Language in Scotland

Ted. I am occasionally confused by the some of the words that I hear as we travel around this country. I now understand that Scotland has three “home” languages; English, Scots and Scottish Gaelic (usually just called Gaelic). “Scottish” is an adjective as in Scottish National Football Team while “Scots” is a noun referring to the people or the language. The word “Scotch” doesn’t seem to be used at all. 

At the train station in our little town, the destination sign says Milngavie and also Muileann-Ghaidh. The first word can technically be said to be English but might more commonly be called Scots while the second is definitely Gaelic. Here is the same sentence written three times: 

English

Gaelic and Scots are both languages that are spoken in Scotland. 

Scots

Gaelic and Scots is baith leids that is spak in Scotland.

Gaelic

Tha an dà chiuda Gàidhlig agus Albais nan cànanan a tha gam bruidhinn ann an Alba.

I was surprised to read that Scots is a Germanic language (though some consider it simply a dialect). About a quarter of the population of Scotland consider themselves to be Scots speakers. We stopped for lunch in a small village recently and I couldn’t understand the ladies at the next table. Either they were speaking Scots or they had a very strong Scottish accent.

While English is the language used in the Scottish schools, Scots is commonly woven into the conversations. 

Gaelic, a Celtic language, is quite a bit different and much less common nowadays. A few native Gaelic speakers can still be found, but only on the islands and in the north of Scotland. Due to an increased interest, Gaelic is now being taught in some schools and a few even offer full immersion. One challenge to this effort is the availability of qualified Gaelic instructors. 

While the Gaelic language is endangered, many words have worked their way into common use. Loch, glen, ben and cairn are just a few examples. 

As we learned in Malta, indigenous languages everywhere are fading away which, sadly, just adds to the homogenization of our planet. It does warm my heart, though, to remember that every year, on the birthday of Robert Burns, young and old alike resurrect their heritage by reciting his poems in Scots, as he wrote them. They often open their evening meal with this blessing:

The Selkirk Grace

Some hae meat and canna eat,

And some wad eat that want it;

But we have meat, and we can eat,

Sae let the Lord be thankit.