Manx Gaelic, the native language of the Isle of Man, was infamously declared extinct by Unesco over six years ago. Today the language is enjoying a spirited revival powered by YouTube, music and education.

The Isle of Man is equidistant from England, Scotland, Ireland and Wales, the meeting point of four distinct cultures and a haven from each. Over the centuries the Isle of Man natives have withstood wave upon wave of invasion and foreign rule with their cultural identity intact – the Manx language a central part of this identity.

It was the linguistic prejudice of the 20th century that posed the greatest threat to the Manx language. Stigmatized and ignored in schools, Manx slipped into disuse and was declared extinct in 2009.

However, from the language’s crumbling remains a new generation of Manx speakers was born. Raised by language-activist parents and supported by Manx language organisations, these young children formed the core of the language revival.

Dr David Harrison, Associate Professor of Linguistics at Swarthmore College and one of the linguists behind the Enduring Voices Project, singled out the work of the Manx Heritage Foundation – now Culture Vannin – for credit.

“From a global perspective, what the Manx language warriors have achieved over the years is exemplary.” “Manx revitalisation is a success story – it’s one of the bright spots in an otherwise gloomy landscape of language extinction around the world. “Its revival is a role model, I can feel the energy, the passion and the inspiration.”

With half of the world’s 7,000 languages considered endangered, the progress and success of Manx is truly remarkable.

New Technology

Culture Vannin is readily adopting new technologies in order to promote the traditional language to younger speakers. A language learning app featuring interactive songs voiced by young Manx speakers was released by the Foundation in 2013.

Later that year they translated the first children’s television show into Manx.

And all of this innovative work is underpinned by a tremendous library of multimedia resources created by the organisation’s language officer Adrian Cain and made freely available on YouTube. The videos have attracted thousands of views and have helped raise the profile of Manx both on and off the island.

Linguists at Culture Vannin understand the value of recruiting young speakers and they are aware of the role of technology in trying to do so.

Six years after being declared extinct, in excess of 1,800 people now claim to speak, read and write Manx. With the exceptional work put in by Culture Vannin, that number is only going up.

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