The Placenames of Scotland

Scotland is a land of many languages - including Gaelic, Pictish, Brythonic, Norse, Anglo-Saxon and Modern English among them. The result is an often bewildering series of overlapping layers of place-names, difficult at times to understand and even pronounce. This book, featuring 8,000 names ranging from districts, towns and villages to rivers, lochs and mountains, is the essential guide to Scottish placenames, illustrating the extent to which Scotland''s languages were spoken over its territory.

Placenames open up a window not only on to the geography of the country but on to its history, providing evidence not found in documented sources. In addition to an introduction on the history and nature of placenames in Scotland, this book contains a guide to Gaelic pronunciation, maps and suggestions for further reading in this fascinating subject.