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The muntjac, originally a Chinese species, is called “fiadhcomhartaich”, which means “barking deer”.© Geoffrey Swaine/Avalon via ZUMA Press
This story was originally published in The Guardian and is reproduced here as part of the Climate Desk collaboration.
There are many ways to get involved.Warm weather species move north into Scotland have been given new Gaelic names, reflecting the subtle but significant environmental shifts brought by climate heating.
Following work by dozens of lexicographers, naturalists and Gaelic artists, the firecrest, one of the UK’s tiniest birds, now luxuriates under the delicate Gaelic words for flaming, wee, little thing, or crìonag lasrach.
The azure damselfly can be found now cruinneag liatha grey, young girl. The common rosefinch is now a little red creature of briar. deargan drise. The moustached reedworker or bearded Tit, a bird that is mostly found in southern and east England, is the bearded Tat. cuilcear staiseach.
The project, devised by the wildlife artist Derek Robertson and endorsed by Scotland’s Gaelic language and nature conservation agencies, has identified 40 species that are recent arrivals in Scotland that lack formal Gaelic names.
The complete inventory, which is currently being finalized, will be published in June in a new edited book by Robertson. It includes his watercolors of each species as well as a short Gaelic poem on each by Rody Gorman, a Skye-based Irish poet. An exhibition of the paintings and translations will be held later in the year at the Western Isles, Fife, and Scottish Poetry Library in Edinburgh.
Robertson said the project was designed to update the Gaelic lexicon in a way that embraced the language’s intimate, historic connections to the landscape and Scotland’s natural heritage. “Gaelic has a rich tradition of naming things which is really beautiful,” he said.
Like many languages, Gaelic will take words from other languages to make it a gaelic language. Gaels will also create informal translations. There was consensus that these species, which are either settled or encroaching in Scotland now, needed a more formal process for naming.
“Languages borrow words all the time and that is a process for any living language,” he said. “But Gaelic has a very strong connection with the natural world and that is reflected in its naming of things.”
Some exotic species were brought to Britain by Edwardians and Victorians. These include the muntjac which is a small deer originally from China that escaped from country parks in the home countries. It is now in Gaelic fiadh-comhartaich or barking deer.
The common rosefinch was rechristened “deargan drise” (little red creature of the briar).
Magnus Martinsson/TT via ZUMA Press
The project captured even the red-necked marsupial, an Australian marsupial, that colonized Inchconnachan Island on Loch Lomond after it had been imported by a former owners, and has since been returned to its natural habitat. Its name is translated as uallabaidh ruadh-mhuinealach.
Others were accidental introductions, and some Gaelic names can be quite literal: The Iberian three-banded snail is now seilcheag thrì-stiallach Ibeirianach or three-streaked Iberian slug; The leathery seasquirt is now spùtachan-mara leatharachFor the little leathery squirting creature that lives in the sea.
The project, endorsed by Bòrd na Gàidhlig, the Gaelic language agency, and NatureScot, the government conservation agency, could also help build interest in the language amongst non-native or lapsed speakers, said Mark McConville, a linguist at Glasgow university who specialises in Gaelic lexicography.
Recent reports have shown that Gaelic is being abused. Languages in danger of disappearing as a living languageThe area is experiencing a decline in native speakers and its catchment shrinking to Scotland’s far west and Hebrides. These areas are also experiencing the negative effects of climate warming: sea level rise threatens coasts, intensifying storms, and causing harm to sensitive native species.
“Music is one route into learning Gaelic and nature is definitely one of those too,” he said. “Any language starts from a place and comes from a place, and the way words are formed is intimately connected with that place. We definitely see this with Gaelic.”
These are just a few of the Gaelic names we have suggested
Surf scoter can be: lach-dhubh touinne (black [wild]Duck of the Wave
This North American sea duck can sometimes be seen in winter on Orkney or Shetland, and Fair Isle in the far north. Its bill is adapted for eating mussels and other bivalves.
Firecrest becomes: crìonag lasrach(Flaming, wee thing)
It vies with its cousin the goldcrest for the title as the UK’s tiniest bird; males have bright orange and yellow streaks on their heads. It occasionally appears in Scotland.
Azure damselfly becomes: cruinneag liath (gray, neat young girl)
This pale blue damselfly, which is found in central Scotland, can be seen from May to Sept. and is expanding northwards as the temperature heats.
Common rosefinch is: deargan drise(The little red creature of the Briar)
A rare visitor to the UK’s eastern coastline, this sparrow-sized bird has a streaked breast and forked tails; males have scarlet heads, breasts and rumps.
Crossbill Parrot It becomes: cam-ghob làidir (strong/stout bent-bill)
A large and powerful finch that is similar to the Scottish Crossbill. Only a few breed in Scotland’s Cairngorms.
