Endangered Languages Project

ALSO KNOWN AS		Gaelic, Scottish, Gaelic (Scots), Scottish Gaelic, Scotch-Gaelic, Gàidhlig, Gaelic, Scots Gaelic, Albannach Gaidhlig, Erse, Gadhelisch
CLASSIFICATION		Indo-European, Celtic, Goidelic
CODE AUTHORITY		ISO 639-3
LANGUAGE CODE		gla
VARIANTS & DIALECTS		Inner Hebrides Outer Hebrides Western Isles Highland Glaswegian Gaelic Canadian Gaelic
DOWNLOAD		As csv
MORE RESOURCES		OLAC search

Compare Sources (6)

Information from: “Europe and North Asia” (211-282) . Tapani Salminen (2007) , C. Moseley · London & New York: Routledge

Threatened

80 percent certain, based on the evidence available
20,000-30,000
Native speakers worldwide

SPEAKER NUMBER TRENDS

TRANSMISSION

MORE ON VITALITY

A number of children learn the language, but there are serious problems in language maintenance even in the core areas.

LANGUAGE CONTEXT COMMENTS

There are 20,000 to 30,000 active users; more than 50,000 others claim knowledge of the language.

PLACES: Scotland

LOCATION DESCRIPTION: Spoken in rural areas of the Western Isles (Lewis, Harris, North Uist, South Uist, Barra) and Skye, and a few locations in the rest of the Inner Isles
and the Highland mainland (mainly Sutherland, Ross and Cromarty, Inverness, and Argyll counties). Scottish Gaelic is also spoken elsewhere in Scotland, and by some speakers in immigrant communities in Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island in Canada.

Vulnerable

20 percent certain, based on the evidence available
66,780
Native speakers worldwide
MORE ON SPEAKER NUMBERS
58,700 in United Kingdom (2003 census). Population total all countries: 66,780.

PLACES: USA; Australia; Canada; United Kingdom;

Vulnerable

20 percent certain, based on the evidence available
62,175
Native speakers worldwide

Vulnerable

20 percent certain, based on the evidence available
58,552
Native speakers worldwide

Vulnerable

20 percent certain, based on the evidence available
59,000
Native speakers worldwide

DATE OF INFO: 2001

LANGUAGE CONTEXT COMMENTS: "Throughout the 20th century, the language has suffered from institutional neglect and its speakers from economic adversity, but provisions for Gaelic in education, the media, public life, and the arts have much improved since 1985. A language development authority and supportive legislation were introduced in 2003."

		2007	Europe and North Asia	Encyclopedia of the World's Endangered Languages	211-282	C. Moseley	London & New York: Routledge				Tapani Salminen	Salminen, Tapani. 2007. "Europe and North Asia." In Encyclopedia of the World's Endangered Languages, edited by C. Moseley. 211-282. London & New York: Routledge.	HHOLD	20,000-30,000		10000-99999		There are 20,000 to 30,000 active users; more than 50,000 others claim knowledge of the language.	Threatened (80 percent certain, based on the evidence available)	11	A number of children learn the language, but there are serious problems in language maintenance even in the core areas.	13	Scotland	Spoken in rural areas of the Western Isles (Lewis, Harris, North Uist, South Uist, Barra) and Skye, and a few locations in the rest of the Inner Isles and the Highland mainland (mainly Sutherland, Ross and Cromarty, Inverness, and Argyll counties). Scottish Gaelic is also spoken elsewhere in Scotland, and by some speakers in immigrant communities in Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island in Canada.
0199255911		2005	The World Atlas of Language Structures			Bernard Comrie and David Gil and Martin Haspelmath and Matthew S. Dryer	Oxford University Press		New York			2005. "The World Atlas of Language Structures." edited by Bernard Comrie et al. Oxford University Press.													57.0,-4.0
	16	2009	Ethnologue: Languages of the World, 16th Edition (2009)			M. Paul Lewis	SIL International		Dallas, TX	http://www.ethnologue.com/		Lewis, M. Paul (ed.). 2009. Ethnologue: Languages of the World, 16 edn. http://www.ethnologue.com/home.asp. (15 February, 2011.)	ll_pub	66,780		10000-99999	58,700 in United Kingdom (2003 census). Population total all countries: 66,780.		Vulnerable (20 percent certain, based on the evidence available)				USA; Australia; Canada; United Kingdom;
	3rd	2010	Atlas of the World’s Languages in Danger				UNESCO Publishing		Paris	http://www.unesco.org/culture/en/endangeredlanguages/atlas	Christopher Moseley (ed.)	Moseley, Christopher (ed.). 2010. Atlas of the World’s Languages in Danger, 3rd edn. http://www.unesco.org/culture/en/endangeredlanguages/atlas. (03 June, 2011.)	ll_pub	58,552		10000-99999			Vulnerable (20 percent certain, based on the evidence available)						58.1011,-6.7675
	2nd	2006	Scots Gaelic	Encyclopedia of Language & Linguistics	36-38	Keith Brown	Boston: Elsevier	11			K. MacKinnon	K. MacKinnon. 2006. "Scots Gaelic." In Encyclopedia of Language & Linguistics, edited by Keith Brown. 11: 36-38. Boston: Elsevier.		59,000	2001	10000-99999		"Throughout the 20th century, the language has suffered from institutional neglect and its speakers from economic adversity, but provisions for Gaelic in education, the media, public life, and the arts have much improved since 1985. A language development authority and supportive legislation were introduced in 2003."	Vulnerable (20 percent certain, based on the evidence available)
			World Oral Literature Project							http://www.oralliterature.org		"World Oral Literature Project." Online: http://www.oralliterature.org.		62,175		10000-99999			Vulnerable (20 percent certain, based on the evidence available)

Scottish Gaelic

Language metadata

Language information by source

Threatened

80 percent certain, based on the evidence available

20,000-30,000

Vulnerable

20 percent certain, based on the evidence available

66,780

Vulnerable

20 percent certain, based on the evidence available

62,175

Vulnerable

20 percent certain, based on the evidence available

58,552

Vulnerable

20 percent certain, based on the evidence available

59,000

Discussion

Scottish Gaelic

Language metadata

Language information by source

Threatened

80 percent certain, based on the evidence available

20,000-30,000

Vulnerable

20 percent certain, based on the evidence available

66,780

Vulnerable

20 percent certain, based on the evidence available

62,175

Vulnerable

20 percent certain, based on the evidence available

58,552

Vulnerable

20 percent certain, based on the evidence available

59,000

Discussion

Suggest information or improvement

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Sources of information

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