Mark Spencer Turner

Vote now for your favourite act or organisation now! Nominate now in the MG ALBA Scots Trad Music Awards. Nominate your favourite act or organisation here or fill in the form below. Nominations close on Sunday 19th October at midnight. The awards cer…

It's that time of the year again - time to nominate your favourite folky artists and facilitators.

If you do remember a certain Gaelic columnist for The List in the media category, that would be much appreciated.

projects.handsupfortrad.scot/scotstradmus...

#Gaelic #Gàidhlig #NaTrads #TheTrads

Andrew Scott is a contemporary artist renowned for his bold "frame-breaking" creations, where characters in his paintings seem to penetrate through glass.

Through this unique creative approach, Scott explores themes of freedom, solitude, and resilience.

Artist: @andrewscott_art

#art #visualart

A lovely thing that a panel of writers and critics found these new poems to have creative originality and literary merit, after all

Mòran taing dhaibhsan

www.instagram.com/p/DN0fCZL0Ac...

For immigrants who sign, meaningful integration is always going to start, at least, with another #SignedLanguage.

Perhaps in his tweet we hear Rupert's privilege of ability talking, too, as well as his #monolingual ignorance.

#Languages #Multilingualism #BSL #ISL #NISL #English #ReformUK

first option, when it comes to integrating an immigrant in those circumstances. Rupert doesn't acknowledge that #BSL, or #ISL, or #NISL exist (and aren't all the same!)

He thinks that to live here, you have to speak to him on his terms, in his #language.

But perhaps d/Deaf people and the hearing and speech impaired have an experience of language that Rupert might be able to grasp, if everything above is beyond him.

It's not rocket science that, if someone has difficulty hearing or speaking, it's a spoken language might not be the best

#BSL #ISL

It's fair then, to at least try to understand the dichotomy others might face, arrived somewhere in search of a home, yet seemingly forced to engage through a language that might carry with it all kinds of baggage. Another thing, Rupert never has to countenance.

#LanguageTrauma

Not necessarily, in places where that language has been the medium of destruction, or discrimination, or walks hand-in-hand with the loss of #LocalIndustry, or #Housing, or #Culture, or another #language itself.

#LanguageShift

Sometimes it's shaped like a silver spoon - because they presume it gives them access, welcome and privilege wherever they go, they expect it's the only way for others to secure the same.

#AnglophonePrivilege #LanguagePrivilege #Immigration #Scotland #Ireland #Wales #Incomers

people into regions not limited to #TheValleys, the #Highlands and #Hebrides, #Orkney, #Sheltand Irish #Gaeltacht Regions, #IsleOfMan and #ChannelIslands continue to have impact on that native linguistic equilibrium.

They, like Rupert, were born with their key.

#MinLangs #IndigenousLanguages

So they choose to focus closer to home.

But in doing so, they wilfully ignore key aspects of our history too: how many regions of these islands were not originally #EnglishSpeaking yet 'miraculously' became so. How cross-border movement of #English / #Anglophone

#Immigration #Clearances #ThePale

People like Rupert, who live in the neighbourhoods of cities like his, perhaps don't need to countenance the impact elsewhere of the language they speak and promote on a day-to-day basis. They don't like to remember what it's been a medium for, abroad

#Colonialism #Class #Wealth

When the latter arrives with notions of progress, elitism, and superiority it can be particularly potent. And sometimes it's well intentioned (albeit misguided and ultimately harmful), as the missionary history of Christianity demonstrates.

#Colonialism

Rupert is right that an influx of people into any given area, or community, does shake the linguistic equilibrium.

It can even shift dominance from one (native) language to another (non-native) language.

#LanguageShift #Incomers #Highlands #Hebrides #Gaeltacht #TheValleys #WhiteSettlers

the only means to engage or integrate in regions where they are spoken, and with communities who do.

This does underscore how the ethos of language could be opportunity, and #plurality - not compulsion.

Note how Rupert only references one of those languages.

#Monolingualism

Across the North Atlantic Archipelago, please have always spoken and - against all odds - still speak #Gàidhlig #Gaeilge #Gaelg #Cymraeg #Kernewek #Scots #Shelta #Angloromani #Jèrriais #Sercquiais #Dgèrnésiais. Whilst all speak English now, the latter isn't actually

#UKLanguages

These are all factors for successful initiatives, when it comes to integration via #LanguageLearning.

But Rupert's comments also betray how he is ignorant to a key aspect of his own country (countries), culture(s) and language(s) - as well as their histories.

#UKLanguages

Not with immigrants, themselves.

Also that to be successful, these initiatives need to consider culture, and how people may come from others that impose structures he never has to countenance - marginalisation on the grounds of sex, caste, creed, ethnicity etc.

#LanguageAccess

How #language works, he'd realise the answer is to mint more keys - #FreeEducation, accessible to communities on various levels, maybe even delivered by #multilingual people in communities.

He'd realise that as an elected minister, the buck actually rests with him

#Education

Centuries. This goes right to the top of hegemonies that the likes of Rupert inhabit - consider Victoria and her Urdu teacher Abdul Karim.

Rupert wants to deny people a home, opportunity and access because they don't arrive holding the key. If he had any idea about

#Access

And, actually, in those cases, why should it be?

If arrived in the #UK, where it's deemed you need #English to engage and integrate - on whom is the onus to educate and provide access?

The fact is that immigrant communities have provided their own interpreters for

#Translation

By a regime that wants to deny women an education altogether. If you've experienced conflict, as per Syria, Sudan, Congo, Gaza, you might have gone long periods without full access to either.

As such, immersing yourself in #Anglophone culture hasn't been a priority.

#Languages

Immersion leads to a level of fluency and confidence, but these are edified by #literacy, and exposure to media, literature etc.

If you're an Afghan woman, you may have engaged with #AnglophoneMedia, for example, but had your education repeatedly interrupted

#LanguageLearning

They presume access to #LanguageLearning is a given, when their language has been at the heart of a public (or public school) #education, the #language of #media, #literature and public life.

But without #LanguageEducation, the #access path to those learning can be complicated.

or lack of access, or disability, or poverty etc.

This is often ignored by native speakers of a #MajorityLanguage, not necessarily native to #GlobalMajorities. They don't consider how they themselves benefit from #LinguisticPrivilege - even when limited by #Monolingualism.

#ReformUK #Racsim

It remains true that surviving where a language is the #MajorityLanguage, can require that language. But language is a skill like everything else. If you haven't had the opportunity to learn it, that isn't your fault - especially if you've been denied that opportunity by conflict

#ReformUK #Racism

But #language is a more-than-two-way street. To engage with others, sometimes it requires a bit of generosity: Hola, Bonjour, Guten Tag. I suspect these would choke Rupert less than Salaam Alaikum, but all such are a means to build a bridge and bring someone in.

#Multilingualism #ReformUK #Racism

🧵 And yet, there remain parts of our 'country' (countries!) where #English is not the only native language. Is that language the only means to engage with communities? It's certainly one means of doing so...

#Cymraeg #Gàidhlig #Gaeilge #Scots @reformukscotland.bsky.social @reformuk.bsky.social

Go raibh maith agat, a Mhairéad. Táim ag tnúth go bhfuil gach rud go réidh i mBaile Átha Cliath!

Please Help Me On My Neurodiversity Journey

It's humiliating having to do this, but with #NHSLothian's inability to let me see a #neurodiversity specialist timeously, or recognise my private #diagnosis and medicate, I feel I am left with no choice but to take this route.

gofund.me/18d703ba