The National Languages of Scotland

Scottish Gaelic

MR RUSSELL (THE EDUCATION MINISTER) STATED THAT "GAELIC AND SCOTS ARE OURS", IF THEY WERE ALLOWED TO DIE THEN IT WOULD "BE OUR RESPONSIBILITY".

Traditional area of Scotland

where Gaelic has been used

Gàidhlig- Scottish Gaelic

How many people know Gaelic? The decadal census and Scotland’s

languages. We are still awaiting the results of the 2011

Census for Scotland (and the rest of the UK). The data is eagerly awaited since not only will there be new information about Gaelic, but for the first time questions about Scots were added to the census.

The Census in Scotland 2011

Informing the people of Scotland about the 2011 census.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8AevEabKN_I&feature=player_embedded

Am bheil Gàidhlig agaibh?

Our focus today, however, will be on Scotland’s other traditional language- Scottish Gaelic.

The results of the 2001 Census in Scotland gave an interesting range of data about the survival of Gaelic, and the status of the language in the lives of those Scots who speak the language.

Census Results 2001-the questions

In the 2001 Census, people were asked four questions about the Gaelic language, whether they could: Understand spoken Gaelic Speak Gaelic Read Gaelic Write Gaelic

Census Results 2001-the questions

2001 was the first census to include a question about a person’s ability to understand Gaelic. Since this was not asked in 1991, many more people reported (some) Gaelic ability in 2001 compared with 1991.

Gaelic in the 21st Century

92,400 people aged three and over (1.9 per cent of the population) had some Gaelic language ability in 2001.

More people with Gaelic language ability lived in Eilean Siar (18,420), Highland (18,360) and Argyll & Bute (6,520) than in any other council areas.

The number of people aged three and over able to speak Gaelic declined by 11 per cent between 1991 and 2001. The number who could read Gaelic increased by seven and a half per cent and the number able to write Gaelic increased by 10 per cent over the same period.

Eilean Siar

Highland/A’ Ghàidhealtachd

Argyle and Bute

Census Results 2001 The report stated that Gaelic was thriving as

well as declining. The numbers of those speaking Gaelic

declined by c7000 in the 1990s, but the numbers of those who could read Gaelic increased by c3200.

Also the numbers of those able to write Gaelic also rose by 3100.

Census Results 2001

The census suggested that the numbers of those able to speak Gaelic in the traditional heartland (A’ Ghaidhealtachd) continued to be on the decline.

However, numbers seemed to be on the increase in other parts of Scotland- especially amongst younger people.

A growth of Gaelic-speakers in the cities.

Census Results 2001

The report gives the strong impression that Gaelic is moving from being primarily an oral language to being one which is spoken, read, and written.

A wider range of linguistic skills.

Census Results 2001

The numbers of those with some Gaelic ability in 2001 were 92,400.

Eilean Siar (18,420); Highland (18,360): Argyll and Bute (6,520)

This leaves some 49,000 in other parts of Scotland (urban and rural).

Just more than half of all Gaelic speakers live outside the traditional Gaidhealtachd.

Census Results 2001-Gaelic in the community

72% of those in Eilean Siar had Gaelic ability in 2001, the highest percentage density of any local authority in Scotland.

The number and percentage of those speaking Gaelic in Eilean Siar also declined in the period 1991-2001.

Outside of the Gaelic areas, only about 1% of the population had any Gaelic ability.

Census Results 2001

The parish with the highest Gaelic-speaking percentage anywhere was Barvas Parish, NW Eilean Siar with 75% of the population speaking Gaelic in 2001.

Census Results 2001

Of all those who stated that they had some ability in Gaelic, 63% were able to speak Gaelic, whereas 29% could understand Gaelic, but could not speak, read or write it.

Census Results 2001

Language transfer In families where both parents spoke

Gaelic, 70% of the children also knew the language.

Where one parent did not speak the language, only 23% of children learnt the language at home.

Language planning and language rights

Gaelic-medium education

Gaelic medium education is increasingly popular throughout Scotland, and the number of pupils who are in Gaelic medium education at primary school level has risen from 24 in 2 schools in 1985, to 2312 in 2010.

See Rebuilding the Celtic Languages pp352

Gaelic-medium education

The largest Gaelic-medium school is Sgoil Ghàidhlig Ghlaschu (Glasgow Gaelic School), which caters for pupils aged three to eighteen and has a capacity of 800 pupils though it may increase to 1200 by 2012.

Renewal of interest in Gaelic in Glasgow.

Gaelic-medium education

“Gaelic and the City”

See O Neill: pp346.

Television in Gaelic-BBC Alba

2008 http://www.bbc.co.uk/alba/ One of the most important initiatives in

Gaelic. BBC Alba has an average viewership of

some 530,000 adults in Scotland each week.

BBC Alba also gets over 29,000 iPlayer hits each week.

Television in Gaelic-BBC Alba2008 On-air for up to seven hours a day.BBC

Alba combines television, radio and on-line programme content.

With the experience of S4C in Wales and TG4 in Ireland it is expected that BBCAlba will have a positive impact on many levels with regard to Gaelic.

Television in Gaelic-BBC Alba2008 Artistic and technical skills. Economic opportunities Stimulating parents’ interest in Gaelic

medium education. Serving adult learners and strengthening

Gaelic usage.

Television in Gaelic-BBC Alba2008 BBC Alba broadcasts more Scottish

sport than any other channel (over 3 hours a week of football, rugby and shinty). Viewing figures?

30 min news programme each day. Children’s programmes are shown for

two hours every weekday. The main news programme An Là

weekdays at 8pm.

Television in Gaelic-BBC Alba2008 With the importance of the learner of

Gaelic as a focus of the channel, the well-known Gaelic-learning programme Speaking Our Language has been rebroadcast on this channel.

Most of the adult programming comes with English-subtitles (if wanted), except for live programmes.

Television in Gaelic-BBC Alba2008 Every Saturday night one full SPL

(Scottish Premier League) game is aired on the channel. The match only includes Gaelic commentary along with English subtitles.

The channel recently struck a deal with the Scottish rugby authorities to show one live rugby game each weekend.

Television in Gaelic-BBC Alba2008 BBC Alba has studios across Scotland

(Stornaway, Glasgow, Inverness and Portree).

The First Minister Alex Salmond opened the new BBC Alba studio in Portree in August 2008 where he recorded a message for the launch of BBC Alba.

Television in Gaelic-BBC Alba2008 The channel is funded by MG Alba,

which is itself funded by the Scottish Government, and BBC Scotland.

The BBC currently contributes £5.3 million. MG Alba pays £ 12.4 million.

Effect of the channel on perceptions of Gaelic

Attitudes to Gaelic may change.

How does Scotland view Gaelic?

http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Resource/Doc/355445/0120038.pdf

Page 25 Are you in favour of Gaelic?

Gaelic Language Act 2005

Passed by the Scottish Parliament. This was the first piece of legislation to give some formal recognition to the Gaelic language.

The Gaelic Language Act aims to secure Gaelic as an official language of Scotland, commanding "equal respect" with English, by establishing Bord na Gàidhlig as part of the framework of government in Scotland and also requiring the creation of a national plan for Gaelic to provide strategic direction for the development of the Gaelic language

Bord na Gaidhlig/Gaelic Language Board est. 2006 Under the Gaelic Language (Scotland)

Act 2005, Bord na Gàidhlig is required to prepare and submit to Scottish ministers a national Gaelic language plan detailing how it plans to exercise its functions under the act.

The plan aims to arrest the decline in Gaelic speakers in Scotland by expanding the range of situations in which the language is used.

The draft proposals by B na G

Its major functions are to: To develop a national Gaelic plan. To consult on a strategy for Gaelic-medium

education To cooperate with other Gaelic interest

organisations.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-15149551

SNP and their Gaelic policy

The SNP brought out a wide-reaching draft Gaelic plan in January of 2009.

Reference was made to the Gaelic television channel and its success.

The Scottish Government’s Draft Gaelic Language Plan is aimed at an increased use of the language by creating practical opportunities for its use.

SNP and their Gaelic policy

However, criticisms of the plan were made on the basis of its possible lack of focus, and uncertain specific goals.

Gaelic and the SNP Government- manifesto 2011 ‘At the same time we will develop the concept

of “Scottish Studies” in our schools, creating a distinct strand of learning focused on Scotland and incorporating Scottish History, Scottish Literature, the Scots and Gaelic Languages, wider Scottish culture and Scottish current affairs. All pupils will have access to this strand at Primary and Secondary levels. We will alsocontinue to support the expansion of Gaelic medium education and will examine how we can introduce an entitlement to Gaelic medium education where reasonable demand exists’.

Appendix

Scots and the Census

Scots and the Census

However, a 2010 survey of 1000 Scots conducted by the Scottish government found that 64 percent "don't really think of Scots as a language". The proportion fell to 58 percent among frequent speakers and rose to 72 percent among those who said they never speak Scots. 85 percent of those surveyed claimed they spoke it to a greater or lesser extent.

However, the Scottish population is very heterogenous, so it's difficult to apply results for 1000 people to the country as a whole. Therefore, the government decided to include the question in the 2011 census, which will be taking place in Scotland on 27 March.

Scots and Wikipedia

http://sco.wikipedia.org/wiki/Main_Page