Dear Listers: In researching my MACDUFFIE/MCPHEE extended family emigration from Islay to the Owen Sound district just before and after 1850, I have found little direct information on the process of changing the language they used from Gaelic to English. Apparently, the 1891 Scotland Census was the first to ask questions on Gaelic usage: over 70% spoke Gaelic and English; 16% Gaelic only, so I assume my family spoke Gaelic while they were in Islay. In Ontario, the 1881 Census asked similar questions, but my question has to do with the earlier period, just after the mid-century. I assume that the change to English took place over time and generations in Canada, as the children were exposed to English in school and the community. I know some churches had Gaelic services. But I would be interested if anyone is aware of systematic/scholarly studies or even anecdotal examples from their own families of the way in which this change took place. There is such information on the experience of immigrants to the US in the 19th c. and I assume it must exist for Canada as well. I find it fascinating that we now attempt to describe in English the lives of those who largely expressed themselves and understood thier own identity and world in Gaelic. Any information and comment would be most welcome. Donald MacPhee [email protected]