The Scottish Government will contribute £2 million to a freely-accessible online Gaelic dictionary, the First Minister has announced.
The dictionary will document the Gaelic language and its history by tracing the development of each word from its earliest written form to the present day.
The Scottish Government hopes the project will raise the profile of the Gaelic language and heritage. The £2 million, distributed through the Scottish Funding Council (SFC), will pay for more staff and computer software.
First Minister Alex Salmond said: “The Scottish Government is a strong supporter of our indigenous languages, including Gaelic, and recognises the important cultural and economic benefits that these bring to a vibrant and modern Scotland.
“We’re committed to working with a range of other public bodies to create a secure future for the Gaelic language. The dictionary initiative will play an important part in that work.”
The project, entitled Faclair na Gaidhlig (Gaelic Dictionary), is managed by Sabhal Mor Ostaig (The Great Barn of Ostaig), a department of the University of the Highlands and Islands, in partnership with the universities of Aberdeen, Edinburgh, Glasgow and Strathclyde.
SFC chairman John McClelland said: “The Faclair na Gaidhlig project is vital to securing the future of the Gaelic language and an essential resource for people across the world with an interest in Gaelic and Celtic Studies.”
Professor Boyd Robertson, principal of Sabhal Mor Ostaig and convener of the Faclair na Gaidhlig steering committee, said: “The award will expedite preparatory work for the dictionary which will, in time, give Gaelic a resource comparable to the Dictionary of the Older Scottish Tongue and the Oxford English Dictionary.”
The Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC) will provide a further £100,000 and £50,000 is coming from the Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC).
Bord na Gaidhlig has supported the project since 2004 and currently contributes £75,000 per year.