Litir a nochd sa Stornoway Gazette 18.8.11
Dh' fheuch Seonaidh Caimbeul sgrìobhadh sa Ghàidhlig ach thug e eadar-theangachadh
dhaibh cuideachd agus 's e sin a chleachd iad sa phàipear
"Open Letter to Minister for Gaelic Alasdair Allan MSP
A Mhgr Allan chòir,
tha e uabhaidh math chluinntinn gur e sibh fhèin a tha gabhail uallach
airson a' Ghàidhlig agus airson a' Bheurla Ghallda sa chaibineat ùr.
Meallaibh ur naidheachd.
Tha e dà-rìreabh brosnachail cuideigin fhaicinn san dreuchd a tha
eòlach air an dà chànan.
Bha e anns na naidheachdan bho chionn greis gun robh sibh air na
leabhraichean aig an Ollamh Joshua Fishman, prìomh ùghdarras air ath-
bheòthachadh cànain, a leughadh agus gun d' fhuair sibh iad glè
chuideachail.
'S e naidheachd bhrosnachail a tha sin cuideachd oir, mar a bhios fios
agaibh, tha an t-Oll. Fishman air comharrachadh a-mach mar a tha
leasachadh na Gàidhlig air a bhith ro eisimeileach air foghlam, air
telebhision agus air gnothaichean àrd an riaghaltais fhad 's a tha i
sìor dhol sìos mar chànan sa choimhearsnachd.
Dar a chaidh Bòrd na Gàidhlig a chur air bhonn fo Achd na Gàidhlig
(2005) bhathas an dùil gun tigeadh atharrachadh air mar a tha an cànan
ga làimhseachadh le buidhnean oifigeil.
Gu mi-fhortanach, chan eil na tha am Bòrd a' dèanamh, neo na tha na
buidhnean mòra eile, leithid BBC Alba neo MG Alba, a' dèanamh chum
maith na Gàidhlig a' tighinn thairis glè mhath gu poblach.
'S ann fada ro thric a bhios droch aithisgean a' nochdadh sna
meadhanan, gu h-àraidh ann am pàipearan-naidheachd, a' cur sìos air a'
chànan agus air a luchd bruidhinn. Cluinnear an aon teachdaireachd a-
rithist is a-rithist nach eil ann an leasachadh na Gàidhlig ach
airgead ga chur gu droch chosg air ablach de chànan nach eil ach mu 1%
de sluagh na h-Alba a' tuigsinn.
Chan ann idir cho tric a chluinnear gu bheil cobhair agus taic
deatamach bho chionn 's gu bheil a' Ghàidhlig an cunnart a dhol à bith
an dèidh ceudan de bhliadhnachan de pholasaidhean oifigeil a chuireadh
às dhi.
Tha liosta fhada ann de mhearachdan a rinn Bòrd na Gàidhlig agus na
buidhnean eile a dh' adhbharaich cuid ri ràdh nach eil ann an saoghal
na Gàidhlig ach "charade".
Dha feadhainn chan e mearachdan ach ceumanan cinnteach, direach a tha
am Bòrd agus an riaghaltas a' gabhail a dh' aona ghnothach airson
bacadh a chur air a' chànan bho bhith fàs.
Dhiùlt am Bòrd sgeama littearachd Gàidhlig a chur air bhonn do dh'
inbhich ged a tha mòran aig a bheil an cànan bho thùs a' fulaing
duilgheadasan ga leughadh. Chan eil feumalachdan ionnsachaidh daoine a
dh' fhàs suas le Gàidhlig a' nochdadh ann am planaichean a' Bhùird
idir ged a tha feumalachdan ionnsachaidh fad beatha aithnichte ann am
Beurla. Chaidh am pàipear naidheachd 'An Gàidheal Ùr' fodha agus
muinntir a' Bhùird a' cantainn nach robh iad a' faicinn feum air
pàipear-naidheachd Gàidhlig co-dhiù. Thug am Bòrd am buidhean saor-
thoileach TAIC/CNSA às a chèile, gluasad a tharraing càineadh bho shàr
eòlaich ann an ath-bheòthachadh cànain air feadh an t-saoghail agus a
thog ceistean air cothromachd agus freagarrachd ann an dòighean-obrach
a' Bhùird fhèin. Chaidh stad a chur an sgeama Sgrìobhadh sa Sgìre agus
bha aig muinntir a' phroiseact Dwelly air Loidhne ri obair air leth
cudromach a thoirt gu buill gun taic sam bith bho Bhòrd na Gàidhlig.
Ged a tha am Bòrd an sàs gu mòr ann am planaichean cànain chan eil e
air mìneachadh glè mhath a thoirt seachad fhathast gu dè tha ann am
planaichean cànain, ciamar a bhiodh planaichean cuideachail don chànan
agus mar sin air adhart. Tha ìoronas searbh ann ged a tha am Bòrd ag
iarraidh air buidhnean oifigeil eile planaichean cànain a chur air
dòigh, chan eil planaichean aige fhèin airson deiligeadh ri na
duilgheadasan a tha aig a luchd obrach fhèin ann am bruidhinn agus ann
an sgrìobhadh Gàidhlig.
Ann an obair an Oll. Fishman tha "soilleireachadh ro-laimh" bunaiteach
do iomairtean ath bheòthachaidh. Is e sin ri ràdh gu bheil e gu
sònraichte cudromach gun dèan na buidhnean oifigeil cinnteach gu bheil
a h-uile duine a' tuigsinn carson a tha iad a' dèanamh na tha iad a'
dèanamh, dè tha iad airson faicinn a thighinn às na ceumanan a tha iad
a' gabhail.
Bhiodh e glè chuideachail agus iomchaidh nam b' urrainn dhuibh, mar
Mhinistear ùr na Gàidhlig, miannan an riaghltais a dhèanamh soilleir.
A bheil Riaghaltas na h-Alba den bheachd nach eil an dàin don
Ghàidhlig ach a bhith a' bàsachadh leis na ginealachan mu dheireadh
aig a bheil i mar chainnt mhàthaireil gun a bhith beò tuilleadh ach
ann an seagh fuadain, mar dàrna chànan ga togail agus ga cur sìos le
beagan daoine an siud 's an seo fhad 's a tha iad ga faicinn fasanta?
Leis gach deagh dhùrachd,
Seonaidh Caimbeul
Coit Darach
Loinn Bhuilg
An Aghaidh Mhòr
PH22 1PZ
Dear Mr Allan,
9.8.11
it is very good to hear that you are the person taking responsibility
for Gaelic and Scots in the new cabinet. Congratulations.
It is really encouraging to see someone in this role who knows both
languages. It was in the news recently that you have read some of the
works of Professor Joshua Fishman, the foremost authority on language
revitalisation, and that you found them very helpful.
That is also very encouraging news because, as you will know, Prof
Fishman has pointed out that Gaelic development has been over reliant
on education, television and on the higher orders of government while
continuing to decline as a community language.
When Bòrd na Gàidhlig was established under the Gaelic Act (2005) it
was exp[ected that there would be a change in the way the language was
handled by official bodies.
Unfortunately, whatever the Bòrd or other major bodies such as BBC
Alba or MG Alba do for the good of the language doesn't come across
well in public.
Far too often there are bad reports in the media, especially in the
newspapers, attacking the language and its speakers. The same message
is heard again and again that Gaelic development is just money wasted
on the remains of a language understood by only 1% of the population
of Scotland.
We don't hear so often that help and suport are necessary because
Gaelic is in an endangered position after hundreds of years of
official policies intended to destroy it.
There is a long list of mistakes that the Bòrd and other agencies have
made which have led some to say that the Gaelic world is nothing but a
"charade".
For some, these appear not as mistakes but as deliberate steps that
the Bòrd and the government are taking to prevent the language from
developing.
The Bòrd refused to establish a literacy scheme for adults despite
there being many native speakers who have difficulty reading Gaelic.
Learning needs for native speakers do not figure in the Bòrd's plans
although lifelong learning needs are recognised for English.
The Gaelic newspaper 'An Gàidheal Ùr' went under with the Bòrd's
representatives saying they didn't see any need for a Gaelic newspaper.
The Bòrd dismantled the Gaelic voluntary body TAIC/CNSA, a move that
drew condemntation from language revitalisation experts throughout the
world and raised questions about fairess and appropriateness in the
working methods of the Bòrd itself.
The Sgrìobhadh sa Sgìre community writing project was stopped and the
creators of Dwelly on Line, a very important dictionary project, had
to complete their work without any support from Bòrd na Gàidhlig.
Although the Bòrd is greatly involved in language plans, it hasn't yet
explained very well what exactly language plans are or how they might
help the language. There is a bitter irony in that although the Bòrd
requests that other official bodies introduce language plans, it
doesn't have language plans of its own to deal with the difficultiues
that its own staff experience in speaking and in writing Gaelic.
In Professor Fishman's work "prior ideological clarification" is of
basic importance to language revitalisation efforts. That is to say
that it is espcially important that official bodies make certain that
everybody is clear about why they are doing what they are doing, what
they expect to result from the steps they are taking.
It would be very helpful and apropriate if you, as the new Minister
for Gaelic, could make the government's intentions clear. Is the
Scottish Government of the opinion that the fate of Gaelic is to die
with the last generation of mother-tongue speakers without any futire
life except as a second language picked up and put down by a few
people here and there according to fashion?
With Best Wishes,
John Campbell
Oak Cottage
Lynwilg
Aviemore
PH22 1PZ"