Manx language - Definition and Overview

Manx (Gaelg or Gailck), also known as Manx Gaelic, is a Goidelic language spoken on the Isle of Man. It is an offshoot of Old Irish, particularly the Ulster and Galloway dialects.

History

Manx dates to around the 5th century and is called Gaelg Vanninagh by Manx speakers. The last native speaker, Ned Maddrell, died in 1974, but by then a scholarly revival had begun to spread to the populace and many had learned Manx as a second language. The first native speakers of Manx (bilingual with English) in many years have now appeared: children brought up by Manx-speaking parents. Primary immersion education in Manx is provided by the Manx government. Manx-language playgroups also exist, and Manx language classes are available in island schools.

Manx is used by the Tynwald, with new laws being read out by Yn Lhaihder ('the Reader') in both Manx and English.

Manx is recognised under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. It is also one of the regional languages recognised in the framework of the British-Irish Council.

The revival of Manx has been aided by the recording work done in the 20th century by researchers, notably the Irish Folklore Commission in 1948.

Arguably, no trace of written Manx survives from before the 1600s, but the Book of Common Prayer and Bible were translated into Manx in the 17th and 18th centuries. A tradition of carvals, religious songs or carols, developed. Religious literature was common, but secular writing much rarer.

Following a decline in the use of Manx during the 19th century, Yn Cheshaght Ghailckagh (The Manx Language Society) was founded in 1899.

Orthography

The spelling of Manx, unlike that of Irish and Scottish Gaelic, does not represent the Goidelic etymology, and more closely resembles an English speaker's attempt to write Gaelic, with a degree of Welsh influence evident from the use of 'y' and 'w'. This is because Manx developed without a written literature, and when attempts were made to introduce a standardised orthography for the language, the choice was made to spell the words in an English manner. For example, 'Isle of Man' in Irish would be written as Oileán Mhanainn or in Scottish Gaelic as Eilean Mhanainn, whereas in Manx it is written as Ellan Vannin.

Although it is commonly said that Phillips, a Welsh speaking bishop. introduced the writing system, it does appear to have some similarities with similar English based systems that have been found in Scotland. For example, the Book of the Dean of Lismore is written in Scottish Gaelic using such a system.

Manx and the Columba Initiative

Some controversy has resulted over the omission of Manx culture from the Columba Initiative.

Vocabulary

Key: Scot. - Scottish Gaelic, IRL - Irish

A more comprehensive Vocabulary can be found here (http://www.isle-of-man.com/manxnotebook/fulltext/am1924/index.htm#contents)

Numbers

See also

• List of Goidelic languages

External links

Wikipedia articles written in this language are located at the

Manx language Wikipedia

• isle-of-man.com language section (http://www.isle-of-man.com/manxnotebook/history/manks/)
• Gaelic Dictionaries (http://www.ceantar.org/Dicts/search.html)
• Manx Language resources (http://homepages.enterprise.net/kelly/FRONT/INFO/info.html)