Bringing together an unprecedented range of perspectives on the Gaelic language, this book covers the history of the language, its development in Scotland and Canada, its spelling, syntax and morphology, its modern vocabulary, and the study of its dialects. It also addresses sociolinguistic issues such as identity, perception, language planning and the appearance of the language in literature. Each chapter is written by an expert on their topic. The book has been written accessibly with a non-specialist audience in mind. It will have a particular value for those requiring introductions to aspects of the Gaelic language. It will also be of great interest to those who are embarking on research on Gaelic for the first time. Authors include Colm O Baoill, David Adger, Roibeard O Maolalaigh, Rob Dunbar, Seosamh Watson, Ken Nilsen, Ken MacKinnon and Ronald Black. This book: *Deals with a wide range of aspects of Gaelic *Places the study of the Gaelic language within the context of modern linguistic research *Encourages and supports further study *Includes chapters by a number of leading experts on Gaelic language