Karen Matheson, the lead vocalist with the popular Scottish folk band Capercaillie, recounts something that was once very familiar to speakers of the two main Gaelic languages, Irish and Scottish. From the Herald Scotland:
“WHEN Karen Matheson was growing up in the small Argyll village of Taynuilt, her mother refused to speak Gaelic to her.
She herself had been shunned for speaking in her native tongue, having come from the generation who had no confidence in their Gaelic identity, and for whom speaking the language at school could get you caned. When Matheson’s mother came from Barra to the mainland at 14 to work in a hotel with other island girls, they were forbidden to speak it. Using their own first language would have been viewed as slovenly.
There is, therefore, an astonishing irony to the life of Matheson, the auburn-haired, blue-eyed Celtic beauty who, through serendipity and sheer talent, has become one of the world’s most famous Gaelic vocalists, as the lead singer of Capercaillie. Matheson is acutely aware of this, as an ambassador for the language that helped propel Capercaillie – the folk band founded by her husband, Celtic Connections artistic director Donald Shaw – to global success, bringing Celtic music to the world.”
Talking to someone from Scotland’s Gàidhealtachd or Scottish-speaking regions nearly ten years ago it was still the case then that some parents feared to speak in their native Scottish (Gaelic) tongue to their children, choosing English instead. The same phenomenon was observable in relation to Irish-speaking communities here in Ireland for some two centuries and more. I wonder is that still the case or have other pressures replaced the old socio-economic and cultural forces that once forced Anglophone conformity?
AN SIONNACH FIONN 
I think there’s been a revolution in attitudes in the last few years. I remember being in the bar at Eilean Iarmain in Sleat about 10 years ago and there were two young lassies in drinking vodka with a much older lady. They were all fluent Gaelic speakers. The older woman was very uncomfortable about using the language in public and kept shifting to English as she would have been taught as a child. But the two younger ones gently returned the conversation to Gaelic every time. With Gaelic TV and schools there is much less overt hostility and bullying of Gaelic speakers and many who will aggressively stand up for the language. So the nasty racists have mainly crawled back under their stones.
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That is good to hear to hear. I noticed myself here in Dublin that even fluent/first language Irish-speakers will speak English first as if in a “foreign” English-speaking country, even amongst each other. At an almost subconscious level it is simply thought to be the done thing.
Actually I was just reminded there of a British friend, he’s London Irish, who’s parents went to great efforts to loose or flatten their Irish accents and make sure he was brought up without Irish speech mannerisms. When he and his sister came home from holiday in Mayo they would go to great efforts to make them sure they had no Irish traits in their accents or grammar.
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The original article which you link to is well worth reading in full. I never realised the lady wasn’t a native speaker. Actually although I hardly met any native speakers when I lived in Scotland, I often met people in her position, with a parent who spoke Gàidhlig (or at least had in their youth) and of course a granny from Barra — every folksinger has a granny from Barra — LOL!
I often passed through Taigh an Uillt on the way to An t-Oban but the signs were in English only then. Actually I’d have thought there’d have still been a few native speakers in that area when KM was growing up, the teacher at a Gàidhlig class I attended was a native speaker from Glen Coe / Gleann Comhan, which is not that far away, so the language was still being passed on there between the wars.
I do like the design of the Scottish bilingual signs :
The colour coding allows you to focus on either the English or the Gàidhlig according to your preference without the one being any more prominent than the other. It’s a pity though that they couldn’t have provided a G. equivalent for “Please drive carefully” (“Air bhur socair”?) as without it the use of the G. form of the name looks a bit tokenistic. In fact do we really need the English ‘version’ which is just the G. name (House of the Burn) mis-spelled? If Welsh practise were followed it would probably have simply been removed. Maybe in time we’ll get there.
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I highly recommend a read of this website by the Irish designer Garrett Reil which argues for substantial (and entirely sensible) changes in Irish road signs. Well researched and presented.
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A Sheumais, could you please edit my link so it works and shows the image, I seem to have missed out a “:”, grma.
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Done. I fixed it for myself but forgot about others when clicking the link. DOH!
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Interesting retrospective on Capercaille and their influences, including an important Irish element. Several of those interviewed speak Irish (with subs). Just thought that would cheer you up 🙂
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GW853C1BX-0
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That it did! 🙂
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