Bailtean Ioma-Chànanach | Multilingual Cities
Tha sinn air ar dòigh glan gu bheil sinn a’ cur ar pròiseact rannsachaidh as ùire, Pròiseact Bailtean Ioma-Chànanach air bhog. Tòisichidh sinn an rannsachadh aig deireadh a’ mhìos. ’S iad ar prìomh amasan a bhith a’ tuigsinn nan dòigh anns a bheil a’ Ghàidhlig air a bruidhinn sa bhaile agus mu na h-àitichean anns a bheil daoine ga bruidhinn as tric air nach eil sinn eòlach mar-tha. Cleachdaidh sinn mapachadh GIS agus grunn dhòighean-rannsachaidh eile anns an sgrùdadh seo a bhith a’ togail air an fhiosrachadh a ghabh sinn bhon rannsachadh a rinneadh roimhe mar an t-suirbhidh Gàidhlig ann an Glaschu a chuireadh air dòigh ann an com-pàirticheas le Comhairle Bhaile Ghlaschu.
Gu traidiseanta, chaidh planadh agus poileasaidh mion-chànanan a leasachadh air an tuigse gun robh coimhearsnachdan mion-chànanan uile aon-sheòrsachadh agus stèidhichte ann an sgìrean iomallach agus gun robh an cànan aig a h-uile duine. Ach tha litreachas agus rannsachadh san latha an-diugh a’ cur an aghaidh a’ bheachd seo, leis gu bheil mòran choimhearsnachdan air am fàs ann am bailtean. Cuideachd tha bailtean a’ gabhail a-steach iomadh choimhearsnachd mion-chànain eadar-dhealaichte agus tha mòran dhuibh a’ soirbheachadh a dh’aindeoin dìth planadh cànain aig ùghdarrasan is riaghaltas air an son no àiteachan ainmichte dhaibh fhèin.
Ach mar is trice chan eil daoine dà-chànanach a tha a’ fuireach ann am bàiltean mòra a’ faighinn na h-aon chothroman ri bhith a’ bruidhinn a’ mhion-chànan is a tha iad a’ faighinn sa mhòr-chànan. Tha iad a’ cruthachadh lìontan-cànain a tha sgaoilte air feadh a’ bhaile agus a’ cleachdadh mhion-chànain airson iomadach dhòigh, uaireannan ann an dòighean fiù ’s nach eil aithnichte mar cleachdadh cànain iomachaidh le oifigearan is buidhnean air a bheil uallach airson poileasaidhean a dhèanamh no cànan a planadh. ’S e dùbhlan dha dhaoine dà-chànanach a bhith a’ lorg “raointean analachaidh” no “breathing spaces” anns an urrainn dhaibh an cànan a bhruidhinn. Tha sin deatamach dha luchd-labhairt ùra a’ feuchainn a bhith a’ fàs nas fileanta sa chànan, agus dhà dhaoine aig a bheil am mion-chànan bhon ghlùn dhan a bheil e cudromach a bhith a’ cleachdadh a’ chànan gu làitheil ann an dòighean co-aimsireil (O’Rourke, 2018).
Tha an sgrùdadh na phàirt den phròiseact rannsachaidh Leverhulme air ath-bheòthachadh cànain san 21mh linn. Fhuair sinn taic is maoineachas cuideachd bho Bòrd na Gàidhlig. ’S e rannsachadh cho-obrachail a th’ anns a’ phròiseact seo a tha a’ gabhail a-steach eòlaichean sòiseo-chànanachas, luchd-saidheans dàta, agus innleadairean bho diofar cholaistean air feadh Oilthigh Ghlaschu. Cuiridh sinn toraidhean bhon rannsachaidh suas air a’ bhloga seo. Cuideachd gheibhear tuilleadh fiosrachaidh mun phròiseact air an làrach-lìn againn no air làrach-lìn Urban Big Data Centre a gheibhear an seo.
We are delighted to announce the launch of a new study, the Multilingual Cities project. We will begin data collection this month. Our primary research aims are to study how and where the language is spoken in Glasgow and whether there are currently unknown ‘hotspots’ within the city where Gaelic is spoken more often. The study will use several data collection techniques, including GIS mapping, to build on the understanding we have gained from our previous research, including the Gaelic in Glasgow survey launched in collaboration with Glasgow City Council.
Traditionally, minority language planning and policy has been based on the understanding that minority language communities are homogenous entities living in a bounded geographical, often rural, area in which the minoritized language is the everyday language of communication. These conventional understandings of what minority language communities are and where they exist are increasingly being challenged by the growth of urban minoritised language communities. Towns and cities typically encompass many different language communities existing in parallel, many of which thrive despite the lack of central language planning and designated spaces for that language community.
Yet urban bilinguals of minoritised languages often do not have access to the same communication networks and range of opportunities to speak the minority language which existed for previous generations in rural settings. Instead, they form loose networks and use the language for a myriad of nuanced purposes which can often be unrecognised as ‘authentic language practice’ among central language planning and policy makers. Finding ‘safe’ or ‘breathing spaces’ in which speakers can speak and use their L2 language is a crucial aspect of gaining fluency, becoming ‘real speakers’, and as an outlet to satisfy one’s personal need to use the language as one which is contemporary and utilitarian (O'Rourke 2018), but in practice is a struggle for many bilinguals.
The project is part of a larger Leverhulme research project on minority language revitalisation in the 21st century and has also received funding and support from Bòrd na Gàidhlig. This University of Glasgow project is a collaborative effort from sociolinguists, data scientists and engineers across different colleges. The outputs of this research will be discussed on this blog. More information about the project can be found on this website or on the Urban Big Data Centre’s website which can be accessed here.