Number of Gaelic speakers in Scottish island communities 'plummeting'

The number of Gaelic speakers in Scottish island communities has dramatically decreased in the last ten years, according to a study by the Language Sciences Institute at a prominent Highland researcher.

Professor Conchúr Ó Giollagáin, the director of the Language Sciences Institute at the University of the Highlands and Islands, believes that the language has come to the point of “societal collapse” across the country, as many children are attending schools in urban areas.

In the 2011 Scottish census, just over 58,000 people reported themselves as Gaelic speakers, however the study estimates that the vernacular group located on the islands, where speakers are more heavily concentrated, does not exceed 11,000.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

The major study on the language, which will be published next year, highlights the lack of support for existing speakers, saying Gaelic “will continue as the language of school and heritage but not as a living language” in an article by the Guardian.

For the study, the prominent researcher conducted extensive fieldwork in the Western Isles,Skye and Tiree. Picture: Getty ImagesFor the study, the prominent researcher conducted extensive fieldwork in the Western Isles,Skye and Tiree. Picture: Getty Images
For the study, the prominent researcher conducted extensive fieldwork in the Western Isles,Skye and Tiree. Picture: Getty Images
Read More
Dragon vision will be beamed onto Edinburgh Castle in city’s ‘biggest ever’ soun...

After extensive fieldwork in the Western Isles, Skye and Tiree, the researcher concluded he believed that existing policies to promote Gaelic focus too heavily on encouraging new speakers, mainly in urban areas, or promoting it as a heritage language.