Talking about Gaelic in the Maritimes always elicits a bizarre range of responses. From non-Maritimers, I've heard everything from people who think that Gaelic is used daily in the streets of Halifax (it's not) to people who had no idea that there was a European language other than English or French that had, at one time, been the main language in parts of this region (more on that later). From Maritimers, there's whole other range, depending partly on where you are and whether Gaelic is part of someone's heritage. On the one end of the spectrum, there are those of us (yes, I'm including myself here) who are Gaelic revivalists in one form or another- we see the language as having an intrinsic value in the cultural history of our region, and are interested in supporting it in various ways. On the complete other end of the spectrum are those who feel that Gaelic, and any efforts to revive or support it, are a waste of time. Most people sit somewhere in the middle-they're interested, and vaguely aware of the role it plays in their personal and regional heritage, but don't know too much about it.
Now, before I get any further, I need to define what I'm talking about. "Gaelic" is a term that is commonly used to refer to a variety of different Celtic languages, all spoken to varying degrees. Although Irish Gaelic was spoken in Newfoundland, here I'm specifically talking about Scottish Gaelic, which was much more prevalent in the Maritimes than any of the other varieties. Most of the time, when people in the Maritimes talk about Gaelic, this is the variety they mean. Scottish Gaelic has a long history in Canada (a story for another time); by Confederation, it was the third-most spoken European language in the country. In Cape Breton (which I'll mostly be talking about, since I'm more familiar with the history there), it may well have been the majority language for the entire island (certainly it was in many communities).
So what happened?
Well, a few things. Unfortunately, Gaelic was already on the decline by the time it made it to Canada (yet another story for another time), which certainly didn't help the cause. The way the language was used, and, more importantly, how it was viewed, also had a major role. Gaelic was certainly the language of social life for many-of songs, of gatherings, heck there was even a newspaper published in the language in Cape Breton until the early 1900s. It wasn't, however, a language with much institutional backing-English was the language of education and government (though not for lack of trying, as some evidence suggests that an attempt was made to have Gaelic added as an official language of Canada, though this was rejected). Perhaps more importantly, however, many held negative attitudes towards the language, viewing it as association with poverty and a lack of education. There is, for example, a great song from the late 1800s about a woman who pretends not to speak Gaelic, an example of the way people viewed the language at the time: many felt downright ashamed to speak the language in public, which is a quick path to language death. There is even some suggestion that the government played an active role in discouraging the use of the language, though I don't know enough about that side of things to get into it here.
Most of today's Maritimers, myself included, are only a few generations away from those native speakers. Gaelic was spoken natively by at least some of my great-grandparents, and although some of their children may have had some knowledge of the language at one time, by the time I was born only a phrase or two was handed down. However, Gaelic is certainly not dead-it lives on in many ways. "Cead Mile Failte" (One Hundred Thousand Welcomes), has persisted in written form in many communities (interestingly, most people know what it means in writing, but before learning Gaelic formally I'd never heard anyone speak it aloud), and "Failte" (Welcome) is becoming common on many communities' welcome signs. The word "Ceilidh" (pronounced Kay-lee) also stood the test of time: referring today to one of our famous "Kitchen Parties," ceilidh actually comes from the Gaelic for "a visit." Gaelic has also had many impacts on the dialects of English spoken in certain areas, although that, yet again, is a story for another day.
In recent decades, there's also been a very active movement to support and revive the language. People in my generation and that of my parents are realizing what we have lost, and attempting to reverse that process. In fact, there even exist official offices supporting this work in Nova Scotia (pictured left). Much of the work is in the form of education- the Gaelic College, for instance, offers Gaelic immersion programs, and many schools in Nova Scotia now offer the language as a subject. Increasing the language's visibility has also been another huge element: bilingual signs now announce the names of many places, and an official Gaelic-Nova Scotian flag has even been developed.So, what does this mean for visitors to our area? Is there a sort of tangible cultural heritage that the traveller (and, dare I say, tourist) can access? Well, yes and no. You are highly unlikely to hear Gaelic casually being spoken in the streets (I certainly never have), although you will see it on the signs announcing some communities. If you go to Cape Breton, you may well also see the Gaelic flag flying, or as a vanity license plate. Gaelic also marks some of the place names dotting our landscape-most notably places like Ben Eoin. There are also places that a traveller can visit to learn more: the Highland Village Museum, in Iona, Cape Breton, is a fantastic living history museum where you can learn not only about the language, but also about the customs and ways of life of Gaelic settlers. The bookshop also sells a variety of materials relating to Gaelic. If you have a little more time to spare, you can also take a Gaelic immersion class as the Gaelic College (or Colaiste na Gàidhlig), which also happens to have some stunning grounds, an a small museum as well. I would also encourage you, if you are truly interested in the Gaelic heritage here, to take that as an opportunity to dig below the surface by talking to people you meet about it. Older generations, especially, will remember Gaelic-speaking parents and friends. The only caveat here, of course, is to do so in a respectful and informed way, remembering that not everyone has an interest in (or even heritage of) Gaelic, and that for some this may be a sore subject.
