Scottish Gaelic

Scottish Gaelic Jenna Dietl

"Gaelic is said to be a dead or dying language, pointless, primitive, unpronounceable, its speakers inward-looking, backward-looking, demanding special treatment. From the standpoint of minority rights, the context of these attacks is crucial."

Majority/Minority Languages in Scotland

English
Scots
Scottish Gaelic

“It’s all to do with identity..”

Demographics

The 2011 Scottish census stated 57,375 people speak Gaelic. From the 2000 to 2011 census the number dropped by 1,000 people.That is 1% of the population.
Only 32,400 could read and write.
Scottish Gaelic is not considered an official language of the Untied Kingdom but rather is considered a Indigenous language.

"With 18 letters in its alphabet, no direct equivalent for ‘no’ or ‘yes’ and five syllables needed to say ‘please’, it is very different from English."

Historical and Social Factors

The establishment of Scots which combines multiple languages together became the official language.
Furthermore, in the modern era Gaelic has not been taught in schools.
There is also a prejudice embedded within Scottish culture.

This is what Gaelic sounds like!

Possible Consequences

Ever since the 1970s students in school have been punished for speaking Gaelic in class.
Overall loss of culture that is associated with language.
Power imblances persist through language erasure.

"One of the biggest factors to blame for killing off minority languages is a thriving economy"

Counter Movements to Language Death

The Scottish government funds the Scottish Gaelic community.
In 2005 Scotland passed a law that stated Gaelic as one of the main languages and that caused a shift for countries to send their kids to learn Gaelic.

References

Did you know Scottish gaelic is threatened? Endangered Languages. (n.d.). Retrieved December 8, 2021, from https://www.endangeredlanguages.com/lang/3049.

Kavanagh, P., By, -, & Administrator. (2011, February 4). A history of Scottish languages - part 10. Newsnet.scot. Retrieved December 8, 2021, from https://newsnet.scot/archive/a-history-of-scottish-languages/.

McLeod, W. (2021, August 17). Anti-gaelic rejectionism and minority rights in Scotland. RACE.ED. Retrieved December 8, 2021, from https://www.race.ed.ac.uk/anti-gaelic-rejectionism-and-minority-rights-in-scotland/.

Morrison , L. (2018, August 1). Can £27m a year bring a language back from near death? BBC Worklife. Retrieved December 8, 2021, from https://www.bbc.com/worklife/article/20180731-can-27m-a-year-bring-a-language-back-from-near-death.

Wikimedia Foundation. (2021, December 6). Scottish gaelic. Wikipedia. Retrieved December 8, 2021, from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scottish_Gaelic#.

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