Language and Nationalism in Europe, chapter 2 Britain & Ireland: The varying significance of language for nationalism

Political Structure vs. National Identity UK (England, Scotland, & Wales) provides political structure Britain provides national identity But many citizens of UK (N. Ireland) consider their nationality to be Irish, not British

Territorial vs. non-territorial languages Territorial languages -- were once majority languages in a given territory; these are the languages that lay claim to nationhood, and they include Germanic, Celtic, and Romance (French) Non-territorial languages -- have never dominated any territory, and all except Romani arrived since 1800; include Indian languages, Cypriot Greek & Turkish, Cantonese, Caribbean Creoles, etc.

Celtic languages in Ireland & UK Gaelic languages in Ireland and northwest Britain (Scotland) include: Irish, Scottish Gaelic, and Manx (last native speaker died in 1970s) Brythonic languages in Wales and Cornwall include: Welsh, Breton (exported to Brittany), Cornish (dead since 18th c, but being revived)

Germanic languages in Ireland & UK English not widely spoken until 19th c Derives from lang of Anglo-Saxon invaders from Netherlands, N. Germany, Denmark in 5th c Norse invasions reduced non-Germanic languages, thus favoring English, and Old Norse had strong influence on English

Germanic languages in Ireland & UK, cont’d Norman Conquest -- French replaced English for the aristocracy for 250 years, resulting in strong French influence on English Unification of English has resulted due to political unification; there has been some linguistic leveling of English, but class and regional differences persist Only 3% of population uses standardized Received Pronunciation

Two tiers of national identity: State level -- British national identity Local level -- Welsh, Scottish, English identities

Lallans Lallans (Lowland language) is spoken by the Lowland Scots, aka Scots English (see sample on our webpage) Generally not comprehensible to other English speakers EU gives Lallans status of a minority language, recent renewed nationalist interest in Lallans

Gaelic of Highland Scots Poverty and out-migration caused population reduction in 18 th & 19 th centuries Strong sense of Highland identity persists, legacy of clan/feudalist system Gaelic undergoing recent revival, used in schools, TV and radio No move for independence

Irish Historically there was an Irish-speaking underprivileged majority vs. English-speaking elite Plantation system was designed to weaken dominance of Irish- speaking Catholic majority Irish desire for independence for entire island

Irish, cont’d. Britain granted independence to Republic of Ireland in 1922, but retained N. Ireland Irish nationalists are often indifferent to the fate of the language Famine, emigration, and English education have depleted the number of speakers Ulster Protestants are Irish but identify themselves as British (due to Protestantism)

Welsh Welsh is the only living continuation of a Celtic language in Great Britain Welsh speakers are in the majority in most of the area Welsh was associated with poverty and banned in schools Welsh suffered a decline in 19 th & 20 th centuries but is undergoing revival

Conclusions Nationalism is linked to many things (especially religion), not just language Nationalism/regionalism is now often linked to local varieties of English

Quote to discuss “sometimes the memory that ancestors spoke a distinct language may suffice, given the marginal position in many regions of the traditional languages in everyday life”