Power of Gaelic

Published on 18/10/2012 00:00

Susan FG Forde’s letter (17 October) is almost winsome in tone. Scots was and is a dialect of the English language, which itself evolved from Anglo-Saxon.
Gaelic, on the other hand, is a disparate language and was spoken throughout Scotland until the Clearances and other attempts by the establishment to extinguish it completely.

Children had their knuckles rapped until fairly recently for speaking Gaelic in the classroom.
Scots provides a rich and varied number of local dialects, and is a fine contributor to Scottish culture. The great poet, Hugh MacDiarmid, made every effort to promote Lallans, with limited success.

One of his good friends was Sorley MacLean, whose Gaelic poetry is renowned and recognised worldwide. Gaelic lives on today, looking increasingly healthy, and has survived the many attempts to write it off – by people who should know better.

It is not hiding in a dusty box in a museum in the “historical curiosities” department. The annual Mod is only one place to glimpse the continuing vibrancy of the language.

Gaelic sections in a newspaper are welcome reading for native speakers or learners. They are widely understood and relevant to Scotland today.

The many and varied tongues of the Scots dialect might be
too localised to have a national relevance.

Alasdair H Macinnes

Granton Road

Edinburgh