Sunday 30 September 2018

Reviving the UK's Minority Languages

Pic of stone commemorating the last true Cornish speaker in wall of Paul Churchyard, Cornwall
Memorial to the Last Cornish Speaker

Languages at Europe House
European Day of Languages is celebrated Europe-wide on 26 September every year. This week I trod a familiar path from Westminster Underground Station, past the Houses of Parliament, to Europe House. The walk was tinged with sadness. It could prove my last opportunity to attend an event celebrating languages, multilingualism and European culture at Europe House.

Frontage of Europe House in Westminster with Union Jack and EU Flags side by side
Europe House has hosted many happy language events over the years

Celtic Languages 
This year's flagship event centred on the Celtic Languages of the UK. The series of lectures and language taster classes were originally planned to coincide with the UK's Presidency of the European Union. Europe House's Language Officers Paul Kaye and Stephen Turkington carried it forward to the week of events scheduled to celebrate European Day of Languages this year.  These included the Sign Languages of Europe and the annual language-based treasure hunt.



The Two Gaelics
Conchúr Ó Giollagáin was an excellent choice to open the evening's Celtic language sessions. He is a Dublin-raised Irishman based in Scotland as the Director of the UHI Language Sciences Institute in Inverness. He is currently finishing a major study on vernacular Gaelic.

Indigenous languages lecture on stage at Europe House with European flags behind
Explaining the spread of Irish and Scottish Gaelic

Education Policy
Irish has been subject to 4 generations of language policy, more support than any other minority language in the world. Yet, still it retains minority status. A fascinating analysis of the data followed with maps, graphs and history. The two Gaelic languages have followed different routes to the same path. Today, Scottish Gaelic has a 10,000 speaker base and Irish a 20,000 speaker base despite their active promotion in education. They lack the critical mass and new fluent speakers that sustain a minority language into the next generation and beyond.

A Chainsaw on Cultural Diversity
Linguistic action and decision-making are not carried out where the speaking population is based. History marginalises the speaker base of minority languages. There is a 'chainsaw effect' at work on cultural diversity with these two Gaelics clinging on in subordination to English. They can but envy the large Welsh speaker base by comparison.

Going, Going, Gone Forever?
Tim Saunders on Welsh and Cornish history
Manx has gone. A picture of the charismatic last Manx speaker appeared on screen. Now, we can only hear a recording online. Cornish was lost, but has undergone a small revival. Breton is in a sorry state in France. How do we support minority languages and their cultural legacy in the face of the irrepressible might and dominance of English? UNESCO's Atlas of Languages In Danger is sobering.

Language or Dialect?
The surprise of the night came with the introduction of Ulster-Scots by Ian Crozier. It's a language not a dialect - a Germanic 'twiglet' from English rather than a Celtic language.

Cultural History and Legacy
Bard and historian, Tim Saunders, took us on a 'cavalry charge' through Welsh and Cornish history. It set my family history on both sides of the River Severn with 3 Welsh grandparents into context. So much to bear grievances for, but ultimately a blur. And we are all friends now - with the possible exception of great sporting rivalries. There's a rich cultural and literary heritage to cherish and sustain.

Celtic Language Taster Classes
Languages are about communication. To survive they need to be in active use. We enjoyed four Celtic language classes during the evening against the familiar backdrop of European flags: Irish, Scottish Gaelic, Welsh and Cornish.

Sandaidh NicDhòmhnaill Jones shared the soft lyricism of Scottish Gaelic

Scottish Gaelic
You can find a few Scottish Gaelic music videos here to appreciate the beautifully soft, lyrical quality of the language for yourself. It was interesting to note how my recently discovered Scottish ancestor from Stranraer might have sounded.

Welsh
Gethin Jones aptly chose to introduce his language from the Land of Song through singing. The whole class rose to sing 'Heads, shoulders, knees and toes' in Welsh with the actions.

Pen, ysgwyddau, coesau, traed, coesau, traed,
Pen, ysgwyddau, coesau, traed, coesau, traed,
A llygaid, clustiau, trwyn a cheg,
Pen, ysgwyddau, coesau, traed, coesau, traed.

For those puzzled by the apparent lack of vowels in Welsh: w and y are vowels. I noticed how much easier it was for me to pick up the Welsh than the Gaelic sounds because they were introduced in childhood.

Celtic Language Classes
It was interesting to note that Gethin did all his education from ages 5-18 in Welsh. The other tutors had learnt their respective Celtic languages to fluency levels as adults. If you are interested, you can go to the London Welsh Centre to learn Welsh, or you can find a full range of Celtic languages at the City Lit.

Cornish
Pic of Church and pub in Paul, Cornwall
Paul Church and the Kings Arms during my 2017 visit
Our final language of the evening was Cornish. Today, Cornish is undergoing a revival.

Our tutor has been teaching Cornish at the City Lit for 41 years. She learnt Cornish as an adult. She demonstrated that a living language is first and foremost about social interaction and communication. She was on the move throughout the class to demonstrate (hence no photos).

The last original Cornish speaker, Dorothy Pentreath, was probably not the best advertisement for the language. She was a fisherwoman who apparently swore at everyone in Cornish. Next time I visit the friendly community of Paul where her memorial stands in the churchyard (see top of this blog), I will be able to ask for an apple or bag of crisps at the Kings Arms in Cornish.

Pic of Houses of Parliament in Westminster in evening sunlight

English Skills for Immigrants
As I wandered back past the Houses of Parliament, a man was pushing his son in a pushchair. It reminded me that tomorrow's future minority languages are not all about our indigenous Celtic tongues. The little boy was fighting sleep against the movement of the pushchair in the night air, as my own sons once did.

The various talks demonstrated that it is far easier to save and build a dying language than to resurrect a dead one.

The evening's overriding takeaway is that the future of the UK's minority languages is not all bad news.


Monday 24 September 2018

Photo Blog: Eastcote House and Gardens


Eastcote House and Gardens in Hillingdon has undergone a major transformation since my last visit. Given the recent heavy winds and rains, the volunteers did an excellent job of putting on a such a tidy display of late summer colour and topiary.

Eastcote House Walled Garden looking towards the Dovecote

Sideways view of the planting in the walled gardenPic looking up a central path in the walled garden


I savoured the garden from every angle, before making my way towards the wilder parts of the gardens towards Long Meadow and the River Pinn.


River Pinn

There are some magnificent old trees in Long Meadow. I paused under the magnificent, sunlit canopy of the old Oak Tree below.

 Pic looking up at oak tree trunk, branches and sunlit leaves from underneath

I returned to the house where old cars were on display for the Open House London weekend.

Old car with Union Jack with Eastcote House behind
Old car with Eastcote House in the background

Pic of red vintage car and cyclist in background
One of the vintage cars in Eastcote Gardens

A quiet bench beckoned as I realised that I had missed the next 282 bus home.


 A chance to enjoy the last of the dappled September sunshine under the gardens' trees.



 Eastcote House and Gardens is open daily.












Monday 17 September 2018

Book Review: The Plant Messiah


Pic of Purple water lily flower against lily pad

Most botanical biographies seem to be about the great plant hunters of the past. The Plant Messiah is the story of Kew’s modern-day botanical horticulturist, Carlos Magdalena. Rather than collecting exotic species, he’s out to save them.

Early Beginnings
A Spanish journalist called Carlos ‘The Plant Messiah’. The name stuck. The seeds were sown in childhood. Carlos learnt how to grow and graft plants at a young age. His propagation skills and sheer determination earned him a place on Kew’s prestigious horticultural diploma. His story opens a window on the extraordinary conservation work taking place at Kew and across the world.

Perseverance
As you turn each page, you will each endangered species to survive. Carlos’s perseverance despite repeated failures is remarkable. My heart sank as he reported a failure. He does not seem to dwell on the failures. Years seem to pass trying different methods to no avail. Thankfully, there are success stories too.

Adventures
This Spanish-born plant messiah travels the world. His adventures are worthy of the historical plant hunters. A human ladder in Mauritius, a crocodile watch in Australia and plant theft are just a few of the anecdotes.

It’s not just about saving plants personally. Wherever he goes, Carlos teaches the local people his propagation skills. This even finds him teaching after midnight in Bolivia.

Water Lily Obsession
The water lily tales stand out. The importance of international cooperation between the world’s botanical gardens is underlined by Carlos’ success with Nymphaea thermarum. An exchange of seeds with Bonn sees him try to grow the species beyond germination into maturity. The Plant Messiah succeeds thanks to a combination of  obsessional persistence and a ‘tortellini moment’. Only after his success does he hear that he had been working with the last five seeds in existence. A rat ate the last plant in Germany.

PIc of giant water lily pads
In the Water Lily House at Kew Gardens

Publisher
The Plant Messiah has Penguin Books as its publisher. It is unusual for a botanical subject to have such a mainstream publisher. I hope that Penguin will be inspired to take on more botanical subjects and authors at this critical time for endangered species. This inspirational book has been well-ghostwritten and edited for an enthralling read.

What Next?
The book ends with The Plant Messiah returning to Kew with ‘a new waterlily species to show the world’. It doesn’t feel like the end of his story. There simply has to be another instalment. The epilogue ends with a prayer, urging everyone to be a plant messiah. You don’t have to travel as far as Carlos to help plant diversity and conservation.

‘We have been given one earth and we are not managing it properly.
We don’t deserve another.
Instead, let’s turn things around and garden our way out of this apocalypse,
green up the world and plant our future.’

Amen.



Magdalena, Carlos:
The Plant Messiah. Adventures in Search of the World's Rarest Species
Publisher: Penguin Books (2017)

Friday 14 September 2018

Book Review: Where Do Camels Belong?


Lythrum salicaria

Invasive species aren’t all bad. Ken Thompson sets out to challenge received thinking on invasive species. His highly readable book certainly succeeded in challenging my preconceptions on the subject.

Where Do Camels Belong? is a special non-fiction book. It intrigued me like a thriller. I couldn’t put it down until I’d finished. You emerge on the last page freed from hype, with a fresh, informed viewpoint.

This book appealed to me on two levels. Firstly, I welcomed the challenge of facts on invasive species with the discussion of different examples. I enjoyed the explosion of exaggerations and myths. Secondly, it inspired me to think figuratively about attitudes to human ‘aliens’ in the current world climate.

We should stop thinking that we can turn the clock back to some pristine, (…) golden age, (…). We should instead focus on getting the best out of our brave new invaded world. (page 223).

The title offers the best example to question our concept of nativeness. Is the answer to Where Do Camels Belong (a), (b), (c) or (d)?


(a)   In the Middle East? Because that what our instinct tells us?
(b)  In North America? Where they evolved but are now extinct?
(c)   In South America? Where they retain their greatest diversity?
(d)  In Australia? Where the world’s only truly wild rather than domesticated dromedaries now occur? (pages 1-2)

Now, apply this animal concept to plants, then people. Looking back, I’m no longer sure whether I was a botanist or a linguist first in childhood. Does it matter to which field I belonged first? The ability to turn an accepted issue on its head due to a dual background is an advantage.

I highly recommend this book. It will open your eyes and challenge you to see the world differently.


Thompson, Ken (2014):
Where Do Camels Belong? Why Invasive Species Aren’t All Bad.
Publisher: Greystone Books