BAD LANGUAGE
In some areas of Scotland money set aside to resurrect the Gaelic language could be better spent on educating our children in English and other European languages
Should money continue to be ploughed into teaching children Gaelic?
The Scots language is a wonderful thing. We have great words, like blether, scooshers, fankle and glaiket. But, for me, in the 21st century, there is far too much attention being paid to Gaelic.
In so many of our schools, the levels of literacy are falling. In 2017, the Scottish Survey of Literacy and Numeracy revealed that under half of Scotland’s 13- and 14-year-olds were performing well in writing, whilst primary four and primary seven pupils also saw a drop in their writing performance.
Given that English is the first language of the overwhelming majority of people in Scotland, surely that’s where we should be investing, first and foremost?
Gaelic, of course, should not be allowed to die out – I’m not suggesting that for one moment. It is part of Scotland’s long and proud heritage, and is alive today in the Highlands and Islands, with many using it as their first language.
The 2011 census of Scotland showed that 57,375 people – or just over 1% of the Scottish population aged over three years – were able to speak Gaelic. It noted the highest percentages of Gaelic speakers were in the Outer Hebrides, but only about half of speakers were fully literate in the language.
At present, all public sector bodies in Scotland are required to prepare a Gaelic language plan to ensure that everyone plays their part in creating a sustainable future for Gaelic in Scotland. That’s a worthy enterprise, without a doubt, but surely where the language is still spoken on a daily basis should be the core area to work upon.
Historically, yes, Gaelic was spoken in many parts of Scotland, demonstrated by a number of Gaelic-derived language place names throughout the country. However, the tongue hasn’t been spoken there for centuries – so why reintroduce it?
Look at East Kilbride. It’s a new town, sited just south of Glasgow. It’s got a good shopping centre, plenty of transport links – and a school with a Gaelic unit. It’s not the most obvious
place to locate such a thing, in the heart of South Lanarkshire, although the town does have a tenuous connection through Jeanie Cameron, a supporter of Bonnie Prince Charlie. It is said she retired to a house called Mount Cameron in Kilbryde, as it was then known.
Useful languages
But beyond that, it seems a strange decision, while the school’s website proclaims it is also known as ‘Bun-sgoil Beinn Chamshroin’. And beyond that, there’s very little Gaelic to be found. Therefore, isn’t this a pointless exercise?
The site says: ‘The basic aims of Gaelic Medium Education are to develop pupils’ Gaelic language skills and to support pupils’ personal development through Gaelic literature and culture. The children begin in primary one, usually “feeding in” from the Gaelic Nursery in the school. During the first two years at school, the curriculum is delivered entirely in Gaelic. During primary three, the children begin a bilingual programme, with the introduction of English reading and writing. Finally, at primary six and seven stages, the children also learn French.’
Perhaps, it could be argued, that teaching French, Spanish or German would be of more use in the 21st century in primary schools in the central belt? Long-term, which languages are bound to be of more use, especially if the children are to live or work abroad, or even when going on holiday?
As someone in his early 40s, the first encounter I remember having with Gaelic was through television, when the summer morning TV schedules featured a show called Dotaman. It had a bouncy, synthesised theme tune, brightly-coloured cartoon characters bouncing about in the titles, and featured BBC newsreader Cathy MacDonald talking in Gaelic to a very excitable man with a beard.
The growth of the language continued in the early part of the 1990s, when many streets in and around Airdrie saw changes to signage, as they proclaimed not only the street name in English, but also in Gaelic. So, Ardrigh appeared on many signs around the town too.
More recently, train station signs have been doubling up, proclaiming their names in English and in Gaelic. But how much has this cost? Does it matter that Rutherglen, just outside Glasgow, is An Ruadh Glein in Gaelic? The number of Gaelic speakers in the town is minimal, so therefore, in times of austerity, is that really a necessary expenditure? But as local authorities are hard-pressed financially, it seems spending on Gaelic has been ring-fenced.
The Gaelic Language (Scotland) Act 2005 was passed by the Scottish Parliament with a view to securing the status of the Gaelic language as an official language of Scotland, commanding equal respect to the English language.
One of the key features of the 2005 Act is the provision enabling Bòrd na Gàidhlig (the Scottish Government’s principal Gaelic development body) to require public bodies to prepare Gaelic Language Plans. This provision was designed to ensure that the public sector in Scotland plays its part in creating a sustainable future for Gaelic by raising its status and profile and creating practical opportunities for its use.
While some schools are struggling to pay for basic equipment, their Gaelic sections appear to be enjoying pretty much the same level of funding. Can this possibly be right? Unsurprisingly, many teachers are aghast at Gaelic’s untouchable status compared to core subjects.
A survey of attitudes to Gaelic suggested most people supported government spending of at least £24m a year on the language – 45% thought this amount was about right, 16% said it was too little, and 33% of respondents thought £24m was too much.
Talking of public money, the BBC has a whole channel devoted to Gaelic, on BBC Alba. BBC Alba regularly screens football matches from the Scottish Championship, as well as League One and League Two, with the commentators describing the action in Gaelic.
However, it’s a bit strange to hear, what appears to my untrained ears, to be: ‘Oichty boichty Ian McCall, fanlach en Ayr United, hooch san… GOAL!’ To have the pre- and post-match interviews with management and players in English just renders the whole exercise pointless. On S4C, the Welsh TV channel, many of the players are interviewed in the Welsh language.
In 2013, television and radio was where most of those surveyed heard Gaelic being spoken. Gaelic is, therefore, being given disproportionate coverage compared to the number of people who actually speak it. A 2013 survey showed there were 54,000 people who speak Polish at home, compared to the 25,000 or so Gaelic speakers.
It’s time to get real. We need a rethink on Gaelic and how we preserve it for the future. We need to decide where the language is most relevant and how we proportionately invest in it.
‘All public sector bodies in Scotland are required to prepare a Gaelic language plan’