The National Languages of Scotland

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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".
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Traditional area of Scotland where Gaelic has
been used
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Gàidhlig- Scottish Gaelic

• How many people know Gaelic?
• The decadal census and Scotlands 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.

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The Census in Scotland 2011

• Informing the people of Scotland about the 2011
  census.
• http//www.youtube.com/watch?v8AevEabKN_Ifeature
  player_embedded

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Am bheil Gàidhlig agaibh?

• Our focus today, however, will be on Scotlands
  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.

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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

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Census Results 2001-the questions

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

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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.

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Eilean Siar
10
Highland/A Ghàidhealtachd
11
Argyle and Bute
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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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Language planning and language rights
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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

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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.

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Gaelic-medium education

• Gaelic and the City
• See O Neill pp346.

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Television in Gaelic-BBC Alba2008

• 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.

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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.

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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.

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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.
• Childrens programmes are shown for two hours
  every weekday.
• The main news programme An Là weekdays at 8pm.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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Effect of the channel on perceptions of Gaelic

• Attitudes to Gaelic may change.

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How does Scotland view Gaelic?

• http//www.scotland.gov.uk/Resource/Doc/355445/012
  0038.pdf
• Page 25 Are you in favour of Gaelic?

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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

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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.

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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

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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 Governments Draft Gaelic Language
  Plan is aimed at an increased use of the language
  by creating practical opportunities for its use.

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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.

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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 also
• continue 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.

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Appendix

• Scots and the Census

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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.

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Scots and Wikipedia

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