Madainn mhath.
I suspect very few of CBW readers will be able to understand that welcome, as it is Good Morning in Scottish Gaelic, and it is the use of Gaelic that is my question of the day.
I should make my position very clear at the outset, for I have no problem with either the use of Gaelic or even the promotion of this ancient language. It may surprise many that it is still very commonly used, often as the first language, in parts of Scotland, predominately in the west, and especially in the Western Isles, both Outer and Inner Hebrides.
The 2001 Census tells me that of the 5m people in Scotland, 58,652, or 1.2% of the population spoke Gaelic, and although the use of the language has continued to diminish since the 1891 Census (5.2%), the speed of the decline has slowed, and it well may be that the 2011 Census will show an increase for the first time.
The use of Gaelic is not limited to Scotland of course, as Ireland – including Ulster Gaelic, Wales, the Isle of Man, and Breton all share a form of this ancient language. What is known as Scottish Gaelic today seems to have evolved from the Gaelic spoken in The Outer Hebrides and on Skye.
As I was a frequent visitor to the Western Isles, I am used to being in a hotel bar (purely on a professional basis) listening to everyone else speaking Gaelic, and not being able to understand a word of it. Well that is not entirely true, as I was taught some very handy Gaelic ‘put me downs’ and swearing should I overhear someone clearly speaking about me, and used to really enjoy the look of amazement on their faces when an Englishman responded in their own language!
Dè thuirt thu?" (jeh HOORSHT oo) (What did you say?)
That is the only one CBW would print – as my other responses were too rude!
My only problem with Gaelic concerns the road signs, where Gaelic and English sit side by side, but why put the Gaelic first? It doesn’t make sense to me.
It is fair to assume that the locals do not need road signs, as they know the area well, and where they are going, so the road signs must be there for the visitor, tourist and business, who have to either slow down to a crawl or stop to read and understand the sign, instead of reading it clearly at a distance and not causing a problem to those following. (Although I have to admit there may be little traffic following you).
Anyone care to explain this to me?
Wales is little different, but has a language in much more common usage. .The most recent figures (2004) presented in the 2004 Welsh Language Use Survey by the Welsh Language Board indicate 611,000 (21.7% of the population of Wales in households or communal establishments) were able to speak Welsh. This figure marks a 0.9 percentage points increase when compared with a figure of 20.8% from the 2001 Census. Of those 611,000 Welsh speakers, 62% claim to speak Welsh daily. This figure rises to 88% amongst those who consider themselves fluent in Welsh.
Road signs are pretty standard throughout the EC, but you may be interested to learn the following.
Bilingual signs are used in Wales. Welsh highway authorities choose whether they are "English-priority" or "Welsh-priority", and the language having priority in each highway authority's area appears first on signs. Most of South Wales is English-priority while western and northern Wales is Welsh-priority. Bilingual signs were permitted by special authorisation after 1965 and in 1972 the Bowen Committee recommended that they should be provided systematically throughout Wales. Bilingual signing in Wales and elsewhere has caused traffic engineers to inquire into the safety ramifications of providing sign legend in multiple languages. As a result some countries have opted to limit bilingual signing to dual-name signs near places of cultural importance (New Zealand), or to use it only in narrowly circumscribed areas such as near borders or in designated language zones.
A small number of these signs exist in the UK on major roads that leave major ports (such as Dover) They detail in English, French German, and, occasionally, Swedish, together with standard speed limits and reminders to drive on the left. Multi-lingual "no parking" signs exist in several locations on the M25.
I have to wonder where this will end. Reminder signs outside of ports or airports are common sense, but if 1.2% in Scotland, and 62% in Wales can get their language onto road signs – what about other parts of Britain where English may not be the dominant language? Handmade signs are seen in East Anglia and Norfolk in Polish, so can we expect to see local language signs in Bradford, Leicester, or Brick Lane in London? The mind boggles!!
Now don’t start to read something in this that isn’t there, as both the Western Isles and Wales have every right to put whatever they wish on their road signs. They are both counties in their own right as well as being part of the United Kingdom, but I would have thought it common sense to put the language of the main user first – or have I missed something?
So now you know the history, what language would your part of the world use? Pictish Scottish, Old Normandie, Roman, Anglo Saxon, or what? If this is of interest to you, and you would like to find out where placenames came from, try http://www.regia.org/languag.htm .
Interesting isn’t it? ( I presume the answer is yes if you are still reading).
With a lineage like this, is it surprising that English is so hard to learn – and spell.
All Celtic speaking regions have a right to be proud of their history and heritage, and who are we to try and change things? I suppose this is part of the joy of being British, we are as individual as we are united, and that my readers, is something those not from our shores will never understand.
