Our Scotland - www.our-scotland.org

Cymro · Posted: Wed Oct 10, 2007 10:15 am Post subject: Scottish Government Name Change

It seems the Scottish Executive is to be renamed

"Scottish Government /Riaghaltas na h-Alba"

I've read the story on the BBC's Welsh Language News site, but can't come across the story in English on the BBC Scotland sites at all Rolling Eyes

Certainly an important step in giving the Gaelic language status it deserves and can help lead in a small way to people stoping thinking of it as being an inferior language in some way. Apparently Government Buildings will also feature this change.

iainmhor · Posted: Wed Oct 10, 2007 11:17 am Post subject:

Good news. Of course the dropping of the symbols of the crown and the bilingual use of Scottish Government isnt something that the EBC and rest of the brit media want to focus on.

Cymro · Posted: Wed Oct 10, 2007 12:16 pm Post subject:

I wouldn't blame the BBC as a body - I easily came across it on the Welsh BBC site, unfortuantly I'd imagine it's probably got more to do with the attitudes of individuals within the BBC in Scotland "why would none Gaelic speakers want to know about the Gaelic language?"

The Lithgae Jambo

agentmancuso

SLG · Posted: Fri Oct 12, 2007 11:25 pm Post subject:

Yes, there are people who think that Agent. Just look at the forums on the Scotsman or Herald whenever there is a Gaelic related story.

Cymro · Posted: Sat Oct 13, 2007 7:38 am Post subject:

Yes, all languages in the UK appart from the English tend to be seen by many as inferior languages. This is partly what leads to them becoming minority languages in their own lands. People think "no point with Gaelic/Welsh/Irish/Cornish/Manx as English is the language to get on in the world. Unfortuatly as a whole the UK still tends to have a monoglot mindset - it's one language or the other, where as being biligual is an increasing 'norm' beyond the UK. Being bilingual has never stunted me anyway!

Putting the Gaelic on Scottish Government buildings in a small way will lead to people seeing that speaking Gaelic isn't a negative thing, and that the language does rightly have some status in its own land - not enough on its own but certainly a step forward.

agentmancuso · Posted: Sat Oct 13, 2007 12:03 pm Post subject:

agentmancuso · Posted: Sat Oct 13, 2007 12:08 pm Post subject:

SLG · Posted: Sat Oct 13, 2007 12:14 pm Post subject:

I've heard it described as inferior in the sense that it is not widely spoken and therefore a lesser language - if it was a better language, more people would speak it. I guess that's what you mean by irrelevant though.

The other point people often make is regarding the number of English loan words and lack of established technical and scientific terminology etc.

Cymro · Posted: Sun Oct 14, 2007 6:34 am Post subject:

Suprised you've never heard of people regarding them as inferior. It's a sad thing that people do see it that way, and in a small way its something I'm trying to change through my work and my personal actions. People don't see a 'worth' to the language, though many think it's 'nice' (in the same way a picture of a dog on a tin of biscuits is nice) but don't see a worth in learning it or using it.

Babygael · Posted: Sat Oct 27, 2007 12:24 am Post subject:

And the reason why they don't see it's worth?

In Germany for example, they see the worth of their language!

Who caused the Scots to see themselves as something "Other than?"

I'm not suggesting that Gaelic was THE language of Scotland, but it has very strong roots and is therefore part and parcel of Scottish heritage.

More that that you have to ask your self who set out in the first instance to destroy the language and culture, particularly in the last century and why? Cool

_________________
Ath-bheothachadh

Drink beer,don't drive...its cheeper!

agentmancuso · Posted: Sat Oct 27, 2007 8:32 am Post subject:

Cymro · Posted: Sat Oct 27, 2007 3:06 pm Post subject:

All the Celtic languages in Wales will have seen a demise through a whole load of different factors. No point blaming it all on the British State or the English neighbours, though without doubt attitudes of the British State in the past have played a huge part in the demise of all non English languages in the UK.

The biggest factor in 2007 though is certainly the attitudes of Mr and Mrs Joe Public towards the language.

However AM, to claim only a small minority will value it because that is all that speak it is rubbish. A language is something which can be owned by more than merely those who speak it. That is what is largely responsible for a huge increase we've seen in Wales and elsewhere in people making an effort to learn minority language. I quite often come across people through my work who're learning Welsh "because we're Welsh and we should at least understand it", while many including my wife who aren't Welsh have also taken steps to learn it as they are in Wales.

Gaelic belongs to all/parts of Scotland (descide for yourself which you want it to be). Non Gaelic speaks can take a responsibility for it in all sorts of ways. There just has to be the right political and social will on all levels to take responsibility for it. I'm certain if you went round expecially the traditional Gaelic areas that people would be pretty much in agreement that it shouldn't be allowed to die, whether they speak it or not. How people go about that then it obviously the contentious bit.

Some of your posts seem to suggest to me that you are linking people trying to take action and responsibility for saving the language with in some way being Anti English when you make claims like "nasty foreigners". Personally I'd argue it is actually your attitude which has lead to a large part of the problem with the continued demise of the language. An attitude which leads to people thinking Gaelic is a nationalistic language and anti everyone else. After all it's rude for Gaelic speakers to speak Gaelic in a room if there are non Gaelic speakers there too isn't it.

Gaelic = at least bilingual in my opinion. Most my life has to be carried out through the medium of English - when I call my Vodafone to deal with billing problems, when I call Sky to book a film, when I post messages on here etc, but I also make an effort to live a lot of my life through the medium of Welsh - when I'm in the pub, when I'm being served by the right people in Tescos or when I deal with a public body (if I'm lucky). Yes people can also speak English, but being able to speak Gaelic, or in the very least easily being able to go about learning how to speak it if you wish is something which should not only be accepted but activley encouraged before something which remains non only important to Scotland but the UK and Europe really does die.

agentmancuso · Posted: Mon Oct 29, 2007 4:47 pm Post subject:

Cymro · Posted: Tue Oct 30, 2007 10:28 am Post subject:

agentmancuso · Posted: Tue Oct 30, 2007 5:52 pm Post subject:

Cymro · Posted: Wed Oct 31, 2007 9:30 am Post subject:

agentmancuso · Posted: Wed Oct 31, 2007 8:49 pm Post subject:

SLG · Posted: Wed Oct 31, 2007 9:14 pm Post subject: