Gaelic Rebranding of Police Scotland Helicopters

[BetterTogether]

Another total waste of taxpayers money

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/arti...ts-Gaelic.html

[gleeber]

The Gaelic Scotland Act 2005 was placed on the statute books by a Scottish Labour government. The bill was originally presented by Labour MSP education minister Peter Peacock. By the act all public bodies are required to submit a Gaelic plan to Bord na Gaidhlig the government appointed quango responsible for the promotion of Gaelic in a modern Scotland. Police Scotland as a public body will by law have had to present a Gaelic plan to the Bord
. Similarly in Caithness. Highland council will have submitted a Gaelic plan to the Bord and anything Gaelic you see around you will have been as a direct result of the Gaelic act and the Scottish unionists who brought it to law.

[cptdodger]

Another total waste of taxpayers money

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/arti...ts-Gaelic.html

I just cannot see the point myself. When my children took languages at school, Gaelic certainly was'nt one of them. Latin, being a dead language is more useful than Gaelic.

[squidge]

Whether people see the point of this or not - this is happening because the UK government signed up to the EU charter on minority languages which was drawn up as far back as 1998. Also because people with a modicum of intelligence and foresight understand the massive benefits of bilingualism and that the ability to speak a second language fluently is a useful, never mind wonderful gift to give to our children. that is recognised in Britain, and the rest of Europe it's a shame people don't recognise it here.

[davth]

Squidge What use is Gaelic in today's world?

[BetterTogether]

I speak English German French And spanish and fully enjoy using them can't say I've ever had the requirement to speak Gaelic. It's a minority language hardly used and the amount of money wasted on it by political numpties trying to foist petty ideology on us is unbelievable.

[cptdodger]

I speak English German French And spanish and fully enjoy using them can't say I've ever had the requirement to speak Gaelic. It's a minority language hardly used and the amount of money wasted on it by political numpties trying to foist petty ideology on us is unbelievable.

My son took German and French as at University he sat his degree in accountancy and European business studies. The company he works for now has offices in Berlin and Paris, the fact he could speak these languages was one of the reasons he secured his position. He has now started to learn Japanese, as he is interested in computer programming, and seemingly that helps!

[rob murray]

Whether people see the point of this or not - this is happening because the UK government signed up to the EU charter on minority languages which was drawn up as far back as 1998. Also because people with a modicum of intelligence and foresight understand the massive benefits of bilingualism and that the ability to speak a second language fluently is a useful, never mind wonderful gift to give to our children. that is recognised in Britain, and the rest of Europe it's a shame people don't recognise it here.

AT best the EU charter acts to conserve cultural traditions which left unchecked / unsubsidised would die out......Scottish Gaelic is of no practical useage anywhere unless you want a job on BBC Alba

[gleeber]

I have to admit I'm coming round to the idea of a Scotland that never forgets it's past and respects other people for what they are.
Gaelic in Scotland's been controversial since the Scottish parliament decreed its rescue. That's good because before then it was spoken in whispers. The Gaelic movements come a long way in 10 years. I wish them the best of luck

[cptdodger]

I have to admit I'm coming round to the idea of a Scotland that never forgets it's past and respects other people for what they are.
Gaelic in Scotland's been controversial since the Scottish parliament decreed its rescue. That's good because before then it was spoken in whispers. The Gaelic movements come a long way in 10 years. I wish them the best of luck

I can understand the road signs being controversial. but why is Gaelic controversial in general ?

[gleeber]

I'm not really sure why it's so controversial. This thread alone turns up some very interesting comments and opinions about Gaelic. Its being presented as a useless language by most of you but it's the indigenous language of Scotland. There are thousands upon thousands of native Gaelic speaking people living in Scotland today and many more thousands who are connected to the spirit or whatever you want to call it.
Did you know that as late as the 1960s the British state and its Scottish cohorts were still punishing native Gaelic speaking children if they were caught talking Gaelic in the school playground? That's controversial too.

[golach]

Why not write it in Polish, there are more Polish speakers in Scotland than there a Gaelic speakers

[cptdodger]

I'm not really sure why it's so controversial. This thread alone turns up some very interesting comments and opinions about Gaelic. Its being presented as a useless language by most of you but it's the indigenous language of Scotland. There are thousands upon thousands of native Gaelic speaking people living in Scotland today and many more thousands who are connected to the spirit or whatever you want to call it.
Did you know that as late as the 1960s the British state and its Scottish cohorts were still punishing native Gaelic speaking children if they were caught talking Gaelic in the school playground? That's controversial too.

I actually did'nt know that. I come from a part of Scotland where Gaelic was never mentioned never mind spoken, certainly not in schools anyway. Maybe years ago people from certain areas of Scotland used to speak only Gaelic on a daily basis and some probably still do, but to communicate with the rest of Scotland, they would also have to speak English. If people want to learn to speak Gaelic, that's fine I do'nt have a problem with that, but not as a school subject. I do'nt know whether schools in the Highlands and Islands have Gaelic as a language option, as in the school I went to it was French or German, but certainly Gaelic was not an option.

As I said though to me speaking Gaelic is'nt controversial, but again that could be because of where I was brought up.

[gleeber]

Don't you think It's controversial that you think the indigenous language of your country should not be taught at school?

[gleeber]

Why not write it in Polish, there are more Polish speakers in Scotland than there a Gaelic speakers

I imagine it's because Polish is the indigenous language of Poland.

[sids]

Don't you think It's controversial that you think the indigenous language of your country should not be taught at school?

Do you speak Gaelic?

If not, it ain't your language.

[gleeber]

Isnt aint an Americanism?

[sids]

Isnt aint an Americanism?

Who's to say?

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ain%27t

[cptdodger]

Don't you think It's controversial that you think the indigenous language of your country should not be taught at school?

In all honesty no. This is a paragraph from the Dundee Courier -

"Although Gaelic has not been widely used in Dundee in recent times, it was spoken at some time virtually everywhere in Scotland. Gaelic was likely the dominant language in Dundee between around 800-1200 AD but was still being spoken in 1791 when a Gaelic chapel was built in Dundee for ‘Highlanders recently arrived in the town’."

That was in response to the 2005 act you were talking about. As you can see, speaking Gaelic does not feature greatly where I come from.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_o...aelic_speakers

I am from number 20 by the way.

[cptdodger]

I found this on Wikipedia -


Historically, the dominant language in Angus was Pictish until the sixth to seventh centuries AD when the area became progressively gaelicised, with Pictish extinct by the mid-ninth century. Gaelic/ Middle Irish began to retreat from lowland areas in the late-eleventh century and was absent from the Eastern lowlands by the fourteenth century. It was replaced there by Middle Scots, the contemporary local South Northern dialect of Modern Scots while Gaelic persisted as a majority language in the highland Glens until the 19th century. Scottish English is now increasingly replacing Scots.

So in reality, where I come from my original language was not Gaelic, it was Pictish.