Undergraduate Course: The Gaelic Languages: Modernisation and Standardisation (CELT10039)
Course Outline
| School | School of Literatures, Languages and Cultures |
College | College of Humanities and Social Science |
| Credit level (Normal year taken) | SCQF Level 10 (Year 3 Undergraduate) |
Availability | Available to all students |
| SCQF Credits | 20 |
ECTS Credits | 10 |
| Taught in Gaelic? | Yes |
| Summary | This course explores theoretical and practical aspects of the linguistic development and modernisation of the Gaelic languages from the late 19th century onwards, focusing primarily on Scottish Gaelic and Irish. Emphasis will be on the ways living vernaculars have been codified and elaborated, particularly as the roles of these languages in new institutional settings (especially education and public administration) have expanded and developed. The course will give close attention to the theoretical background to corpus planning (e.g. principles of codification and elaboration, the role of purism) and the particular challenges that arise in the context of minority languages whose demographic base is weakening and whose range of use has been diminished. Principal areas of investigation will include orthographical and grammatical standardisation, the development of new terminology and registers, the creation of lexicographic resources, and the sociolinguistic and political contexts surrounding these linguistic initiatives. The course complements the existing Honours course on The Celtic Languages: Decline and Revitalisation (offered in Year B), which considers the sociolinguistic situation of the Celtic languages and the related ideologies and strategies for linguistic revitalisation. A knowledge of Scottish Gaelic and Irish is required in order to take this course. |
| Course description |
Not entered
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Information for Visiting Students
| Pre-requisites | Please note pre-requisite requirements as stated above. Visiting students will be expected to demonstrate an equivalent level of competency in Scottish Gaelic. |
| High Demand Course? |
Yes |
Course Delivery Information
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| Academic year 2015/16, Available to all students (SV1)
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Quota: None |
| Course Start |
Semester 2 |
Timetable |
Timetable |
| Learning and Teaching activities (Further Info) |
Total Hours:
200
(
Lecture Hours 22,
Programme Level Learning and Teaching Hours 4,
Directed Learning and Independent Learning Hours
174 )
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| Assessment (Further Info) |
Written Exam
50 %,
Coursework
50 %,
Practical Exam
0 %
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| Additional Information (Assessment) |
Students are required to undertake two short assignments, as specified by the Lecturer. One assignment consists of an essay (c. 2000-2500 words in length), on an appropriate topic to be chosen in consultation with the Lecturer, and the other is a linguistic analysis (to be discussed in class and then presented in written form, c. 1,500 words in length) of a recent official Gaelic publication, assessing questions of orthography/morphology, use of specialist terminology, register/style, and linguistic precision. Equal weight is given to assessed coursework and to the Degree Examination. The linguistic analysis is worth 20%, the essay is worth 30% and the Degree Examination is worth 50% of the overall mark for the course. The Degree Examination consists of a single 2-hour paper to be sat in the May/June diet. |
| Feedback |
Not entered |
| Exam Information |
| Exam Diet |
Paper Name |
Hours & Minutes |
|
| Main Exam Diet S2 (April/May) | | 2:00 | |
Learning Outcomes
The Intended Learning Outcomes are the development of a sound knowledge of the key linguistic and political issues associated with the modernisation of Irish and Scottish Gaelic. Knowledge and understanding of specifically linguistic topics (grammar and orthography) will form part of the learning outcomes, together with a broader comparative understanding of the socio-political challenges.
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Contacts
| Course organiser | Prof Wilson Mcleod
Tel: (0131 6)50 3623
Email: |
Course secretary | Ms Christine Lennie
Tel: (0131 6)50 4167
Email: |
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