Gaelic teachers to target babies
It's never too early to start learning Gaelic with a new initiative by Comhairle nan Sgoiltean Araich (CNSA), the Highlands-based nationwide Gaelic pre-school council.
The CNSA has received £116,000 in funding to run the project in Skye and Lochalsh, Lochaber and the Western Isles.
Trained tutors will coach children and their parents in Gaelic using methods pioneered among the Maoris in New Zealand and indigenous Hawaiians.
Finlay Macleod, CNSA chief executive, said, 'With these techniques the speed of language acquisition may be reduced from three or four years to just 20 weeks.'
The CNSA said research had indicated that the birth to three age range was crucial for 'unconscious' language absorption by young children. Mr Macleod said, 'It is clear that we must start teaching children Gaelic before the age of three if the language is to survive.'
The Scottish Executive has made it a priority for councils to offer Gaelic language education wherever there is a demand. The latest census found only 60,000 Gaelic speakers in Scotland - an 11 per cent decline since 1991.
Mr Macleod said, 'We must increase the number of Gaelic speakers within all age groups, but especially the young. Gaelic is the core of Scottish cultural identity.
'This is a really exciting project which has major implications for minority languages throughout the world, as it concentrates on the language used in the home.'
