Caithness - Language

Language

At the beginning of recorded history Caithness was inhabited by the Picts, whose language Pictish is thought to have been related to the Brythonic languages spoken by the Britons to the south. The Norn language was introduced to Caithness, Orkney and Shetland by the Norse occupation which is generally proposed to be c. AD 800. Although little is known of that Norn dialect, some of this linguistic influence still exists in parts of the county, particularly in place names. Norn continued to be spoken in Caithness until perhaps the fifteenth century and lingered until the late 18th century in the Northern Isles. Gaelic speakers seem to first figure in the early stage of the Scandinavian colonisation of Caithness, gradually increasing in numerical significance from the 12th century onwards. Gaelic has survived, in a limited form, in the far west of the county. Scots, often referred to as English, began supplanting Norn in the early 14th century at the time of the Wars of Scottish Independence. The emergent Northern Scots dialect became influenced by both Gaelic and Norn, and is generally spoken in the lowlying land to the east of a line drawn from Clyth Ness to some 4 miles west of Thurso. The dialect of Scots spoken in the neighbourhood of John o' Groats resembles to some extent that of Orkney. Since the 17th century Standard Scottish English has increasingly been replacing both Gaelic and Scots.

Records showing what languages were spoken apparently do not exist from before 1706 but by that time, “f ye suppose a Parallel to the hypotenuse drawn from Week to Thurso, these on the Eastside of it speak most part English, and those on the Westside Irish; and the last have Ministers to preach to them in both languages."

Similarly, it is stated at that time that there were "Seven parishes in Caithness where the Irish language is used."

The bilingual road sign policy of Highland Region Council has led to some controversy in the region.

In that context, it is sometimes erroneously claimed that Gaelic has never been spoken in Caithness but this is a result of language shift to Scots and then towards Standard Scottish English during recent centuries. The Gaelic name for the region, Gallaibh, translates as "Land of the Gall (non-Gaels)" - a name which reflects historic Norse rule.

As previously indicated, the language mix or boundary changed over time, but the New Statistical Record in 1841 says,

"On the eastern side of scarcely a word of Gaelic was either spoken or understood, and on the west side, English suffered the same fate".

Other quotes:-

"There are Seven parishes in Caithness where the Irish language is used, viz. Thurso, Halkrig, Rhae, Lathrone, Ffar, Week, Duirness . But the people of Week understand English also." (Presbytery of Caithness, 1706)

"A presbytery minute of 1727 says of 1,600 people who had 'come of age', 1500 could speak Gaelic only, and a mere five could read. Gaelic at this time was the principal language in most parishes except Bower, Canisbay, Dunnet and Olrig" (Omand, D. From the Vikings to the Forty-Five, in The Caithness book)

"Persons with a knowledge of Gaelic in the County of Caithness (in 1911) are found to number 1,685, and to constitute 6.7 per cent of the entire population of three years of age and upwards. Of these 1,248 were born in Caithness, 273 in Sutherland, 77 in Ross & Cromarty, and 87 elsewhere.... By an examination of the age distribution of the Gaelic speakers, it is found that only 22 of them are less than 20 years of age." (J. Patten MacDougall, Registrar General, 1912)