The Linguist

34 The Linguist Vol/63 No/1 thelinguist.uberflip.com OPINION & COMMENT imperative. This has been recognised by the devolved UK governments, which have identified education as key. The Senedd is currently proposing a Welsh Medium Education Bill aiming to enhance proficiency in Welsh across Wales. And in similar moves, the Scottish Parliament is considering a Scottish Language Bill to provide official status to its minority languages. Technology is being harnessed for the cause and, in 2020, Irish was identified by the language-learning app Duolingo as its fastest- growing language, with a million people in Ireland taking its Irish course. In the media, Eurovision 2022 saw French contestants Alvan and Ahez sing in Breton, echoing the Breton-language entry of 1996. Such moves shine a spotlight on Celtic languages' decline and pique public interest in them. The survival of Celtic languages is a real show of linguistic strength. Both Cornish and Manx have made a comeback, despite being declared extinct in the 18th century and the 1970s respectively. The Insular branch has survived centuries of political oppression, societal malaise and educational neglect. So, if you want to know whether to take up a Celtic language in your spare time, my answer is beatha teanga í a labhairt. 6 Notes 1 Aiming to keep Christian worship uniform, the Act ensured worship was conducted solely in English. This had an impact on Cornish in particular, sparking the Western Rebellion in Cornwall and Devon, which was brutally quelled. 2 Although the Royalists lost the war of 1644-45, their occupation continued in the Highlands and Islands where Scots Gaelic was primarily spoken, leading to a suppression of the language. 3 Dorney, J, Lenihan, P and Buttimer, N (2010) 'The Irish Language, Part I: Decline' and 'The Irish Language, Part 2: A phoenix from the flames?'. In The Irish Story; www.theirishstory.com 4 According to the most recent census (2022). 5 Nuwer, R (2014) 'Languages: Why we must save dying tongues'. In BBC Future 6 An Irish seanfhocal (or proverb) describing how a language will only live as long as we use it. Ruqaya Al-Taie Ruqaya Al-Taie MCIL CL holds a PhD in Translation from Queen's University Belfast and is a Lecturer in Translation at the University of Basrah. See p.28 Nicola Brown Nicola Brown is Schools Liaison and Outreach Officer for Modern and Medieval Languages at the University of Oxford. See p.14 Chris Dobbs Chris Dobbs is Director of OxNet Youth Scholars at Pembroke College, Oxford, and Head of Academic Enrichment at Hollingworth Academy. See p.14 Jonathan Downie Dr Jonathan Downie is an interpreter, researcher and speaker. He is the author of Interpreters vs Machines and Multilingual Church: Strategies for making disciples in all languages. See p.8 Eyhab Bader Eddin Dr Eyhab A Bader Eddin MCIL CL is an Assistant Professor of Translation at Nizwa University, Oman, where he teaches on the MA programme. See p.22 Nick Evans Nick Evans directs the Evolution of Cultural Diversity Initiative and is Distinguished Professor of Linguistics at the Australian National University. See p.26 Holly Langstaff Holly Langstaff runs outreach initiatives at the Queen's Translation Exchange and is Lecturer in French at St Edmund Hall, Oxford University. See p.14 Sue Leschen Lawyer-linguist Sue Leschen FCIL CL is Director of the interpreting and translation company Avocate, a mentor and trainer of language professionals. See p.16 Adriana Nesheva Adriana Nesheva is an English to Bulgarian translator with over 13 years' experience. Specialisation areas include fashion, retail, beauty and cosmetics. See p.18 Louisa Semlyen Senior Publisher at Routledge, Louisa Semlyen oversees the programme in Linguistics, English Language, Translation and Interpreting. See p.20 Holly Silvestri Dr Holly Silvestri is Senior Coordinator for Translation, Training and Curriculum at the University of Arizona's National Center for Interpretation and a community interpreter trainer. See p.10 Jane Simpson Jane Simpson is Emerita Professor and Chair of Indigenous Linguistics at the ANU, and was Deputy Director of CoEDL until 2022. See p.26 Rebecca Smithson Rebecca Smithson is Access and Outreach Coordinator at St Edmund Hall, Oxford University, and supports the Think Like a Linguist programme. See p.14 Jill Wigglesworth Jill Wigglesworth was a chief investigator of CoEDL and is Distinguished Professor Emerita of Languages and Linguistics at Melbourne University. See p.26 CONTRIBUTORS Lucy Bartholemew is an undergraduate at York University and Associate Editor of JoULAB. TL

• Cover