IT'S enough to provoke the most conservative and devout denizens of the Western Isles to pen a mournful lament.
Gaelic has been "blinged up" and given a trendy 21st-century makeover.
A range of new expressions has been created to introduce the latest streetwise terms into the ancient language.
It is hoped that introducing new Gaelic words for thongs, pie
rcings, skinny jeans, high heels and rock stars will help to popularise the language with the Bebo generation.
The introduction of the new phrases is part of a £250,000 Government-funded project which revolves around the creation of a social-networking site for young Gaels and those looking to learn the language.
Those behind the scheme are determined to shrug off the stereotype that Gaelic is spoken only by ageing crofters and show it is a modern and vibrant tongue.
In a move that will surely provoke grumbling from certain sections of the Wee Free Kirk, posters for Mygaelic.com feature pictures of a "Drathais Iallach", or thong, riding up above a young woman's jeans, as well as a shapely female with a "Tolladh", or piercing, in her exposed navel.
It also reveals that "Sàilean Àrda" are high heels, "Dinichean Teann" are skinny jeans, tattoo is "Wuss" and a new hairdo is "Staidhle Ùr".
Another of the publicly funded adverts focuses on celebrity lifestyles and pictures a "Rionnag PopPop," or rock star, reclining on a "Leabaidh-ghrèine," or sunbed, near their lavish villa, or "Taigh Mòr".
With shinty being the traditional sport of the Gaels, footballing terms have also only recently been agreed. The new additions include "Cluicheadair" for player, "Spot Peanais" for penalty spot, and "Neach-gleidhidh", which means goalkeeper.
Mygaelic.com spokesman Hugh Dan MacLennan hoped the new words would soon become an established part of everyday language.
He said: "Part of the role of the website is to help develop new vocabulary. One stereotype that we are particularly keen to challenge is the idea that Gaelic is a language of the past.
"The reality is that it is a modern, constantly evolving language. Our hope is that these phrases will be adopted by the younger generation who log on to the site."
MacLennan also called on broadcasters to help usher in the new Celtic linguistic revolution. "People won't use these words if they don't know they exist," he said.
"What we would like is for organisations like the BBC and others to adopt the phrases.
"Once people hear them being used on the TV and the radio they will pick them up and start using them as second nature."
The spokesman for the site, which is similar to Facebook, Bebo and Myspace, said the task of coining new words and phrases was not an arduous one.
"Some of the terminology has just been created, but in most cases there you can resurrect and adapt existing phrases which may have fallen out of use. In many cases it is a case of using traditional vocabulary, but giving it a bit of a modern-day twist."
MacLennan recently helped devise an agreed list of soccer terminology which came into use after the new Gaelic digital channel BBC Alba won the rights to show coverage of Scottish Premier League games.
He said: "Actually, rugby was more difficult for getting expressions like fly-half. Eventually we found an older Gaelic word for a link on a chain, which we felt described the position very well."
The Gaelic social networking site, which was launched last week, has been in production for the past two years. It allows Gaelic-speaking people from all over the world to connect with each other and also acts as an information site for people who want to learn the language.
Rosemary Ward of Bord na Gaidhlig, the Government body responsible for Scotland's 60,000 Gaelic speakers, said: "You can set up your own social networking profile, have a group of friends, send messages and add comments.
"It's the year of Homecoming Scotland and we thought it would be the perfect time to start pushing the language more.
"Many people will have Gaelic connections, but they won't know about it."
The site has already signed up more than 400 users, but it is not yet known how many have declared it "Drathais", or "pants".
