Gàidhlig (Scottish Gaelic) Local Studies

Gàidhlig (Scottish Gaelic) Local Studies From: http://www.linguae-celticae.org/GLS_english.htm General introduction In the framework of a number of European project initiatives it has been possible to investigate the development of Scottish Gaelic in local detail for the past 125 years. The studies deal with local communities which were predominantly Gaelic-speaking at the end of the 19th century. Based mainly (but not exclusively) on local population census information the reports strive to examine the state of the language through the ages from 1881 until today. The most relevant information is gathered comprehensively for the smallest geographical unit possible and provided area by area - a very useful reference for people with interest in their own community. Furthermore the impact of recent developments in education (namely teaching in Gaelic medium and Gaelic as a second language) is analysed for primary school catchments. Since 1881 every decennial population census in Scotland included a question about theGaelic-speaking population. Despite some difficulty in interpreting this data (what really means to tick a box being able to speak Gaelic) this long-term data set holds a wealth of sociological and historical information. It highlights the circumstances in which people speaking this Celtic language have lived and still live today. In most cases this data has been used only either for very problem-specific socio-linguistic studies or they were the basis of regional or Scotland wide analysis. However, it proved very difficult for people who were interested in their own local area to have a comprehensive overview of the number and distribution of Gaelic-speaking people right on their doorstep. This series covers all regions of Scotland where Scottish Gaelic (A'Ghàidhlig to be correct in its own words) was still spoken by a substantial part of the population at the start of the 20th century. Accordingly besides the main "Highland counties" of Sutherland, Ross and Cromarty, Inverness and Argyll the fringe areas of Bute (including the Isle of Arran), western Caithness, Nairn, North Dunbartonshire and more particularly Highland Perthshire are covered. It is hoped that these small reports will be of interest not only to science people but also to those who have to cope with opinions like Gaelic was never spoken here in their own local community. Read further at: http://www.linguae-celticae.org/GLS_english.htm