The organisation behind plans to set up a Gaelic digital television channel has said it is encouraged by the latest study into its potential audience.
In a survey of 1,001 people across Scotland, conducted for the Gaelic Media Service (GMS), 5% said they spoke the language well.
A further 7% said they knew a few words, while almost half said they would tune into a Gaelic channel.
A study into how to promote the Scots language is also to be carried out.
The proposed Gaelic broadcasting service is being run in partnership between GMS and BBC Scotland.
"Our national languages have been suppressed and oppressed over the centuries but they should be as valued as any other language spoken in the world"
It hopes to begin broadcasting across radio, online and Freeview digital television at an annual cost of £24.8m, but the BBC Trust has withheld final approval of the plans until more evidence of its wider appeal has been demonstrated.
The trust also said further evidence of educational benefits must be shown. The GMS survey found that 46% of people asked were interested in Gaelic culture and 19% said they would like to learn more about Gaelic.
Welcoming the research findings, Donald Campbell, chief executive of GMS, said: "These figures show that we are pursuing the right strategy by targeting a Scotland-wide audience for the Gaelic Digital Service.
"It is extremely encouraging to see that so many people have a connection with Gaelic."
'Secure future'
Culture Minister Linda Fabiani said: "I believe it is important that we continue to strengthen the status of Gaelic and to promote Gaelic learning at all levels. Our aim is to create a secure future for Gaelic in Scotland and the Gaelic Digital Service will certainly advance this."
Ms Fabiani said the Scottish Government is also to undertake a study of current Scots language provision to see how the profile and use of the language may be increased.
She added: "Scots is part of our identity and our heritage as a nation. We must encourage confidence in the use of Scots in all its forms and create opportunities for it to thrive.
"Our national languages have been suppressed and oppressed over the centuries but they should be as valued as any other language spoken in the world."
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