Tuesday, 21 February 2012 17:38
24 Comments
Dr William Lamb, of the School of Celtic and Scottish Studies of Edinburgh University has warned that Gaelic dialects are in danger of disappearing.
Previously, in the 1950s, over 200 dialects of Gaelic were spoken but Dr Lamb believes only the Lewis and South Uist versions are currently strong enough to survive within their communities, and even those are under threat from a broader more general form of Gaelic dubbed "mid-Minch Gaelic" which is used by broadcasters and learned by children in schools.
Dr Lamb says schools are having a major impact on how Gaelic is and fears the rather indistinct "mid-Minch Gaelic" is invading and homogenising the various dialects of Gaelic to the point that there will be no more local dialects, leaving a less varied, less rich landscape of language.
The academic said: "Mid-Minch Gaelic is similar to the Queen's English in that it dulls distinctive dialectal features to increase comprehension and it is used in schools by teachers and by broadcasters. You cannot identify exactly where the mid-Minch speaker is from."
According to Dr Lamb’s research, in Gaelic medium units throughout Scotland including the Western Isles - 21% of teachers use the non-dialectal "mid-Minch Gaelic"; 25% spoke the Lewis dialect; 17.5% spoke Gaelic from South Uist; 9% of Scotland's Gaelic-medium teachers spoke Skye Gaelic, while 8% spoke North Uist and 7% spoke Barra.
Dr Lamb cited an example of this homogenising of Gaelic using a girl with Harris parents in a mainland Gaelic school with a Lewis teacher: "When in Lewis they said she sounds like she's from Harris and when she's in Harris, they say she sounds like she's from Lewis."
He explained: "Much of this is due to an increase in co-mingling within communities. A hundred years ago, people rarely left the islands and the communities were tight and cohesive. Now with more intermarrying and the influx of so-called 'White Settlers', it's become a much more complex situation."
However, Dr Lamb acknowledges that the Gaelic-medium schools can also be the language's saviour and said: "We are dependent on schools today because Gaelic is so weak in the community."
But he added: "I think it is important to have this debate right now about how we keep the language strong in its native communities."
Comments
#
2012-02-21 21:39
I started learning Gaelic around forty years ago and it was all Argyll Gaelic that I was taught. I gave it up for around twenty years and came back to it around five years ago. I've notice that there are very few Argyll accents nowadays and I can honestly say that's a great pity as the Gaelic dialect from Argyll was much purer, clearer and easier to understand than what is being taught now. But I guess that's just the way it is. It's pretty much the same with the Scots tung.
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2012-02-22 00:12
I completely agree. I've learned my Gaelic and it's a mainland Argyll dialect I have, from Cowal to be specific.
There are a few of us fighting to keep the dialects of mainland Argyll alive. Griogair Labhruidh, the singer and piper has mastered a beautiful Ballachulish dialect, using both the few remaining native speakers and old recordings of his relatives as a source. Paddy MacNicol has beautiful Lios Mòr/Port na h-Appin Gaelic.
My own Cowal Gaelic, I have been fortunate enough to learn from the brilliant Àdhamh Ó Broin. Àdhamh almost single handedly revived the dialect of Cowal and Mid-Argyll. Myself and three others are also at various stages of acquiring the language. Not to mention Àdhamh's own family who all speak fluent Cowal Gaelic.
There are a few of us fighting to keep the dialects of mainland Argyll alive. Griogair Labhruidh, the singer and piper has mastered a beautiful Ballachulish dialect, using both the few remaining native speakers and old recordings of his relatives as a source. Paddy MacNicol has beautiful Lios Mòr/Port na h-Appin Gaelic.
My own Cowal Gaelic, I have been fortunate enough to learn from the brilliant Àdhamh Ó Broin. Àdhamh almost single handedly revived the dialect of Cowal and Mid-Argyll. Myself and three others are also at various stages of acquiring the language. Not to mention Àdhamh's own family who all speak fluent Cowal Gaelic.
#
2012-02-21 21:59
The last remaining Gaelic speakers of the Eastern Highlands died in the late 1980s?
A woman from Strathdon (Grampian Region) and a man from Kirkmichael (Tayside)
I knew people that knew both, but sadly there is no written language left from both of them, as far as I am aware?
Does anyone know about either of them? I heard the woman from Strathdon was knicknamed Black Jeanie, think that was because of the lack of modern washing facilities in her house!
A woman from Strathdon (Grampian Region) and a man from Kirkmichael (Tayside)
I knew people that knew both, but sadly there is no written language left from both of them, as far as I am aware?
Does anyone know about either of them? I heard the woman from Strathdon was knicknamed Black Jeanie, think that was because of the lack of modern washing facilities in her house!
#
2012-02-21 22:24
Don't know about the individuals you mention, but the last speakers of Arran Gaelic died in the 1990s. Thankfully Arran Gaelic was well recorded in the 1930s, and a major linguistic description was published in the 1950s. Further information was recorded from the last handful of speakers in the early 60s.
A good survey of number of speakers and the distribution of Gaelic dialects is available here:
www.linguae-celticae.org/.../
A good survey of number of speakers and the distribution of Gaelic dialects is available here:
www.linguae-celticae.org/.../
#
2012-02-21 23:19
Thanks for that. First detailds study I've seen on Black isle Gaelic. In our family, it died out with my Granny in the 70s.
#
2012-02-22 00:12
My family were originally Arran Gaelic speakers, but unfortunately it died out in the family a couple of generations before me. Good to hear it was recorded though.
#
2012-02-21 23:09
'S fheàrr Gàidhlig briste na Gàidhlig sa chiste.
Use it or lose it, whatever the dialect. But it would be shame if the mother tongue of the Scots was to disappear and independence on the way.
Use it or lose it, whatever the dialect. But it would be shame if the mother tongue of the Scots was to disappear and independence on the way.
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2012-02-21 23:21
I can't speak Gaelic, very much regretted.:(
However, I am one, of thousands, who would dearly love to learn my "mother" tongue. I am disgusted that throughout my formative years I was denied the right to learn Gaelic. Now we have a Scottish government who have the courage of their convictions to recognise that Gaelic needs to be "protected". Unfortunately this will not happen overnight but, given time, I'm sure the Gaelic language will grow and continue to survive.
However, I am one, of thousands, who would dearly love to learn my "mother" tongue. I am disgusted that throughout my formative years I was denied the right to learn Gaelic. Now we have a Scottish government who have the courage of their convictions to recognise that Gaelic needs to be "protected". Unfortunately this will not happen overnight but, given time, I'm sure the Gaelic language will grow and continue to survive.
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2012-02-26 11:08
Gaelic needs to be "lived" not protected, the Scottish government have not considered the psycholinguisti cs in how we reference, having taken their descriptors from the imperialist cannon without question. In such contexts; protection, preservation, reservation, heritage and conservation all negatively describe realities that are still lived, it assumes a negative stance. Living, revival, reinstating, rebuilding, engaging, etc,etc, are far stronger positive descriptors that are more accurate with elements of our culture that need bolstered.
#
2012-02-22 09:44
Giving you my support as a professional native speaker of another Celtic language, still endangered 50 years after the seminal talk by Saunders Lewis on "Tynged yr Iaith" (The Fate of the [Welsh] Language).
In unity,
In unity,
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2012-02-22 12:56
Any loss in linguistic diversity is a shame, of course, but surely this is a story of the success of Gaelic-language broadcasting and education. As a speaker of Scotland's other mother tongue - Scots - our problem is we don't have a strong well-funded standard like Gaelic. There is too much focus on dialectical variants at the cost of maintaining and developing the core language.
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2012-02-22 16:16
I agree Clive.
It's unfortunate but probably inevitable that attempts to develop the base of gaelic speakers by the state will produce homogenisation.
It's unfortunate but probably inevitable that attempts to develop the base of gaelic speakers by the state will produce homogenisation.
#
2012-02-22 14:11
Clive, I think that the British government has always done its best to marginalise, if not destroy Gaelic.
It went thru several periods of being banned, aswell as the clearances which were a lot more than just agricultucral improvements. We see some Gaelic on the Telly, but mostly, especially music, it is on late at night, when everyone is mostly in bed.
Gaelic at one time was talked all over Scotland, as for Scots, I m not sure about, but if you look up Paul Kavanaghs history of the Scottish languages on the NNS, you will see when Scots started to creep into Scotland.
It went thru several periods of being banned, aswell as the clearances which were a lot more than just agricultucral improvements. We see some Gaelic on the Telly, but mostly, especially music, it is on late at night, when everyone is mostly in bed.
Gaelic at one time was talked all over Scotland, as for Scots, I m not sure about, but if you look up Paul Kavanaghs history of the Scottish languages on the NNS, you will see when Scots started to creep into Scotland.
#
2012-02-22 21:00
Certainly without question, this happened all over these islands too, from Cornwall to Northumbria, from the Highlands to Ireland. People and their languages and way of life were beaten out of them at the point of a bayonet and the masters cane.
#
2012-02-22 17:34
It's an unfortunate situation where keeping Gaelic around (and hopefully reversing its decline) will probably need to involve some sort of media diffusion or another. But at the same time, media diffusion will probably involve some degree of standardisation .
In any case, I believe that Mid-Minch Gaelic is not as bad as the "Queen's English" because Mid-Minch Gaelic does indeed dull distinctive dialectal features, unlike the "Queen's English" which emphasises aspects of English specific to the upper classes in the Southeast of England.
In any case, I believe that Mid-Minch Gaelic is not as bad as the "Queen's English" because Mid-Minch Gaelic does indeed dull distinctive dialectal features, unlike the "Queen's English" which emphasises aspects of English specific to the upper classes in the Southeast of England.
#
2012-02-23 12:17
as a non gaelic speeker, i would dearly love to learn, and haveing 21 month old twins i would really want them to grow up speeking and learning gaelic in school.
to help restore our language we need more schools who will teach kids it and more media storys and programs in gaelic, the goverment will need to spend a lot of cash on this to reverse the decline but sadly post indy i think there will be more pressing prioritys
to help restore our language we need more schools who will teach kids it and more media storys and programs in gaelic, the goverment will need to spend a lot of cash on this to reverse the decline but sadly post indy i think there will be more pressing prioritys
#
2012-02-24 15:21
I fail to acknowledge that Gaelic is the national language of Scotland - as far as I'm concerned Scots is our national language.
I'm from the North East of Scotland where Gaelic is very uncommon and the majority fail to regard it as their national language. Gaelic was merely an Irish import in the West of Scotland.
I'm from the North East of Scotland where Gaelic is very uncommon and the majority fail to regard it as their national language. Gaelic was merely an Irish import in the West of Scotland.
#
2012-02-24 16:47
Quoting MacGregor:
What a lot of crap. Links to Gaelic in the North East are stronger and closer than you make out. A simple examination of placenames shows this to be the case along with items such as the Book of Deer. Speaking of Gaelic was well known in Deeside to boot, google it. Just because you do not care to acknowledge it doesn't mean it is not true.
By the way if you consider Gaelic as an import why do you go by the name of MacGregor? Seems a bit ironic to me.
Gaelic was merely an Irish import in the West of Scotland.
What a lot of crap. Links to Gaelic in the North East are stronger and closer than you make out. A simple examination of placenames shows this to be the case along with items such as the Book of Deer. Speaking of Gaelic was well known in Deeside to boot, google it. Just because you do not care to acknowledge it doesn't mean it is not true.
By the way if you consider Gaelic as an import why do you go by the name of MacGregor? Seems a bit ironic to me.
#
2012-02-24 20:55
I find it much more accurate and inclusive to say that both Gaelic and Scots are Scotland's national languages and both need greater attention.
Gaelic was in fact spoken by the majority of Scots in almost every part of the country (excluding only the Lothian and Borders speaking Anglo-Saxon and Argyll speaking Cumbric (related to Welsh)) for several centuries (843-1124 roughly). It was after that that Scots became the main language in towns and cities in the Lowlands, and later spread to the surrounding areas. And it wasn't til about 1400 that there were more Scots-speakers than Gaelic-speakers.
Gaelic was in fact spoken by the majority of Scots in almost every part of the country (excluding only the Lothian and Borders speaking Anglo-Saxon and Argyll speaking Cumbric (related to Welsh)) for several centuries (843-1124 roughly). It was after that that Scots became the main language in towns and cities in the Lowlands, and later spread to the surrounding areas. And it wasn't til about 1400 that there were more Scots-speakers than Gaelic-speakers.
#
2012-02-26 11:18
Perhaps you can explain why place names in Gaelic extend all the way From Shetland down to Newcastle and Manchester?
Broad Scots is derived from old German, it is in fact Anglesque -English-/ Teutonic and is the new comer to these islands in relative terms, granted it has been exposed to Norse grammar, Flemmish and French additions, it has Scoticised Gaelic and has Brythonic Scotticisations in significant proportions.
Hugh Mac Diarmid in attempting the revitalising of Broad Scots as a way to raise awareness of our mother tongue Gaelic,was successful, however this was unintentionally at the expense of Gaelic, how ironic.
Irish and Scots are the same people and culture, you could say the stanchions of Scots is the ancient Brythonic Pictish and Irish come together, now put that in your pipe and smoke it whilst thinking Cymraic (Welsh)- Brythonic
Broad Scots is derived from old German, it is in fact Anglesque -English-/ Teutonic and is the new comer to these islands in relative terms, granted it has been exposed to Norse grammar, Flemmish and French additions, it has Scoticised Gaelic and has Brythonic Scotticisations in significant proportions.
Hugh Mac Diarmid in attempting the revitalising of Broad Scots as a way to raise awareness of our mother tongue Gaelic,was successful, however this was unintentionally at the expense of Gaelic, how ironic.
Irish and Scots are the same people and culture, you could say the stanchions of Scots is the ancient Brythonic Pictish and Irish come together, now put that in your pipe and smoke it whilst thinking Cymraic (Welsh)- Brythonic
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2012-02-27 02:44
As a fluent speaker of both Scots as well as Gaelic I would say with complete conviction that that statement is complete crap.
I fail to see how either Scots or Gaelic can be seen as anything other than the national languages of Scotland. Both should be held in equal esteem.
You say this as someone from the North East where Gaelic is very uncommon, but conversely the same arguement could be made about Scots by someone from the Western Isles. This point would be equally redundant.
Gaelic is no more an Irish import than Scots is of the Angles. As to your point on being a West of Scotland language, I would refute this completely. Gaelic is in fact the only language that was spoken throughout the whole country. I am aware of the linguistic history of the Lothians and Borders but research evidence leads us to believe that Gaelic was used there very much as a lingua-franca, even though it was very much the cradle of the Scots language.
I truly fail to see how one can be seen to have a better claim to the status of national language than the other.
It pains me when I hear speakers of Scots pouring scourn on Gaelic and vice versa. We should be working together and learning from each other instead of looking at one another with resentfulness.
This is how divide and conquer ultimately triumphs
I fail to see how either Scots or Gaelic can be seen as anything other than the national languages of Scotland. Both should be held in equal esteem.
You say this as someone from the North East where Gaelic is very uncommon, but conversely the same arguement could be made about Scots by someone from the Western Isles. This point would be equally redundant.
Gaelic is no more an Irish import than Scots is of the Angles. As to your point on being a West of Scotland language, I would refute this completely. Gaelic is in fact the only language that was spoken throughout the whole country. I am aware of the linguistic history of the Lothians and Borders but research evidence leads us to believe that Gaelic was used there very much as a lingua-franca, even though it was very much the cradle of the Scots language.
I truly fail to see how one can be seen to have a better claim to the status of national language than the other.
It pains me when I hear speakers of Scots pouring scourn on Gaelic and vice versa. We should be working together and learning from each other instead of looking at one another with resentfulness.
This is how divide and conquer ultimately triumphs
#
2012-02-27 16:58
You are from the West Coast of Scotland which is where the Gaels settled when they arrived in Scotland - therefore it's not surprise that you would disagree with me.
In the North, we speak with a Doric tongue and have no links with the Gaels or their language, however you are correct when you state that certain towns and rivers have Gaelic names, but that does not necessarily reflect the people and their relation with Gaelic.
In the North, we speak with a Doric tongue and have no links with the Gaels or their language, however you are correct when you state that certain towns and rivers have Gaelic names, but that does not necessarily reflect the people and their relation with Gaelic.
#
2012-02-26 11:21
I find the recent BBC-ification of Gaelic particularly noticeable on the news; appalling. Our language simply does not (in any dialect) sound like that.
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