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Tag: language

Gaelic as a first language?

Published on 12th August 2014

ayeforscotland:

Anonymous asked:
“When Scotland’s independent, do you think they’ll go back to speaking Gaelic as a first language and learning English as a second language like every other country in Europe and around the world?”

As a lover of languages, I don’t see it ever being a complete reversal back to Gaelic. I would, however, like to see it becoming more prominent in schools. It should be an option at least. I wish I had had the option, if any of you want to teach me Gaelic then give me a shout!

How much I’d love to see more efforts to prevent Gàidhlig from becoming extinct, I don’t see a complete comeback happening either. Never say never though: Hebrew was completely extinct as an everyday spoken language, and yet it is now spoken again by 9 million people!

But wouldn’t it make more sense to teach Scots as the first language? Like in Swiss German, there are different versions of Scots: Insular, Northern, Central, and Southern, with sub dialects within each. In Switzerland however they managed to create a Swiss Standard German, which is used in official publications, newspapers, news broadcasts, loudspeaker announcements in public places …

Maybe it’s time for Standard Scots, to be used in Scotland in the same way as Swiss Standard German is used in the ‘German’ speaking part of Switzerland?

Asterix in Scots?

Published on 19th January 2014

kiltedguy:

Does anybody know which version of Scots is being used in Asterix and the Pechts?

Well, rigain-mor answered my question already:

“The Gauls speak Glaswegian, the Picts speak Doric and the Romans speak Dundonian.”

How neat is that? 🙂

It seems Asterix translators often use this approach in languages that don’t have one ‘official’ version, but several regional varieties.

In the Limburgisch version of Asterix and the Banquet—in which they visit lots of different towns—you’ll read the different varieties of Limburgisch as spoken in Kerkrade, Maastricht, Sittard, Nuth, Valkenberg, Bocholt, Heerlen, Echt, Geleen, Roermond, Venlo, Venray, Weert and Kinrooi!