Outlander season 7 has arrived but even long-time fans are confused by the Scottish vocabulary peppered throughout the show. If that includes you, we could say “dinna fash” (don’t worry) but will not because that is an example of the Scots language and today we’re tackling Scottish Gaelic.
As a staunch advocate of endangered Scottish languages, the series author Diana Gabaldon has expressed her desire to save the Celtic tongue through her writing and has been widely praised for her Gaelic inclusion.
For Valentine’s Day 2023, we compiled a list of romantic Gaelic phrases in Outlander for all the Jamie and Claire’s out there. Now, we’re covering a broader spectrum of Gaelic words which - hopefully - you can incorporate into your own vocabulary.
As Gaelic is far removed from English pronunciation, the phonetics in this article are only well-intended suggestions. We recommend websites like Learn Gaelic to help you sound out words like a native. That said, tiugainn teuchters (“chookin choochters”) i.e., let’s go Highlanders!
9. Craigh na Dun
This ancient stone circle is the location where Claire time travels from 1945 to 1743. It is inspired by real locations in Scotland like the Clava Cairns in Inverness but it is not actually real. To pronounce the name of this site try to say “craik-na-doon”. Photo: Submitted
10. Tùlach Àrd
“Tùlach Àrd” is the war cry of the MacKenzie clan. Reportedly the words themselves translate as “the high hill” when translated from Scottish Gaelic. To pronounce the war cry (and don’t forget to yell it from the top of your lungs) you can say “TOlach Aarst”. Photo: Submitted
11. Bodach
In the Outlander show Jamie used this term when referring to Old Alec. The word “bodach” refers to an “old man” in Gaelic, and if you say “bodachan” then it's a “little old man”. To pronounce this word you can say “bo - duch” (the ‘ch’ is pronounced like it is in ‘loch’). Photo: Submitted
12. Co-là breith sona dhut!
It seems like a lengthy phrase for a Gaelic beginner but don’t be intimidated, it just means “happy birthday to you”. For some well-meaning phonetics to help you pronounce it, you can try “koh lah bray sawna ghoot”. Photo: Submitted