This book brings together an interdisciplinary group of academic researchers in order to examine how and to what extent the challenge of language revitalisation should be reassessed and reconceptualised to take account of our fast-changing social context. The period of four decades between 1980 and 2020 that straddled the end of the twentieth century and the beginning of the twenty-first is widely regarded as one that witnessed a series of fundamental social, economic and political transformations. Many societies have become increasingly individualistic, mobile and diverse in terms of ethnicity and identity; their economies have become increasingly interconnected; and their governance structures have become increasingly complex, incorporating a growing number of different levels and actors. In addition, rapid advancements with regard to automated, digital and communication technology have had a far-reaching impact on how people interact with each other and participate in society. The chapters in this book aim to advance an agenda of key questions that should concern those working in the field of language revitalisation over the coming years, and the volume will be of interest to students, scholars and policy-makers in related areas including sociolinguistics, education, sociology, geography, political science, law, economics, Celtic studies, and communication technology.

This book gives fresh insight into the diverse ways in which the transmission of minority and heritage languages is carried out in a range of sociolinguistic contexts. When traditional modes of intergenerational transmission begin to break down, minority language and diaspora communities resort to other modes of transmission, out of necessity, to complement traditional mechanisms and secure language maintenance. This volume brings together a broad range of studies of these alternative modes of transmission, examining the complex and diverse practical, ideological and personal challenges that arise in different settings. Beyond addressing the dynamics of language use within the home and family, the book also emphasises the importance of the participation of the minority community itself in language and cultural transmission. These mechanisms and initiatives, sometimes overlooked or dismissed in the academic literature, will prove to be essential in maintaining and ensuring the survival of minority and heritage languages into the 21st century and beyond. The twelve chapters in the book are divided into four sections (intergenerational transmission; transmission in post-traditional families; alternatives to 'traditional' transmission; and transmission in diasporic contexts), and the language contexts, both minoritised and diasporic, which are discussed include Basque, Breton, Galician, Guernesais, Irish, Maori, Russian, Scottish Gaelic, Sorbian and Spanish. This book will be of interest to students and scholars of sociolinguistics, language acquisition, heritage language maintenance and revitalization, and language policy and planning.

In this detailed and absorbing study, Wilson McLeod challenges the familiar view that Gaelic Scotland and Gaelic Ireland formed a cultural unit during the late middle ages and early modern period. Dr McLeod's examination of the surviving sources, especially formal bardic poetry, shows that Ireland was culturally dominant. While Scottish Gaeldom attached great significance to the Irish connection, Irish Gaeldom, McLeod argues, perceived Scotland as peripheral.

In this extensive study of the changing role of Gaelic in modern Scotland from the introduction of state education in 1872 up to the present day Wilson McLeod looks at the policies of government and the work of activists and campaigners who have sought to maintain and promote Gaelic. In addition, he scrutinises the competing ideologies that have driven the decline, marginalisation and subsequent revitalisation of the language. Taking an interdisciplinary approach at the boundary of history, law, language policy and sociolinguistics the book draws upon a wide range of sources in both English and Gaelic to consider in detail the development of the language policy regime for Gaelic that was developed between 1975 and 1989. It examines the campaign for the Gaelic Language (Scotland) Act 2005, its contents and implementation; and assesses the development and delivery of development and delivery of Gaelic education and media from the late 1980s to the present.

This volume celebrates the contribution of Professor Colin Williams, an immensely important and influential scholar in the field of language policy for more than forty years. Eighteen chapters by former students, colleagues and collaborators address a range of topics involving different aspects of language legislation and language rights, governance, economics, territoriality, land use planning, and onomastics. Six chapters address policy issues in Professor Williams's native Wales while others focus on Canada, Catalonia, Ireland and Scotland. The volume concludes with an Afterword by Professor Williams himself. The book will be suitable for postgraduates and researchers not only in the field of language policy and planning but also sociolinguistics, geography, law and political science.

This volume celebrates the contribution of Professor Colin Williams, an immensely important and influential scholar in the field of language policy for more than forty years. Eighteen chapters by former students, colleagues and collaborators address a range of topics involving different aspects of language legislation and language rights, governance, economics, territoriality, land use planning, and onomastics. Six chapters address policy issues in Professor Williams’s native Wales while others focus on Canada, Catalonia, Ireland and Scotland. The volume concludes with an Afterword by Professor Williams himself. The book will be suitable for postgraduates and researchers not only in the field of language policy and planning but also sociolinguistics, geography, law and political science.

In this extensive study of the changing role of Gaelic in modern Scotland - from the introduction of state education in 1872 up to the present day - Wilson McLeod looks at the policies of government and the work of activists and campaigners who have sought to maintain and promote Gaelic. In addition, he scrutinises the competing ideologies that have driven the decline, marginalisation and subsequent revitalisation of the language. Taking an interdisciplinary approach, at the boundary of history, law, language policy and sociolinguistics, the book draws upon a wide range of sources in both English and Gaelic to consider in detail the development of the language policy regime for Gaelic that was developed between 1975 and 1989. It examines the campaign for the Gaelic Language (Scotland) Act 2005, its contents and implementation; and assesses the development and delivery of development and delivery of Gaelic education and media from the late 1980s to the present.

This book brings together an interdisciplinary group of academic researchers in order to examine how and to what extent the challenge of language revitalisation should be reassessed and reconceptualised to take account of our fast-changing social context. The period of four decades between 1980 and 2020 that straddled the end of the twentieth century and the beginning of the twenty-first is widely regarded as one that witnessed a series of fundamental social, economic and political transformations. Many societies have become increasingly individualistic, mobile and diverse in terms of ethnicity and identity; their economies have become increasingly interconnected; and their governance structures have become increasingly complex, incorporating a growing number of different levels and actors. In addition, rapid advancements with regard to automated, digital and communication technology have had a far-reaching impact on how people interact with each other and participate in society. The chapters in this book aim to advance an agenda of key questions that should concern those working in the field of language revitalisation over the coming years, and the volume will be of interest to students, scholars and policy-makers in related areas including sociolinguistics, education, sociology, geography, political science, law, economics, Celtic studies, and communication technology.

Duanaire na Sracaire is the first anthology to bring together Scotland's Gaelic poetry from the millenium c.600-1600 AD, when Scotland shared its rich culture with Ireland. It includes a huge range of diverse poetry: prayers and hymns of Iona, Fenian lays, praise poems and satires, courtly songs and lewd rants, songs of battle and death, incantations and love poems. All poems appear with facing-page translations which capture the spirit and beauty of the originals and are accompanied by detailed notes. A comprehensive introduction sets the context and analyses the role and functions of poetry in Gaelic society. This collection will appeal to poetry lovers, Gaelic speakers and those keen to explore a vital part of Scotland's literary heritage. ...