As the national advisory partnership for Gaelic place-names in Scotland AÀA follow a set of guidelines whilst conducting place-name research. These guidelines are designed to ensure that the Gaelic forms of place-names are determined in a coordinated manner to a national standard, thus strengthening their impact on Gaelic development and usage, and minimising the time and uncertainty for those implementing policies involving Gaelic place-names.
It is also intended to give the place-name forms credibility with Gaelic users and non-users alike and to facilitate popular use.
AÀA’s new Gaelic Place-name Policy was launched in November 2019 alongside a list of recommended spellings for common words used in place-names and signage and a list of recommended terms as guidance in forming new Gaelic names where appropriate, such as street names.
The current Gaelic Orthographic Conventions (2009) also play an important role in AÀA policies. You can download a copy from the Scottish Qualifications Authority (SQA) website.
