[Eala]

Head teachers will this week call for schools to teach African and Asian languages instead of French and German in a reform designed to reflect the "ethnic mix" of the British population.

If they really wanted reflect the "ethnic mix" better, and absolve themselves for some of their imperial guilt into the bargain, they'd be calling for the schools to teach Ga\idhlig (Scottish Gaelic) instead of suppressing it. (Well, okay, the active suppression is largely over now that the language is at risk of disappearing, but...) But I guess the fact that Gaelic-speakers are white Europeans doesn't make them sufficiently politically correct.

Suas leis a' Gha\idhlig!

[jimtorr]

Strangely enough, Scottish Gaelic was offered at Foothill Junior College, in Los Altos Hills, CA, when I was taking Chinese Mandarin five years ago. There are lots of what I call scottish "groupies" in central CA. I'm one. I developed a taste for Scottish music and culture when I was there ten years ago after I discovered that my family (on both sides) originated in Scotland.

[Myrddin]

I've been trying to learn Welsh for 10 years. I can read it and speak it to a limited degree. It is hard to make any serious progress when my only opportunities to interact with a Welsh speaker occur during a few days of vacation. That hasn't happened since April '99. At least the Welsh are trying to keep the language alive. They count over 500,000 speakers today. The Scots may very well lose the language if they don't make an effort. I think the Irish will be able to hold their own. They aren't as heavily infiltrated with speakers of other languages as those on the island co-habited by England, Wales and Scotland.