Can Journalists Distort The Fate Of The Gaelic Language?
Journalists could be playing a bigger role than they think in the demise of the Gaelic language. The ‘life or death’ of minority languages is a familiar concept and continues to fuel media debate. However, former Edinburgh University academic Dr. McEwan-Fujita who will present a paper at The University of Edinburgh’s Rannsachadh na Gàidhlig (Researching Gaelic) Conference, 21-23 July will dispute the accuracy of such colourful metaphors. Dr. McEwan-Fujita specialises in the study of Scottish Gaelic Language revitalisation. She claims that journalists’ pessimistic forecasts on the future of the Gaelic language reveal more about centuries-old prejudices against Gaelic than the actual future of the language. McEwan-Fujita’s presentation will examine the media coverage Gaelic and Gaelic speakers received during the year 2000. She will question whether journalists misinterpret linguists’ warnings of the demise of minority languages and whether this in turn damages the future of these langua
