LYCOS RETRIEVER 
Scottish Gaelic Language: People
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The number of people with an ability to speak, read or write Scottish Gaelic has declined in the past few centuries and the number is now well under 100,000. Many of the people who are able to speak Gaelic are not in the habit of using it and many Gaelic-speaking parents are not in the habit of speaking in Gaelic to their children. Many of those who are able to speak Gaelic are scattered and effectively isolated from other Gaelic speakers and they seldom obtain opportunities to avail themselves of their skill in Gaelic. There are ... few occasions or situations where people are positively encouraged or required to use Gaelic. In addition, some Gaelic-speaking people have a negative attitude towards their language and prefer not to make use of their ability to speak it, and discourage others from speaking it too. This raises long-term questions about the sustainability of the language.
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The Gaelic Language is spoken by around 86,000 individuals primarily in the North of Scotland and in the Western Isles (eg. Skye, Lewis, Harris). The vast majority of gaelic speakers are bilingual Gaelic / English. Today there are very few people who do not speak English.
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In recent centuries... the Gaelic language has been in general decline, both in terms of the number of people able to use the language proficiently and in the degree to which it is used. It is only recently that voluntary groups and government bodies have made serious attempts to arrest and reverse this decline (although An Comunn Gaidhealach has been working on behalf of Gaelic for over a century). The authors hope that this book can provide a useful insight for those who are interested in knowing more about Gaelic and assist those who wish to learn to speak, read or write Gaelic.
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The degree to which the people have remained truly Highland may be measured by their retention of the Gaelic language. Only by retaining the language can the people preserve their oral traditions and their music; when they lose the language they lose with it much that makes them off from the other people settled in the New World.
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