Minority languages conference
Tuesday 08 June 2004
A conference looking at a host of "minority" languages ranging from Scots, Irish and Orcadian to Corsican and Portuguese will take place at the University of St Andrews later this week.
The event - Language Contact and Minority Languages On The Littorals of Western Europe - is being organised by the St Andrews Institute for Language and Linguistic Studies (SAILLS) and will run from 11-13 June 2004.
From a Scottish perspective, papers will include -
"Language use and writing in the Isle of Skye (Scotland and the Connemara Gaeltacht (Ireland) - a comparison"
"The Western Isles Language Plan: action research for reversing language-shift"
"Insular Celtic - linguistic area, genealogical node, or both?"
"Still under the influence? Pre- aspiration phenomena in Western Isles English pronunciation"
"Whit a whassigo aboot the wey wae spaek" (re. Orcadian)
Summaries of papers to be given available from the University press office - please contact Claire Grainger or Gayle Cook for more information - 01334 462529/7227.
Media are also invited to attend the event which will take place - almost entirely - in the Buchanan Building, Union Street, St Andrews.
Professor Tony Lodge of the French department is also available for comment - telephone 01334 463636 or email anthony.lodge@st- andrews.ac.uk.