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Review of bilingual road signs is to be fast-tracked

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Published Date: 13 March 2009
By JOHN ROSS
THE Scottish Government is to fast-track a review of bilingual road signs after criticism from a council for stalling on the issue.
Stewart Stevenson, the transport minister, told Highland Council no more Gaelic-English signs would be installed until after a study into whether they are affecting road safety, due to end in 2011.

Mr Stevenson said drivers take longer to understa
nd bilingual signs and there is anecdotal evidence some stop or make U-turns on main roads after misreading directions.

But Dr Michael Foxley, the council leader, said drivers who cannot read two lines of directions on a sign should have their licences taken away.

Since 2003 the Scottish Government has been installing bilingual road signs on the A82 Inverness to Fort William road and other ferry routes to the Western Isles and Argyll, including Ullapool, Mallaig, Uig on Skye and Oban.

The council wants ministers to extend this policy on the A9 north of Perth, the A96 east of Inverness and through the centre of the city. It says the signs help enhance the visibility of Gaelic and raise the profile of the language across the region.

Donald Morrison, from the Gaelic development agency Bord na Gaidhlig, said accident statistics did not increase with the introduction of bilingual signs: "There has not been a single accident reported to be caused by a bilingual road sign."

A Scottish Government spokesman said: "Transport Scotland has a responsibility to evaluate its policies, including bilingual policy, but the minister is clear that he wants any review to be fast tracked and completed as soon as possible.

"He has asked senior officials for advice on accelerating this."



The full article contains 285 words and appears in The Scotsman newspaper.
Page 1 of 1

  • Last Updated: 12 March 2009 10:01 PM
  • Source: The Scotsman
  • Location: Edinburgh
  • Related Topics: Gaelic language
 
1

Peripatetic Pensioner,

The Americas 13/03/2009 06:19:17
Road signs are important and all around the world are written in the main working language of the country or if pictoral representations are used international ones are used. Political/nationalist signs should only be used in the UK if the instigators of the said signs can promise that there will be no chance of their use causing an accident or causing confusion and also, the people that want these signs are prepared to pay for them rather than expecting my taxes to do so.
2

Colin Wilson,

Aberdeen 13/03/2009 06:47:33
"Road signs are important and all around the world are written in the main working language of the country..."

Bilingual or trilingual signs can be seen in many countries, either out of respect for linguistic minorities, or because the destination is one in a neighbouring country where a different language is spoken. In some countries where the majority language is written with a non-Roman script, important destinations are also indicated in Roman script for the benefit of visitors.

On the other hand, the use of monolingual signs is sometimes politically motivated, such as in Estonia where bilingual Russian- and Estonian-language signs were removed in the 90s and replaced with Estonian only. Likewise, the use of English-only signs in bilingual areas of the UK.

I think we should have bilingual signs here in the North-East. Where a place has a Scots name different from English (e.g. Aiberdein, The Broch, Peterheid, Turra, Foggie Loan, Abyne etc) then it ought to appear on the sign above the English form.
3

Chaplin,

13/03/2009 07:07:08
We've got crumbling schools without books, hospitals that we cant afford to clean or staff properly yet for some reason we need to waste vast amounts of cash ripping out perfectly good signs to be replaced with bilingual new ones in a language that pitifully few of us actually understand or if we are honest, unfortunately care much about.
4

Calum Crubag,

13/03/2009 08:38:14
#3 - I agree. If most of these placenames are Gaelic anyway, then why spend money 'tranlsating' them into meangingless English phonetics. Keep them in the original Gaelic. Therefore Calton Hill should be the original Cnoc a' Challtain. Do we need Druim na Drochaid to be Drumnadrochad or whatever the meangingless English 'version' is?

As to signs in 2 languages, the Welsh, Irish, Finnish, Basques, Swiss, Catalans and Canadians can handle it. Are Scots too thick?
5

Sgithman,

Siorrachd Rois 13/03/2009 09:10:33
Chaplin: "yet for some reason we need to waste vast amounts of cash ripping out perfectly good signs to be replaced with bilingual new ones in a language that pitifully few of us actually understand"

It is not the practice to rip out signs and replace them until they need replaced anyway. It is only at the point where the original English signs are being replaced through wear and tear that Gaelic ones are introduced, and the cost is therefore negligible.

I understand Gaelic, so why shouldn't I be able to have signs in my language? Close to where I live all the signs are now in Gaelic as well as English. You wouldn't believe what I have learned about the environment around me since learning what some the anglicised versions of placenames are in their original Gaelic. The accepted English versions tell us so little, and are often so far from the original, as to be indiscernible!

I say keep them, and let's have more of them!
6

Duine,

Inbhir Nis 13/03/2009 09:11:47
Waheeey! What excellent news to start the day. ;)

A' Ghàidhlig bho Pheairt gu Hiort!
7

bill-alba,

fife 13/03/2009 09:56:31
extend it to fife.
8

,

13/03/2009 10:42:52
Comment Removed By Administrator
Reason:
9

Iain Mac,

13/03/2009 13:01:22
Vincent - so what exactly is Drumnadrochit or however the luchd na Beurla have rendered it in English? Of course it's meangingless in English!!I agree with the others - best to leave it in the original Gaelic. I think the Gaels need to hector a bit more. That's why the Welsh language is so strong - the Welsh lobby take no cac from no-one. A bit like the English themselves when it comes to forcing English on the world.
10

,

13/03/2009 13:09:14
Comment Removed By Administrator
Reason:
11

FLUB,

a rocky outcrop in eastern central Scotland 13/03/2009 13:50:20
I don't understand why this needs reviewed anyway. I note they have had road signs with both English/Gaelic naming conventions for a few years now, and to me it's historically, as opposed to linguistically, interesting.

And I didn't crash my car!

In fact, if you go onto Highland Council's website, you can access a gazzetteer that gives you equivalence for most (if not all) place names.
12

Masterpiece,

13/03/2009 16:42:45
I do not undestand the need for Angliscised signs to be used if the name or place is originally Gaelic.

Seems a waste of money to have them in the Angliscised form.
13

Calum Crubag,

13/03/2009 17:12:58
Vincent - you are a bitter little man. Can't you rub some beads or something to make it go away. Aye, so you you've got info on the place Druim na Drochaid - but these words just aint in my Oxford English dictionary. Help me please!

As a footnote on the success of Gaelic medium eduction - check out the latest stats from our govt.
http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Resource/Doc/263336/0078758.pdf

Go to table 6 on page 15.

Gaelic kids know what Druim na Drochaid means, even if Vincent doesn't!
14

Calum Crubag,

13/03/2009 17:16:08
peripatetic Gaelic teachers. ???

What's that gonna acheive?

Most of Fife's placenames are Gaelic - why shouldn't Fife have Gaelic signs too? Im sure Fife's Gaels pay taxes and as speakers of Scotland's oldest and still spoken tongue they have rights to services in that tongue too. Maybe it's cos speakers of English were so good at 'hectoring' that Gaelic died out in places like Fife.

We need more 'hectoring' from the Gaels. Suas leis a' Ghaidhlig!
15

Masterpiece,

13/03/2009 17:34:45
Why do people go on about peripatetic Gaelic teachers are they are a waste of money? They have no chance of ever taking any child to speaking Gaelic in any school. Much better to use their teaching skills as a resource sensibly and have them work in a Gaelic medium school where they can take new children to speaking Gaelic every year.

Naturally, as we are all learning quickly these days the home and the use of Gaelic in the general community is just as important in sustaining and maintaining Gaelic as a living language as education will ever be.

Gone are the days when all the efforts were placed on the education sector which can only play a minor part in revitalising Gaelic. Think holistic and be not narrow in outlook.

I now hear that inter-generational transmittion of Gaelic is the new term to look-out for; as this is what it is all about.
16

Unimpressed one,

14/03/2009 08:47:58
Gaelic a living language? Latin is more alive and more useful.
17

radge dug,

14/03/2009 13:33:11
Let's see these roadsigns soon.

#16 - jealousy boyo. English barely exists as a 'language' - it's just a brochan of other people's words. I and my kids use Gaelic everyday. We're very much alive. How often do you use Latin?
18

radge dug,

14/03/2009 13:35:08
Calum, i think Vincent is still looking through his English dictionaries for 'druim' and 'drochaid'.
19

Houssine,

Nanterre 10/04/2009 13:28:32
I approve the dual signalisation in road. Practically all arab muslime world have two or , some times three , language of signalisation. In Algeria , Morrocco, Mauritania, is usually to see the French, english and arab signalisation: as welcome to...folllowing of the name of the town . Most educatless poeples in those countries didn't need to read the signalisation. I think is most difficult for us than for Scottish speaker. I don't know the politic of PM Salmon about the teaching of the Scottich Gaelic?? For me it's an absolutly priority to teach the local thong in all Schottich , whitout distinction of race, origin, ethnicities or any other discrimination. I think a muslim migrant from algeria or senegal in Scotland who's children teach gaelic and english , it's a good solution for the integration of this poeples and to preserve him from the fabnatisnm and integrisme. For me the national priority of the SNP is to promote gaelic inside our societies for all poeples poeples whit money of the stat. I think the first recovring independance is whit the language. I read in a precedent article a project to translate the Kuran to the Gaelic, that is a good ideas and i approuve it but in some time i don't understand why a specialist like me on arab islamic world and gaelic world was not appointed or consulted for a project like this?? Why?? I don't know. But i have an other important suggestion for this organisme , i think the rab world will be very interesed whit a Scottisch gaelic grammar in arabic language. Thoussands of arab students known and teach most important language in the world as ;english, french, spanish...but they are not one gaelic grammar in arab language.
I think it's necessarly understand they are not indepandance whitout gaelic and not gaelic whitout Scottich and not Scottich whitout Scotland. I want to promotte gaelic in Scotland societies for all classes from the low to the upper. I think a good politic can Gaelisise all Scotland in then years. For m
20

Houssine,

Nanterre 10/04/2009 13:33:39
Don't think i call this whitout experience, absolutly no. I was born in France 43 years a go , and at that time i don't know nothing about my father thong. But my father love his country and his culture and he come back to the Algeria, i have 8 years old at that time and i have teached arab language in algerien school and today for me my language is my identity and my blood. It's very difficult for me to understand how it's possible for Scottisch poeples who don't know his language to live??

 

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