with the language.
Accommodation to foreign allies resulted in "borrowed" words – words which are today a part of the Gaelic language, but have their basis in Pictish words, Viking words, Latin, French, and English.
The effort at keeping the language alive is joined by growing numbers of individuals in Scotland, Nova Scotia and the United States who are petitioning the newly-formed Scottish Parliament to secure Gaelic's position in Scotland. Awareness programs and education through internet media, language classes and immersions, and Gaelic clubs and organizations support this movement.
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Chi sinn thu an-seo! (We’ll see you there!)
