Local people will be asked for their views tomorrow (June 6) on a new centre which would widen knowledge of the country's languages and dialects.
Among those who will be questioned will be teachers, actors, academic researchers and local history enthusiasts, who will help to decide if a new Institute for the Languages of Scotland (ILS) should be set up.
If created, the new centre would provide information on all of Scotland's languages including Urdu and Cantonese as well as Scots and Gaelic. People will also be able to find out more about folklore and on the history of place-names.
Dr Victor Skretkowicz, senior lecturer in English at the University of Dundee and grant holder for the project, said: "The feasibility study will assess the degree of support for an institute and will help determine its priorities, funding and where it might be located.
"We believe an ILS would promote and nurture Scotland's rich variety of languages - past and present - and would make information about our language heritage available to everyone. We would like to hear from as many people as possible to determine if such an institute would be successful."
The Institute, if formed, would help people access dictionaries, place-name and dialect surveys and folklore archives. It would provide expert advice for teachers, academics, government departments and those with an interest in local or family history and language use, and stimulate new research into the languages of Scotland. The Carnegie Trust for the Universities of Scotland is funding a feasibility study, which seeks opinions by holding focus group meetings across the country.
Tomorrow's focus group will be held at Central Library, Wellgate Centre,
Dundee, from 5.30-8.30 pm. All are welcome. Those who cannot attend a
focus group but would like to express their views by means of a questionnaire
or otherwise, should contact:
Lorna Pike, Research Officer, ILS Feasibility Study, 27 George Square,
Edinburgh EH8 9LD
Email:lorna@lpike.fsbusiness.co.uk
Website:www.arts.ed.ac.uk/celtscot/institutelanguagesscotland
Note to Editors:
For further information, please contact:
Dr Victor Skretkowicz, Department of English, University of Dundee
Tel 01382 348601 Email v.skretkowicz@dundee.ac.uk
Dr Margaret A Mackay, Department of Celtic and Scottish Studies
Tel 0131 650 4167 Email: margaret.a.mackay@ed.ac.uk