Geàrr-Iomradh na h-obrach a rinneadh gu ruige seo - A summary of the work conducted so far

As work on the Aon Ghlaschu project is underway, I thought it would be of interest to update you on some of the findings of an ongoing study funded by the British Academy.

The study, titled Carving Out New Spaces for Minority Languages in Urban Spaces, has studied ten Scottish Gaelic speakers living in Glasgow of different ages, origins, and learning stages and experiences of acquiring Gaelic, and investigates how the role of space impacts on their daily language use. The aim of the study is to investigate the places within Glasgow which Gaelic speakers as being important, either as spaces where Gaelic is encouraged to be spoken and used or as spaces which they perceive as having personal significance to them and to their relationship to the Gaelic language.

From our data at this stage we identify three broad types of Gaelic speaker living in Glasgow.

• Native speakers who have acquired at least some Gaelic skills through intergenerational transmission.

• New speakers who have acquired Gaelic skills in adulthood.

• Former GME pupils whose primary or sole acquisition of Gaelic has been through the growing Gaelic Medium Education school system.

Although there are notable differences between the relationships each group has with language and space, there are some common trends. Gaelic speakers in our study believe:

• There is a lack of places, or "breathing spaces,” in the city where speaking Gaelic is encouraged.

• Gaelic spaces in Glasgow disproportionately function as spaces for “formal education.”

• Many Gaelic speakers, especially former GME pupils, do not recognise Gaelic as a “social language” do be used outside of school.

• Speakers are often unable to access or are unaware of social opportunities to speak Gaelic.

• Speaking Gaelic socially is crucial for gaining fluency and confidence in Gaelic, and expressing their personality to its fullest extent.

• Having a physical hub or space for Gaelic would be a useful asset.

The work of Aon Ghlaschu will in part be to act on some of these findings to facilitate using, speaking and living in Gaelic within Glasgow.