XPost: soc.culture.irish, soc.culture.scottish, soc.culture.british   
   XPost: uk.politics.misc   
   From: ciaran@ciaran.com   
      
   mothed out wrote:   
   > Ciaran wrote:   
   >> allan connochie wrote:   
   >>> "Ciaran"  wrote in message   
   >>> news:45B1C91D.8080500@ciaran.com...   
   >>>> The Highlander wrote:   
   >>>>> On 18 Jan 2007 12:13:48 -0800, "scally"    
   >>>> "That is how we feel about Scottish Gaelic. We have to fight for it again.   
   >>>> A tremendous blow was inflicted on the Gaelic language and culture at   
   >>>> Culloden and the Highland Clearances. The language and culture were   
   >>>> devastated.   
   >>> Actually no the language wasn't devastated by Culloden. The population of   
   >>> the Highlands and hence the actual number of Gaelic speakers rose sharply   
   in   
   >>> the century after Culloden. Likewise even after the period commonly called   
   >>> The Clearances the language was still very strong. A more significant   
   >>> turning point may well have been in the 1880s when the Education Act   
   >>> insisted that English was the to be the language of education and supposed   
   >>> furtherment. Gaelic in the end was totally excluded for a short period only   
   >>> (unlike Scots which was virtually excluded for a century) and the   
   >>> authorities (by authorities I mean Scottish) realised total exclusion was   
   >>> impracticle. It was let back into the system but remained greatly neglected   
   >>> and in reality discouraged. Hence many Gaels themselves gradually threw off   
   >>> their own language (just as many Lowlanders discarded Scots) because of the   
   >>> lure of English combined with the neglect and low esteem the authorities   
   >>> gave to the traditional languages of Scotland.   
   >>>   
   >>>   
   >>> Allan   
   >>>   
   >>>   
   >> So the crime of more recent origin - all the more reason for just   
   >> compensation for the wrongs done to the Scots.   
   >   
   > You also must pay rent, compensation, and apologise for your failure to   
   > learn the native aboriginal languages of the people whose lands and   
   > resources you are taking advantage of through your occupation of, also   
   > you are failing to use newsgroups (and therefore I expect, failing in   
   > other areas of your life) to advocate full political independence and   
   > compensation for the native australian people whose language you and   
   > your fellows have failed to learn. FULL political independence   
   > (i.e.complete dissolution of the Australian state) for native   
   > australian territories, starting with Arnhemland, but continuing to all   
   > the other native Australian territories is the minimum political goal   
   > which you should be actively advocating (but have absolutely failed to   
   > do in your posting record) in consistency with the political principles   
   > you are espousing for Cornwall and other places.   
   >   
      
   BTW:   
      
   My favourite radio station in Sydney, Australia is Koori Radio - have a   
   listen for the latest about the nations:   
      
   http://www.gadigal.org.au/   
      
   ..and yes, there are many excellent government-funded language programs   
   run by people from the nations. Started with languages like Walbiri in   
   the early 70's and has progressed to the eastern seaboard with   
   Bundjalung - go to the NSW town of Walgett to see a successful attempt   
   to revive a dying language and the kids of European descent learn it too.   
      
   I know some Walbiri plus my local language.   
      
   --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05   
    * Origin: you cannot sedate... all the things you hate (1:229/2)