Occupational class, age and gender in the Gaelic-speech community from census data

The paper reports on the early results for Gaelic language from the 1991 census. This is in connection with a study being undertaken by the author for the PROJECT 2001/COMPASS PROJECT (Colloquium on Minority-language Population-censuses and Speech-community Surveys, assisted by European Communities Task Force Resources Humaines, for the European Bureau for Lesser-Used Languages). An account is provided of Gaelic-language abilities by age and sex at national, district,, islands area and regional levels from Local Base Statistics recently made available. Comparison with previous censuses is possible and an attempt is made to compare language maintenance in areas with differing Gaelic education policies: Gaelic as the principal teaching medium, Gaelic and English bilingual education, Gaelic as a second language, and areas with no Gaelic-teaching schemes. An analysis of Gaelic by occupational class in the 1981 census has been undertaken, and an account is given of changes between 1981 and 1991 at national and area levels. This may also, for the first time, be capable of association with migration patterns of Gaelic speakers and intergenerational maintenance patterns within the family. The results of analysis of census data are illustrated graphically and relationships are suggested between census results and survey data from an ESRC-supported study of Language Maintenance and Viability in the Scottish Gaelic-speech Community (1985-88) undertaken by the author and Cathlin MacAulay of the Lesser Used Languages Research Unit, Hatfield Polytechnic (now University of Hertfordshire).