Part academic volume, part manifesto, this 16-chapter collection discusses how – not whether – to revitalize Gaelic in Scotland, from perspectives including law, economics, education, and anthropology. The introduction states that provisions for the use of Gaelic are increasing, in light of the fact that Gaelic is “an essential aspect of Scottish cultural distinctiveness … connected (directly or indirectly) to the movement for Scottish self-government” (p. vii). Seven chapters are in Gaelic – none too subtle a form of status planning – but each ends with an English summary for those whose Gaelic is not up to academic standard.
In chapter 1, Robert Dunbar outlines how the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages helped shape the Gaelic Language (Scotland) Act 2005 – two documents that reappear throughout the book. In chapter 2, Wilson McLeod espouses a customized approach toward Gaelic public services, sensitive to local differences in language usage. Chapters 3 (Kenneth MacKinnon) and 4 (Magaidh NicAoidh) discuss the Western Isles Language Plan. MacKinnon reviews four Gaelic usage surveys between 1972 and 2001; NicAoidh outlines some specifics of the Plan. Both end with policy recommendations. MacKinnon's authority here is especially noteworthy, as he authored the 2000 government study on the Cornish language that established its eligibility for EU protection. Boyd Robasdan, in chapter 5, notes increases in Gaelic-medium education (GME), and positive parental attitudes. Students' attitudes inform chapter 6, by Martina Müller, alongside aptitude and teaching methods. In chapter 7, Marion F. Morrison shows positive effects of GME, but still a “narrowing down of the domains of use of Gaelic” beyond school (150).
Chapter 8, by James Oliver, describes what Gaelic means to Scots, noting an insular, local (mostly Highland) identity, something that a “Gaelic economy” may not counter. Chapter 9, by Konstanze Glaser, discusses Gaelic's ethnic associations. Alasdair MacCaluim, in chapter 10, reprises the role of adults in revitalizing Gaelic, emphasizing the importance of adult GME. Alison Lang, in chapter 11, advocates greater use of the arts, while Mike Cormack, in chapter 12, urges more – and better thought-out – media broadcasting. Gillian Rothach, in chapter 13, endorses community-led developments to reclaim Gaelic locally, a theme Douglas Chalmers & Mike Danson expound in chapter 14, investigating deployment of Gaelic in Scottish regional investment and development strategies – further elaborated in chapter 15 by John Walsh, who relates Scottish socioeconomic development agencies to language planning. Emily McEwan-Fujita's final chapter outlines how “‘death’ discourses” – positing language as a living/dying entity – differ from “‘scientistic’ discourses,” which privilege “facts” about language usage, and how these inform academic and public thinking.
Overall, education is championed as Gaelic's salvation, followed by other state-led efforts – mostly employment and arts/media. However, as James Oliver (chap. 8) indicates, while these might make the language useful and respectable, they are less likely to make it cool – something that might breathe life and energy into Gaelic rather than just maintaining it as a cultural avatar. (Even the marginal arts and TV initiatives appear regulated and even slightly highbrow.) But then, reading between the lines, “cool” ultimately seems beyond the remit of such policy-led, state-run schemes.
