AN OPEN letter signed by hundreds of people has been sent to all MSPs appealing for Gaelic Community Development to be strengthened in the forthcoming Scottish Languages Bill.
A total of 636 people – more than responded to the consultation on the bill – have expressed concern before its third reading in the Scottish Parliament.
Gaelic campaign group Misneachd believes the language is at crisis point in its few remaining communities – at the recent census it was recorded as a minority language in Na h-Eileanan Siar for the first time.
The main concern over the new bill is the proposal to create “areas of linguistic significance” as there is no indication of how these would be funded.
“The bill as it stands does not sufficiently clarify how areas of linguistic significance will operate in practice,” states the letter, which has been organised by Misneachd.
“In particular, we risk missing an opportunity to put Gaelic community development on a firmer footing in terms of policy and institutional frameworks, resourcing and empowering local leadership.”
The letter goes on to argue that community development work is critical for boosting Gaelic use in families and among young people, alongside Gaelic medium education.
“This is important both in Gaelic heartland areas in the islands and in other parts of Scotland with significant concentrations of Gaelic speakers and Gaelic educational and cultural activity,” it states.
The letter writers also note that nothing in the bill explicitly indicates how areas of linguistic significance will interact with community language plans and community organisations
“Furthermore, the bill does not address the geographic extent of areas of linguistic significance,” the letter states.
“This is a particularly significant issue in the Western Isles, where the Comhairle has already indicated that it intends to designate the whole of its territory.
“This is very much to be welcomed, but we believe it would be appropriate to designate multiple areas of linguistic significance each with a local community language plan, overseen by a local community organisation and language development officer. In effect this would consolidate the existing network of language officers and give their work increased status and sustainability.”
The letter cites the statutory language planning system in Ireland as a potential model.
This breaks up the Gaeltacht (Irish-speaking heartlands) into multiple language planning districts, as well as allowing for the designation of areas outside the Gaeltacht as Irish language networks.
Under this system, 47 community language plans are currently in operation across Ireland in both rural and urban areas, providing a wealth of practical examples of best practice in addition to an institutional framework which could be adapted to the Scottish Gaelic situation.
“Any system for community language planning should also work in close co-operation with Comunn na Gàidhlig’s Gaelic youth initiatives, as well as the Gaelic centres operating or in development in Stornoway, South Uist, Inverness, Glasgow, Edinburgh and elsewhere,” the letter states.
