| Chapter 1: | The Dying Gael |
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Not only has the Gaelic-speaking population shrunk in numbers from approximately a quarter of a million speakers in the 19th century, but the area claimed as Gaelic territory is also shrinking. Once occupying nearly all the Highlands of Scotland, the bulk of Gaelic speakers now are concentrated on the Western fringes of the Gàidhealtachd in the Outer Hebrides (MacKinnon, 1977; O’Connor, 1997).
Historically, school children were educated in English, though in recent years Gaelic-medium schools have been available to them. Few economic opportunities are available to inhabitants in the Highlands. Little modern media is produced in Gaelic, resulting in a dearth of information and entertainment in the native culture, and forcing inhabitants of the Gàidhealtachd—even those who would prefer to speak Gaelic—to access English media.
After centuries of assault by the dominant English-speaking culture, Gaelic speakers have internalized a feeling of inferiority to the “away” culture (Dorian, 1981; MacKinnon, 1977). Some writers attributed this sense of inferiority not only to the Gaelic Highlanders but extended it to Scots in general. For instance, the author Irvine Welsh, in his acclaimed novel Trainspotting, described Scotland in the following:
The following is a rough translation: