[Closed] Incommunicado?

So.....this isn't about Fish then? 😳

So.....this isn't about Fish then?

nah, yer Clutching at Straws there...

I agree, compulsory English lessons for everyone.

(Not) Leting old languages die?

Not) Leting old languages die?

You leave my speling and grammer out of it!! Reflects quaybord scills, not Inglish

he he! My comment was originally coz I iz an inglish teecher.

The spelling was a late edit. 😆

Presumably, they will be discussing this in the common language of English?

Much of the change in language is to do with cultural hegemony, hence the fact Elnglish is so widely spoken. However, many places are rediscovering their sense of community through the preservation and subsequent regrowth of their mother tongue. Welsh being the immediate example in Britain.

But, Latin died out as a spoken languange, and yet it is still much used in our every day life.

However, many places are rediscovering their sense of community through the preservation and subsequent regrowth of their mother tongue. Welsh being the immediate example in Britain.

But is there a place (and money) for this to be policy driven?

For example, should everyone in the UK be taught a Celtic language from 3yrs (as they are at my kids school)

Where is your kids' school? I think it says in the article that in Scotland the enforced teaching of Gaelic was a failure.
Although I was taught Welsh at school and half my family speak Welsh, we were not allowed to speak welsh at home, therfore I have lost practically everything. I wish I had learnt, it's a part of my heritage a part of me. not particulary useful in the big wide world just something personal. Spending money on people who don't want to learn is a bad idea, making it available to those who do is a good idea.
If your kids go to school in wales, then yes I think they should learn, at least, how to pronounce the place names. 😆

Yes, Wales.

It goes beyond place name pronunciation though, as useful as it is. Like you infer, language is a link to place. How can you understand the meaning of a place name if you are divorced from the linguistic roots?

The [i]opportunity[/i] to learn, Welsh, Manx, Cornish, Scots / Irish Gaelic (and Saesneg / Sowznak / Sasunnach) should be available to all.

Past monachist / centralist / public policies have actively discriminated [i]against[/i] UK minority languages, so a little bit of redress to provide a supportive environment has got to be a good thing.

I think David Mitchell covered this quite nicely on his Soap Box not so long ago:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/video/2009/jun/25/david-mitchell-soapbox

"Once it's gone.. it's gone. Cornish, sadly, flatlined on the table. Everyone that spoke Cornish as a language, rather than as a hobby, died. And then there was a gap. And at that point, the idea of campaigning to put it on road signs is completely lunatic, or as they say in Cornwall, "completely lunatic".

I think they should be nutured to be retained. I'm Welsh and wish I'd been sent to a Welsh speaking school, I always get asked can I speak Welsh, yes a few minor words but nothing conversationally and I feel slightly embarassed by that. However with 2 English speaking parents it didn't happen. I also studied language acquistion and languages of the world at Uni (part of Psycholinguistics degree). Fascinating stuff.
Fascinating book about languages dying out:
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Dont-Sleep-There-are-Snakes/dp/1846680409/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1284570365&sr=1-1

the idea of campaigning to put it on road signs is completely lunatic, or as they say in Cornwall, "completely lunatic".

Not at all sure that they do, actually. Certainly in terms of bilingual place names, that are increasingly popular.

Language remains deeply embedded in the fabric of any place. Understanding Welsh, West Highland or any other placenames requires the context of language - and that context is best maintained through the education of kids from a young age.

Latine loqui coactus sum but most of my family until this generation are/were Gaelic speakers