Friday 27 June 2008

Ya d’ar Brezhoneg


…de La Télégramme:

Cette normalisation de l’écriture est faite dans la perspective de la prochaine adhésion à la charte de l’Office de la langue bretonne « Ya d’ar brezhoneg ». Elle sera signée par le P-DG de Radio-France, à la rentrée. Du coup, la signature RDS, lisible sur les postes de radio, a déjà changé. Il est vrai que Bleu-Bzh est plus seyant que l’ancien Bleu-Bre.

La grille d’été de la station illustre la mission de service public de la radio. « Dans le contexte actuel, il est important de rendre compte de notre travail, financé à 100 % par le contribuable », souligne Emmanuel Yvon. Bleu Breizh Izel va s’engager fortement sur neuf événements festifs. Une équipe d’une vingtaine de personnes va s’installer durablement sur Brest pour suivre le départ du Tour de France, puis enchaîner sur Brest 2008.

Abair.ie


...de Foinse:

Tá sé dhá scór bliain i mbliana ó chum Stanley Kubrick an ríomhaire cainteach ‘HAL’ sa scannán 2001: A Space Odyssey is tá leagan Gaeilge de le fáil anois - cineál. Ní féidir le Cabóigín I, ríomhaire cainteach Abair.ie, beola a léamh fós ach cuir téacs Ghaeilge ar fáil dó is tosaíonn an chlabaireacht.

Tionscadal de chuid Choláiste na Tríonóide atá in Abair.ie atá maoinithe ag Foras na Gaeilge. Oibríonn an suíomh, a bhfuil leagan trialach di ar-líne anois, mórán mar an gcéanna le leithéidí focal.ie nó aon cheann de na suíomhanna cuardaigh.
Cuir focal isteach ann is tiocfaidh freagra ar ais. An t-aon difríocht atá leis an suíomh seo ná go n-aistríonn sé pé téacs Gaeilge a chuirtear isteach ann go comhad fuaime mp3.
Baineann dúshlán ar leith lena leithéid d’áis a fhorbairt don Ghaeilge a deir stiúrthóirí an tsuímh mar caitear nach mór ’chuile shórt a dhéanamh as an nua. Tá neart áiseanna den chineál seo forbartha don Bhéarla ach is é seo an chéad uair gur forbraíodh ceann don Ghaeilge

Irlandlingvaj Signoj


...de la Herald:

This issue may not be the sexiest in the country but currently the potential radical growth of the Irish language is under threat.

On most of our road signs, Irish holds a smaller, inferior position. Under the Official Languages Act (2003) it was envisaged that in the future both Irish and English would command the same prominence.

The inferior position that Irish commands on our road signs sends out the message that the Government is not serious about the language. Bluntly, the current position that Irish commands on most of our road signs smacks of tokenism.

This is an issue that I hope will focus the minds of Irish speakers and lovers of the language.
All that is needed is for the Minister for Transport, Noel Dempsey -- himself an Irish speaker -- to change the current road signage guidlelines in his department.

Gearóid Mac Adam


...de Sinn Féin:

...An Acht na Gaeilge is not an optional extra.

These are part of an agreement made between all of the parties and the two governments.

Sinn Féin has recently entered into a negotiation with the DUP and the two governments. We do not envisage this being a long process.

The outstanding issues from St. Andrews including the Irish Language Act can be sorted out if there is the necessary political leadership and resolve. But let me be very clear.

The rights and entitlements of citizens cannot and will not be subject to the whims of the most right wing or reactionary elements within political unionism. We will simply not allow it...

Nord-Irlando


…de The Economist:

Another quarrel has to do with the Irish language: Sinn Fein want to give it official status; the Unionists demur. And handing control of policing to the power-sharing executive is also thorny.

Mr Robinson’s early appointments may steady his party after the discombobulation it felt at the sight of Mr Paisley laughing and joking with the former arch-enemy. They may also make it harder for him to rub along with his nationalist partners in government.


Gregory Campbell, a Westminster MP, is now Stormont’s minister for culture, arts and leisure—putting him in charge of the Irish language (and Ulster Scots) and grants to Protestant marching groups. He has in the past attacked equality and anti-discrimination legislation, the purpose of which, he insists, is to disadvantage Protestants. Sammy Wilson, another Westminster MP, is minister for the environment. Popular within his own party for dubbing Irish “leprechaun language”, he marked his appointment by questioning the link between carbon-dioxide emissions and climate change.

Ysgol Eifionydd


…de la Daily Post:

A teacher who has inspired the next generation of Welsh speakers yesterday spoke of the secret behind her success.

Carys Lake set up the only school of its kind for teaching Welsh to English speakers in Porthmadog and was yesterday named Wales’s best at encouraging the language. She revealed the key to encouraging children to have a passion for the language was a combination of “hands on” rap, singing and role play, to immerse children in Welsh.


Carys helped to found a centre at Ysgol Eifionydd, which teaches children aged 11-14 who have moved to Gwynedd. Canolfan Iaith Uwchradd Gwynedd is the only school of its kind in Wales.

Tuesday 17 June 2008

Lingvoj de Francio


…de la Guardian:

For years France's regional languages were seen by Paris as a taboo that threatened national unity and should be repressed - children were punished for speaking Breton in the playground, banned from speaking Occitan in southern schools or Alsatian dialect in the east. But now, just as the French parliament has taken a historic step to recognise minority languages in the constitution, a new war of words has broken out.

L'Académie française, the institution that defends the purity of French, yesterday issued a furious warning that recognising regional languages in the constitution would be "an attack on French national identity". In turn, local language militants criticised the academy as a ridiculous relic of outdated nationalism.

The row has highlighted how far France differs from other European countries in the defence of minority tongues. Unlike the UK, which has acted to protect languages such as Welsh and Scottish Gaelic, France is one of the few European states which refuses to ratify the European charter for minority languages and give legal status to its various language groups.

France boasts 75 regional languages, including those spoken in far-flung territories from the Indian Ocean to South America. Regional languages such as Alsatian, Occitan, Corse, Breton and Basque, and even smaller ones such as Béarnaise and Picard, have increasingly powerful and well-organised lobby groups…

Gordon Brown kaj la Irlandalingvo


...de la Irish Times:

British prime minister Gordon Brown has pledged £6 million (€7.6 million) to secure the future of Irish language broadcasting in Northern Ireland.

Sinn Féin said Mr Brown confirmed he would provide support for the threatened Irish Language Broadcast Fund during a meeting with Gerry Adams and Martin McGuinness at Stormont yesterday.

The future of the project, which was created out of the Belfast Agreement, had been unclear after a failure to secure substantial funding beyond 2009.

Foras na Gaeilge chief executive Ferdie Mac an Fhailigh welcomed the pledge of funding, which he said “would help to support television production companies to produce top class programming in Irish in Northern Ireland.”

A total of £12 million has already been pumped into the fund since 2005 with a target of achieving 75 additional hours of Irish language programmes on screens per year….

Monday 16 June 2008

Kornvalaj Libroj

...de la BBC:

A series of Cornish language storybooks for children commissioned by MAGA, the Cornish Language Partnership, have been launched in Cornwall.

The picture books, written by Cornish author Will Coleman, are based in the fictional village of Porth.

Through a Bookstart partnership every Year 3 child in the county will receive one free copy of one of the six titles. MAGA will also be organising training for teachers wishing to learn more about using the materials in class.

"These stories and their accompanying DVD have been piloted at both Lanlivery and Marlborough Primary Schools with great success," said Jenefer Lowe, development manager for the Cornish Language Partnership.

Irlandalingvo kaj la Referendumo

...de la Irish Independent:

The Government's entire marketing campaign for the doomed 'Yes' campaign is facing a grim post-mortem after bitter recriminations from TDs.

One deputy criticised the official FF slogan of 'Good For Ireland, Good For Europe' as "infantile", and said it justified the criticism that the party was not putting forward specific reasons to vote for Europe.

He also tore into the decision to print large numbers of Fianna Fail posters in Irish, but declined to be identified.

"I believe the Taoiseach wanted posters in Irish, but we had too many of them. If you are going to bother to communicate, you better do it in a language everyone can understand."

He said the Irish-language posters began with the words "Leas na hEorpa", which meant nothing to anybody.

"Nobody looking at them from the top of a bus would take anything from it."

But Dublin South Central TD Michael Mulcahy said: "There is nothing wrong with Irish. A lot of people love Irish. If we didn't have them in Irish, we would be criticised. We just didn't have as many posters as the 'No' side, and our posters weren't as good as theirs. That's obvious."

Skotgaela Radio

...de The Herald:

Gaelic broadcasters seem to lack the inhibitions of their English language counterparts. While the rest of BBC Scotland is mired in apathy and despair over endless financial cuts, the Gaelic crowd is full of confidence. The big broadcasting event of the year in Scotland is the launch this summer of a Gaelic television channel for which BBC Scotland is training legions of young Gaelic broadcasters.

This is great for the language, but I can't help feeling there is a bit of a cultural deficit opening up with those of us unfortunate enough not to speak it. The proposal to perhaps put some English language programmes on the Gaelic TV channel doesn't quite fill it.

Now, can I say again - because feelings are very raw here - that I am not posing this as a Gaelic versus English-language issue. The problem is the weakness of the mainstream service rather than the influence of the Gaelic lobby. All power to it. Gaelic has flourished because it has essentially been devolved and is governed by the Gaelic Media Service which has its own independent funding and a remit to promote the language.

In the wake of the King Report, which confirmed what we all knew - namely that Scotland is not being served by the BBC - BBC Scotland's constitutional status also needs to be addressed.

La DUP kaj Irlandalingvo

…de la Sunday Business Post:

And perhaps most revealing of all is the DUP opposition to the Irish Language Bill.

It is a measure of the DUP’s 17th century mentality that they should continue to oppose the growing Gaelscoil movement in the North.

For some sad reason, the Irish language has always been anathema to them.

Until recently, the Paisley/McGuinness political roadshow dominated the headlines. The fact that power-sharing was increasingly looking like it had no clothes was obscured. Now Robinson is in charge and DUP politicians are looking over their shoulders at their former MEP Jim Allister, who is taking the familiar political road rightwards in opposition to power-sharing with Sinn Féin.

With the DUP now boosted by the remarkable result in the Commons vote last week, London and Dublin may be thinking that the summer holidays at Stormont can’t come quickly enough.

Friday 13 June 2008

Irlandalingvo kaj la MTA?


…de la Ceithearna Coille, Novjorka Branĉo:

…Borough President Marty Markowitz asked me to respond to your email of June 2, 2008 regarding the inclusion of the Gaelic and/or Irish language on MTA travel advisory posters released in conjunction with the Great Irish Fair scheduled for Coney Island this September.

I have attached a copy of the borough president’s letter to Elliot G. Sander, Executive Director and Chief Executive Officer of the MTA regarding this matter. When he receives a reply from Mr. Sander, I will contact you again…

Anti-Gaelismo?


…de la BBC:

The chairman of Irish broadcaster TG4, has accused senior NI civil servants of bias against the Irish language.

It emerged after the publication of transcripts of an Ofcom conference in Belfast last week.

"The issue is a bias against the language at very senior levels in both DCAL and the senior civil service," Peter Quinn said.

However, the permanent secretary of the Department of Culture, Arts and Leisure challenged him to produce evidence.

The row centres around £12m of funding for Irish language broadcasting granted by the British government under the Good Friday Agreement of 1998...

Wednesday 11 June 2008

William Shatner, Savanto de la Gaelaj Lingvoj?



…de la Cape Breton Post:

Gaelic, as a language, is facing its mortality on two fronts: it could lose its place in our modern world, and the last generation, both here in Cape Breton and in Ireland and Scotland, who grew up in a Gaelic culture are disappearing.

The documentary that was screened at Empire Theatre's Sydney Cinema Ten, Is Mise An Teanga ("I Am The Tongue"), makes its clear that Gaelic will not go gently into that dark night…

…The writer of the documentary, Kevin Anderson, was present at the screening and, after it screened, spoke to the audience and genially answered their questions….

…And, Anderson also acknowledged that there is debate between more traditional Gaelic speakers and younger, more innovative, users of Gaelic. One Irish poet, Anderson joked, called these newer strains of Gaelic "Esperanto".

Which brings us to how William Shatner can help save Gaelic.

William Shatner stands alone in cinematic history as having acted in two films that featured two different artificial languages: Incubus, which used Esperanto, and Star Trek: The Search for Spock, that introduced Klingon (And let us pause for a second and consider how un-endangered Gaelic would be if Kiingons spoke Gaelic). So, Shatner is used to promoting non-mainstream languages. He has cool appeal and recognition that cuts across generations and he has already made a movie in Cape Breton (The Third Walker).

A Gaelic language film set in Cape Breton with William Shatner on its own might put Gaelic in the mouths of Terrans everywhere.

And I would bet real money that somebody somewhere has already rendered into Gaelic the phrase, "Beam me up, Scotty."

Baile Monaidh


…de la Ballymoney Times:

History has been made with the first ever bilingual street name signs featuring Irish going up in parts of Ballymoney Borough in recent days ... and Sinn Fein want more.

Unionist-controlled Ballymoney Borough Council gave the go-ahead for the signs before Christmas on foot of legal advice and the threat of councillors being surcharged and now the signs have materialised.

The signs - which have gone up at Bellaghy Park, Dunloy; Glebe Park in Rasharkin and Scally Park, Loughgiel -have been welcomed by Dunloy-based Sinn Fein councillor Anita Cavlan.

But Traditional Unionist Voice councillor Audrey Patterson - who was one of two councillors to vote against the move at the Council last year when several DUP and other Unionist representatives abstained - indicated she is still unhappy at the arrival of the signs.
Councillor Patterson told the Times: "I voted against the signs and now they are here my mind hasn't changed."…

Tuesday 10 June 2008

Cymdeithas yr Iaith Gymraeg


...de la Daily Post:

Four members of a Welsh language protest group have been arrested after painting slogans and sticking posters on stores in North Wales as part of their campaign for a new language act.
.
Over the last weekend
Cymdeithas yr Iaith Gymraeg (Welsh Language Society) targeted branches of Boots and Superdrug in Caernarfon, Porthmadog, Bangor and Llangefni.
Regional organiser Osian Jones and former chairman Steffan Cravo were among the four arrested on suspicion of causing criminal damage.
.
The society has promised further direct action against pharmaceutical giants Boots and Superdrug unless they show greater commitment to the Welsh language...

Gregory Campbell, MP


….de The Stage:

A ministerial reshuffle has seen East Londonderry MP Gregory Campbell become Northern Ireland’s second Minister for Culture, Arts and Leisure. .
Campbell replaces his DUP colleague Edwin Poots whose year in office saw record amounts of spending on the arts in the region but found him mired in controversy over the appropriate site for a new national football stadium and a proposed Irish Language Act.

Cainnt mo Mhàthar


...de la Cape Breton Post:

A three-year project to aid the development of Gaelic learners is finally nearing an end.

A website is expected to go live on the Internet later this month and will feature video and audio recordings of the province’s Gaelic tradition-bearers in their own homes, speaking about everyday life.

The Gaelic Council of Nova Scotia organized the project with the help of the Nova Scotia Highland Village and with the technical expertise of Cape Breton University.

Known as the Cainnt mo Mhàthar (My Mother’s Language) project, the collection now boasts more than 40 hours of material. As well, the Highland Village in Iona recently donated two additional compilations of song and conversation recordings.

These recordings will provide an invaluable resource for Gaelic learners and educators alike, said project co-ordinator Shannon MacDonald, a staffer with the Gaelic Council.

“These recordings were super important to try to capture the little nuances, the rhythms and the little subtleties that are definitely obvious from one community to the next,” MacDonald said.

RTÉ Internacia


...de Broadband TV News:

The new channel from Irish public broadcaster RTE that will serve the British mainland has been named as RTÉ International. The channel, previously known under the working title Diaspora TV, will target the 850,000 Irish-born people living in the UK that have been without television from the republic since the demise of Tara TV in 2001. It seems likely that the channel will launch ahead of its proposed March 17, 2009 launch.

RTE International will be a hybrid of RTÉ One and RTÉ Two with selected programming being drawn from the Gaelic-language channel TG4. The main One, Six-One and Nine O’clock news bulletins will be screened live. The broadcaster is currently advertising for senior staff.

The launch of such a channel was mandated in the Irish Communications Act of 2007...

Monday 9 June 2008

Lingvapolitiko

Dulingva Edukado


...de Region Bretagne:

La Bretagne est une région dynamique et attractive. Elle le doit notamment à sa forte identité, qui s'exprime à travers une vitalité culturelle hors du commun. La langue bretonne joue évidemment un rôle particulier dans ce domaine. C'est pourquoi la Région a adopté un plan pour le développement des langues régionales. Il s'agit notamment de favoriser le bilinguisme à l'école.

L’enseignement bilingue est basé sur l’apprentissage, dès le plus jeune âge, d’une deuxième langue : le breton. Une partie des enseignements se fait alor en breton (la quasi-totalité dans les écoles Diwan ou l'enseignement est dit immersif). L’enseignement bilingue est accessible à tous. De nombreuses écoles proposent ce type d’enseignement et ce maillage s’étoffe tous les ans...

Skotsgaela Korano


...de la Scotsman:

Muslim scholars are working on a plan to find new followers in the Western Isles: they want to translate the Koran into Gaelic.

They hope the £50,000 project will show Muslims' commitment to Scotland and Scottish culture and promote understanding between faiths.

However, the move has received a cool reception from some Gaels, especially in the language's heartland, the emphatically church-going Western Isles.

The project has been set up by a British-based Muslim publishing organisation, the Muslim Academic Trust, which is looking for Gaelic writers and scholars who can help them translate the Koran into the language.

So far, they have failed to find anyone who knows Arabic and Gaelic well enough to start work, and are instead considering setting up a translation committee to work on the text using the existing Irish Gaelic edition, along with English translations. Irish and Scottish Gaelic are similar languages...

Facebook en Kimralingvo


...de la Western Mail:

FACEBOOK – one of the world’s most popular websites – could soon be fully launched in Welsh after a group of users began translating it.

The social networking site is already partially available in Welsh after hundreds of its key terms, like “homepage”, were translated by people keen to use the site primarily in their first language.

Though Facebook is the world’s sixth most trafficked website with more than 70 million users worldwide, eight million in the UK and 323,000 in Wales, Wales is one of only 31 nationalities trying to translate it into their own language...

Stormont Balaaĵas Magazinon


...de la Belfast Telegraph:

The Stormont Executive fumbled a chance to blow their own trumpet in front of American investors after a magazine highlighting the work of Ministers was binned due to a dispute between Sinn Fein and the DUP.

The 16-page publication, which cost thousands of pounds to produce, was dropped before last month's US-NI Investment Conference, after it had been written, designed and readied for the printers….

… But sources say it was withdrawn because the Sinn Fein and DUP disagreed — allegedly about the use of the Irish language.

SDLP MLA Dolores Kelly, who sits on the committee scrutinising the First Ministers, said the dispute that led to dumping the magazine was “extremely childish”.

She added: “The general public will have every right to ask how much of their money was wasted on this project.”...

Julie Fowlis


...de Galway First:

Julie Fowlis is the leading young traditional singer in Scotland. Her arrival on the British folk scene has been a major breath of fresh air and her commitment to singing traditional songs in her first language, Scots Gaidhlig, has opened up radio airwaves and people’s ears to one of Europe’s most marginalised tongues.

Julie Fowlis will play the Róisín Dubh on Tuesday June 17 at 9pm, along with Connemara sean-nós singer Róisín Elsafty - as part of the Galway Sessions Festival 2008.

Born on the island of North Uist, in the Outer Hebrides, Julie’s 2005 debut Mar A Tha Mo Chridhe and last year’s Cuilidh have won critical acclaim and brought Julie numerous awards. This year alone saw her scoop the BBC Radio 2 Folk Music Award for Folk Singer Of The Year while at the Scots Trad Music Awards 2008 she won both album and Gaelic singer of the year....

Friday 6 June 2008

***URĜA!!!***


…de Pobal:


Agus cainteanna ar siúl Dé hAoine i Londain ar chúinsí an tuaiscirt, molann POBAL do gach eagraíocht Gaeilge agus do gach duine a bhfuil suim aige/aici in Acht na Gaeilge teagmháil scríofa agus ar an ghuthán a dhéanamh le Gordon Brown agus le Brian Cowan LÁITHREACH le cur in iúl go gcaithfidh rialtas na Breataine Acht na Gaeilge cuimsitheach, cearbhunaithe a reachtú ag Westminster díreach mar a gheall sé i gComhaontú Chill Rimhinn.

Is féidir na pointí seo a dhéanamh:
- Tugadh gealltanas ar leith i gComhaontú Cill Rímhinn (Deireadh Fómhair 2006)
- Le linn do dhá phróiseas rialtasach comhairliúcháin, léirigh 75% do na freagraí tacaíocht d’Acht na Gaeilge, bunaithe ar mholtaí chuimsitheach cheartbhunaithe POBAL d’Acht don tuaisceart.
- Le fada, tá reachtaíocht ann don Bhreatnais sa Bhreatain Bheag, don Ghàidhlig in Alban agus don Ghaeilge ó dheas. An tuaisceart an t-aon áit ar na hoileáin seo nach bhfuil reachtaíocht intíre ann don phríomhtheanga dúchais.

Gordon Brown
Downing Street
Uimh. Faics: 0207 925 0918 nó ó dheas 44 207 925 0918

Oifig Chomhaireachta:
Teil: 0207 276 2451 nó ó dheas 44 207 276 2451
http://pm.gov.uk/output/Page821.asp

Shaun Woodward
Rúnaí Stát
Teil: OTÉ, Cnoc an Anfa 028 90 520700 nó ó dheas 084 90 520700
Faics: 028 90 522655 nó ó dheas 084 90 522655
agus

Oifig Thuaisceart Éireann,
LondainTeil: 0207 210 6461 nó ó dheas 44 207 210 6461
Faics 0207 210 0246 44 207 210 0246

Brian Cowan, Taoiseach
Teil: 00353 1 6194000 nó ó dheas 1 6194000
00353 1 6624888 nó ó dheas 1 6624888
Faics: 00353 1 6789791 1 6789791
webmaster@taoiseach.gov.ie

Cuirígí cóipeanna do bhur litreacha agus teachtaireachtaí chugainn, le bhur dtoil!
jmuller@pobal.org

[ANGLALINGVO•BAARLE•BÉARLA•BEURLA•ENGLISH•

Thursday 5 June 2008

Renkontiĝo en Londono


...de la Belfast Telegraph:

The DUP and Sinn Fein are poised to meet Prime Minister Gordon Brown tomorrow for the second time in four days….

… And there are indications the government may proceed with an Irish language act through Westminster.

The Downing Street session was being seen as a way of defusing the potential face-off between the DUP and Sinn Fein over policing and justice, thwarted Irish language legislation and the Maze stadium project.

"We have always said we are willing to engage with Sinn Fein on the issues which are of concern to them. We have issues which are of concern to us, including the army council and parades. But we have to get through Thursday," a senior DUP source said...

Wednesday 4 June 2008

Ned Beg Hom Ruy


...de Isle of Man Today:

This June marks the centenary of the death of Manx language writer and poet Ned Beg Hom Ruy, also known as Edward Faragher…

…Charles Roeder, a German folklorist and personal friend of Ned Beg, described him as a 'a true type of the Manninagh Dooie' meaning a great Manxman.

Ned Beg's death in 1908 was a great loss for the Manx language, but he left an important legacy in his written work of poems, stories and personal reminiscences of the Cregneash he had known as a boy.

It was only after his death that the real value and contribution of Ned Beg's work to preserve Manx culture came to be fully appreciated…

Féis Shiàtail


...de Slighe nan Gaidheal:

Join Slighe nan Gaidheal’s thriving community of Scottish Gaelic language and culture enthusiasts for Féis Shiàtail! We’ll surround ourselves with Gaelic, clàrsach, fiddle, song, pipes, dance, history, literature, and culture and explore the living traditions of Gaeldom together.

The Féis brings you together with leading tradition-bearers for an unforgettable week, creating an opportunity to meet students of different Gaelic disciplines, learn, and celebrate together. By doing so, you will experience a broader, more comprehensive sense of the Gaelic world.

We hope you will come away from the Féis with a basic common Gaelic conversational vocabulary, a shared repertoire of Gaelic music for instrumentalists and singers, and a strong sense of Slighe nan Gaidheal’s community. To assist with these goals, we’ll send you a sheet of basic Gaelic phrases, a songbook, and CD so that even if you don’t have a word of Gaelic, you can be ready to dive in on your first day for an incredible adventure.

Dulingva Entrepreno


…de la Daily Post:

More businesses in North Wales want to use Welsh in their day-top-day work - in order to make themselves more attractive to the rising numbers of people in the region speaking the language.

That is the view of a Welsh Language Board officer working with local businesses wanting to promote and market themselves bilingually.

But business leaders say that possible new legislation should not be used to compel firms to make greater use of the language.

Caernarfon-based Meleri Wyn Williams, the board’s private sector and business development officer, said: “There is an increasing number of businesses who want to promote themselves bilingually.

“There has been an increase in the number of Welsh speakers and they need to reach them. Especially in North Wales, where you have a higher proportion of Welsh speakers. Promoting themselves bilingually will appeal when they are targeting that audience.

“We are not saying that they must do everything bilingually - they could start with the small stuff such as bilingual menus and signage.”…..

Tuesday 3 June 2008

Kimralingvo en Bruselo


…de la BBC:

Talks have begun over the possibility of using the Welsh language in some European Union meetings.

A spokesman for the UK government confirmed negotiations had begun for the "limited" use of Welsh, following approaches from the Welsh assembly.

However, the UK will not press for it to be Europe's 24th official language.

The assembly would have pay for any service, which was likely to be restricted, rather than being a full EU translation and interpretation service.

If agreed, Welsh speakers would be able to address some meetings in Welsh, with English translation, but without any interpretation into Welsh...

Gaelscoil na Daroige


...de la Belfast News Letter:

Education Minister Caitriona Ruane has been accused of "showing her true colours" by funding a small Irish language school, against advice, when similar schools nearby have struggled to fill all their places.

It has emerged that she rejected her senior officials' advice in approving a new Irish language school in Londonderry.

The school she approved was just 2.5 miles from another Irish language school which, in the view of the Department of Education's inspectors, was already "in sharp decline" and had 106 empty desks.

And documents released to a newspaper under the Freedom of Information Act show that last year Ms Ruane went against the wishes of the local Catholic primary school in approving funding for the school.

The school – Gaelscoil na Daroige in the Ballymagroarty area – has not actually received any funding yet as it does not have the minimum 15 P1 pupils required under legislation to receive it....

...Education committee chairman
Sammy Wilson said the latest revelation was evidence of the minister trying to "impose a republican agenda".

"Ruane is yet again showing her, and her party's, true colours," he said.

"The old Sinn Fein mantra of 'building an Ireland of equals' is being shown as completely false and hypocritical."...

**** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** ****
"I would never want to read anything
Councillor O Muilleoir would write, especially in that Leprechaun language he likes to spout…”
~ Sammy Wilson, MP, MLA

Monday 2 June 2008

Irlandalingvoj en Merkatado


…de la Sunday Business Post:

Starbucks, e-Bay and Abercrombie & Fitch may be part of our lives now, but an enduring fondness for Irish-branded products remains a point of difference between Irish consumers and their counterparts elsewhere, according to the writer of a new book on consumer behaviour.

Margaret Linehan, a senior lecturer at Cork Institute of Technology, has written a textbook for marketing students, aimed at giving some balance to their usual reading material, which tends to be American.…

…‘‘We’re still very proud of our traditions and we’ll still very much respond when asked to go back to buying Irish,” she said. ‘‘We can see that, even with the appeal of the Irish language, and homegrown brands can do well from that. If you look at Barry’s Tea, there’s a brand that people have stuck by since their parents bought it.”