The Variety of Gaelic influenced Scottish English spoken in the Scottish Highlands. Island English is the variety spoken as a second language by native Gaelic speakers in the Outer Hebrides.

This variety of English shows the influence of Gaelic most clearly in pronounciation, but also in grammar. For example, medial and final consonants tend to be de-voiced (as is standard in Gaelic), so that "whatever" becomes pronounced as "whateffer", and the "j" sound is often turned into a "tch" sound e.g. "chust". Similarly, the svarabhakti that is used in some consonant combinations in Gaelic is used, so that "film" is pronounced "fillum".

The grammatical effect is most apparent with verbs, as Scottish Gaelic uses the verb to be with the active participle of the verb to indicate a continuous action as in English, but also uses this construction for iterative meanings; therefore "I go to Stornoway on Mondays" becomes "I am going to Stornoway on Mondays". The past tense in Highland English may use the verb to be followed by "after" followed by the participle: "I am after buying a newspaper" to mean "I have [just] bought a newspaper", although this construction is more common in Irish English.

The diminutive -ag is sometimes added to words and names, and is a direct lift from Gaelic, e.g. Johnag, Jeanag. It is still used in Caithness as well.

Areas in the east of the Highlands often have substantial influence from Lowland Scots.

Vocabulary list

A list of words that are unusual to Highland English, although these are sometimes shared with Scottish English in general, as well as Lowland Scots, and to other areas where Highlanders have emigrated in large numbers.

• Bodach - A Gaelic word for an old man.
• Bothan - a hut, often an illegal drinking den.
• Bothy - A mountain refuge.
• Cailleach - A Gaelic word for an old woman.
• Clearances or more commonly The Clearances, referring to the Highland Clearances
• Ceilidh - A social, or dance often with traditional music
• Deochandorus (various spellings) - "One for the road", i.e. one more drink.
• Firth - a fjord.
• Gaidhealteachd - A Gaelic term for the Highlands
• Inversneckie, a nickname for Inverness.
• Kyle or Kyles - Straits from Gaelic Caol & Caolais. 'Kyle' is also a nickname for Kyle of Lochalsh.
• Loch - A Gaelic word meaning a lake or a fjord.
• Machair - A Gaelic word referring to a usually sandy coastal plain, usually in the Outer Hebrides ('Links' in Lowland Scotland).
• Mull - a headland.
• Strath - A river valley, from Gaelic srath.
• Tack & Tacksman (historical) - [1]
• Teuchter - a derogatory term applied to Highlanders and Northern Scots in general. Sometimes used ironically by Highlanders themselves.
• The Wee Free - The Free Presbyterian Church as opposed to the Free Kirk, which the Free Church of Scotland (but which is not known as the 'Big Free'!)
• The Wee Paper - A nickname for the West Highland Free Press published in Skye.
• Westie - West Highland Terrier.