Languages of Scotland: culture and the classroom

The indigenous languages of Scotland are in a precarious position faced wit h the massive presence of English. This essay examines the state and nature of the Scots and Gaelic languages. It places them in their historical cont ext and traces how each has had its heyday in Scotland, in the case of Gael ic to be supplanted by Scots and in the case of Scots to be supplanted by E nglish. Both have become marginalised in Scottish life and in the Scottish school. Both have been subject to various concerted campaigns aimed at thei r destruction. Gaelic, however, has at least had the consolation of being r egarded as a language while Scots has not. The changing relationship betwee n the school and these languages is examined in the context of the current revival of Scottish culture on a multiplicity of fronts.