God bless Gaelic

While criticising the proposal to add Gaelic to signs in Edinburgh Andrew HN Gray (Letters, 24 November) unwittingly gives us a clue as to why that might be a good idea when he says Cumbric is no longer spoken. Mr Gray says Gaelic was not spoken in Edinburgh, but this is contradicted by the proliferation of Gaelic place names throughout Scotland. There is some evidence that the use of Gaelic started to decline around the end of the 11th century, though it was used in an address at the coronation of King Alexander III in 1249 by the royal poet when he said Beannachd do Righ Albann (“God’s Blessing on the King of Scotland”).

Mr Gray clearly has knowledge of medieval history, but is on shakier ground with modern history when he says that support of Gaelic is “political posturing” and an attempt by the “SNP to re-write history”. The first support of Gaelic was given by a UK Conservative government when it funded BBC Alba. The act, Protection of Regional or Minority Languages, was enshrined into Scottish legislation in 2005 by the Labour/lib Dem administration, two years before the SNP came into power. So if there’s a re-write of history happening here, it’s not by the SNP.

GILL TURNER

Derby Street, Edinburgh