The Gaelic Languages: Modernisation and Standardisation (U02078)

? Credit Points : 20 ? SCQF Level : 10 ? Acronym : LLC-3-U02078

This course explores theoretical and practical aspects of the linguistic development and modernisation of the Gaelic languages from the late 19th century onwards, focusing primarily on Scottish Gaelic and Irish. Emphasis will be on the ways living vernaculars have been codified and elaborated, particularly as the roles of these languages in new institutional settings (especially education and public administration) have expanded and developed. The course will give close attention to the theoretical background to corpus planning (e.g. principles of codification and elaboration, the role of purism) and the particular challenges that arise in the context of minority languages whose demographic base is weakening and whose range of use has been diminished. Principal areas of investigation will include orthographical and grammatical standardisation, the development of new terminology and registers, the creation of lexicographic resources, and the sociolinguistic and political contexts surrounding these linguistic initiatives. The course complements the existing Honours course on The Celtic Languages: Decline and Revitalisation (offered in Year B), which considers the sociolinguistic situation of the Celtic languages and the related ideologies and strategies for linguistic revitalisation. A knowledge of Scottish Gaelic and Irish is required in order to take this course.

Entry Requirements

? Pre-requisites : Gaelic 2B or equivalent.

Subject Areas

Home subject area

Celtic, (School of Literatures, Languages and Cultures, Schedule G)

Delivery Information

? Normal year taken : 3rd year

? Delivery Period : Semester 2 (Blocks 3-4)

? Contact Teaching Time : 2 hour(s) per week for 11 weeks

First Class Information

Date	Start	End	Room	Area	Additional Information
14/09/2007	12:00	13:00			Leabharlann, 19 George Square

Summary of Intended Learning Outcomes

The Intended Learning Outcomes are the development of a sound knowledge of the key linguistic and political issues associated with the modernisation of Irish and Scottish Gaelic. Knowledge and understanding of specifically linguistic topics (grammar and orthography) will form part of the learning outcomes, together with a broader comparative understanding of the socio-political challenges.

Assessment Information

Students are required to undertake two short assignments, as specified by the Lecturer. One assignment consists of an essay (c. 2000-2500 words in length), on an appropriate topic to be chosen in consultation with the Lecturer, and the other is a linguistic analysis (to be discussed in class and then presented in written form, c. 1,500 words in length) of a recent official Gaelic publication, assessing questions of orthography/morphology, use of specialist terminology, register/style, and linguistic precision. Equal weight is given to assessed coursework and to the Degree Examination. The linguistic analysis is worth 20%, the essay is worth 30% and the Degree Examination is worth 50% of the overall mark for the course. The Degree Examination consists of a single 2-hour paper to be sat in the May/June diet.