Editing Gigha (section)

== Etymology ==
<!-- Infobox template for pronunciation-->
{| class="collapsible infobox collapsed"  style="width:280px; font-size:90%;"
|-
! colspan="2" style="background:#efefef;"|Pronunciation
|- style="vertical-align: top;"
|style="width: 40%;"|
! colspan="2" style="background:#efefef;"|
|-
|[[Scots Gaelic]]:|| An Dubh Sgeir
|-
|Pronunciation:||{{IPA|gd|ən̪ˠ ˈt̪us̪kʲeɾʲ||andubhsgeir.ogg}}
|-
! colspan="2" style="background:#efefef;"|
|-
|[[Scots Gaelic]]:|| Buaidh no Bàs
|-
|Pronunciation:||{{IPA|gd|puəj nɔ paːs̪̪̪||buaidhnobas.ogg}}
|-
! colspan="2" style="background:#efefef;"|
|-
|[[Scots Gaelic]]:|| Cnoc Haco
|-
|Pronunciation:||{{IPA|gd|kɾɔ̃xk haxkɔ||cnochaco.ogg}}
|-
! colspan="2" style="background:#efefef;"|
|-
|[[Scots Gaelic]]:|| Creag Bhàn
|-
|Pronunciation:||{{IPA|gd|kʰrʲek vaːn||creagbhan.ogg}}
|-
! colspan="2" style="background:#efefef;"|
|-
|[[Scots Gaelic]]:|| Creideas Dòchas is Carthannas
|-
|Pronunciation:||{{IPA|gd|ˈkʰɾʲetʲəs̪ ˈt̪ɔːxəs̪ ɪs̪ ˈkʰaɾən̪ˠəs̪̪̪||creideasdochasiscarthannas.ogg}}
|-
! colspan="2" style="background:#efefef;"|
|-
|[[Scots Gaelic]]:|| gamhainn
|-
|Pronunciation:||{{IPA|gd|ˈkãvəɲ||gamhainn.ogg}}
|-
! colspan="2" style="background:#efefef;"|
|-
|[[Scots Gaelic]]:|| Gamhna Gioghach
|-
|Pronunciation:||{{IPA|gd|ˈkãũnə ˈkʲi.əx||gamhnagioghach.ogg}}
|-
! colspan="2" style="background:#efefef;"|
|-
|[[Scots Gaelic]]:|| geodha
|-
|Pronunciation:||{{IPA|gd|ˈkʲɔ.ə||geodha.ogg}}
|-
! colspan="2" style="background:#efefef;"|
|-
|[[Scots Gaelic]]:|| Gioghach
|-
|Pronunciation:||{{IPA|gd|ˈkʲi.əx||gioghach.ogg}}
|}
The [[Hebrides]] have been occupied by the speakers of at least four languages since the [[Iron Age]], and many of the names of these islands have more than one possible meaning as a result. 
Many modern authorities hold that the name "Gigha" is probably derived either from the Norse ''Guðey'' or from ''Gud-øy'', meaning either "good island" or "God island".<ref name=MacanT2/><ref name=HSmith/><ref name= Murray>Murray (1977) pp. 115–16.</ref><ref>Czerkawaska (2006) pp. 35–36.</ref> The Norse historical text ''[[Hákonar saga Hákonarsonar]]'' explicitly calls the island ''Guðey''.<ref name=HSH/>

Despite this, Keay and Keay (1994) and Haswell-Smith (2004) suggest the Gaelic name is derived instead from ''Gjáey'', meaning "island of the [[Geo (landscape)|geo]]" or "cleft".<ref name=HSmith/><ref name=Keay>Keay & Keay (1994) p. 423.</ref> However, Norse ''gjá'' normally shows up in Gaelic in the form of ''geodha''. Czerkawaska (2006) also notes that the isle is called "Gug" in a charter of 1309 and also appears as "Gega" on some old maps and speculates that a possible pre-Norse derivation is from the Gaelic ''[[Sheela na Gig]]'', a female fertility symbol.<ref>Czerkawaska (2006) pp. 35–37. This author accepts that the  possibility of a connection with ''Sheela na Gig'' is "a remote and contentious one!" and also suggests "island of the good harbour" rather than simply "good island".</ref> Haswell-Smith (2004) also offers the possibility of ''Gydha's isle'' after the Norse female name.<ref name=HSmith/>

A Gigha resident is a ''Gioghach'', also nicknamed a ''gamhainn'' ("stirk").<ref name=MacanT2/> Although the most widespread pronunciation of the Gaelic name ''Giogha'' is {{IPA|gd|kʲi.ə|}}, the Southern dialects preserve the [[fricative]]: {{IPA|gd|kʲiɣa|}} in [[Kintyre]]<ref>Holmer, N. ''The Gaelic of Kintyre'' Dublin Institute for Advanced Studies, Dublin 1962, p.7</ref> and {{IPA|gd|kʲɯɣɑ|}} in [[Argyllshire]].<ref>Holmer, N. ''Studies on Argyllshire Gaelic'' K. Humnistiska Vetenskaps, Uppsala 1938, p.175</ref>