The status of the Gaelic language, and efforts to popularise it, have been widely discussed on our Letters Pages down the years.
Today one of our readers fires a broadside at one aspect of its promotion: bilingual road signs.
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Douglas Cowe of Newmachar writes: "I have just spent a very pleasant few days in Inverness-shire and Ross-shire. What astonished me is the nonsense, expense and danger of having Gaelic on road signs. My concern is for visitors to the Highlands, especially foreign visitors who would find this completely confusing and highly dangerous.
"I knew roughly where I was going but when having to read road signs was thrown by Gaelic taking preference over English: it necessitates slowing down and taking time to decipher where to go.
"Who are these signs for? Locals who are Gaelic speakers, who I am sure are few and far between, would not need road signs as they know where they are going.
"Road signs are for visitors and Gaelic inclusion is completely unnecessary. This is purely political point-scoring, no other reason and another complete waste of money by this spendthrift nationalist regime.
My advice to Highland Council: abandon dangerous Gaelic on road signs, they must cause accidents."
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