An event on Minoritised Languages and Devolution took place this past November. Co-organised by Dr Alejandro Dayán-Fernández in his role as Civil Servant alongside colleagues in the Home Office and academic partners from the University of Cambridge, the session provided a general overview of language policy in Northen Ireland, Scotland, and Wales, focusing particularly on each of the Devolved Administrations’ minoritized languages (Irish Gaelic, Ulster Scots, Irish Sign Language, Scottish Gaelic, Scots, Welsh, and British Sign Language). The talks outlined the historical context and the present, distinctive legal and sociolinguistic situations in each of the jurisdictions and pointed to possible future policy directions. The invited speakers were:

  • Scotland: Prof Bernadette O’Rourke who provided an overview of Gaelic and Scots.
  • Wales: Prof Rhys Jones (Aberystwyth University) who provided an overview of Welsh.
  • Northen Ireland: Prof Mícheál Ó Mainnín (QUB) who provided an overview of Irish and Ulster Scots.
  • Emma Payne (BSL Act Team, Cabinet Office) & Thomas McAuley (Engaged Communities Group at the Department for Communities) who provided an overview of BSL/ISL across the UK.

First published: 29 January 2025

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