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Glite Dictionary
Scottish Gaelic

Scottish Gaelic

9.3
A Celtic language spoken in Scotland, mainly in the Highlands and islands, different from Irish Gaelic
  • noun
  • /ˈskɒtɪʃ ˈɡeɪlɪk/
translation icon : gaélico escocés
  • In case you were wondering: yes, there is a Scottish Gaelic translation of the DDC Summaries (available at dewey.info)!

Examples

  • Many students in Scotland are learning Scottish Gaelic to connect with their cultural heritage.

  • Example of Scottish Gaelic/English shelf label with QR code.

    Academic text (2013)

  • So some places it's French, some places it's Mandarin, some places it's Scottish Gaelic, and in some places it's BSL.

  • The book includes a glossary of common phrases in Scottish Gaelic for beginners.

  • During my trip to the Highlands, I was amazed to hear people speaking Scottish Gaelic in everyday conversations.

Synonyms

Scots Gaelic
vsScottish Gaelic
9.6

A Gaelic language spoken in Scotland that is different from Irish

is used mainly in the Highlands and islands rather than as a general form
Scots Gaelic language
vsScottish Gaelic
8.3

A Celtic language spoken in Scotland similar to Irish and Manx

is defined by being distinct from Irish rather than just related
Erse
vsScottish Gaelic
  • Archaic
9.9

A Gaelic language spoken in Scotland and Ireland, especially Scottish Gaelic

is the modern precise name for the Scottish form, not the broad historical label

Surface Forms

Scottish Gaelic singular
Scottish Gaelics plural

Morphology

Scottish + Gaelic

The meaning is directly compositional: 'Scottish' specifies the national/regional variety and 'Gaelic' names the Celtic language, so the phrase straightforwardly denotes the Gaelic language of Scotland. This adjectival+noun pattern is cross-linguistically regular, so a B1 learner who knows both constituents will readily infer the intended meaning.

Etymology

Scottish Gaelic comes from combining Scottish (the place) and Gaelic (the speech of a people called the Gaels), because this was the Gaelic spoken in the Highlands and islands of Scotland. So, Scottish Gaelic means the Gaelic language of Scotland today, different from Irish Gaelic.