Gaelic in Contemporary Scotland

Focusing on how people, communities and organisations are 'doing' Gaelic, this book explores the processes and patterns of Gaelic language acquisition, use and management across key spaces of interaction: the family, the community, educational settings, and in organisations. Contributions adopt an experiential approach to give voice to speakers in a diverse range of communities, both geographically and socially. The volume therefore illustrates the ways in which the use of Gaelic is changing in the context of increasingly fragmented, networked communities.
The book provides a range of critical perspectives on existing models for minority language revitalisation and introduces fresh ideas for language revitalisation theory. Through its analysis of the interconnections between, and differences within, Gaelic communities, this collection challenges old understandings of the Gaelic community as a single collective identity, making it an invaluable resource for students, lecturers and researchers interested in questions of linguistic diversity, linguistic minorities and language policy and planning.
Marsaili MacLeod is a Lecturer in Gaelic Studies in the School of Language and Literature at the University of Aberdeen.
Cassie Smith-Christmas is a Research Fellow at the National University of Ireland, Galway.

Marsaili MacLeod is a Lecturer in Gaelic Studies in the School of Language and Literature at the University of Aberdeen. Cassie Smith-Christmas currently holds a fellowship with the Smithsonian Institution and is a co-principal investigator on the project 'The Intersection of Language and Community in Corca Dhuibhne' as part of the 'Sustaining Minoritized Languages in Europe (SMiLE)' initiative. She is Research Fellow at the National University of Ireland, Galway National University of Ireland, Galway

Prelims: List of figures, List of tables, Acknowledgements, List of abbreviations, Notes on contributors Chapter 1: Introduction (Marsaili MacLeod, Cassie Smith-Christmas & Nicola Carty) Chapter 2: The language of the playground: Activists building consensus on the language policy and ethos of a new Gaelic immersion school (Timothy C. Armstrong) Chapter 3: Mismatches between national and local Gaelic development: Cròileagan Dùn Èideann and the promotion of Gaelic-medium education (Kirstie MacLeod) Chapter 4: Gaelic amongst schoolchildren: Ideas on language change and linguistic choices in Gaelic (Sìleas L. NicLeòid) Chapter 5: When school is over and done with: Linguistic practices and socio-demographic profiles of Gaelic-medium educated adults (Stuart Dunmore) Chapter 6: New speakers of Gaelic: A historical and policy perspective (Wilson McLeod) Chapter 7: Learning Gaelic in adulthood: Second language learning in minority language contexts (Marsaili MacLeod) Chapter 8: Dlùth is Inneach: Charting language ideology in the contemporary Gaelic world (Susan Bell & Mark McConville) Chapter 9: Gaelic language use in public domains (Ingeborg Birnie) Chapter 10: Planning for growth: the professionalisation of the taskforce for Gaelic revitalisation (Michelle Macleod, Timothy C. Armstrong, Gillian Munro & Ian Taylor) Chapter 11: Organisational language planning: Gaelic Language Plans in the public sector (Robert Dunbar) Chapter 12: The future of Gaelic language revitalisation in Scotland (Marsaili MacLeod & Cassie Smith-Christmas)