Call for radical action in face of Gaelic decline
In response to a recent study conducted by Gaelic experts and socio-linguists at the University of the Highlands and Islands (UHI), the Highlands and Islands Students Association (HISA) has called for action to save the Gaelic language.
A recent report entitled Gaelic Crisis in the Vernacular Community found that only 11,000 people were habitual Gaelic speakers, and forecasts that next year’s national census will find the proportion of people in the Western Isles who speak Gaelic has fallen to nearly 45 per cent.
Undertaken by the UHI, the study provides in-depth analysis of the use and transmission of Scottish Gaelic as a communal language in the Western Isles, in Staffin in the Isle of Skye, and in the Isle of Tiree.
Just last week, HISA launched a Gaelic Representation Project to enhance the voice of Gaelicspeaking and Gaelic-learning students across the institution, with funding awarded by Bòrd na Gàidhlig and supported by the UHI.
The project should ensure a strong voice and widened opportunities for all Gaelicspeakers and learners no matter where or what they study across the region, to accommodate normalised use of the language at college, at the university and in our communities.
Commenting on the study, HISA president, Florence Jansen, said: ‘The study by the university clearly identifies the need for action to save the Gaelic language. At HISA, we believe that the use of Gaelic should be normalised and institutions in Scotland must play their part to be accommodating.
‘We’re currently undertaking a project to establish HISA as a bilingual organisation, a change that will affect the way the organisation is structured and how our staff will work. If students wish to engage their students’ association in the native language of the country, they should be able to do so.
‘As the largest students’ association in the Highlands and Islands, we are willing to work with other bodies to encourage the everyday use of Gaelic. There are still too many barriers to its use in society. If increased use of Gaelic remains an ambition, institutions must be accommodating to have it used in formal environments if we expect it to be also used in social, home and everyday life.’