This is a past event
The Centre for Modern Languages Research invites Dr Claire Nance from University of Lancaster to give a talk on 'The role of language professionals in minority language revitalisation: Users and shapers of Gaelic' as part of the centre's Research Seminar Series at the University of Aberdeen.
Abstract:
In this talk I will consider the language use of 'language professionals' and their role in the revitalisation of Gaelic. Official revitalisation measures in Scotland have led to the development of a middle class of workers, who use Gaelic as part of their jobs for example in broadcasting, publishing, education and language development (McEwan-Fujita 2008). Such speakers are well aware of their position as both users and developers of Gaelic as the language is expanded into new registers and contexts. Here, I examine the speech of these language professionals: are they developing new ways of speaking Gaelic to go with the developing sociolinguistic context? Or, do they conservatively retain traditional forms of the language? I will show that the answer to both these questions is 'Yes'! Through two analyses of language production from speakers in both lowland and highland areas, I will demonstrate that language professionals are a diverse workforce who have highly specific goals for their language use, with diverse outcomes. In the Discussion I explore how these highly motivated and highly educated users of Gaelic are driving the revitalisation movement, and simultaneously shaping the form of the language.
McEwan-Fujita, E. (2008). Working '9 to 5' Gaelic: Speakers, context and ideology of an emerging minority language register. In K. King (Ed.) Sustaining linguistic diversity: Endangered and minority languages and language varieties. Washington D.C.: Georgetown University Press, 81–93.
- Hosted by
- Centre for Modern Languages Research at the School of Language, Literature, Music and Visual Culture
- Contact
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This event will take place on MS Teams. Please click here to join. Please contact Professor Nadia Kiwan for any queries.