Carn 86

Lioar mychione Caghlaa-Chengey


Joshua Fishman's book, 'Reversing Language Shift', stresses the importance of the bottom-up approach in work which seeks to improve the position of threatened languages.


Haink lioar feer anaasagh magh blein ny ghaa er dy henney. Ta'n lioar shoh enmyssit 'Reversing Language Shift', as v'eh screeut liorish Joshua Fishman. Ta fo ennym er y lioar shoh: 'Aghtyn Sheiltynagh as Aghtyn Treealagh ry-hoi Cooney lesh Chengaghyn ta fo Baggyrtys' ('Theoredcal and Empirical Foundations of Assistance to Threatened Languages'). Ta'n lioar shoh ayns strane (series) dy lioaryn currit magh ec colught enmyssit Multilingual Matters Ltd.
Ec toshiaght y lioar, ta meer feer chooie veih'n Vible, lioar Esther, 1-22: 'Son hug eh screeunyn trooid ooilley rheamyn y ree gys dy chooilley ard coardail rish nyn aght screeuee, as gys dy chooilley phobble lurg nyn ghlare hene, dy row dy chooilley ghooinney dy ymmyrkey reill ayns e hie hene, as dy beagh shoh er ny ockley magh ayns glare dy chooilley phobble.'
Son y chooid smoo, s'fardailagh ta eabaghyn dy chur er e hoshiaght chengaghyn t'ayns gaue. Ta lioar Fishman prowal dy 'eddyn magh cre'n fa. T'eh shilrey geddyn rey rish yn aght-obbree ta gra 'Lhig dooin prowal dy chooilley nhee oddys mayd as foddee dy bee red ennagh speeideilagh'.
Ta'n lioar shoh goaill toshiaght lesh ny feyshtyn 'Vel eh feeu dy phrowal dy chur ergooyl arraghey-chengey? Neeu eh dy phrowal bree noa y chur ayns chengey ta goll sheese?' Tra ta caggaghyn agglagh goll er, tra ta milliunyn dy 'leih geddyn baase lesh yn accrys, tra ta chingyssyn dyn lheihys jannoo cragh feiy'n teihll, tra ta druggaghyn stroie yn aeglagh, tra ta baljyn currit mow ec meereiltys as sollaghey, lhisagh shin boirrey mychione chengaghyn ta goll mow?
Ta lioar Fishman cur freggyrt da shoh: lhisagh. Sleih ta coayl yn chengey oc, cha nel ad surranse lesh gorley ta jeh beggan scansh. Tra ta sleih coayl yn chengey oc, t'ad coayl yn henoilaght (Identity) oc as t'ad eginit baghey er y chemmal jeh henoilaght stroshey, as jannoo nyn gooid share dy vaih yn henoilaght oc hene. Ta shoh caghlaa seihll y sleih shoh as ta ram jeu (ny yn chooid smoo jeu) coayl bree as dunnallys.
Son shickyrys, shegin dooin streeu noi caggey as gOney as chingys, agh, ec yn un cheayrt, shegin dooin goaill rish dy vel coayl-chengey ny red olk. Son y chooid smoo, ta neunhee jeant jeh coayl-chengey. Shen red aggairagh, ta Fishman gra.
Myr t'eh gra, ta toyrt mow ny myn chengaghyn yn un red as toyrt mow tradishoon liorish fassan unnaneyssit, toyrt mow seihll ynnydagh liorish colughtyn mooarey, as toyrt mow smooinaghtyn dowin liorish genney smooinaghtyn ny smooinaghtyn aa-ghowin. Ta Fishman gobbal dy vel eh soie er yn teihll jeianagh as e vondeishagh chaghnoaylleeagh. S'mooar yn scansh jeh reiltyssyn as sheshaghtyn-reiltys ayns cooishyn chengey. Agh, er y laue elley, cha nod bree noa ve currit ayns chengey faase mannagh vel obbyr yeean goll er mastey lughtyn-thie ayns ny thieyn oc hene. Ta obbyr ynnydagh y theay hene scanshoil erskyn towse.
Reesht as reesht ta ughtar y lioar shoh dy ghra nagh nee red voish romanseeaght y nuyoo cheead jeig y caggey dy hauail ny myn-chengaghyn. Ta'n caggey shoh dellal rish shiartanse dy ard-ghoilleeidyn yn teihill t'ayn nish: genney henoilaght, eebyrtys-anmey as yn aght dy vel sleih eginit ve nyn lomarcan ny smoo as ny smoo.
As shimmey keayrt ta Fishman screeu dy vel eh doillee agglagh dy chur ergooyl arraghey-chengey. Er y cheu elley, t'eh smooinaghtyn dy vod reddyn foaysagh ve jeant eer son ny chengaghyn t'ayns y stayd smessey. Sleih ta laccal obbraghey son ny chengaghyn shoh, t'ad goll rish fir as mraane-lhee ta jeeaghyn er peiagh ta ching kyndagh rish ymmodee gortey. Shegin da ny fir as mraane-lhee gra cre ny gonaghyn phrowys ad dy lheihys hoshiaght as cre ny gortaghyn vees faagit gyn ]heihys ec y traa t'ayn (my vees lheihys er ny hirrey dy bragh). As foddee dy bee 'lheihys' ennagh cur er chingys ennagh dy ve ny smessey choud's t'eh geddyn rey rish chingys elley.
My vees sleih laccal cur ergooyl arraghey-chengey, shegin dauesyn kinjagh cooinaghtyn dy vel ad laccal nyn jengey ennoil dy ve currit veih sheeloghe dys sheeloghe elley, veih'n chenndiaght dys yn aeglagh.
Cha noddym cur ayns shoh agh coontey giare jeh'n lioar scanshoil shoh er y fa dy nee lioar mooar t'ayn. Shoh sheinys Fishman ry-hoi cur ergooyl arraghey chengey, saeeut ayns kesmadyn, nane lurg nane:

1. Aa-hroggal yn chengey as sleih aasit gynsaghey ee.
2. Sleih aasit gymmydey yn chengey mastey yn theay ynnydagh.
3. Cur yn chengey da paitchyn ayns lughtyn-thie.
4. Sleih (aeg as shenn) gynsaghey yn chengey ayns scoillyn.
5. Scoillyn raad ta cooishyn ennagh goll er ynsaghey trooid yn chengey.
6. Ymmyd jeant jeh'n chengey raad ta sleih gobbraghey.
7. Yn chengey er y radio, chellveeish, ayns pabyryn-naight as y reiltys.
8. Yn chengey ec gagh leval ayns edjaghys, buill-obbree, yn ym-ysseraght as reiltys.

Ta Fishman cheet erash dy mennick dys y smooinaght dy nhegin da sleih gobbraghey veih'n vun neese. T'eh gaueagh dy obbraghey veih'n vullagh neose. Myr sampleyr jeh shoh, t'eh gimraa yn aght va Yernee dy liooar credjal dy beagh mirrilyn jeant son Yernish tra v'ee currit ayns ny scoillyn. Son shickyrys, t'eh scanshoil dy chur yn chengey ayns scoillyn-reiltys, agh cha nod oo croghey er shen ny lomarcan. Sheeu studeyrys dowin y yannoo er y lioar anaasagh shoh.


Orree Crennell