Accent: What speech sounds like in a certain area. i.e. English in England vs English in Canada.
Alba Nuadh: Nova Scotia
Bàrd: Someone who composes poems/songs.
Britain: A group of countries including England, Scotland, Northern Ireland and Wales.
Ceap Breatainn: Cape Breton
Céilidh: A visit. Nowadays, it is often taken to mean a performance. Perhaps this is because songs and stories would often be shared on visits.
Celtic: Refers to the family of languages, including Gaelic, that are similar to each other.
Custom: An activity that was carried out at a certain time, regularly. For example, a custom for many Canadians is to decorate a tree at Christmastime.
Dialect: Words and a certain kind of pronunciation that is associated with a certain region. For example, in England people say "loo" for bathroom and "trousers" for pants.
Fianna: An ancient band of warriors in 1st century Ireland.
Fiddle: Another word for a violin
Folk: To do with a culture or people. i.e. Folk beliefs
Frolic: A work party. Community members gather to share all of their work. Singing is often involved.
Gael: A speaker of Gaelic. Someone who participates in and understands Gaelic culture.
Gaelic: In Nova Scotia, this usually refers to Scottish Gaelic. A Celtic language that is still spoken in Scotland today. Irish Gaelic is often just called "Irish" or referred to as "Gaelic" in Scotland, where Scottish Gaelic is referred to as "Gàidhlig".
Gàidhealtachd: The region in Scotland that was traditionally Gaelic-speaking.
Giseagan: Superstitions
Kinship: Family relations but also regional groups sharing a similar culture, language and beliefs.
Milling: Pre-shrinking and softening freshly woven cloth.
Naidheachdan: News. Short stories that are often about real characters.
Òrain: Songs
Oral: The way stories, information or songs are passed from person to person just by hearing them rather than reading them.
Puirt-a-Beul: Mouth music. Little songs based on tunes that would usually be played on instruments.
The Old Country: Scotland. Nova Scotia Gaels rarely say "Alba" (Scotland) when referring to Scotland. Instead they simply refer to it as "An t-Seann Dùthaich" - "the Old Country"
The "Rear": Backlands, away from the earlier settlements along the coast.
Rent: Money paid to someone so that you can live in a certain place.
Rural: Concerning the countryside and small villages.
Seanchaidh: A tradition-bearer. Someone who has excellent knowledge of history, stories and family relations and is willing to share this knowledge with others.
Sgeulachd: A tale that involves magic and magical creatures. They can also be very ancient.
Sloinneadh: A way of naming people so that you list who their parents and grandparents are. These names can also include people's jobs and appearances: Red-Haired Malcolm the Carpenter.
Tenant: Someone who pays rent to live on and work a piece of land.
Urban: Concerning cities and towns.