Resumen de Power at the periphery: The language dimension ‐ and the case of Gaelic Scotland
Celtic speech‐communities have persisted despite incorporation in large‐scale society. The article discusses sociological models of this process with especial reference to the author's recent studies in Gaelic communities. The social functioning of language‐varieties and attitudes towards language and culture are outlined and associations with such social factors as age, sex, occupation, religion and political allegiance are explored. The implications of distinctive attitudes of particular social groupings and the nature of Gaelic ethnicity for language‐loyalty organisations are discussed. The dynamics of Gaelic language‐shift and the conditions for Gaelic language maintenance are reviewed in terms of Fishman's typology of diglossia and bilingualism. The article suggests modifications of its ambiguities and its conceptual extension in order to advance a hypothesis of language‐shift as ‘catastrophe’. Social policy models for the relationship of minority languages and ethnic cultures within the wider society of the United Kingdom are considered in conclusion.
