Beurla Reagaird : Name Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Beurla Reagaird

Scottish Gaelic-based cant

Beurla Reagaird
Region	Scottish Highlands
Language family	Indo-European Celtic Insular Celtic Goidelic Scottish Gaelic Beurla Reagaird
Early forms	Primitive Irish Old Irish Middle Irish
Language codes
ISO 639-3	–
This article contains IPA phonetic symbols. Without proper rendering support, you may see question marks, boxes, or other symbols instead of Unicode characters. For an introductory guide on IPA symbols, see Help:IPA.

Beurla Reagaird (Scottish Gaelic pronunciation: [ˈpjɤːrˠl̪ˠə ˈɾɛkərˠtʲ]; previously also spelled Beurla Reagair or Beurla-reagaird) is a nearly extinct, Scottish Gaelic-based cant used by the indigenous Traveller community of the Highlands of Scotland, formerly often referred to by the disparaging name "tinkers".^[1]^[2]

Name

Beurla Reagaird loosely translates as 'speech of metalworkers' in reference to their traditional occupation of being traveling tinsmiths.^[3] Although Beurla today refers to the English language, its original meaning is that of 'jargon' (from Old Irish bélre, bél 'mouth' plus the abstract forming suffix -re),^[4] with the second element being linked to the word eagar 'order, array, arrangement' (compare with the Irish Béarla na Saor 'speech of the smiths').^[5]

References

^ Evans, S. Stopping Places – A Gipsy History of South London and Kent (1999) Hertfordshire Press ISBN 1-902806-30-1
^ "Beurla-reagaird (Travellers' Gaelic Cant)". Am Baile. Archived from the original on 23 February 2012. Retrieved 7 March 2010.
^ Kirk, John M.; Donall P. Ó Baoill (2002). Travellers and their Language. Queen's University Belfast. ISBN 0-85389-832-4.
^ MacBain, Alexander (1982) [1896]. An Etymological Dictionary of the Gaelic Language. Gairm. ISBN 0-901771-68-6.
^ Neat, Timothy (1997) [1996]. The Summer Walkers: Travelling People and Pearl-fishers in the Highlands of Scotland. ISBN 0-86241-576-4.