Gaelic language erosion and revitalization on the Isle of Skye, Scotland.

Abstract

This paper analyzes the language loss of three generations of a Gaelic-speaking family located on the Isle of Skye, Scotland. Participants' linguistic skills were assessed via language ability tests. We focused on plurals, passives, and tense, and we examined synthetic forms. The results confirmed that erosion is occurring in all areas investigated; in particular, the synthetic nature of Gaelic causes problems for younger generation speakers. This suggests weak language transmission through the generations as well as the dominance of English in the community. Through an interview with an expert informant, we also explored the implications of Gaelic education for the Gaelicspeaking community on Skye. Revitalization efforts are currently underway, but despite maintenance efforts such as Gaelic Medium Education (GME), English remains the language of the schoolchildren as well as the community at large. The authors feel that a concerted community revitalization effort is needed in congruence with the application of GME. Maintenance efforts should be directed towards sponsoring Gaelic-speaking community events so that GME students have the opportunity to speak Gaelic outside the classroom as well as experience the viability of the language for communication in different domains.