Linguists and anthropologists have long known that when a language dies out, it goes hand-in-hand with the culture to which it gives voice and expression. Not only does a unique vocabulary and grammar system cease to be, the songs, poems, folktales, histories and genealogies that give color and expression to words and structure are either lost or become irrelevant, relegated to the status of linguistic museum pieces and scholarly curiosities.
Despite tepid initiatives aimed at giving Gaelic some official status, its standing as a thriving, community-based language continues to dwindle. Independent support organizations have been successful at generating interest among a new generation of Scots and inspiring English monoglots to learn Scottish Gaelic, but the credibility and weight that have given Welsh and Irish Gaelic equality with English have been missing in Scotland.
In his paper, "Gaelic in Contemporary Scotland: contradictions, challenges and strategies," Wilson McLeod, Professor of Celtic and Scottish Studies at Edinburgh University, warned that the government's strategies to bolster the ancient language are unlikely to succeed in the long run because they can have no lasting impact at the community level. McLeod said, "Rates of intergenerational transmission remain low, and any influx of new speakers via Gaelic-medium school education or adult learning can only be a very poor substitute."
Gaelic Giving Ground in its Heartland
In his superb book on endangered languages, “Spoken Here - Travels Among Threatened Languages,” Mark Abley writes, “Unless it’s written down, a language is nothing more than structured mouthfuls (or handfuls) of air. Its lexicon, its underlying rules, and its patterns of sound exist only as long as people use them.”
The 2001 census revealed that Gaelic may have found its way into the ominous category Abley describes. In 2001, slightly less than 70 percent of children aged 3-15 living with two Gaelic-speaking parents could speak Gaelic. More worrisome still was that only 26.8 percent of children 3-4 years old in the Western Isles, where the language’s presence is strongest, could speak Gaelic.
This indicates regression in a region where Gaelic has traditionally held majority status, with fewer and fewer Gaelic-speaking parents passing the language on to their children. Perhaps the most revealing development is to be found in everyday situations where bi-lingual speakers have an equal opportunity to use Gaelic or English. Recent findings indicate that Gaelic-speaking residents of the Western Isles tend to use English in such circumstances.
Gaelic Promoted, not Ingrained
The devolved Scottish government has recognized, as do many Scots, that Gaelic is a key part of Scottish culture and should be preserved. The government's Gaelic Language Act of 2005 claims that Gaelic is an official language and should command equal respect with English. It gives Bord na Gaidhlig official standing as a national language agency with the authority to prepare a National Gaelic Language Plan and advise on how it should be enacted. But this plan is not legally enforceable and remains vague in many respects, relying heavily on the participation and cooperation of other national agencies.
Only time will tell whether such an initiative can halt, or even slow, a regrettable trend centuries in the making. Gaelic medium education has experienced success at the primary school level. Gaelic education opportunities have increased and the language has a limited broadcasting presence in Scotland. Sabhal Mor Ostaig, the Gaelic college on the Isle of Skye, offers multiple degrees taught in Gaelic and the language is also used in curricula at several other Scottish universities.
In recent years, there has been an increase in usage among older age groups. Despite such encouraging developments, the language's future will hinge on the extent to which it remains a viable community language in those areas where it's traditionally held sway, specifically, in the Western Isles. As McLeod points out, a language that exists as a healthy, organic medium must have a viral effect if it is to last. Its existence cannot be ensured simply because someone thinks it should be categorized as official.
References
"Gaelic in Contemporary Scotland: contradictions, challenges and strategies," Wilson McLeod, University of Edinburgh
Spoken Here: Travels Among Threatened Languages, Mark Abley, Houghton-Mifflin, 2003
"The Cultural Status of Scottish Gaelic - a Humanistic Interpretation," Charles W. Dunn, Modern Language Quarterly, 1961 22(1):3-11
Christopher Jones - null
