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Just now, chomp my root said:

You're really stretching here to make some kind of a point. I salute your effort though.

 

Well it's clear from your "I don't mind Gaelic but..." posts across this thread that you absolutely do mind.  

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4 minutes ago, topcat(The most tip top) said:

 


“Culture” being used in a very broad sense

 

I was thinking more narrowly in terms of songs, poetry, stories etc, but I do think that different languages encourage different ways of thinking and outlook.

Edited by welshbairn
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Went to my local Tesco Mega Store this morning and there was a full quarter aisle set aside for Polish food. Labelled in Polish!!! Disgusting.

Most of our hard working Polish friends will have no difficulty pronouncing the brand names or products.

But that’s easy for them to say!
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2 hours ago, welshbairn said:

It's about keeping a language and culture alive, not just passing information.

Which is why I'm curious as to whether anyone actually uses Gaelic language and culture (if there is such a thing) as their first language/culture. If not, does it need preserving?

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Just now, nsr said:

Which is why I'm curious as to whether anyone actually uses Gaelic language and culture (if there is such a thing) as their first language/culture. If not, does it need preserving?

I think there are communities on the Western Isles and North West where the first  language is Gaelic but everyone is probably bilingual by now.. Someone like @throbber will know more about it. There are plenty people learning it. There are loads of Gaelic folk singers about. Gauging if it's worth preserving is like valuing a painting by the cost of its paint and canvas.

 

 

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20 minutes ago, nsr said:

Which is why I'm curious as to whether anyone actually uses Gaelic language and culture (if there is such a thing) as their first language/culture. If not, does it need preserving?

2011 Census data 

Nationally, 25,000 people aged 3 and over (0.49 per cent of the population) reported using Gaelic at home.

Of those who reported using Gaelic at home, 63.3 per cent had all skills in Gaelic (understanding, speaking, reading and writing), 10.9 per cent had oracy (understands and speaks) and reading skills, 18.2 per cent had oracy skills only, 3.4 per cent could understand Gaelic only, 0.7 per cent had literacy skills only, and 3.4 per cent had no skills in Gaelic (see Appendix 1, note 5). Nationally, 40.2 per cent of all Gaelic speakers (including children aged under 3) reported using Gaelic at home. This proportion was 73.7 per cent in Eilean Siar, 41.5 per cent in Highland, 33.4 per cent in Argyll & Bute and 23.6 per cent in the other 29 council areas combined.[/quote]

http://www.scotlandscensus.gov.uk/documents/analytical_reports/Report_part_1.pdf

 

63.3% of 25,000 is about 15,825

And it's worth remembering that these Census literacy rates are based on self reported data

Edited by topcat(The most tip top)
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16 minutes ago, welshbairn said:

Gauging if it's worth preserving is like valuing a painting by the cost of its paint and canvas.

Not exactly, more like asking if anyone actually likes the painting and comes to view it, etc. Keeping something around because of cultural heritage while nobody actually likes or uses it seems a bit pointless.

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On 5/21/2018 at 21:45, Kejan said:

Frank " Càit a bheil na h-eòin?" McAvennie  seems to be the latest detractor of the Gaelic language, ...

My tuppence worth would be that the pretense that Gaelic is a national language across all of Scotland should be dropped, but there's no harm targeting substantial resources at the areas where it is still a living language.

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