gaelic in the landscape

A note on the Gaelic language
Scottish Gaelic is a Celtic language, closely related
to the Gaelic of Ireland and the Isle of Man, and
more distantly related to Welsh, Breton and Cornish.
As in the other Celtic tongues, the form of words can
vary quite significantly, a phenomenon commonly
observed in place names. A noun like gleann (‘glen’),
for example, can occur as ghleann, glinn, ghlinn,
ghlinne, gleannan and ghleannan. An adjective like
beag (‘small’) can occur as bheag, bhig, bige, beaga
and bheaga. Mòr (‘large’) can occur as mhòr, mhòir,
mòire, mòra and mhòra.
Here are some examples:
– Allt a’ Ghlinne Bhig (‘the burn of the small glen’)
– Coille a’ Ghlinne Mhòir (‘the wood of the big glen’)
– Loch nam Breac Mòra (‘the loch of the big trout’).
Oak fern
Sgeamh Dharaich
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