Thread! Have you found that your views on speaking Gaelic have changed over the years? If so, how and why? Personally, I've started to become very disillusioned with the language in the past few years. I first started learning properly about 11 years ago. I used to be very 1/12

passionate & enthusiastic. I’m now very much at the point where I feel it’s an exercise in futility. Outwith work I rarely, if ever speak it now. A few years ago it was very much a big part of my social life. Now, I don’t feel comfortable speaking it unless I really must 2/12

I’ve become quite despondent about the state of the language. Others may disagree but I fear we’re past the tipping point. There arent enough first language speakers left and traditional communities are in a perilous state. GME has been a relative success but there’s a lack 3/12

of understanding of what “fluency” is. Gaelic is still seen very much as “other” by a large section of Scots, many of whom are completely apathetic towards it if not outright hostile. Many who are supportive seem to be in a state of false security, believing that is has 4/12

somehow already been revived or that is revival and safeguarding is the responsibility of other people and not them. My encounters with other speakers seem to be either native speakers who are reluctant to speak to me in Gaelic, fluent learners who are reluctant to use it 5/12

or militants who, often rather forcefully, insist on it being spoken at all times to make a political point. I was guilty of viewing Gaelic through the lens of Irishness. I took my views on Irish & possibly transferred them across but the situations are quite distinct 6/12

However much some would like it to be otherwise, I don’t think Gaelic is comparable to Irish in the 21st C. and certainly not to Welsh. I don’t think Gaelic has the same linguistic standards as either language in terms of new vocab, grammar & registers. In all honesty 7/12

I believe we’re in a transition phase towards a situation more akin to that of Mann. I think Scots could do well to adopt the Manx approach. I think they’ve done fantastically well with limited resources and above all. I think Scots need to have a serious discussion with 8/12

themselves about what role Gaelic plays in the psyche on the nation. If folk are serious about it then it will require more radical and decisive action. The current situation of feel-good PR and incrementalism is just ensuring a slow, but steady decline 9/12

My question is whether its worth the effort or not. Is it worth the personal sacrifices in terms of time, resources, finance & mental health? I seriously doubt my own capacity to make any meaningful contribution without it being to my own detriment. When I weigh everything 10/12

I’m unsure if learning the language has been a good thing or not. It has certainly taken me on a different path, but I’m not sure it’s necessarily a better one and often wonder if I should have perhaps pursued other interests instead. 11/12

NB I’ve chosen to use English here because this isn’t just a conversation I’d like to have with Gaelic speakers. 12/12