October 2020: Living off the edge: The crisis in late modern ethnolinguistic diversity from the Gaelic perspective (Prof Conchúr Ó Giollagáin)
Thursday 29 October, 1-2pm content
Thursday 29 October, 1-2pm
This paper draws on findings from the major new research publication, "The Gaelic Crisis in the Vernacular Community: A comprehensive sociolinguistic survey of Scottish Gaelic".
The talk examines two inter-related issues concerning the vitality and societal continuity of Gaelic in Scotland:
- The contradiction in the increased public profile for Gaelic and the disregard of crisis in the vernacular community;
- the possibility of public policy for Gaelic outliving the Gaelic group.
The analysis contends that the prioritisation of the institutional position and symbolic status of Gaelic are now more likely to exacerbate language loss than help regeneration.
Professor Conchúr Ó Giollagáin, Gaelic Research Professor and Director of the Language Sciences Institute