The Scots Gaelic Myth

[davidlpope]

On your map, though, the Lowlands are English speaking...

[PatrickHughes123]

On your map, though, the Lowlands are English speaking...

No they aren't, they are mostly Gaelic-speaking. Please Google the map of Scotland.

[figheadair]

Unfortunately Gaelic has been in retreat ever since the time that the map portrays. The relatively recent resurgence of interest is welcome but so much has already been lost.

[PatrickHughes123]

Unfortunately Gaelic has been in retreat ever since the time that the map portrays. The relatively recent resurgence of interest is welcome but so much has already been lost.

Yes, I'm aware. Thanks to King David I of Scotland. I know Gaelic had a short live as a prestigious language, but to say that it was never the case is just nonsense.

[cessna152towser]

No they aren't, they are mostly Gaelic-speaking. Please Google the map of Scotland.

The map which you posted actually shows the eastern lowlands, all the way north to the south shore of the Firth of Forth as "Men of Lothian", English speaking.
The Lothian region extends from the east of the Central Lowlands southwards into the Southern Uplands.

[CollinMacD]

I must correct one statement you made about the Jacobites. Jacobites were not just from the Highlands, many Jacobites lived in England as well as the Lowlands, but they did not talk about it and supported the cause during the uprisings. Jacobites were not just Roman Catholic, but were also Protestants too. The Jacobite cause was not as hated as you may think, much of the support of the Jacobites and their actions were done one the sly. Regarding the "speaking in tongue" as my Grandfather would say, I agree totally with Peter, after the Uprising, much of Gaelic made way for English, as it fell in disfavor, mainly because of fear, and never regained. However, Gaelic was brought over to Nova Scotia, PEI, Newfoundland, and even in the U.S. in the Outer Banks were it flourished for years. Even slaves in the Outer Banks spoke Gaelic, learned by their Scottish Masters, and to this day, Gaelic in small pockets exist in the Outer Banks. So, I agree, it was spoken across Scotland, or very least understood, but as you go closer to the English border, it was less used. Same as Welsh, as you got closer to the Border of England and Wales, the Welsh language was used less and less.

[John_Carrick]

Thank you for a very interesting thread.

May I ask what was the language of the Picts? I know I am going back hundreds of years further, but with the foundation of the Scotland, my understanding was the Irish Gaelic speaking Scotti and the Picts forged a Kingdom under Kenneth MacAlpin (much myth and legend about how fast and how violently this occurred).

My understanding of Scottish historic is very high level and may be very wrong, so be gentle.

[davidlpope]

However, Gaelic was brought over to Nova Scotia, PEI, Newfoundland, and even in the U.S. in the Outer Banks were it flourished for years. Even slaves in the Outer Banks spoke Gaelic, learned by their Scottish Masters, and to this day, Gaelic in small pockets exist in the Outer Banks.

What's your source for this? The Outer Banks of NC, particularly Ocracoke, have a distinctive dialect, but it's not Scots Gaelic, most likely derived instead from the West Country of England.

Scots Gaelic was spoken by the Highlanders who settled in the Cape Fear region of NC (modern Fayetteville), but that's a long way from the Outer Banks and a different settlement pattern.

Scots Gaelic died out in the Cape Fear region after the American Civil War.

http://shimajournal.org/issues/v2n1/...Shima-v2n1.pdf

https://www.ncpedia.org/hoi-toiders

https://www.ncpedia.org/gaelic-language