A few BBC reports on Gaelic decline

From The BBC;

Can Scottish Gaelic survive?

Great efforts have been made in recent decades to preserve the language and culture of Scottish Gaelic, against the fact that the number of native speakers has been in long-term decline.
New research from the University of Edinburgh suggests that before long there may only be two Gaelic dialects left. Andreas Wolff of BBC Alba reports from Ballachulish in Argyll, on the mainland, where a young musician is learning the local dialect that may be on the verge of extinction.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

From The BBC;

Gaelic dialects 'dying out', Edinburgh academic warns

All local dialects of Gaelic will die out except two, according to research by a University of Edinburgh academic.
Dr Will Lamb suggests only the Gaelic of Lewis and South Uist will be strong enough to survive in the future.
He said one of the reasons was that these dialects were dominant in Gaelic medium education.
Dr Lamb said another form of the language - influenced by a mix of dialects and which he dubbed mid-Minch Gaelic - was also emerging.
According to his research, in Gaelic medium units throughout Scotland - including the islands - 21% of teachers use a non-dialectal Gaelic.
He found 25% of the teachers spoke the Lewis dialect and 17.5% spoke Gaelic from South Uist.
But only 9% of Scotland's Gaelic medium teachers spoke Skye Gaelic, 8% North Uist and 7% Barra.
Dr Lamb told BBC Alba: "Without a change of what is happening in these communities most of the surviving Gaelic dialects will be gone in a few generations.
"I think it is important to have this debate right now about how we keep the language strong in its native communities."
John MacFarlane, a member of Taynuilt Gaelic Choir in Argyll, believes he is the last person in his area to speak the local dialect.
He said: "I feel somewhat of a dinosaur actually.
"When I was young the place was full of Gaelic, but it has altered entirely in my lifetime.
"I don't think there is anybody who is learning my particular dialect."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Learning support in Gaelic lacking, MSPs told

A mother of a boy who requires learning support has said that such help was severely lacking in Gaelic education.
Carole Henderson's son was diagnosed as having verbal dyspraxia when he was at nursery. He is now in Gaelic medium education at primary school.
Ms Henderson said in Lanarkshire, where they live, she had been unable to find educational specialists with Gaelic.
Speech therapists and psychologists were among the posts with no Gaelic speakers, she said.
The Scottish government said it was committed providing services that met people's needs, but added that it was for NHS boards and local authorities to decide how they funded specialist support.
Ms Henderson raised her concerns in a presentation to the Scottish Parliament's cross party group for Gaelic on Tuesday.
She has gathered details of her own experiences and those of other parents of children learning Gaelic who require specialist support.
Ms Henderson's evidence includes the results of a questionnaire answered by 21 schools providing Gaelic medium education, including schools in Argyll, the Highlands and Islands and in Glasgow. Continue reading the main story
"We need teachers, support for learning teachers, classroom assistants, speech and language therapists, educational psychologists.”
Eighteen schools which answered a question on what language was used by their educational psychologists said it was English.
Seventeen replied to a question on what languages their learning support teachers had.
Five said English and Gaelic, one Gaelic and another used English but was also learning Gaelic. The others who answered the question said learning support teachers used English only.
Ms Henderson said authorities in Wales and Ireland offered dedicated support to children who need extra help at Welsh and Irish Gaelic language classes.
She said: "We need teachers, support for learning teachers, classroom assistants, speech and language therapists, educational psychologists.
"We need to promote these career options in order that the qualified people exist for the health boards and local authorities to employ."
A spokesman said the Scottish government was committed to maintaining high standards of care.
He added: "It is for each NHS board to decide how best to deliver those services to meet the needs of the population, including how best to use funding, taking account of national and local priorities.
"Some local authorities have commissioned work on Gaelic assessment materials and operate a staged intervention model and we hope that these areas of good practice could be rolled out as more people with Gaelic skills enter the field.
"The Scottish government continues to work with Bòrd na Gàidhlig on initiatives to increase the number who speak Gaelic in all vocations."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Gaelic media reports 'unfair' says Aberdeen professor

A language professor has said some sections of the Scottish media's coverage of Gaelic has gone beyond fair comment and good taste.
Prof Kenneth MacKinnon, of the University of Aberdeen, studied newspaper clippings for a year.
He said on occasions reporting on public spending on Gaelic degenerated into inaccuracy, prejudice and mockery.
Prof MacKinnon said organizations set up to promote the language should stand up for Gaelic speakers.
The honorary professor in language planning and development at Aberdeen's Celtic department has written papers on attitudes towards Gaelic.
Following his latest research of the Scottish media, he said: "They probably think they are quite at liberty to be let loose on Gaelic where they wouldn't be allowed to say the same thing about minority communities within our society."
He added: "It goes beyond fair comment and it very often goes beyond good taste as well."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Study reveals Gaelic student shortfall

Up to 860 people would have to become bilingual in Gaelic each year if the decline of the language was to be halted, according to a study.
A Royal Society journal published the research which found the language was in danger of becoming extinct.
However the authors said it could be saved by copying initiatives which had succeeded in revitalizing Welsh.
Census data used in the study showed there were 250,000 Gaelic speakers 100 years ago compared to about 65,000 now.
The study said the decline was caused by people switching to English to open up social and economic opportunities.
However it said this process had been less severe in Wales - especially over the last 40 years - due to a range of initiatives to boost the language there.
The study said similar action was needed in Scotland to make it more advantageous to be a Gaelic speaker.
The authors said their mathematical formulae showed that between 440 and 860 Gaelic learners needed to become fully bilingual each year to stem the language's decline, depending on how successful Gaelic-speaking parents were at passing on the language to their children.