http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree ... ?fb=optOut
.......On too many occasions, I have given vent to those other uninformed attitudes that characterise many of my fellow Scots when talking about "the Gaelic": we spend too much money on promoting it; like Latin and Greek, there is a time to die so let's just put it to sleep and have done with it.
What in the name of the Lord have we been thinking of? Not many more than 50,000 people speak Gaelic and, if we do not intervene properly in the course of the next five years, the language will surely die.
If we reach such a point, then this generation of Scots will have been complicit in a grievous act of folly. Something of Scotland's soul and essence will have been destroyed. Not many other countries have their very own ancient tongue and one which carries some of the most beautiful music, poetry and prose in Scotland's bounty.
Nor would many other countries have neglected, cursed and scorned a language such as this in the manner that we have......
......If the government thinks this through properly, the Scottish Studies syllabus could provide a lifeline for Gaelic. And for those who would yet insist on putting a price on the salvation of our language the cost would not be prohibitive.
A wide-ranging, rewarding and challenging course could include an introduction to Gaelic for every first- and second-year pupil in Scotland. This would include speaking a little of the language and learning about Gaelic culture, art and history. If even just 1% went on to further study and felt encouraged to send their children to a Gaelic medium school then this, Scotland's real native language, could yet be preserved.
Mike Russell, our education minister, is also a convert to the Gaelic cause and may yet consider pursuing this idea.
"This is almost a human rights issue, for language is an expression of who people are. It would be so beneficial to our children to give them even just a taste of the riches of Gaelic language and culture," he told me......
And of course the long list of (Guardian-reader) long comments below, mainly rather more cogent, if still some hostlie ones, than in some of the papers quoted here regularly.