ABSTRACT
Language is one of the most distinctive marks of any people’s cultural identity, and to speak of 'Gaelic Scotland' is to apply to a part of Scotland a definition that is primarily linguistic. This chapter reviews that the attention Gaelic has received from scholars and preservationists, and suggests possible directions for future developments. An Gomunn Gaidhealach, the association founded in 1891 with the object of encouraging and promoting the teaching and use of the Gaelic language, the study and cultivation of Gaelic literature, history, music and art, the native industries of the Highlands of Scotland, and the wearing of Highland dress. If Gaelic is to have any future as a living language in the modern world, one large problem that must be systematically tackled is the modernising of its vocabulary. Every language has areas of particular strength and weakness in its vocabulary, depending on the total cultural context in which the language is used.
