Transcript Document 7364650

Handbook of Language &
Ethnic Identity
Chapter 18: The Celtic World
Colin H. Williams
The Ethnic Revival
• Celtic languages are spoken by minorities in
Brittany, Cornwall, Ireland, the Isle of Man,
Scotland, Wales
• But the speakers do not feel that they are
ethnically distinct
Where does the revival
come from?
• Ethnic continuity -- a global resurgence of ethnic regional
awareness is challenging group membership based on
social class
• Salience of ethnicity -- a reaction against the increasing
scale of human organization especially by those caught in
the margins
• Internal colonial -- uneven development of capitalism has
disadvantaged ethnically marginal peoples
• Ethnic intelligentsia -- hope to renegotiate their ethnic
region’s relationship with international community
Different relationships to
language and ethnicity
• Cornwall, Scottish Gaeldom, Ireland -- it is
entirely possible to assert an ethnic identity
without fluency in the language
• Brittany and Wales -- the knowledge of the
language is crucial to the cultural identity
• Either way, Celtic revivalists have focused
on language and linguistics
Beyond the local
• European interdependence and globalization give
minorities recourse to larger authorities to promote
broadcasting and education in their languages
• Erosion of traditional communication networks
and homelands -- these processes are decoupling
culture from territory
• Threatened cultures become institutionalized in
spheres of education, public administration, and
the legal system
Economy and Language
• Support of sustainable indigenous economic
activity will also support and encourage
language maintenance within the
community
Ireland before Ethnic
Revival
• 6th-8th cents -- Ireland was European center
of religious and secular learning
• Ireland was Irish-speaking until 16th cent
• English landlord class arrives in Ireland
• 1801 Ireland united to British state
• 1845-49 Irish devastated by potato famine
• Irish speaking population declines to 18% in
1911
• Gradual revival of language over last century
Contemporary Ireland
• Number of people who claim a knowledge of Irish
is increasing, use as a community language is
decreasing
• Public support is there, and Irish is supported in
public arena, teachers and civil servants are
required to know Irish
• However, Irish is failing as a community
language, and educational system fails to produce
bilinguals
Quote to contemplate:
“For so long Irish was the symbol of
resistance to an occupying force. Having
achieved independence, the language of
dissent was not adopted as the language of
responsible citizenship, a sobering thought
indeed for all engaged in language
revitalization efforts.”
Scotland
• Only 1.4% are Gaelic speakers,
mostly concentrated in Western Isles
and Skye and Lochalsh District, so
this is not a strong political issue
• Historical discrimination &
emigration have devastated Gaelic,
along with “crofting”, an indigenous
system of landholding
• Most Scots do not see Gaelic as a
marker of identity
Plans for Gaelic in Scotland
• Scotland has been economically successful
and there is some desire to develop tourism,
and Gaelic is viewed as an asset, so there is
some investment into Gaelic broadcasting
and cultural and business uses of Gaelic
• It is possible that Gaelic will grow again…
Wales
• 1282 Wales conquered
• 1542 Wales incorporated into England,
Welsh excluded from public life, all
transactions only in English
• 1588 Welsh translation of Bible despite ban
• 19th c huge population growth and
economic boom – Welsh did not have to
emigrate to survive (unlike Scots and Irish)
Wales, cont’d.
• 1870 & 1889 Acts of government encouraged
abandonment of Welsh for English and Welsh
withered
• Early 20th c Welsh elite fought for rejuvenation,
established university, library, and other
supporting institutions
• Modern Welsh identity more linked to language
than identity of any other Celtic group, many
cultural uses in public arena
Contemporary Wales
• Today most Welsh accept bilingualism as
the norm
• Welsh seems to be declining, but there is
also growth among younger age groups
• 1993 Welsh Language Act & Welsh
Language Board provide govt support, but
there is still a problem with out-migration
from Welsh-speaking areas
Contemporary Wales, contd.
• Bilingual education programs:
– Encourage sense of national pride
– Are of higher quality than others
– Provide Welsh, which is seen as an
economically advantageous second language
• 1982 Welsh TV programming and also
many youth activities available in Welsh
Contemporary Wales, contd.
• Overall Wales is becoming more and more
bilingual, but the traditional predominantly
Welsh-speaking communities are in decline
Developments in
Welsh Language Policy
• Welsh Language Board promotes
bilingualism in public sector and in the
workplace
• Heavy industry is dying out and needs to be
replaced with diverse economic strategies in
the Welsh heartland
Community Fragmentation and
Linguistic Regeneration
• Can language planning and intervention
save the Celtic languages? Will new
communication technologies overcome the
challenges to traditional heartlands? Will
anybody ever use them for private purposes
not sponsored by govt?