Scottish Gaelic is the second Goidelic language in number of speakers. Approximately 58,000 people have some knowledge of the language. Scottish Gaelic is undergoing it’s own revival effort, though it lost about 7,300 speakers from 1991 to 2001. The success of recent efforts will soon be evaluated when the 2011 UK Census figures are released. It is currently an official language in Scotland.
Gaelic was introduced by settlers from Ireland somewhere around the 4th century (in the form of Old Irish). The language was quickly adopted, and eventually, Scottish Gaelic began distinguish itself -along with the other Goidelic Languages - during the 12th Century. It was immensely popular, replacing the languages of Cumbric and Pictish. In some areas, it even replaced Old English. The Highland clan culture’s primary language was Scottish Gaelic.
It met the same fate as Irish when the English Conquests took over Scotland (notably at the Battle of Culloden). The British placed the same kinds of restrictions on the language, and English quickly dominated most regions. Additionally, the first well known translation of the Bible came in 1767, which is relatively late. Consequently - like many other languages - it failed to make the smooth transition to a modern literary language without a early translation of the Bible. However, Scottish Gaelic still has some purely native speakers in the Scottish Highlands, where it is the primary language in a few areas.
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