Who will come out on top on the Caithness Gaelic signposts?

[Níall Beag]

Tha Gallaibh 's Cataibh ann an Alba a tuath. Bidh Alba na ear-thuath a' ciallachadh Obair-Dheathain, Ceann Phadraig 's mar sin.

[akerbeltz]

Tha fhios agam ach daoine an taobh sin a' cumail a-mach gu tric cuideachd nach eil buinteanas aca ris na Gàidheal. Beagan off topic, tha 's a'm

[Seonaidh]

Oh dear me, Acker - cha robh mi a' creidsinn gur ann Lochlannaich a tha muinntir an E-Th a' creidsinn a tha iad ach Cruithnich. An ann Gàidhlig a tha bun an fhacail "Aberdeen/Obar Dheathain"?

'S dòcha gu bheil sinnsearachd Innseanach aig 20% de mhuinntir an t-E.S. - dè ma dheidhinn? Chan e gach duine a bhruidhinn cànan a shinnsearan.

[akerbeltz]

Ò cha robh mi fàgail air duine sam bith air an fhòram seo gu bheil iad a' diùltadh eachdradh Ghàidhlig an Ear-thuath. Dìreach duine aineolach no dhà a nochdas a cheann sna pàipearan ann bho àm gu àm ag argamaid nach eil dualchas Gàidhlig san sgìre

[Níall Beag]

Oh dear me, Acker - cha robh mi a' creidsinn gur ann Lochlannaich a tha muinntir an E-Th a' creidsinn a tha iad ach Cruithnich. An ann Gàidhlig a tha bun an fhacail "Aberdeen/Obar Dheathain"?

'S docha.

It's easy to look at the current written form of the name and identify it with the Brythonic "Aber" rather than the Gaelic "Obar":

A) The Anglo-Saxon orthographers who first rendered the name into English may have been influenced by existing Cumbric and Welsh placenames and "regularised" Aberdeen to match them.

B) The Dutch single A closely approximates the Gaelic O, whereas the double A (AA) approximates the Gaelic A. There is significant evidence to suggest that this was mirrored in the Scottish accent. Notice for one thing that "Blàr" as in "Blàir Athaill" and "Blàr Drumainn" was anglicised to "AI", not to "A", and that Burns rhymes the Scots "thairm" with the English "arm". And I've heard people from that part of the world say "Obberdeen" anyway.