Speak Gaelic learning initiative will launch in September It is a language which researchers say is in danger of dying out by the end of the decade unless urgent action is taken for Gaelic to avert a crisis. In a study by academics at the University of the Highlands and Islands (UHI) and Soillse, a multi-institutional research collaboration, 18 per cent of 16 to 18-year-olds on the Western Isles said both their parents are fluent in Gaelic, just 5.1% said they always or mainly speak the language at home. And from last year pupils starting school in the Western Isles will automatically be taught in Gaelic. The Gaelic First policy was introduced by the islands council to help boost use of the language and give children the benefits of being bilingual.