Quote Originally Posted by EdinSteve View Post
Your story reflects many experiences I have with people from the highlands and islands moving south for work. Economic forces made many to head towards the central belt of Scotland where jobs and money were to be found. Similar social movements can be found across Britain such as people moving to Wales for work in coal mining. It has always been thus and there are no doubt similar examples everywhere.
As for a Gaelic speaker becoming fluent in Welsh, I have some doubts. Welsh, in common with Latin, pronounces every letter in a word whereas Gaelic is quite different with so many letters silent. There is certainly connections such as “aber” where Abertawe in Wales corresonds to Aberdeen in Scotland. Other coincidences are words such as “gareg” meaning rock in Welsh and “ Carrick” in Scotland but these are probably more related to the Brythonic peoples inhabiting these areas.
The Aber prefix is definitrly Brythonnic, and the Gaelic Inver is thecequivalent. I remember reading somewhere a long time ago that there was actually a place with an Aber prefix that changed to the Inver prefix within dovumentable history, but I can't remember where I read it or the specifics.