Some things you should know about Gaelic
This is a follow-on from remarks made about Gaelic on Facebook recently. My hope is to clarify a little bit the place of Gaelic in Scottish culture and education.
1 Scottish Gaelic is one of a group of European languages often referred to as Celtic languages: Irish Gaelic, Welsh, Breton, Scottish Gaelic, Galician, Asturian, Manx, and Cornish (in revival). The Celts were not a single group but a number of groups of craftspeople valued for their skills in metalwork. They were especially valued because of their skill in making weapons. Their wares have been found all over Europe, as well as among grave goods in China and on the Silk Road.
2 The Celtic languages and cultures share some similarities even now.
3 The Scottish Education Act of 1872 made English the only language of Scottish education. Gaelic and Scots were not 'banned' but teachers were expected to teach through English in the classroom and parents soon realised that the way for their children to get on was to speak English.
4 Gaelic in Scotland was to an extent protected by an An Comunn Gàidhealach,which was set up to encourage Gaelic in 1891 and to this day promotes the Mod, the Gaelic cultural festival, showcasing poetry, drama, choral singing and original music. .
5 The Gaelic language declined right through the 19th and into the 20th century despite regular attempts to revive it.
6 The latest Gaelic revival started in the 1970s and was community-led: parents and community groups led the demand for more money and more respect for the place of Gaelic in the community. In 1985, a small group of councils agreed, under pressure from parents and Gaelic activists, to open classes in primary schools which offered education through the medium of Gaelic (GME). There were 25 children enrolled the first year.
7 14 councils (out of 32) now offer GME: Glasgow, Edinburgh, Aberdeen, North Lanarkshire, East Ayrshire, Argyll & Bute, East Dunbarton, Edinburgh, Angus, Inverclyde, South Lanarkshire, Stirling, Perth and Kinross, Highland.
8 Some councils have made it very difficult for parents to enroll their children in GME.
9 Councils have been largely involved in reviving Gaelic, because schools are managed by local councils. At the national level, politicians only got involved in the revival of Gaelic with the Gaelic Language Act of 2005. In Holyrood, it was Labour and the LibDems who encouraged the Act. In one of the main debates, the LibDem John Farquhar Munro made his contribution in Gaelic.
10 Gaelic is a political issue. The SNP did not become enthusiastic about Gaelic till very late on. And this has been noted by Gaelic-speaking communities. As long as Gaelic speakers exercise their votes, they have considerable influence at Holyrood.
11 There are now more than 4,000 children and young people studying through GME in state schools. There are classes and schools all over Scotland offering this form of education, through Parent & Toddler Groups, Pre-5 Groups, Primary and Secondary.
12 Mostly, parents opt in to GME on behalf of their children. In Western Isles (Comhairle nan Eilean Siar) as of August 2020, it will be assumed that children will be enrolled in P1 in Gaelic classes, but parents who wish their children educated through English will still have the right to English speaking classes.
13 There is a lot of evidence from research in Canada, the USA, Eire and Scotland that learning two languages from an early age is of great benefit to young people. It's also noted that over half the people in the world are (at least) bilingual out of economic necessity.
14 There are different dialects of Scottish Gaelic. For example, 'southern' Gaelic is spoken in mainland Argyll and in the islands of Gigha, Islay, Jura, Tiree, Mull and Coll. Gaelic in Colonsay has almost disappeared but it is taught in the school. People who speak Gaelic from the southern part of the west of Scotland can communicate easily with Irish speakers in Donegal. 'Northern Gaelic' (usually called Lewis Gaelic) is spoken in the islands from Barra northwards and in mainland Scotland, especially on the west coast from Oban northwards. Skye is a major Gaelic centre.
15 There are 181,000 adults currently learning Gaelic with Duolingo - and that's not counting people learning in university courses, at night classes, through summer schools and in community groups.
16 The Gaelic College (Sabhail Mor Ostaig) was set up in 1973 and offers courses at all levels for learners all year round. It is based in Skye but runs outreach courses in many areas of Scotland.
17 The University of the Highlands and Islands (founded 1992) offers courses in Gaelic to degree level. Opportunities for research into aspects of Gaelic are also offered.
18 Population loss has been a major problem for all rural areas of Scotland for many years: young people leave home to study in the cities and don't come back. Sabhail Mor and UHI aim to reverse that trend.
19 The opposition to Gaelic that can still be seen in Scotland is partly due to ignorance of how Gaelic is funded. The total budget for Gaelic annually is about £24 million from the total Scottish government budget of £75 billion (so, about 0.2%) and that covers education, the Alba TV channel, Gaelic radio, publications, festivals, the infamous road signs, etc.
20 It is reckoned that Gaelic brings in about £73 million to Western Isles and Highland regions annually through tourism.
21 It's not clear who is responsible for objections to Gaelic names on the side of police cars and dual language road signs. The inclusion of Gaelic in both costs the tax payer next to nothing since changes is only made as part of a more general change. But it's worth noting that it's only a few weeks since the Tory Education Spokesperson at Holyrood attacked Gaelic, claiming quite wrongly that learning two languages hurts children's chances. She immediately had to apologise. Not only was she wrong, but Gaelic speakers objected strongly to her comments and told her so.
1 Scottish Gaelic is one of a group of European languages often referred to as Celtic languages: Irish Gaelic, Welsh, Breton, Scottish Gaelic, Galician, Asturian, Manx, and Cornish (in revival). The Celts were not a single group but a number of groups of craftspeople valued for their skills in metalwork. They were especially valued because of their skill in making weapons. Their wares have been found all over Europe, as well as among grave goods in China and on the Silk Road.
2 The Celtic languages and cultures share some similarities even now.
3 The Scottish Education Act of 1872 made English the only language of Scottish education. Gaelic and Scots were not 'banned' but teachers were expected to teach through English in the classroom and parents soon realised that the way for their children to get on was to speak English.
4 Gaelic in Scotland was to an extent protected by an An Comunn Gàidhealach,which was set up to encourage Gaelic in 1891 and to this day promotes the Mod, the Gaelic cultural festival, showcasing poetry, drama, choral singing and original music. .
5 The Gaelic language declined right through the 19th and into the 20th century despite regular attempts to revive it.
6 The latest Gaelic revival started in the 1970s and was community-led: parents and community groups led the demand for more money and more respect for the place of Gaelic in the community. In 1985, a small group of councils agreed, under pressure from parents and Gaelic activists, to open classes in primary schools which offered education through the medium of Gaelic (GME). There were 25 children enrolled the first year.
7 14 councils (out of 32) now offer GME: Glasgow, Edinburgh, Aberdeen, North Lanarkshire, East Ayrshire, Argyll & Bute, East Dunbarton, Edinburgh, Angus, Inverclyde, South Lanarkshire, Stirling, Perth and Kinross, Highland.
8 Some councils have made it very difficult for parents to enroll their children in GME.
9 Councils have been largely involved in reviving Gaelic, because schools are managed by local councils. At the national level, politicians only got involved in the revival of Gaelic with the Gaelic Language Act of 2005. In Holyrood, it was Labour and the LibDems who encouraged the Act. In one of the main debates, the LibDem John Farquhar Munro made his contribution in Gaelic.
10 Gaelic is a political issue. The SNP did not become enthusiastic about Gaelic till very late on. And this has been noted by Gaelic-speaking communities. As long as Gaelic speakers exercise their votes, they have considerable influence at Holyrood.
11 There are now more than 4,000 children and young people studying through GME in state schools. There are classes and schools all over Scotland offering this form of education, through Parent & Toddler Groups, Pre-5 Groups, Primary and Secondary.
12 Mostly, parents opt in to GME on behalf of their children. In Western Isles (Comhairle nan Eilean Siar) as of August 2020, it will be assumed that children will be enrolled in P1 in Gaelic classes, but parents who wish their children educated through English will still have the right to English speaking classes.
13 There is a lot of evidence from research in Canada, the USA, Eire and Scotland that learning two languages from an early age is of great benefit to young people. It's also noted that over half the people in the world are (at least) bilingual out of economic necessity.
14 There are different dialects of Scottish Gaelic. For example, 'southern' Gaelic is spoken in mainland Argyll and in the islands of Gigha, Islay, Jura, Tiree, Mull and Coll. Gaelic in Colonsay has almost disappeared but it is taught in the school. People who speak Gaelic from the southern part of the west of Scotland can communicate easily with Irish speakers in Donegal. 'Northern Gaelic' (usually called Lewis Gaelic) is spoken in the islands from Barra northwards and in mainland Scotland, especially on the west coast from Oban northwards. Skye is a major Gaelic centre.
15 There are 181,000 adults currently learning Gaelic with Duolingo - and that's not counting people learning in university courses, at night classes, through summer schools and in community groups.
16 The Gaelic College (Sabhail Mor Ostaig) was set up in 1973 and offers courses at all levels for learners all year round. It is based in Skye but runs outreach courses in many areas of Scotland.
17 The University of the Highlands and Islands (founded 1992) offers courses in Gaelic to degree level. Opportunities for research into aspects of Gaelic are also offered.
18 Population loss has been a major problem for all rural areas of Scotland for many years: young people leave home to study in the cities and don't come back. Sabhail Mor and UHI aim to reverse that trend.
19 The opposition to Gaelic that can still be seen in Scotland is partly due to ignorance of how Gaelic is funded. The total budget for Gaelic annually is about £24 million from the total Scottish government budget of £75 billion (so, about 0.2%) and that covers education, the Alba TV channel, Gaelic radio, publications, festivals, the infamous road signs, etc.
20 It is reckoned that Gaelic brings in about £73 million to Western Isles and Highland regions annually through tourism.
21 It's not clear who is responsible for objections to Gaelic names on the side of police cars and dual language road signs. The inclusion of Gaelic in both costs the tax payer next to nothing since changes is only made as part of a more general change. But it's worth noting that it's only a few weeks since the Tory Education Spokesperson at Holyrood attacked Gaelic, claiming quite wrongly that learning two languages hurts children's chances. She immediately had to apologise. Not only was she wrong, but Gaelic speakers objected strongly to her comments and told her so.
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