During a recent trip to Skye, with my partner, I once again tried to convince her to learn Russian with me. I have been practising the language on and off for years, but my progress has been hampered by a lack of consistent study. I initially attended evening classes some sixteen years ago, but upon completing the course I didn't pursue it any further. Then in 2014, before going to St. Petersburg, I revisited the course material and was able to utilise it during my short stay in Russia. Once again, during the Covid lockdown, I dusted down my Ruslan book and took some online classes. My intention then was ultimately to spend six-eight weeks in Russia and really immerse myself in the language, but alas, given the geopolitical situation, that seems unlikely any time soon.
As you might well have guessed, my partner resolutely refused to learn Russian. "I would like to learn Gaelic, though", she said. I have to admit that I was less than enthusiastic by the idea initially, mostly due to Gaelic's reputation for being a difficult language to learn.
The first thing I needed to know was that in Scotland the language is not pronounced 'gay-lic', but 'gah-lic!' The former is the variety spoken in Ireland, the latter is spoken in Scotland. My exasperated girlfriend has been telling me this for the last five years, but I have never really paid much attention to her. However, after a few days of hearing "GAH-LIC!" in response to each mispronunciation, I eventually got out of the habit of saying "gay-lic".
You may have noticed that I used the term 'variety' to describe the Gaelic spoken in Scotland, rather than language. This is because there is some contention as to whether it is actually a different language, or rather a dialect of the Gaelic language, which is also spoken in Ireland and on the Isle of Man:
"Gàidhlig agus Gaeilge"!What could be meant by saying "Gàidhlig agus Gaeilge"? These are two forms of the same word used in different regions — Scotland and much of Ireland respectively — to mean the same thing, the Gaelic language — all of it. So what sense can it make to contrast them, when they are two ways of expressing the same thing? Unfortunately, many people lazily use them to mean the Gaelic of Scotland and of Ireland respectively. Well, that's the English way of thinking about it. That's not the way a Gael thinks of it. To the Gael, the language is all one thing — "the Gaelic".
If he's from Scotland, he calls it the One Thing "Gàidhlig", and he calls the Irish part of it "Gàidhlig Éirinneach". If he's from Ulster, he calls the One Thing "Gaedhilg", and Scottish Gaelic is "Gaedhilg na hAlban". If he's from Munster, he calls it "Gaolainn". If he's from Connacht, or from caighdeán-land, he calls it "Gaeilge".
But to someone thinking in English, the primary concepts are "Scottish Gaelic" and "Irish", regarded as different languages. The term "Gaelic" is available to signify their commonality, but it is little used in English and is of secondary rank. But in Gaelic itself, the commonality is the primary concept, and it is called by one of the regional forms given above of the word for "Gaelic", while the names for the different varieties (Gàidhlig Éirinneach, Gaeilge na hAlban, Gàidhlig Uladh, Gaeilge na Mumhan, etc) are secondary.
To hear someone thinking in English while speaking Gaelic, and copying the primary distinction of English by contrasting "Gàidhlig" and "Gaeilge", a Gael wouldn't understand it — the idea that they are different languages is foreign (or at least not primary) to him. And when he catches on to what is intended, the usage really grates. Ouch! (1)
I already knew Gaelic in Scotland is considered to be endangered, much of that a result of the deliberate persecution of those speaking it. I have not studied Scottish history in depth, but my sketchy knowledge is that the Highland Clearances and the Education (Scotland) Act of 1872 were two significant blows from which Gaelic has never recovered. The Clearances caused rapid depopulation in the Gaelic speaking heartlands, whilst the 1872 Act repressed the language further by obliterating Gaelic medium education and actively punishing pupils who spoke the language. So, as Gaelic speakers became bilingual the need to know the language declined, furthermore it was often associated with poverty and therefore many speakers became ashamed of it. (2) (3)
The following is taken from an interview with a Gaelic speaker, Rosemary McCormack, from Uist, who describes a sort of cultural imperialism that was foisted on Gallic communities:
'In Uist we went into school at age five and there was no Gaelic taught at all. We were taught in English by a teacher who would have been more comfortable teaching us in Gaelic but wasn’t allowed to. And the other children in the class...I had English, but nobody else did. And we would have got some Gaelic, but it would have been taught to us in high school or junior high, as a foreign language. In South Uist! We would have started to get Gaelic the way French is taught...it was felt that Gaelic was a burden...of course if you take children from one language group and you take them into school and you give them nothing but another group’s language, they’re not going to keep up. They are going to be slow. We were very quickly given intelligence tests when we got into school. And not only were they in English, but they were set up for kids in Glasgow and the big cities, and we scored very low on these. So obviously, Gaelic children were carrying this very terrible intellectual burden and it had to be eliminated.' (4)
As a direct result of the Clearances, and subsequently faced with poor economic prospects in the Gaelic speaking heartlands, Gaels flocked to Scotland's big cities. To this day, Glasgow still has traces of its once thriving Gaelic community, evident from the Gaelic school, church and a few pubs in which the language can still be heard. Additionally, Glasgow's biggest railway station, Central Station, includes a large bridge over Argyle Street which is known locally as the Hielanman's Umbrella. The Wikipedia article on the bridge states:
Due to the forced displacement of people during the second phase of the Highland Clearances; in the 19th century, 30,000 highlanders who spoke Scottish Gaelic, but not English, came to Glasgow to find work. When arriving in the city they were housed in many different areas of Glasgow.The highlanders predominantly found work within domestic service in areas like Park Circus;or in one of the many industries, where they would work, for example, for the river ferries. Over many years highlanders continued to arrive and began to keep in touch by meeting under the bridge, mostly at weekends. With the city's inclement weather and the meeting of the highlanders it came to be known as the Hielanman's Umbrella. At the meetings they would share news and gossip from the homelands and of events in the city.
The Umbrella tradition reached its height in the '20s and '30s, however, due to the Second World War;and the resulting blackout, the tradition of meeting under the bridge died.
Gaelic was not spoken in all of Scotland, much of the Lowlands spoke Scots, which is recognised as a language in its own right, but is often erroneously perceived as a dialect of English. I have become familiar with many Scots words in my time in Glasow: crabbit (irritable), mawkit (dirty), sleekit (sly), blootered (drunk) and shoogle (to shake), e.g. "his coat's hanging on a shoogly peg". In Shetland and Orkney, Norn was spoken, which I understand is now extinct.
However, Gaelic was spoken across most of Scotland:
During my visit to Skye, I was dismayed not to have heard Gaelic spoken, even once. Though I only visited tourist areas, it occurred to me that lots of the inhabitants had migrated to the island from elsewhere in Scotland, as well as the rest of the UK. Unfortunately, though presumably seeking an idyllic lifestyle, those I spoke to had no desire to learn the language or any apparent concern for its future; something I found to be irritating and very selfish. Indeed, the Englishman I encountered working in a gift shop, which sold Skye souvenirs, found the notion of learning Gaelic quite amusing.
Another problem, I was told, is that young people simply cannot afford to remain on the island, due to exorbitant housing costs and, in any case, were often enticed away by the excitement of cities such as Glasgow and Edinburgh.
There has been, in recent years at least, efforts made by the Scottish Government to encourage folk to learn the language, and that is laudable. However, if the Gaelic speaking communities die off, then will it not simply be an academic language similar to Latin? Personally, I think the government needs to emulate the Gaeltachts of Ireland:
The Gaeltacht regions are recognised in Government orders and successive Governments have acknowledged that particular legislation, structures and funding are required to ensure the viability of the Gaeltacht communities.' (6)
I sadly suspect it may be too late for Gaelic in Scotland, judging by the rapid decline of communities that actually use the language. This will only provide even more ammunition to those Scots who see it as antiquated, 'useless' and are apparently angered by the resources allocated to it. Much of this attitude appears to me to stem from politics, with some vehement unionists associating the language with supporters of Scottish independence. The truth is, like Welsh and 'Irish Gaelic', if it does disappear, it will not have 'died'...it will have been murdered.
To me, learning Gaelic poses an interesting challenge and a fun hobby for my partner and I. It will hopefully keep our minds active and make Gaelic culture and history more accessible. It also has the added benefit of allowing me to troll those who like to refer to me as a Sassenach or jokingly tell me to go back down south; after all, what true Scotsman can be content speaking English, and not his native tongue?
(1) https://www3.smo.uhi.ac.uk/oduibhin/alba/ouch.htm
(2) https://www.britannica.com/event/Highland-Clearances
(3) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Education_(Scotland)_Act_1872
(4) https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2010/dec/11/ian-jack-saddened-by-scotland-going-gaelic (see comment by CoinneachDub)
(5) https://udaras.ie/en/our-language-the-gaeltacht/the-gaeltacht/
(6) https://udaras.ie/en/our-language-the-gaeltacht/the-gaeltacht/
Started learning Gaelic on 17th May 2024
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