Gàidhealtachd

This airticle is aboot the Scots Gaelic-speaking airts. For the Irish-speaking airts, see Gaeltacht.

The Gàidhealtachd (Scots Gaelic pronunciation: [ˈkɛːəl̪ˠt̪əxk] ( listen); Inglis: Gaeldom^[1]) forordinar refers tae the Hielands an Islands o Scotland an the Gaelic-speaking cultur o these airts;^[1] likeways, the siclike Irish word Gaeltacht refers tae Irish-speaking airts o Ireland. These are baith historic launds o the Gaels an share a common Celtic culture.

Geographic distribution o Gaelic speakers in Scotland (2011)

Gaelic-leid road sign in Mallaig

History

Relatit page: Scots Gaelic § History

The Gaelic leid wi'in the Gàidhealtachd has a lang history; in the 1700s, Gaelic wis the main written an spaken leid o the Hielands but was confined to that pairt o Scotland.^[2] Syne the 16t-centurie, thar increasin uiss o Scots an Scots hank on Gaelic in and outwith the Gàidhealtachd; acause o the Statutes o Iona (1609) an the Scuilin Act (1616), mony Hieland Gaels wis gart to gang tae the Lallans an learn Inglis (then the term fae Lallans Scots).^[3]

The Gàidhealtachd o Maritime Canada.

The population o the Hielands reached its peak atween 1820 an 1840 in maist districts. However, there were mair (an increasin) numbers o Gaelic-speakin fowk in Scotland acause o migration tae the Lallans; wi migration in the late 18t-centurie, muckle Gaelic communities were fundat in Lallans touns an cities outwith Scotland an aa.^[2]

Outwith Scotland

In Canada, at yin time the Scots Gaelic leid wis the third maist spaken leid eftir Inglis an French (wi 50,000 speakers in Nova Scotia alane (1901)^[2]), an is still spaik bi a minority o Canadiens whase forebeirs cam fae Gaelic-speakin Scotland.^[4]

The Codroy Valley in Newfoondland had a Gaelic-speaking minority til the 1960s, wi its ain Scots Gaelic traditions an cultur.^[5] In 2011, 1,275 fowk in the Canadian Gàidhealtachd spaik Scots Gaelic, an aboot 300 fowk spaik the leid as thair main leid.^[6]