Reviving the UK's Minority Languages

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.

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.

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

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.

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.

A Divided House

Many a time I have walked past the Houses of Parliament in Westminster and gazed up in awe. During the Easter break I seized the opportunity to see the magnificent buildings from the inside. A special guided tour was available as part of Women's History Month. It was entitled "From petitions to Prime Minister". This fascinating tour was all about women in Parliament and the suffragettes. The 2015 film Suffragette was the first production ever granted access to film inside the Houses of Parliament.

Inside the grounds of the Houses of Parliament

The Houses of Parliament are steeped in British history. Unfortunately, that history has not been so great for women. 

Statue of Oliver Cromwell looking down

Spot the Woman?
There are very few portraits of women inside -  unless the women concerned were queens or consorts. I could have easily missed the small stained-glass window to the Women's Suffrage Movement if our guide hadn't pointed it out.

Women's Suffrage Window

An Injustice depicted as Justice
One of the most moving stories related to a painting by Irishman Daniel Maclise. He painted the face of Caroline Norton as "The Spirit of Justice" in the House of Lords. In those days, women were the property of their husbands. Caroline Norton fought a campaign over the custody of children and divorce conditions. 

Cat and Mouse
I was horrified to hear of the lengths that women had to go to win the right to vote. It went far beyond raising petitions. Quite a hefty endeavour before today's e-petitions. The suffragettes went to prison, on repeated hunger strikes and were force-fed repeatedly. Can this really have happened in my country in the last century? The circumstances surrounding The Cat and Mouse Act seem horrific.

Heel of Lord Falkland bears Suffragette damage

Petitioning for Change
Of course today, women shouldn't need to go to such lengths today to get justice or be heard, should they? It should be a simple matter of writing to your MP. Not every just cause can raise a massive petition. Some causes aren't glamorous enough for widespread popular support. Slavery wasn't just. It took just men to overthrow it.

Gender-neutral?
Modern women still struggle to improve conditions for their children after a divorce. They tend to get on with doing their best for their children, rather than staging stunts like climbing Buckingham Palace. Yes, roles in society are changing. Yet, gender-neutral decisions in a world that is not gender-neutral are not fair. They favour the father. Not the mother. And certainly not the children. The latter are forced to live a bizarre, nomadic existence between homes, used as a weapons of abuse in ways beyond their understanding.

Causes without Glamour
Just 25% of British MPs and 8% of the judiciary are women. It is very difficult to gain male MPs' attention to the unfairness of so-called gender-neutral laws, domestic abuse and coercive control. How do you win the support of wealthy male MPs on the subject of post-divorce finance for women and children? Many women and children live in poverty or near-poverty for years after divorce.

Suffering Children
Children grow up in the time the courts take to deal with matters. The slow family courts allow abusive fathers too much time to cover their financial tracks. The Government is quick to make digital connections that withdraw payments to single mothers. Yet access to the evidence that would prove a case of relentless financial abuse is blocked as "confidential".

Attitudes to Women
It's legal to use the legal system as an instrument of abuse and mental torture. The system is too formulaic. Too male. It too readily dismisses women's complaints as irrational, too emotional, too stressed, too negative... 

Misogyny and Class Division
As I stood in the Houses of Parliament, I understood why it is so hard for so many women. The very fabric of the building reeks of misogyny and class division. Protocol did not allow us to sit down inside the House of Commons or the House of Lords. I'm a British citizen. I have the right to vote. I think I deserve the respect and the right to sit down.

Digital Decision-makers?
The voting system is out of the ark. It lends itself to bullying. How can MPs take informed decisions on Britain's digital future (and the Snooper's Charter in particular), if their place of work is an historic relic? Are they going to wait until the Thames floods the Chamber?

A New Environment?
The Houses of Parliament is a fabulous museum. It should be a museum. Visitors would flood in. England and the United Kingdom deserve a new purpose-built building with the latest digital technology and security systems. Perhaps attendance would improve if there were actually enough seats for everyone? Set out in a less adversarial way? 

We deserve better representation for women and children by women. Sometimes you can't change an environment without changing the environment. 

We deserve a grown-up Parliament... I have no allegiance to any particular party. However, the Green Party have just captured how most women see British politics very well.

Karen Andrews runs
Anglicity Ltd. She is

an English 

copywriter and

multilingual digital 
marketer. 

From Art to Muck

There was a big pile of something in the middle of the path on arrival. My week began on a high with art at the Royal Academy. Now, it was back to basics with muck. Not that Panamanian stuff in the news, but real, honest-to-goodness muck. Every gardener knows that you have to deal with the muck first. A good mulch keeps nasty weeds from taking over. You will regret any early season shortcuts. They come back to haunt you like Miss Willmott's Ghost. 

Where was I? I was at the Chelsea Physic Garden for the first in its new season of Thursday Supper Talks. No room for delicacy here... it was about excrement, manure, dung, poo, sh**. So I went from the wow factor of Monet's painted water lilies to The eXcrement Factor inside a week. 

Dr George McGavin's opening slide 

Dr George McGavin's talk was one of the most entertaining and informative that I have ever attended. This Scottish naturalist and broadcaster captivated the audience with his presentation on dung and its history. At first sight, this is hardly the most appealing subject. (See pile above in opening slide). "Birds do it, bees do it, even educated fleas do it". Dr McGavin managed to entertain and get serious ecological points across without being gross about his subject matter.

What was his recipe? I find myself not wishing to give away all his secrets. This is simply a presentation that you must see and hear for yourself. I shall just share a few snippets.

Facts and Figures
Scientists like facts and figures. Dr McGavin gave us a flurry of fascinating facts and figures. Real scientists aren't happy with someone else's figures. They like to prove the accuracy of the figures for themselves. If the daily human output is said to be 250 grams, then a real scientist will prove it for himself. He will take two weeks working out a figure of 249.999..... The "untested" vegan figure is 300 grams apparently. The figures for all the dung in the world are staggering. And the human population is growing...

Bazalgette who?
Londoners owe Sir Joseph Bazalgette a massive debt. Most of today's London residents have probably never even heard of him. The Great Stink hit the Houses of Parliament in 1858. Bazalgette was the English civil engineer responsible for London's sewer network. He designed it for a population of 2 million. London's population is over 8 million today. The current situation sounds unsustainable and long overdue a revisit. 

What's important?
The world's ecology is now in such a state that we cannot possibly prevent all its species from dying out. We must choose. The cuddliest or best-looking animals are not necessarily the most important to the world. The Ancient Egyptians revered the scarab beetle. We need to revere bacteria first and earthworms second. Our over-reliance on antibiotics kills good bacteria in the gut. We are storing up enormous health problems for ourselves in the future. We heard about the benefits of FMT (Faecal Microbiota Transplant) for the unhealthy gut.

Dr McGavin doubted that the world would ever reach a predicted population figure of 20 billion. They will be too many wars over food, land and water. Homes and toilets need to be redesigned to use grey water not drinking water. Toilet humour can't hide the fact that urgent action is needed.

I'm now looking forward to future talks on this year's theme of captivating scents at the Chelsea Physic Garden. The beds looked well-mulched for a sweet-smelling summer. 
  

Magnolia flowers against a well-mulched flower bed

Healthy green lawn at the Chelsea Physic Garden

Karen Andrews runs
Anglicity Ltd. She is a 

French to English
translator and 
transcreator.  She is

also an English 
copywriter and

multilingual digital 
marketer.

She loves gardening

and visiting gardens.

For further information see
Anglicity's website