Multaj Oficialaj Lingvoj

...de Web-Translations:

In this country, despite our multicultural make up, we have only one Official Language for our 60 or so million inhabitants.

That language is, unless you’re from Barnsley, English.

The minority languages recognized on these shores are Welsh, Irish, Scottish Gaelic, Lowland Scots and Cornish and rather suprisingly do not include any Asian langugaes, despite a long history of immigrants from that area….

Trevor Lunn

....de la News Letter:

Any Irish Language Act should not be of no expense to the public purse and be non-politicized, it has been claimed.

Alliance MLA Trevor Lunn was speaking on Tuesday after meeting with Irish language umbrella group POBAL.

After "highly productive" dialogue, Mr Lunn admitted his party would look favourably at Irish language broadcasting and Irish-medium education.

"We are strongly of the view that the Irish language, if de-politicized, can deliver a significant diversity dividend to Northern Ireland..."

JRR Tolkien kaj la Kimralingvo

...de la Western Mail:

A major new work describes how the Welsh language fired the imagination behind The Lord of the Rings saga.

Dimitra Fimi of Cardiff University has studied how author JRR Tolkien drew on Welsh as he crafted the language of elves. His lifelong interest in Welsh began in childhood when he saw Welsh words on coal trucks arriving from Wales.

Dr Fimi said: “It was fascinating for him. It was something out of the ancient pasts of Britain from the west.”

As a writer he cherished the ancient history of Britain. In the Welsh language – and in his heavily annotated copies of The Mabinogion – he found inspiration to create his own mythology...

Slógadh Shinn Féin

...de la Galway Times:

A large number of Sinn Fein members will descend on Galway this weekend for the party's annual Slógadh.

Republican activists and Irish language enthusiasts from across Ireland will participate in the 3-day event which will be held at Ostán na Páirce in An Spidéal.

The theme of this year's Slógadh is the Irish language and the Media.

Party President, Gerry Adams will also attend the event which will feature political debate, historical tours and entertainment.

Triunuo Kolegio

...de Trinity News:

For much of its history, Trinity College would not have been perceived as sympathetic to Gaelic culture and identity. Nonetheless, it has had an important connection with the fortunes of the language since its establishment.

In its early years, Trinity provided training for the clergy of the Established Church, in order to promote the reformed faith in the language of the majority of the people.

William Bedell, one-time provost, was responsible, as Bishop of Kilmore, for the translation of the Old Testament into Irish. Dr Douglas Hyde, a son of the rectory, founder of the Gaelic League and first President of Ireland, was a student in College...

Peticio por la Skotgaela Lingvo

Petition by John Macleod calling on the Scottish Parliament to urge the Scottish Government, given its responsibilities to promote and support Gaelic culture, to make representations to the BBC Trust to ensure that BBC Alba is made available on Freeview now rather than wait for a review planned by 2010.

* Kluku ĉi tie kaj ratifiku la peticion!

.

[Dankon al Alasdair MacCaluim]

Antigone

...de la Mayo Advertiser:

Splódar Productions presents an Irish-language version of the Classical Greek drama Antigone at the Linenhall Arts Centre in Castlebar on Thursday December 4 at 8pm.

Seo scéal an chailín a thug dúshlán an stáit agus a chuir fáilte roimh an mbás mar nár fhéad sí glacadh leis an measarthacht nó leis an modhúlacht.

Tá an bhua is an díomua, an chaimiléireacht is an chneastacht, an grá is an ghráin fite fuaite ina chéile sa scoth-shaothar seo.

Ceann de mhór-dhrámaí ár linne, aistrithe go Gaeilge don chéad uair agus arna léiriú ag an gcompántas nua-bhunaithe Splódar.

Manksa Festo

...de Isle of Man Today:

This year's Cooish Manx and Inter-Gaelic Festival was probably the strongest yet, with fabulous visiting and local musicians and speakers, a wonderfully diverse Arrane son Mannin competition and three new books, signs and beer-mats in Manx launched.

Starting on Sunday, November 9, and finishing on Saturday, November 15, both weekends focused on the musical side of things, with great sets from The Mollag Band and Skeeal on the opening Sunday, and two fabulous entries for the competition…

…Manx language development officer for the Manx Heritage Foundation Adrian Cain launched various new products: an open/closed sign for shops in conjunction with the Chamber of Commerce, Manx beer mats with Bushy's and, on a more spiritual note, a new Manx prayer card – an idea originating with the Lord Bishop.

Three new books – a Manx translation by Peter Shimmin and Chris Sheard of Sophia Morrison's Manx Fairy Tales, a book of short stories called Ecstasy translated from the Irish by Rob Teare and a book of Manx bird names by Paul Rogers – were launched and are fantastic new resources for learners and speakers of all ages...

www.myspace.com/cooish

www.learnmanx.com

Eŭropa Rango por la Kimralingvo

…de la Associated Press:

The Welsh language, which dates back to the 6th century, got a major boost Thursday when the European Union formally recognized it as a minority tongue.

The move by the 27-nation bloc enabled Welsh Heritage Minister Alun Ffred Jones, representing Britain, to address colleagues at an EU culture ministers meeting in his native language.

"Welsh is one of Europe's oldest languages and I am delighted that my ministerial colleagues from across the union will hear it as a living and dynamic language of business," Jones said before the meeting...

"Telya Tor" aŭ "Tir Teylu"?

...de la This is Cornwall:

Town councillors in St Ives have rejected a Cornish-language street name in favour of one made up by schoolchildren after struggling to pronounce the correct version.

Members were asked to formally adopt the name Telya Tor for an under-construction housing development in Carbis Bay after a competition at a nearby primary school.

But when asked to confirm the spelling, Cornish language experts ruled the translation of 'family land' as incorrect.

Official keepers of the Cornish tongue, the Cornish Language Partnership, said the sign should read Tir Teylu.

But after a series of tongue-twisting exchanges, which saw councillors struggling to pronounce both names, members decided to endorse the original incorrect version...

Eŭska kaj Kimra Lingvoj

..de la Western Mail:

...A delegation from Cymdeithas yr Iaith Gymraeg recently visited the Basque country to see what people there are doing to keep their language alive.

Of all minority languages, the Basque language – or Euskara – has most in common with Welsh. There are about 600,000 Euskara-speakers in a country with a population of about three million.

From the moment you land in Bilbao, you notice a stark linguistic contrast to our own situation, with visual examples of stronger language legislation – bilingual signs are the norm and the co-operative supermarket chain Eroski provides own-brand packaging with instructions in up to five languages...

La Sociala Demokrata & Laborista Partio

…de la Belfast Telegraph:

The SDLP today proposed its own legislative proposals to protect the rights of Irish speakers in Northern Ireland.

With DUP and Sinn Fein still to find a way around the impasse over an Irish Language Act, the nationalist party has tabled its own private member's bill to enshrine the rights of the Gaelic community in Northern Ireland...

Glavo de Lumo / Gaela Aventuro

An Claidheamh Soluis / Gaelic Adventure is the nationwide community based voluntary Irish organization dedicated to building the Gaelic language as a major cultural solution by promoting Irish and indigenous education, saving lives and diminishing suffering from conflict, through research, education, advocacy, and service.

Adrian Cain

…de Manx Radio:

The man in charge of promoting Manx Gaelic believes the language is more than capable of conveying the news stories of the day.

To prove his point, Adrian Cain will be reading the headlines in Manx on Manx Radio this evening.

It's being done as part of the Cooish, a week of events dedicated to raising the profile of the language.

Mr Cain says he will be showing Manx Gaelic is relevant in the modern world.

Gwyneth Green

...de la Daily Post:

A factory worker who claimed she was not allowed to speak Welsh at a disciplinary hearing yesterday spoke for the first time about the case.

Gwyneth Green from Twthil, Caernarfon, successfully claimed unfair dismissal on the grounds of race discrimination against one of Gwynedd’s largest employers, Siemens Healthcare Limited.

She said she was unable to defend herself in Welsh at the hearing which led to her dismissal for gross misconduct in February 2008.

The 51-year-old mum of two said: “My English is not good. I’m used to speaking Welsh. I felt I was being bullied.

“If I’d have gone to the meeting and carried on in English I’d have felt bullied with big words.”
“I answered in Welsh and they didn’t like it at all. (An officer) said ‘If you’re not going to speak English the meeting will be closed’.”

Radio-Konkurado

...de la Irish Times:

Most students will tell you that the future of the Irish language depends on how relevant it is made to their everyday lives. If its old-fashioned and dated image could be purged, they say, more Irish people would be keen to use the language on a regular basis.

The media is a good place to start. Gael Linn's radio competition is proving popular with Transition Year students; entrants are expected to produce an Irish radio programme of between 15 and 20 minutes on a subject of their choice. There are two categories, one for gaelscoileanna and another for English-speaking schools.

La Malpliiĝo de la Progresivaj Demokratoj

…de la Irish Independent:

...And most of the plain people of Ireland -- especially younger ones -- want to see a revival in the Irish language.

For the PDs, Irish was a symbol of a backward past, something they wanted to put behind us.

As Des Bishop creates a new wave of enthusiasm for the language, the old West Brits in the PDs told us the language was passe. But it was they who were out of date....

Nova Korvala Logo

...de la Western Morning News:

A new row is brewing over the introduction of a controversial logo for Cornwall's unitary council.

The flame-like emblem for the impending Cornwall Council was unveiled in June to a chorus of opposition…

…They must vote for "Building a better future" or "Onan hag oll" – Cornish for "One and All" which already features on the traditional crest many want retained.

La Kornalingvo Hodiaŭ

...de Tempo:

The Celtic language of Cornish, once spoke in southwestern England, expired abruptly in 1777 when its last living speaker died. Reports of its death may have been exaggerated, however.

Cornish has made a comeback in recent years.

Using surviving written documents, descendants of Cornish speakers began to learn the language and even teach it to their children.

Road signs began appearing in Cornish and English. Now about 2,000 people speak Cornish.

Aŭtomata Mistraduko

...de la Western Mail:

A blunder by officials has led to a council erecting a road sign asking drivers to e-mail in any translation work instead of its intended message of banning lorries from a street.

The sign in English read: “No entry for heavy goods vehicles. Residential site only.”

But the Welsh version directly underneath translates as: “I am not in the office at the moment. Send any work to be translated.”

The error occurred when an office worker at Swansea Council sent an e-mail to a colleague asking for the correct wording in Welsh. But the interpreter was not at his desk so an automated reply was sent...