CCIV20020 The Fortunes of the Celtic Languages

Academic Year 2024/2025

Celtic languages, once spoken over vast swathes of Europe, are now mainly confined to areas on the continent's western edges in Ireland, Scotland, Wales and Brittany. Why is this so? This course looks at the historic and sociolinguistic aspects of language change, the contemporary challenges facing the languages today, and the prospects of reversing language shift in the future of the languages.
The roles of politics, economics, population movements, education, religion, literacy and the mass media are considered, as are the failures and successes of the revivalist movements in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. By the end of the course students should have a broad understanding of the causes which have led to the Celtic languages becoming endangered, the challenges facing language policy actors today, and the challenges which lie ahead in preserving minoritised languages.

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Curricular information is subject to change

Learning Outcomes:

Students will be able to describe language shift in the Celtic countries, and the historical reasons for it. They will be able to compare the different sociolinguistic contexts of the Celtic languages, and they will be able to make comparisons to other minority language contexts. They will be able to place their discussions in the broader theoretical framework of language interaction, and make informed comment on some of the factors which may affect the Celtic languages in the twenty-first century.

Indicative Module Content:

· The external history of the Celtic languages (Irish, Scottish Gaelic, Manx, Welsh, Breton, Cornish)
· Language death, language shift and language maintenance
· Language policy in practice:
o The Celtic languages and education
o The Celtic languages in the home and the community
o The Celtic languages and the economy
o The Celtic languages and the media
o New speakers of the Celtic languages
· The future of the Celtic languages

Student Effort Hours: 
Student Effort Type Hours
Lectures

24
Specified Learning Activities

30
Autonomous Student Learning

46
Total

100
Approaches to Teaching and Learning:
A combination between lectures and group discussion, with an emphasis on problem-solving ability and critical comparative perspective. 
Requirements, Exclusions and Recommendations

Not applicable to this module.


Module Requisites and Incompatibles
Not applicable to this module.
 
Assessment Strategy  
Description Timing Open Book Exam Component Scale Must Pass Component % of Final Grade
Assignment(Including Essay): a comparative study of the language policy interventions in two or more Celtic language contexts. Students are encouraged to draw on other minoritsed-language contexts for this assignment n/a Graded No

50
Participation in Learning Activities: Based on participation in group activities during the lectures n/a Graded No

15
Assignment(Including Essay): Mid-term essay: a case study on the historical factors that have contributed to language shift in a Celtic language of the student's choice n/a Graded No

35

Carry forward of passed components
Yes
 
Resit In Terminal Exam
Spring No
Please see Student Jargon Buster for more information about remediation types and timing. 
Feedback Strategy/Strategies

• Feedback individually to students, post-assessment
• Group/class feedback, post-assessment

How will my Feedback be Delivered?

Not yet recorded.

Name Role
Assoc Professor Diarmuid O' Sé Lecturer / Co-Lecturer
Joseph Simpson Lecturer / Co-Lecturer