Language Revitalisation in Gaelic Scotland - by Stuart S Dunmore (Paperback)

About the Book

The first in-depth assessment of language use and attitudinal perceptions among adults who received an immersion education in a minority language.

Book Synopsis

Situated within the interrelated disciplines of sociolinguistics and sociology of language, this book explores the language use and attitudinal perceptions of a sample of 130 adults who received Gaelic-medium education (GME) at primary school, during the first years of that system's availability in Scotland. As the first students to have attended GME are now in their late 20s and 30s, this volume offers a timely examination of the long-term outcomes of the system in its earliest years, and of the future prospects for Gaelic language maintenance and revitalisation in Scotland.
The book presents in-depth discussion and analysis of narratives in order to demonstrate former Gaelic-medium students' present-day relationships to the languages they speak, offering fascinating insights into the possible reasons - historical, ideological and personal - for these relationships. This book presents the first open assessment of the outcomes of Gaelic-medium education in Scotland, and offers suggestions for individuals and policymakers seeking to revitalise languages internationally.

From the Back Cover

'With Scottish Gaelic in decline for almost a millennium, Dunmore's book fills a crucial gap in our understanding of the long-term social and linguistic outcomes of Gaelic medium education. It will inform policy makers and activists in Scotland and worldwide, where revitalization efforts are underway to create new speakers and domains through schooling.' Professor Emerita Suzanne Romain, University of Oxford The first open assessment of the outcomes of Gaelic-medium education in Scotland This is a timely examination of the long-term outcomes of the system in its earliest years and of the future prospects for Gaelic language maintenance and revitalisation in Scotland. The book presents in-depth discussion and analysis of narratives in order to demonstrate former Gaelic-medium students' present-day relationships to the languages they speak, which offers fascinating insights into the possible reasons - historical, ideological and personal - for these relationships. Stuart Dunmore assesses the outcomes of Gaelic-medium education in Scotland and offers suggestions for activists and policymakers seeking to revitalise languages internationally. Key Features - Outlines the history of Gaelic language use in Scotland and challenges popular misunderstandings around the language's heritage and contemporary relevance - Summarises the changing role of Gaelic in Scottish schools, particularly since the start of Gaelic-medium education in 1985 - Examines 130 participants' language practices, and the possible attitudinal and sociological correlates underlying these practices - Explores beliefs about the Gaelic language through detailed, close-reading of narratives using an innovative 'ethnography of speaking' approach to bilingual discourses concerning the Gaelic language and its community Stuart Dunmore is a British Academy Postdoctoral Fellow based at the University of Edinburgh and is currently undertaking research on Gaelic in Nova Scotia. Cover image: Cover design: [EUP logo] edinburghuniversitypress.com ISBN 978-1-4744-4311-1 Barcode

Review Quotes

Having confirmed the inadequacy of school as a standalone site of language socialization, his work sounds a clarion call for innovation. In recent years, there has indeed been a growing awareness within academic and activist circles of the need for complementary strategies for language maintenance and revitalization ... Dunmore's monograph will thus undoubtedly catalyse the momentum of emerging work on innovative initiatives and spaces for language socialization, and help hasten the development of further language maintenance and revitalization efforts that do indeed work.--Sara C. Brennan, Université de Lorraine, Nancy "Journal of Sociolinguistics"

The book will prove to be a very valuable resource for language educators, policy makers and scholars of language death and revitalisation for many years to come.--Michael Hornsby, Adam Mickiewicz University in Poznań "Studia Celtica Posnaniensia"

With an eminently readable style, clear structure and judiciously used signposting, Dunmore's book fills a gap in the literature of language revitalisation. It will both inspire and motivate scholars and researchers to undertake similar studies, especially in minority-language contexts where immersion education is seen as a beacon illuminating successful revitalisation.--Muiris Ó Laoire, Munster Technological University "Journal of Multilingual and Multicultural Development"

With Scottish Gaelic in decline for almost a millennium, Dunmore's book fills a crucial gap in our understanding of the long-term social and linguistic outcomes of Gaelic medium education. It will inform policy makers and activists in Scotland and worldwide, where revitalization efforts are underway to create new speakers and domains through schooling.--Professor Emerita Suzanne Romaine, University of Oxford

About the Author

Stuart S. Dunmore is a British Academy Postdoctoral Fellow in the School of Literatures, Languages and Cultures at the University of Edinburgh.