Erse

Categories: Indo-European language stubs | Goidelic languages

Erse (early Scots/Inglis for "Irish") can be used as an adjective, but is more often used as a noun referring to the Scottish Gaelic and Irish languages. Originally it could be used in reference to the Irish and Highlanders or their languages, but latterly it specifically refers to the Irish language. The term is now archaic, and is often considered to be derogatory. It has been used in Scotland since at least the late 15th century. The use of the name Inglis for the Scots language became unpalatable at this point because Anglo-Norman had been eclipsed by the English language as the language of the ruling elite of England, so the name "Scottis", which had earlier often been used to describe Gaelic, started to be used instead.