Language
Scottish Gaelic
Short description of organisation represented in project
Bòrd na Gàidhlig is a non-departmental public body, established by the Scottish Executive in 2003. Under the terms of the Gaelic Language (Scotland) Act 2005 the Bòrd has statutory powers and is responsible for the promotion and facilitation of the Gaelic language and culture, and for advising on matters relating to the Gaelic language, Gaelic education and Gaelic culture.
The Bòrd’s main aim is to increase the number of users and speakers of Gaelic through strengthening Gaelic as a community and family language; by encouraging greater use and understanding of Gaelic; and by facilitating access, in Scotland and elsewhere, to the Gaelic language and culture.
Territory where language is spoken
Gaelic speakers are resident in every area of Scotland.
In 1881, 87.8% of all Scotland’s Gaelic speakers were located in the ‘Highland Counties’. Today the Highland/Lowland split is approaching the 50/50 mark with 55.5% of all Gaelic speakers resident in the local authority areas most associated with the traditional Gaelic community, the Western Isles, Highland and Argyll & Bute Council areas, and 44.5% resident in the rest of Scotland. (Source: GROS Census 2001 Scotland)
The nature of the Gaelic community has been returning over recent decades to one of greater diversity in environment, ethnicity, and experience. In its Hebridean strongholds, Gaelic is a majority language, with a vibrant local heritage alongside unconscious use of the language in a modern milieu. Migrants from these communities live with their families across the country, employed or employing across the range of jobs and careers. Likewise there are those who have come to Gaelic without a demonstrable family link to the language, including those who have acquired fluency through Gaelic-medium education. Others are on their way to learning the language, or are Gaelic users in terms of literacy but with poor or no speaking ability.
Sociolinguistic data available for language
In 1901, 230,806 persons aged three or more (6.76%) spoke Gaelic in Scotland. Today, Gaelic speakers represent 1.21% of the Scottish population, with 58,652 persons aged three or more recorded in the last Census.
Despite the continuing fall in numbers, the 2001 census returns did present some cause for guarded optimism. The rate of decline in the number of Gaelic speakers has considerably slowed down, and had almost halved between 1991 and 2001.
The youngest age group, 3-15, even registered a slight increase, up 343 from 1991 to 7,435. If this is indeed the start of a new trend, then the conditions for population growth are already being established.
The 2001 census for the first time also recorded the numbers of persons who claimed passive ability in the language, with a further 33,744 persons stating that they could read, write or understand Gaelic.
Further information on the Gaelic language can be obtained from the following:
Legal status of language
In a written answer to the House of Lords on 12 June 2003 (Hansard WA70), Lord Evans of Temple Guiting stated on behalf of the Government: "The United Kingdom Government ratified the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages in March 2001. As a signatory to the Charter, the Government have signalled their clear commitment to maintain and promote the use of indigenous minority languages across the United Kingdom, including Gaelic. The Gaelic language has, therefore, official status within the United Kingdom, although the Scottish Executive has devolved responsibility for the development of the language within Scotland."
In April 2005, the Scottish Parliament unanimously passed the Gaelic Language (Scotland) Act 2005 which was then given Royal Assent in June 2005. The Act recognises Gaelic as an official language of Scotland, commanding equal respect with English. The Act establishes Bòrd na Gàidhlig as a statutory body and requires the creation of a national plan to provide strategic direction to Gaelic development in Scotland. The Act also provides a framework for the creation of Gaelic language plans by Scottish public authorities. The legislation is designed to promote the use of Gaelic, secure the status of the language and ensure its long-term future.
Common challenges facing the language
- Strengthening transmission of Gaelic in the family
- Strengthening Gaelic as a community language
- Expansion of Gaelic-medium education and its strengthening in the secondary sector
- Lack of suitably qualified Gaelic teachers
- Encouraging greater use of Gaelic amongst younger speakers
- Greater number and wider range of settings in which Gaelic speakers can use the language
- Encouraging greater understanding and raising awareness of the language and culture