Scottish Gaelic and Scots now recognised as official languages of Scotland

Scottish Gaelic and Scots are now recognised as official languages as from St Andrew's Day, thanks to the Scottish Languages Act, which was voted through in June this year. (see this article on the BBC website).

I've seen a couple of recent examples of editors sharing translations 'into Scottish Gaelic' which were actually into Scots! However, the two languages are not to be confused! Scottish Gaelic is closely related to Irish and Manx, and one of the Celtic languages which also include Welsh, Cornish and Breton. It is very different to English and as such can be challenging to learn. Scots is much more closely related to English and arguably these days feels more like a dialect than a language, as though lots of people in Scotland use a good number of Scots words, few speak wholly in Scots or even using Scots grammar. But historically it really is a language and it's great to see it being officially recognised as such in a modern Scotland. 

Both Scots and Scottish Gaelic are vital parts of Scotland's culture and this recognition of  their status ensures that they can continue to play an important part on the country's future. 

If you want to learn Scottish Gaelic, then the Speak Gaelic website is a good place to start. This website is tied in to a programme that ran recently on BBC Alba (the Scottish Gaelic channel of the BBC) and is now available on Youtube. Alternatively, you may be able to access face to face learning in a local community centre. 

Edinburgh Council has a very good adult education programme and is now taking bookings for the next term, including classes in Scottish Gaelic and one class in Scots.  

There are a number of useful online Scots language resources including:

The Scots Language online.  

Dictionaries of the Scots Language.  

Not in Our Name (a found poem)

There were mutterings that each day grew louder,
signs and portents that we refused to believe.
Local militia were organizing and drilling
getting ready to answer the call should it come.
Not that people thought that it would come.
They believed, as they hoped,
that something would be done to prevent war…….
As for those others who prophesied and prayed for it,
who wanted the vials of God's wrath uncorked,
they got what they wanted.
Their prayers were answered;
the land was drenched in blood.
But for the most of us
we did not.



Found poem from:A Virginia Girl in the Civil War, 1861-1865: Being a Record of the Actual Experiences of the Wife of a Confederate Officer: Ed. by Myrta Lockett Avary
 

I originally posted this found poem for Read Write Poem, many years ago now, but it still seems very relevant