I have been living in Scotland for almost a year now. As a huge fan of the TV series “Outlander”, I couldn’t wait to come and discover this country which fascinated me (and still does today!). But if I literally fell in love with this country and my new home, Edinburgh, I also quickly noticed something I had never planned: Gaelic words regularly showing up in conversations! It was a bit confusing at first, but it is part of Scotland’s charm and identity, and in the end, it’s not too difficult to adapt to it.
So I decided to make a small blog article about this language which, though I don’t speak a word of it, fascinates me and which I find really melodious.
History of the Scottish Gaelic language
Scottish Gaelic is a Celtic language thought to originate from Ireland (incidentally, we also speak of Irish Gaelic in Ireland) and brought to Scotland, probably in the 4th–5th centuries CE. It is the founding language of Scotland and spread across the country as the principle language of the medieval Kingdom of Alba.
Core element of the Highland way of life along with the kilt, tartan, bagpipes, ceilidhs and Highland games (not to mention whisky!), it was heavily suppressed by the Act of Proscription, which came into effect on 1 August 1746. This Act of the Parliament of Great Britain aimed to destroy the power of the clans by banning traditional Highland dress, possession of arms and bagpipes and to assimilate the Scottish Highlands, ending their ability to revolt, after the Jacobite Rising of 1745. However, although speakers of the language were persecuted after this, Gaelic remains spoken today by some 60,000 people in many parts of Scotland!
The Gaelic in Scotland today
Today, although Gaelic-speakers represent a minority in Scotland (1.1% of the Scottish population), Gaelic is still present, and efforts are made to preserve it.
To that end, there is for example a TV channel called BBC Alba (Alba meaning Scotland in Gaelic), which broadcasts programs entirely in Gaelic (subtitled in English). Classes are also offered in schools and universities and lots of musicians sing in Gaelic, either old songs or new ones.
We can also note that there has been a revival of interest for Gaelic thanks to the series of books and TV adaptation “Outlander”, by Diana Gabaldon. The story begins in Scotland in 1743, when Gaelic was widely used and therefore an essential component of the description of the period.
A wee dictionary…
So here is a little dictionary of words I have heard regularly since I have settled here. Some are more frequent than others, but they’re all quite popular anyway. I hope it will help you, should you visit this wonderful country someday! Most words are Scots (another Scottish language) and not propre Gaelic, but I think it still reflects the differences in how Scottish people talk compared to the rest of the UK.
Alba: Scotland
aye: yes
bairn: child, baby
bonnie: pretty, attractive
Cèilidh: traditional Scottish social dancing gathering
Dùn Èideann: Edinburgh
glen: valley
Hogmanay: New Year’s Eve
ken: know
kirk: church
lass/lassie: girl, young lady
lad/laddie: boy, young man
loch: lake
Samhain: Gaelic festival marking the end of the harvest season and the beginning of winter on 31st October
wee: small, little
Some songs in Gaelic
If you’re curious about what Gaelic sounds like, here is a little playlist of songs I particularly like in this language. I hope you will enjoy them too!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1D7AE0ohWtE&list=PLRxX1Jhp-oqW_3UHFdJ6f4O9xVn_prmS6&index=16 (Outlander Season 2 OST ~ Moch Sa Mhadainn (feat. Griogair Labhruidh))
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Oq-2ZCzy3Do (Outlander Season 1 OST – The Woman of Balnain)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5K4TIQXCmPQ (Téir abhaile ‘riú – LYRICS + Translation – Celtic Woman)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qVKsWT1OdAE (Níl Sé’n Lá – LYRICS + Translation – Celtic Woman)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZKxJk0G-r9w (Celtic Woman – Óró sé do bheatha ‘bhaile)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zJolZxVvj-0 (Mairead Nan Cuiread – Scottish Gaelic LYRICS + Translation)
I hope you found this wee article interesting and that it made you curious about this language or the country it is used in. I think that all languages are important and should be preserved (no surprise for a linguist), which is why I believe Scotland is right to try to find ways of preserving this language. You cannot understand Scotland if you don’t understand the importance of Scottish Gaelic which, though it is not spoken by the majority of the population today, remains a big part of its history, culture and identity.
Camille Gondral 